Audiophilepure

https://www.soundandvision.com/content/bowers-wilkins-px8-headphones-review

Even without looking at, feeling, or listening to the Px8, there are so many things I love. I truly love that they have button controls instead of touch pads on the earcups. I end up accidentally doing “something” when wearing touch-pad headphones– advancing a track, pausing, adjusting volume, whatever, when I was only rubbing my ear or moving my hair. I love being able to assign different functions to the Quick Access button. I love the pass-through ANC mode. And I love the high-quality streaming function. And did I mention how much I love how they look, feel and sound?

They are expensive and have extravagant finishes. But you really do get what you pay for. With the Bowers and Wilkins Px8, you get luxurious ANC headphones with exactly the sound quality you would expect.

The DCA EXPANSE features DCA’s 4th generation planar-magnetic driver and their breakthrough Acoustic Metamaterial Tuning System (see the next chapter). Other key elements are the V-Planar driver processing, which improves bass response and lower distortion, as well as DCA’s TrueFlow V2 technology. The latter increasing the resolution and improving dynamics in general.

The driver inside the EXPANSE is a 76mm x 51mm single-ended orthodynamic one, and the drivers are matched (0,25dB weighted 20-10,000Hz). THD is less than 0.03% 20-20KHz, ref. 1KHz at 94dB. The EXPANSE driver has a 23Ω impedance, with a sensitivity rating of about 86 – 87 dB/mW. The DCA EXPANSE is designed and built by hand in San Diego, California, USA.

The Stealth and EXPANSE headphones in my opinion are super cool and unique in sound, and I hope this review will bring over that feeling. The part on AMTS, used inside the EXPANSE, comes from DCA directly. Feel free to skip to the next part if you’re already familiar with it.

First of all, I have to note these headphones have a very high sensitivity rating, making them quite easy to drive. While they are pretty forgiving regarding the source, they clearly sound their best with better gear. As I went up the ladder with DAC/Amps, I was able to get greater levels of detail and separation out of them.

I have to say that the travel case is impressive, as usual with Audeze, but this one is extra special, and it has a different look. The cable that comes with the MM-500 is a single-ended 6.35mm one, I think it is their “Ultra High Purity Cable”. According to Audeze it is specially tuned with directional OCC high-purity copper strands that provide a low capacitance and low resistance path for the signal to travel from your amp to the drivers, maintaining unsurpassed clarity and precision. Like with the LCD-5, I immediately replaced it by my balanced Forza Audioworks Noir HPC mk2 cable, my favourite cable for Audeze headphones.

I believe the midrange to upper midrange region is the star of the Wraith’s signature. The vocals and the instruments sound realistic, and organic while Wraith immediately makes you feel like tapping the floor during good Jazz tracks. Wraith stage projection is intimate. It puts the stage in front of your nose, up close. The perception of depth rather than width is more dominant. The imaging and the layering are great. The high treble travels through the stage and decays naturally, the Wraith uses its superior depth very well. The treble has enough bite without sounding strident and carries a good amount of detail. The Wraith gets a bonus resolution boost from here. The attack decay is very good.

PRaT-wise, Wraith feels dynamic and vibrant. It has no trouble dealing with complex passages, despite having a stage that is limited in width. On a side note, I wish it had slightly more clamping force as the sub-bass depends on that a little too much.

Overall, the Wraith is an excellent performer when it comes to certain genres and offers a different flavor compared to other planar headphones with its impressive technical foundation.