The new Melomania P100 are Cambridge Audio’s first over-ear headphones with true wireless, ANC, … [+]
Just over a month ago, I reviewed the latest and greatest pair of true wireless headphones from classic British brand Cambridge Audio. The Melomania M100s are the third pair of true wireless headphones released under the watchful eye of Cambridge Audio chairman James Johnson Flint. Making great earbuds has been Johnson Flint’s personal passion and mission, and the man is on course.
Now Cambridge Audio has announced its first ever pair of truly wireless ANC headphones in the form of the Melomania P100. The engineers at Cambridge Audio have learned a lot about headphones over the past few years, and the results have been distilled into this new pair of headphones, and it shows.
The Melomania P100 headphones build on over 50 years of sonic expertise honed by Cambridge Audio, driven by an unabashed passion to deliver truly emotive sound produced by some superb premium drivers and Class AB amplification.
The new Melomania P100 headphones are superbly stylish and extremely comfortable.
The new headphones have an impressive 60 hours of playback on a single charge. With active noise cancellation turned off, that number climbs to an amazing 100 hours. The large battery capacity means the headphones will need to be charged less often and provide a longer lifespan, which is good for the environment and your bank balance. With a 60-hour battery life, you can easily squeeze an entire work week or a long vacation somewhere cool out of the P100.
Johnson Flint is thrilled with what his engineers have been able to produce. “The Melomania P100 is the closest thing to a Cambridge Audio personal portable hi-fi system. Our award-winning true wireless models have given our listeners access to Cambridge sound on the go, but we also wanted to offer music lovers a flagship over-ear model,” he says.
As with all Cambridge products, the P100 was designed, tuned and engineered at the company’s London music venue and headquarters, Melomania, by the same team that designs the company’s award-winning hi-fi equipment.
The Melomania P100 headphones use 40mm custom drivers and neodymium magnets.
The heart of the P100 are 40mm custom drivers and neodymium magnets. The drivers are powered by a Class AB rather than Class D amplifier. This is the same analogue technology used on Cambridge’s acclaimed CX range of amplifiers. The result is a warm sound with deep but controlled bass, forward vocals and highs that bring definition to the soundstage.
To ensure that the combination of premium drivers and superb amplification reaches its full potential, the P100 is powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon Sound platform, which offers support for aptX Lossless wireless technology, providing CD-quality wireless playback with no lossy compression.
Like most wireless headphones on the market today, the Melomania P100 offers active noise cancellation. The ANC feature offers three user-selectable settings, which are No ANC, Transparency Mode and ANC On. Modes can be switched using the ANC button, which is on the left earcup next to the power button and the Bluetooth pairing control.
Cambridge Audio Melomnia P100 headphones can be connected via Bluetooth or analog … [+]
On the right earcup there are two volume buttons and a special function button with a play/pause function. The headphones can also automatically pause music when you take them off, although this feature can be disabled using the excellent Melomania Connect smartphone app, available for iOS and Android devices.
The grouping of three control buttons also provides many additional functions that can be accessed by double or triple clicking. These features include skipping or repeating songs, summoning voice assistants, and picking up or rejecting phone calls.
Out of the box, the P100 headphones have been tuned to deliver classic Cambridge sound. It’s a transparent and natural signal that sounds amazing without any tuning. There’s a lovely deep bass, but it never becomes flabby or overbearing.
I spun my favorite test track – “Sway” by Diana Krall – and was not disappointed. Unlike some wireless headphones, there was plenty of headroom in the volume on offer, along with a complete absence of the background you sometimes hear with Class D headphones.
The Melomania P100 have a solid construction and don’t fold like some travel headphones.
The P100 sounds like a disciplined orchestra that always takes the conductor’s timing and never wavers. To be appreciated, sound must be heard. The tuning is excellent and with the best wireless headphones on the market and very similar to the great true wireless headphones Melomania M100.
