Cambridge Audio, the U.K.-based audio specialty maker and merchant of affordable premium-grade audio gear, introduced today its first-ever over-ear headphones in its award-winning Melomania wireless headphone series. The new Melomania P100 balances elegant design with spectacular sound quality…blending in mind-blowing battery life and a healthy dose of best-in-class technology.
Learn all about the Cambridge Audio P100 wireless over-ear headphones
Cambridge says that the P100 builds upon its 50 years of audio experience and “an unashamed passion for music to deliver truly emotive sound from meticulously tuned premium drivers and hi-fi-grade Class AB amplification.” Certainly, from what I’m seeing in the specs of the announcement, it is a well thought-out design that delivers the performance audiophiles expect with the technology that the gear heads will love.
Let’s start with the all-important drivers. The P100 features a custom 40mm premium three-layer Mylar driver with neodymium magnets. Pushing these drivers is a refined Class AB amplifier that is much like those used in the company’s popular CX series hi-fi amplifiers. This combination, the company says, delivers a higher quality performance from a soul-shakingly deep…yet controlled…bass, with open, natural vocals, and extended, sparkling treble.
Delivers a Quality of Audio Performance that Cambridge is Known For
While I haven’t had the opportunity yet to hear them for myself, I see nothing here that causes me to question that description.
Melomania P100 is the closest you can get to a personal, portable Cambridge Audio hi-fi system. Our award-winning true wireless models gave our listeners an on-the-go entry to the Cambridge sound, but we wanted to offer music lovers a flagship over-ear option as well.
James Johnson-Flint, Cambridge Audio Owner
Wireless Playback in CD Quality Delivered Compression-Free
Also helping to ensure that you are hearing the best audio possible, the P100 uses Qualcomm’s Snapdragon Sound with aptX Lossless wireless technology. The company says this technology delivers “wireless playback in CD quality with no lossy compression.”
Battery life is an impressive 60 hours when using Active Noise Cancellation (ANC) and an even more spectacular 100 hours with ANC off. As the company notes, that is virtually a full week’s worth of use on one charge. Managed to run out of juice? A 5-minute fast charge buys you another 2 hours of play time with ANC on…and 4 hours with it off.
Oh…and by the way, something I really like about the P100 is the battery is user-replaceable! That is NOT a common feature in today’s world. Good job, guys!
A Better Connection to Whatever You Want to Hear
Connecting to your device for phone calls or music is accomplished via Bluetooth 5.3. The ANC takes care of quashing background noise. Not only does it have ANC, but the P100 even offers three adjustable levels of control for the perfect amount of environmental noise adjustment.
And since you’re likely to be wearing these remarkable headphones for hours a day, isn’t it nice to know that it is ridiculously comfortable? Thanks to plush vegan leather earpads which feature comfy memory foam, and a luxuriously cushioned headband (with notch-free adjustment), the P100 raises the game in comfort.
You are in Full Control of the Sound
The company says that the P100 comes tuned to deliver “the acclaimed Cambridge sound – transparent and natural.” Yet the company puts you in full control via its Melomania Connect control app which gives you the ability to tailor the sound to your exact personal taste.
In the app is a full 7-band equalizer giving you very precise control of the tonal quality with a virtually endless level of settings combinations possible to meet any taste. To help get you started, the app provides six presets that line up with the most popular music genres.
Gamers Will Love It, and Lovers of the Earth Will, As Well
Good news for the gamers out there – Cambridge’s P100 supports Gaming Mode, which provides for “near-perfect screen/sound sync” on all of the latest hit games. It can also correct syncing issues on certain video content, the company says. Latency is just 80ms.
Finally, the P100 is also designed to be earth-friendly. The company says in designing this product, it focused on employing sustainable materials as much as possible. Consequently, the headphones use 50% recycled plastic and are shipped in packaging that is 100% plastic-free and fully recyclable. And, as I mentioned above, the batteries and earcup pads are user-replaceable extending the usable life of the product.
Your local landfill will thank you.
Availability and Pricing
Cambridge Audio’s Melomania P100 is available this month (July) at cambridgeaudio.com and Amazon. It is available in either white or black finishes and sells for a MSRP of £229/€279/$279
Melomania P100 FEATURES
- Signature Cambridge Audio sound reproduction from 40mm premium 3-layer Mylar drivers alongside hi-fi-grade Class AB amplification
- Futureproofed with cutting-edge aptX Lossless playback in CD quality, alongside codec support for SBC, AAC, and aptX Adaptive up to 24-bit/96kHZ
- Up to 60 hours of battery life (100 hours with ANC off) with fast charging to give an additional 2 hours of ANC-enabled use from 5 minutes of charge
- Active Noise Cancellation with Transparency Mode for full versatility
- 7-band EQ adjustment, plus 6 EQ presets
- Bluetooth 5.3
- Gaming Mode for near-perfect screen/sound sync, for more than just music
- User-replaceable battery and earcup pads
- Choice of wired operation via USB-C to 3.5mm jack or USB-C to USB-C (both cables supplied)
- Multipoint connectivity
- Soft vegan leather and memory foam earpads, and luxuriously cushioned headband
- Choice of beautifully on-trend white or stealthy black finishes
- Audible feedback guest-voiced by actor and musician Matt Berry (English language only)
Thanks Ted – are you going to compare the Sonos ACE and Focal Bathy’s ?
Very interesting headphones , they look a lot like the B&W PX7 which I have