Cambridge Audio has unveiled its first pair of over-ear headphones, and the Melomania P100 look like real contenders. They offer an industry-leading 60 hours of battery life, active noise cancellation (ANC) and the same Class A/B amplification used in Cambridge's Award-winning CX Series hi-fi amplifiers.
- Check out our Cambridge Audio P100 hands-on review
That 60-hour battery life matches the Sennheiser Momentum Wireless 4, and is the longest of any wireless headphones we've seen (the Sony WH-1000XM5 only manage 30 hours). Turn off the noise cancellation, and it extends to a staggering 100 hours.
They charge up quickly too. Just five minutes of plug time gets you two hours of playback, or four hours without ANC.
Like Cambridge Audio's other products, the Melomania P100 were designed, tuned and engineered at the firm's London HQ. They're powered by a custom 40mm three-layer driver with neodymium magnets, matched with the same Class A/B amplification from Cambridge's CX Series amps. Cambridge Audio claims this produces "deep, controlled bass, realistic vocals and beautiful treble clarity."
Qualcomm's Snapdragon Sound with aptX Lossless wireless technology is also onboard to enable wireless playback in CD quality. You can choose from three levels of active noise cancellation, depending on your situation.
You can tweak the sound using the equaliser within the Melomania Connect app – either adjust it manually or choose from the six presets. The gaming mode promises minimal lag, with latency of 80ms, and they should be comfortable enough to wear for hours, thanks to their memory foam earcup pads covered in faux leather.
The P100 are intended as a flagship accompaniment to the Melomania M100 wireless earbuds which launched recently (they feature the same audible feedback voiced by Toast Of London star Matt Berry). They're made with plastic that's 50 per cent recycled and ship in 100 per cent recyclable plastic-free packaging. The battery and earcup pads are all replaceable, too.
The Cambridge Audio Melomania P100 are available from 15th July for £229 / $299 and come in black or white finishes.
As Sonos recently found out, launching a pair of over-ear wireless headphones is not for the faint-hearted. But Cambridge Audio has plenty of experience in making great wireless earbuds (though its first ANC model only launched recently). Let's see how the new headphones do in a full review.
"I went hands-on with the P100 at a demo in central London. They seem to have a lot to offer, even if further investigation will reveal whether it's enough to allow Cambridge Audio to make immediate inroads into a tough market. My first impressions were of decent detail, space and a pleasing sense of solidity, but we need more time with the headphones during our full review to find out how well the P100 over-ears will fare against the current competition."
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