Cambridge Audio Melomania P100 Review

Verdict

Turn the volume up a little, and you’ll be treated to spacious, energetic, and punchy sound from the Melomania P100. The noise-cancelling could be a little more consistent, but in terms of its all-round performance, this is a strong mid-range effort from Cambridge Audio.

Introduction

As far as this site is concerned, Cambridge Audio has been three for three with its headphones.

The original Melomania 1 scored full marks and so did its successor – the Melomania 1+. The M100 true wireless was ambitious and scored a favourable review, and now Cambridge has jumped into the territory of over-ear headphones with the P100.

Nestled in the mid-range part of the headphone market, the Cambridge Audio Melomania P100 are up against efforts from Sennheiser as well as discounted ‘premium’ over-ears from the likes of Sony and Philips.

As a new name in this area of the market, can the Cambridge Melomania P100 dazzle amongst its illustrious competitors?

Design

• Black or white finish
• Detachable earpads
• Large case

Available in black or white finishes, there’s something of a gangly, awkward look to the P100 but build quality is solid – there’s no feeling of cheapness – and from the headband to the memory foam/faux leather adorned earpads, I can’t complain about the comfort levels once they are on my head.

The earpads and the battery inside are replaceable you can purchase the battery kit from Cambridge Audio for £30. Cambridge also claims the P100 makes use of 50% recyclable materials while the packaging is 100% plastic free.

Aesthetically the headphones look good without necessarily catching the eye. You’ll see the Melomania logo on the earcups with a shiny circular edge surrounding it, while the headband uses a stepless slider to adjust the fit, the headband designed to fit a wide array of heads.

They can be folded flat but not collapsed, which is a bit of a shame considering the size of the carry case the headphones come in. It’s bigger than you’d expect.

Physical controls cover operation so you won’t have to worry about missed swipes or touches. On the left earcup is ANC and slider for powering/Bluetooth pairing (it’s also where you’ll find the USB-C port). On the right are your playback and volume controls, and all are easily placed within easy reach.

Accessories include a USB-C cable for charging and a USB to 3.5mm for wired listening.

Features

• Melomania app
• Snapdragon Sound support
• Adaptive Noise-Cancellation

As far as wireless performance goes, Bluetooth 5.3 includes support for Snapdragon Sound, which means aptX Lossless audio over Bluetooth with (compatible) Android devices. I can’t recall any specific issues with the Bluetooth performance as the connection proved to be a reliable one. Google Fast Pair is provided for a quick initial connection to Android devices.

Call quality is very good and while some noise does meander through, it’s all kept in the background and doesn’t affect voice pick up.

The P100 uses adaptive noise-cancellation and like the M100, it’s an area that could benefit from greater consistency.

Gadding about London, it’s solid in terms of the calming effect it has on the hustle and bustle of city; while on the London Underground it removes a good chunk of noise (mainly the low frequencies), but also lets in a bit more noise than expected.

It’s the same on an aeroplane too, more of the cabin noise gets through than it did with the less expensive Soundcore Space Pro headphones; while a pink noise test versus the Sennheiser Accentum Plus sees that over-ear pair produce a quieter performance. It’s not to say that the P100 aren’t strong, but for noise-cancelling there are others that edge it.

Battery life is an astronomic 100 hours with noise-cancelling off and 60 hours with it on. An hour’s battery drain with volume set to around 50% resulted in a drop of 1%. Though to qualify the performance, this is with the less battery-intensive aptX Adaptive codec. At higher volumes, you’re likely to lose more battery.

It might be worth noting the Melomania app doesn’t always relate battery loss in real time. Closing and re-opening the app shows the actual battery figure. Fast charging stats equals two hours from a five-minute charge.

The Melomania app is well-featured for personalising the P100’s performance. You can switch on the wear detect function (which is very quick to work); there’s a seven-band custom EQ along with presents such as ‘flat’, ‘natural’, and ‘electronic’, to find a sound you prefer.

Noise-cancelling can be customised (high, medium, and low) and you can swap through the various modes such as transparency and normal. In a weird quirk, closing and re-opening the app seems to show the headphones in its Normal mode instead of the selected Noise-cancelling or Transparency mode.

If you’re a gamer, there’s a mode that promises to reduce latency to 80ms. The unsung hero of the app is the Audible Feedback function whereby you can set the voice language. Switch to Southwark and you’ll get the glorious tones of Matt Berry from Toast of London in your ears.

Sound Quality

• A little tame and soft at normal volumes
• Spacious soundstage
• Balanced, clear performance

With Class AB tech powering the 40mm, 3-layer Mylar drivers, Cambridge describes the sound of the P100 as one with deep, controlled bass, realistic sounding vocals and clear high frequencies.

The headphones emit a steady and poised character to its sound that makes for an entertaining listen but lacks a degree of engagement and emotion – at least at its default volume. If you’re looking for more sonic fireworks then perhaps a richer, but more vibrant sound from the Sony WH-1000XM5 might be more to your tastes.

Even at those rather perfunctory volume levels, the P100 boasts encouraging levels of clarity and detail with tracks, allied with an expansive soundstage.

Bass is described in measured terms in Unholy from Sam Smith and Kim Petras or Warren G’s Regulate, but missing a few levels in terms of depth and extension that would give the low frequencies more power and presence. For me they’re a touch light – more force and energy would not go amiss. None of the presets really extends the bass further, so what you get is a fine if somewhat measured performance.

There’s an engaging clarity with voices – male or female – that comes across well in a variety of genres. Vocals exist in a big space that leaves them untroubled by other instruments or beats in a track, and in Veronica Swift’s The Man I Love, they squeeze a decent amount of dynamism out of her voice.

The high frequency performance is clear and detailed, though not the brightest or sharpest, which leaves the top end of the frequency range feeling a little blunted when listening to GoGo Penguin’s Atomised. I’m always left with the impression that high frequencies could use more bite and attack with these headphones.

A pair of over-ears such as the Shure Aonic 40 aren’t as good in overall performance terms as the P100, but they elicit more detail and sharpness from tracks that’s lacking with the P100’s more smoother take.

But as I’ve mentioned a few times, there is something about the P100’s default volume that doesn’t do it too many favours. The first thing I’d encourage you to do is push the volume up.

At default volume, they’re too sedate, but with a rise you hear more character. Bass feels stronger and punchier, its sense of rhythm and momentum carry tracks forward with more energy. It’s at this point where the Melomania P100 move from being fine and placid to a more rapid and expressive listen.

The headphones don’t sound warm and crisp but I wouldn’t describe the headphones necessarily as neutral either – there’s effortless smoothness and naturalism that pleases with the P100 – they’re an easy, comfortable listen whatever genre you listening to.

Compare them to the Sennheiser Accentum Wireless Plus – a close price rival – and they’re more detailed and spacious. There’s more power in the bass, more openness in the midrange, and a wider soundstage in which to enjoy it in.

The Cambridge Audio Melomania P100 sound like headphones that have been tuned to cater to wide range of listening tastes. At their default volume it feels as if the handbrake has been turned on but turn the volume up and there’s more energy and character too.

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