Cambridge Audio P100 Over-Ear Headphones with Active Noise Cancellation (White)

I was surprised to see that the reviews for this pair of headphones are so polarized, but I can confidently say from my own experience that these have been an excellent choice and I'm very happy with them so far.Sound is obviously a preferential and subjective thing, so that may explain why some people don't seem to care for them. However, from my point of view, these hit it out of the park. I originally bought a pair of WH-1000XM5 and found that even after a few days of careful listening, I just didn't enjoy the way they sounded. I already had these headphones in the back of my mind so I figured I'd try these instead, given that they are from a reputable company and many people had been praising the way they sounded. A day with the P100's sealed the deal, and the Sony's went back to Amazon. I wouldn't say I'm an audiophile but I have a few headphones to compare them to, such as B&O, Audeze, Sony, Hifiman, etc., and I find these to be some of, if not the best sounding.These headphones just sound really, really good. It's a neutral sound that balances everything beautifully so that you get a nice blend of detail and tonality, all while being very pleasant and non-fatiguing to listen to. And unlike many other types of ANC headphones, they don't sound claustrophobic and are able to provide a surprising amount of soundstage. Recently, I tried my HE400s that I have hooked up to a Monoprice liquid spark amp and sat down for a few songs, and while the planar magnetics had the wider soundstage (obviously) and were slightly more detailed, I found myself putting the P100s back on because they just were more enjoyable to listen to.Comfort is a tough one because again, I feel like everyone is different and it's difficult to say one pair is more comfortable than another. I can see that these felt more comfortable than the WH1000XM5s, despite being heavier. And maybe my head is small, or maybe the other reviewers' skulls are just soft, but I have found these really comfortable and the clamping force just right. Your ears feel like they have plenty of room.Also, the other reviewer talking about how wide these were and that he was hitting them on doorframes is exaggerating greatly. That or there's something genuinely wrong with his gait or balance and he needs to see his doctor. They're wide, but its not like having a 2x4 nailed to your head like that other guy made it to be.The other perks worth mentioning include the replaceable batteries, which is a huge plus to me, even though you can't currently buy them as it seems they're out of stock on their website. The battery life itself is monstrous; as I'm writing this review, I've been lightly using the headphones on and off for about 3 weeks since their last charge (mostly ANC off), and it currently has 72% battery left.Physical button controls are also very nice and easy to use. One of the issues with the Sony capacitive controls is that, at least in colder climates, the air would start activating the controls so you would have to go through the app to manually disable the touchpad. These obviously don't have that problem.The cons that I think worth mentioning are as follows:1.) The app and software still have some kinks. Sometimes it will just keep repeating that it has been paired or unpaired, and you just have to disable the voice prompts. It seems like having it connected to more than 2 devices at a time triggers that for me. Also, the app itself takes a few seconds to boot up and find the headphones.2.) The headphones' ANC is good, not great. They feel about on par or slightly slightly worse than my WH1000XM3s, and behind the WH1000XM5s. Also, it seems easy to break the seal they make on your head when you move around or turn your head (in my case), so sometimes this lets in noise and hurts the ANC's ability to work. However, it seems you can avoid this by repositioning your head/headphones.3.) These aren't made for the gym. They're slightly heavier than most headphones and their wider stature means that they will generate more angular momentum and are more likely to slide off your head. I personally only wear ear buds when I workout anyway, so not a problem for me but maybe a problem for you if that's something you're into.4.) I'm sure there's something else but it's probably not that important.Bottom line:These are great sounding headphones (regardless of price), comfortable (to me), are solidly built, have excellent battery life, are designed for many years of use with their large replaceable batteries, all while undercutting most of the other ANC headphones you can currently buy in terms of price. They're definitely worth a shot, and I view those super negative reviews with a grain of salt.

I’m pretty picky when it comes to headphones….specifically sound. But I also would much rather have Bluetooth over wired, for home and travel. I’ve had many models from the Sony XM series to Sennheiser to lesser known but fantastic audio quality brands like PSB and Dali. Even though I primarily stick with Bluetooth…sound is top priority, then battery life, sustainability (replaceable battery, pads etc) ANC, comfort etc. Bottom line is the Cambridge Audio p100 deliver on mostly all of that. Let me start with Audio. Out of the box I wasn’t blown away; but with eq these are up there with headphones that cost over $1000 more. A detailed, revealing, wide sound with a punchy but not overblown bass is probably the best way to describe it. These are headphones where you’ll pick up those little nuances in songs that you don’t hear otherwise. For those details that you might know are there, the p100 elevate them so you hear it louder. For a 200+ dollar headphone to do that is madness. Props! As for battery life, 100 hours with ANC off and 60 with it on is class leading and again major props to Cambridge here. Folks may see this as irrelevant but less charging means longevity…which, oh by the way, when the time comes the battery can be replaced by you. No sending your headphones in to the manufacturer and waiting weeks to get them back while paying a fee to do so. You order the battery and do it yourself. This is the way! The ANC works. It’s probably middle of the road but enough to quiet things to the point where all you hear is the music when it’s playing. If you’re looking for pure silence you may need to look elsewhere. My only 2 gripes (minor) are lack of passive listening, but 100 hours and battery replaceability offset this…still a jack would have been nice. The other is comfort. The pads are like pillows…no issues there. The headband is a bit uncomfortable for me but that seems to go away as you get used to them. Don’t let any of that dissuade you however. Cambridge could have charged more for these. But they kept it affordable and for what you're getting vs. the competition in sound and battery life at the price is fantastic.