Cambridge Audio Melomania P100 review: An impressive headphone debut

When an established company enters a new product category, there’s a lot of pressure on it to immediately impress the masses, especially when it has a proven track record in its industry. That’s what Cambridge Audio faced this year when it debuted its first wireless headphones, the Melomania P100 ($279). It had already made the Melomania M100 wireless earbuds, but with a reputation largely built on hi-fi amplifiers, digital-to-analog converters (DACs) and speakers, the company was entering uncharted waters.

With the P100, Cambridge Audio managed to leave a lasting first impression right out of the box. Starting with the refined look, it’s evident that the company is serious about taking aim at the best in the category. It partnered aesthetics with long battery life, user-friendly maintenance options and a crisp, clear sound profile for a very compelling package on its first attempt.

What’s good about the Melomania P100?

The P100 certainly looks like a set of flagship headphones. In an age when a lot of companies opt for plastic-heavy builds, even for their high-end models, it’s nice to see a polished design for less than $300. Cambridge Audio combined aluminum accents with vegan leather and soft memory foam ear cups to do most of the heavy lifting here. There’s also cross-hatched fabric on the underside of the headband that offers a textural contrast while maintaining the color scheme.

Cambridge Audio didn’t make any sacrifices on battery life with the P100, promising up to 60 hours of use with active noise cancellation (ANC) turned on. What’s more, the company says you can eke out up to 100 hours of play time with ANC disabled, depending on volume levels and other settings. I had no trouble hitting 60 hours during my battery tests, which I run almost entirely while employing noise cancellation. And to keep the P100 running longer than some headphones would, the company allows users to replace the battery themselves when performance dips (ear pads are also replaceable).

The P100 uses the same Class AB amplification that powers Cambridge Audio’s CX series hi-fi amps. This provides sound performance that’s “audibly better” than what’s found in nearly all wireless headphones, according to the company. Three-layer 40mm drivers complete the audio platform, which is tuned for “precise highs and dynamic lows.”

During my tests, the P100 excelled at reproducing crisp, clean details across every genre I threw at it. Even in the heaviest parts of Sleep Token’s “Vore,” the snare hits remained punchy, cutting through distorted guitar riffs with vocals layered in. Prominence is given to treble and mids though, as bass-heavy tracks like that one don’t quite have the booming punch they typically do. As such, the P100 was at its best for styles that demanded less low-end growl — genres like country, jazz and ‘90s grunge.

What’s not so good about the Melomania P100?

Billy Steele for Engadget

My notes on the overall sound profile of the P100 aren’t great news for those who crave a bombastic blast when listening to music by Kendrick Lamar, Kaytranada and other bass-heavy tunes. Cambridge Audio does offer a selection of presets to alter the tuning, as well as a full EQ for custom profiles. The changes were more subtle for the EQ sliders, so they didn’t deliver the thump I was after. But, unlike a lot of equalizer options from other companies, none of these muddied the sound or made things worse.

Despite the soft touch of the P100’s ear pads, they don’t offer enough buffer from the ridges of the ear cups during longer listening sessions. I used these on a cross-country trip that involved a full day of air travel and wearing headphones for a solid six hours. After about 30 minutes, I could start to feel those edges. And while they never became painful, this kept the P100 from competing with the likes of the Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones and Sony’s WH-1000XM5 in terms of overall comfort.

Cambridge Audio did well to cover all the basics on the P100. There’s reliable, easy-to-use physical controls, solid adaptive ANC performance and support for aptX Lossless. Wear detection and multipoint Bluetooth are also in tow, as is wired listening at 24-bit/96kHz quality and a five-minute quick charge tool. What you won’t find are things like speech detection, any mention of spatial audio or some of the automated features the competition offers. Sure, I can excuse the omissions on the P100 given the price, but these are the types of conveniences that are increasingly becoming core specs, so one or two would’ve been nice to have.

Final verdict on the Melomania P100

I’m impressed by what Cambridge Audio has built for its first set of wireless headphones. It’s obvious the company knows how to produce clear, balanced audio, even if the P100 could use a smidge more low-end tone. The combination of design, sound, repairability and battery life make this a compelling option at well under $300. And now that the company has a solid foundation to build on, I expect to be blown away by whatever comes next.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/audio/headphones/cambridge-audio-melomania-p100-review-an-impressive-headphone-debut-192412530.html?src=rss