We're big fans of Cambridge Audio's headphones – I've owned and loved a few models, and my colleague Becky Scarrott considers its Melomania M100 headphones to be her favourite noise-cancelling headphones (and they're currently on sale).
Cambridge Audio's recent success in the headphone sector is partly because their products sound great, partly because they are not ridiculously expensive and partly because they have What we do in the shadows'Matt Berry provides spoken commentary for English language users.
That's why we're delighted to discover that the firm's first wireless over-ear headphones appear to have followed the same winning formula – Matt Berry included.
The new Cambridge Audio P100 promise excellent audio quality and impressive battery life. With ANC on, you can expect an impressive 60 hours of playtime; turn it off and that number rises to an exceptional 100 hours. That’s enough time to fly around the world twice or pull out of the car park after a Taylor Swift concert.
Cambridge Audio P100 Headphones: Key Specs and Price
There are two color options, black or white, and both models have ear cushions made from memory foam and covered in leatherette. Cambridge says that “a tremendous amount of time and testing has gone into selecting the ideal clamping force to accommodate the widest range of head sizes,” and Becky recently listened to them; she agrees that they felt great during that first listen.
The P100s are built with custom-built 40mm, three-layer Mylar drivers and feature Class A/B amplification from the same family as Cambridge Audio’s acclaimed CX Series amplifiers. They feature aptX Lossless for better quality streaming from compatible devices in up to CD quality and feature a customisable EQ as well as presets for different music genres.
In addition to aptX Lossless, they also support SBC, AAC, and aptX Adaptive up to 24-bit/96kHz. You can also use the P100 as wired headphones – both a USB-C to 3.5mm cable and a USB-C to USB-C cable are supplied, opening the door to high-resolution audio.
There are three ANC modes, including a Transparency mode, and the headphones also have a low-latency mode for gaming that promises “near-perfect” screen and sound synchronization and can also correct timing issues with some types of video content. Cambridge Audio says latency in this mode has been reduced to just 80ms.
What the press release doesn't say (but my colleague Becky was told upon first hearing them) is that the P100's battery is modular and user-replaceable, meaning you'll be able to buy a new battery once it expires. And that's great news for the headphones and for the environment. We'll wait to see for ourselves, but it's revolutionary stuff and something very (very) few of the best wireless headphones currently offer.
The new Melomania P100 headphones will be available from July 15 and have a recommended price of $299 / £229 / €299 (around AU$449). Stay tuned for a full review on TechRadar soon…
