The Cambridge Melomania P100 headphones, priced at $279 (compensated affiliate link), sound spectacular – as long as you don’t move around too much. You can see more in my latest review.
Although I’m not an expert audiophile, I primarily listen to lossless audio, and the P100’s sound quality truly impressed me. The headphones feature 40mm drivers, providing a balanced range of sound with punchy bass when needed and clear precision across other frequencies. I left the equalizer on its default flat setting, as suggested by Cambridge, and was satisfied with the results.
The headphones are comfortable, featuring synthetic vegan leather ear cups that fit well over my ears and effectively block out ambient noise even without active noise cancellation. The fabric headband is comfortable, and I experienced no significant fatigue after wearing the headphones for several hours. However, the tight fit made it a bit challenging to wear glasses comfortably.
Control-wise, the P100s are straightforward. A physical switch turns the headphones on and off, and pairing via Bluetooth is seamless. They support Bluetooth 5.3 and can connect to two devices simultaneously. Media controls and noise cancellation settings are easily accessible, and the headphones include a Qualcomm QCC 3084 chip for audio processing, which I found satisfactory despite being an entry-level processor.
One drawback is the absence of a 3.5mm headphone jack, although the included USB-C cables (including one with a 3.5mm headphone connector) provide alternatives for connecting to devices. The headphones support lossless audio formats such as aptX Lossless over bluetooth, making them ideal for high-quality music listening when connected directly to a device that supports wireless lossless.
The battery life is impressive, with claims of up to 100 hours without active noise cancellation and 60 hours with it.
However, using the headphones while walking revealed an issue: an annoying clicking sound caused by the noise cancellation picking up my footsteps. This problem, reported by other users as well, makes the P100s less suitable for active use. Even when the noise cancellation is disabled I heard the footsteps resonating through the headphones.
The Cambridge Audio companion app runs on iPhone and Android devices. It offers basic but useful features, including firmware updates, graphic equalizer and customization of noise cancellation settings. The app also includes a gaming mode to reduce audio latency, which might be useful for some users.
Overall, the Cambridge Melomania P100 headphones provide excellent audio quality and comfort, making them a solid choice for stationary music listening or long flights. However, for those who like to move around with their headphones, the noise cancellation issues may be a significant drawback.
Disclosure: The headphones came in free of charge through the Amazon Vine program. However no other compensation was received and this content was not reviewed or approved by Amazon or the manufacturer before upload.