With the Melomania Connect app, the sound can be tuned to suit your taste. There’s a seven-band equalizer that can sculpt the sound to a precise degree, plus six presets suitable for different genres of music.
The P100 headphones have a Gaming Mode that ensures almost perfect synchronization with the sounds that appear on the TV or console while playing games or watching movies. Latency has been reduced to just 80ms.
The ANC feature uses the latest technology available and it shows. This is with Sony and Bose technology, the best in the business. ANC is so good these days that traveling without ANC headphones is unthinkable.
The Cambridge Audio Melomnia P100 True Wireless ANC Headphones look amazing in white.
Perhaps the most important aspect of headphones after sound quality is comfort. Sony and Bose lead the way again with headphones that are light and easy to wear even for hours on a long flight somewhere exotic. I’m happy to say that the P100’s memory foam and faux leather ear cups have all the buttery suppleness you’d find on the Sony WH-1000XM5 or Bose’s QuietComfort.
In addition to the soft ear cups, the relatively light P100 also has a head bridge with textile padding to reduce pressure on the user’s head. Despite weighing 330g, the P100 is light to carry. I think the notch for the fontanel, that high ridge on the human skull, might have made the P100 even lighter to wear. It’s a minor gripe with an otherwise superbly comfortable pair of headphones
James Johnson Flint tells me that a tremendous amount of time and testing has gone into selecting the ideal clamping force to suit the largest variety of head sizes. He’s not wrong. The P100s have just the right level of clamping pressure to keep them in place even as you exercise without feeling like you’ve put them in a vise.
The Melomnia P100 headphones are well-made and the user can replace the battery and ear cups.
The P100 headphones offer 60 to 100 hours of playback on a single charge of the built-in rechargeable battery. Fast charging means that a quick five-minute serial charge can provide up to two hours of playback with ANC enabled, or four hours with ANC off.
Like many companies in the consumer electronics industry, Cambridge Audio is upping its game when it comes to sustainability. The new Melomania P100s are made from sustainable materials wherever possible. The headphones contain 50% recycled plastic and come in 100% recyclable plastic-free packaging. Both the battery and ear pads are user replaceable to ensure the P100 will last for years.
The drive to create a more sustainable product builds on Cambridge Audio’s support as a founding donor to environmental music charity EarthPercent, co-founded by Brian Eno of Roxy Music fame.
Statement: The Cambridge Audio Melomania P100 has set a new standard in wireless ANC headphones. Not only do they sound great with those custom drivers and Class AB amplification, but the ANC functionality is in the major leagues, and you get great comfort and near-infinite battery life in a design that’s sustainable for years to come. As the P100s are Cambridge Audio’s first pair of true wireless ANC headphones, the company has hit the nail on the head with a product that offers incredible value for money and should probably cost a lot more. If you’re considering buying Sony or Bose ANC headphones, do yourself a favor and give the Melomania P100 a listen. You will not regret. Highly recommended.
Price and availability: Cambridge Audio’s Melomania P100 True Wireless ANC Headphones are available from July 2024 at cambridgeaudio.com and Amazon for $279 / £229 / €279 in a choice of white or black, and come with a zipped hard case.
Technical Specifications:
- Drivers: 40 mm, 3-layer.
- Magnets: Neodymium.
- Reinforcement: Class AB.
- Audio codecs: aptX Lossless, SBC, AAC and aptX Adaptive up to 24-bit/96kHz.
- Battery life: Up to 60 hours (100 hours with ANC off).
- Fast charging: Two hours from a five-minute burst.
- ANC Modes: On, Transparent, Off.
- EQ: 7-band settings plus 6 EQ presets.
- Bluetooth: Version 5.3.
- Game mode: 80ms latency.
- User replaceable battery and ear cups.
- Connectivity: Possibility of cable operation via USB-C to 3.5 mm jack or USB-C to USB-C (both cables are included in the delivery).
- Multipoint connection: Yes.
- Ear pads: Vegan leather with memory foam.
- Headband: Memory foam covered with fabric.
- Weight: 330g.