Works with iPhone 8 or later and iPod touch (7th generation) with the latest version of iOS; and 12.9‑inch iPad Pro (2nd generation or later), 11‑inch iPad Pro, 10.5‑inch iPad Pro, iPad (5th generation or later), iPad Air (3rd generation or later) and iPad mini (5th generation or later) with the latest version of iPadOS. We’d be remiss if we didn’t mention the P9s' exceptionally high price, and if you’re considering purchasing these headphones then you should know that almost every penny is going towards sound quality, rather than non-essential features. As the P9 Signature are wired headphones – unlike B&W’s other recently launched headphones – you get a range of cable options included. There’s one Apple-friendly three-button remote cable with a microphone, alongside two standard 3.5mm cables – one of which is 5m long for home hi-fi use. A 6.3mm adaptor is also thrown in. Swapping out cables just requires you to remove the left ear cushion in customary B&W fashion. This time, however, Bowers & Wilkins is celebrating by launching a new pair of headphones in the form of the P9 Signature, its new flagship over-ear cans.

AirPods Pro (2nd generation) are dust resistant and sweat and water resistant for non-water sports and exercise, and are IP54 rated. Dust, sweat and water resistance are not permanent conditions. I threw on some live Charles Bradley and there was an extra layer of raspiness to his soulful voice that I’d never noticed. You’ll take delight in revisiting your old favourites and hearing them in new ways.Never is this clearer than with a piece of orchestral music, like Mozart’s Don Giovanni Suite KV 527 – Madamina (Leporello). Violins are crisp and textured, with depth in every bow, while flutes flutter and soar without constraint.

There’s never any harshness or hardness that you might hear on lesser headphones, and everything sounds as it should, as if it were being played right in front of you. Not always easy with sounds like this. The vented multi-layer memory foam cushioning of the earcups and headband is plentiful – these are headphones you can quite happily wear for hours at a time. The comfort levels are heightened by the sheer size of the cavernous cups, too. The design takes the premium look and feel of the P7 Wireless and dials it up a notch. All of the materials were selected specifically for the P9 Signature, including the luxurious Italian Saffiano leather that has a unique cross-hatched stamping across the outside of the earcups and headband. They sound good regardless of what you put through them. Even just streaming Spotify at its highest bitrate you’ll hear an improvement. Of course, feed the P9 Signature something of higher quality and they’ll really shine. Driven by a Creative Sound Blaster E5, clarity and detail from my Hi-Res Audio test files was dialled up to 11. They’re designed to more closely follow the angle of your ears, maintaining a consistent level of space between them. Sound is therefore meant to feel like it’s coming more from in front of you, rather than from the sides.The P9s achieve this detailing through an unflinching commitment to accuracy. These are not a pair of headphones that will paper over poorly recorded music, and they don’t cloud the sound with any undue emphasis on certain parts of the frequency spectrum. A final point on the form factor of these headphones is that they’re probably at the edge of what we’d consider portable. There’s a lot of technology built into these cans, and the result is that they’re very bulky, and moderately heavy. AirPods (3rd generation) are sweat and water resistant for non-water sports and exercise, and are IPX4 rated. Sweat and water resistance are not permanent conditions. MagSafe charging requires a compatible MagSafe charger. Wireless charging requires a Qi‑certified wireless charger. AirPods (3rd generation) charging case also works with the Apple Watch charger or Lightning connector. AirPods Pro (2nd generation) charging case also works with the Apple Watch charger or USB‑C connector.

The B&W P9 Signatures are simply some of the best-sounding headphones we’ve ever used. They have a tight, refined sound that offers an almost unmatched level of detail. Works with AirPods Pro (2nd generation) with the latest firmware when paired with a compatible Apple device with the latest operating system software. Compatible hardware and software required. Works with compatible content in supported apps. Not all content available in Dolby Atmos. iPhone with TrueDepth camera required to create a personal profile for Spatial Audio, which will sync across Apple devices running the latest operating system software, including iOS, iPadOS, macOS and tvOS. While B&W may have foregone releasing an anniversary loudspeaker this time, that doesn’t mean its rich loudspeaker heritage hasn’t played a part in the P9 Signature’s design. B&W has tried to emulate the effect of listening to stereo loudspeakers by angling the transducers.

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They might not include a huge host of features, but the inline remote is useful, the detachable cables are well integrated, and the headphones are comfortable to wear for long periods. We disliked