Particularly if an established firm has a solid track record in its sector, there is great pressure on it to instantly appeal to the public when it enters a new product area. When Cambridge Audio unveiled its first wireless headphones, the Melomania P100 ($279), that is what it encountered this year. Although the Melomania M100 wireless earbuds were already produced, the firm was venturing into unknown territory given their reputation mostly derived on hi-Fi amplifiers, digital-to-analog converters (DACs), and speakers.
With the P100, Cambridge Audio manages to give a memorable first impression straight out of the box. Starting with the polished style, it’s apparent that the brand is serious about taking aim at the finest in the category. For a highly appealing product on its first try, it combined aesthetics with lengthy battery life, user-friendly maintenance choices, and a crisp, clear sound profile.
The Melomania P100 Has Some Advantages
Certainly, the P100 resembles a set of premium headphones. In an age where a lot of firms go for plastic-heavy constructions, even for their high-end models, it’s refreshing to see a refined design for less than $300. To handle most of the heavy work here, Cambridge Audio mixed vegan leather and soft memory foam ear cups with metal embellishments. On the headband's underside, there is additional cross-hatched cloth with a textural contrast but preserving the color scheme.
Cambridge Audio didn’t make any concessions on battery life with the P100, guaranteeing up to 60 hours of use with active noise cancellation (ANC) set on. What’s more, the business believes you may eke out up to 100 hours of play time with ANC deactivated, depending on volume levels and other settings. During my battery tests, which I do virtually totally using noise canceling, I had no issue achieving 60 hours. And to keep the P100 operating longer than some headphones would, the business allows consumers to replace the battery themselves when performance declines (ear pads are also removable).
The P100 employs the same Class AB amplification that drives Cambridge Audio’s CX line hi-fi amps. This gives sound performance that’s “audibly better” than what’s available in practically all wireless headphones, according to the firm. Three-layer 40mm drivers complete the audio platform, which is optimized for “precise highs and dynamic lows.”
During my tests, the P100 excelled at replicating sharp, clear details across every genre I threw at it. Even in the harshest portions of Sleep Token’s “Vore,” the snare beats remained snappy, cutting through distorted guitar riffs with voices layered in. Prominence is given to treble and mids though, thus bass-heavy compositions like that one don’t quite have the booming impact they often do. As such, the P100 was at its finest for styles that needed less low-end growl – genres like country, jazz and ‘90s grunge.
What’s Not So Wonderful About The Melomania P100?
My remarks on the overall sound profile of the P100 aren’t fantastic news for people who desire a thunderous blast when listening to songs like Kendrick Lamar, Kaytranada and other bass-heavy compositions. Cambridge Audio does offer a range of presets to adjust the tune, as well as a complete EQ for bespoke profiles. The modifications were more modest for the EQ sliders, so they didn’t give the wallop I was wanting. But, unlike a number of equalization options from other vendors, none of these muddy the sound or made things worse.
Despite the pleasant sensation of the P100’s ear pads, they don’t give adequate cushion from the roughness of the ear cups during lengthy listening sessions. I used them on a cross-country vacation that required a full day of plane travel and wearing headphones for a solid six hours. After approximately 30 minutes, I could start to feel those edges. And while they never got unpleasant, this precluded 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 fundamentals on the P100. There’s stable, easy-to-use tactile controls, strong adaptive ANC performance and compatibility for aptX Lossless. Wear recognition and multipoint Bluetooth are also in tow, as is wired listening at 24-bit/96kHz quality and a five-minute rapid charging tool. What you won’t see are things like voice detection, any mention of spatial audio or some of the automatic features the competition provides. Sure, I can understand the absences on the P100 given the price, but these are the sorts of conveniences that are quickly becoming fundamental specifications, so one or two would’ve been wonderful to have.
Read Also: Review of the Bose QuietComfort Earbuds
Final Judgment On The Melomania P100
I’m pleased by what Cambridge Audio has produced for its first set of wireless headphones. It’s evident the business knows how to make crisp, balanced audio, even if the P100 could need a bit more low-end tone. The mix of design, sound, repairability and battery life make this an attractive alternative at much under $300. And now that the firm has a good base to grow on, I anticipate to be blown away by whatever happens next.