Cambridge Audio has announced the Melomania P100, marking the near-60-years-old brand's first entry into the world of over-ear headphones. Building on its award-winning Melomania series – which has, to-date, been made up of in-ear models only – the new P100 is packed with features that include high-fidelity wireless playback, detailed sound customization with a seven-band EQ, and a battery capable of powering the headphones for over four full days of playback (100 hours, or around 4.1 days).
Founded in 1968, the British hi-fi audio brand poured over five decades of audio expertise into creating the Melomania P100. The new headphones have been tuned to Cambridge Audio's signature sound, one that has caused it to have a cult-like following amongst audiophiles, which the brand describes as being "transparent and natural, taking you closer to the music without distorting it." And, together with the 'Melomania Connect' app on iOS and Android, users can further tune the sound to their liking, choosing from six preset profiles or opting for full control with the seven-band EQ.
Internally, the headphones feature 40mm drivers made from a three-layer composite of PEEK+PU+PEEK – or, polyetheretherketone and polyurethane, a combination of materials that makes the product lightweight and incredibly durable. Aesthetics aside, circularity is a key focus for the brand and both of these materials can be fully recycled. While the headphones themselves are made from 50% recycled plastic and ship to customers in 100% plastic-free packaging, Cambridge Audio is also offering user-replaceable batteries and earcups – this makes the P100 quite unique in today's personal audio market since not many brands offer self-swappable batteries, with Cambridge Audio telling Hypebeast that it aims to keep these available for purchase to its customers for as long as it's around.
Other features found in the P100 include multipoint connectivity with two devices over Bluetooth 5.3 – though, you can actually connect to three devices in total if one of them is wired (both USB-C to USB-C and USB-C to 3.5mm jack cables are included in the box). Both wired and wirelessly, the P100 can play lossless, high-fidelity audio, with a variety of supported codecs including SBC, AAC and aptX Adaptive up to 24-bit/96kHZ. There's even 'Gaming Mode', a setting that dramatically reduces lag for what he brand calls "near-perfect screen/sound sync".
The P100 features active noise-cancelling (ANC) as well as adjustable transparency mode. With ANC switched on, users can expect to get an already impressive 60 hours of battery, but it's without ANC where the P100 steps into uncharted territory, offering a staggering 100 hours of playback – a triple-figure battery capacity that's currently unmatched by any other brand.
A standout feature of Cambridge Audio's new headphones is just how comfortable they are. We've been using them for a week and the P100's comfort rivals that of Bose's QuietComfort range – arguably the most comfortable headphones you can buy – with a clamping pressure that feels great on-ear, earpads made from soft vegan leather that doesn't feel too warm, and a wide, cushioned headband that keeps the headphones sitting comfortably on-head.
The Cambridge Audio P100 headphones are available now in two colors -- black or white -- via the brand's website priced at £229 GBP / €279 EUR / $279 USD.
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