The B&W P9 has a price tag that not many headphone enthusiasts are able to afford but the rave reviews do make it tempting to own one. This is a pair of closed-back design headphones and they are well-regarded for their high sound quality. B&W P9 certainly deserves to be partnered with a DAC of equal caliber.
With so many DACs to choose from which ones should we get? This is what we are going to find out and the matching DACs should have complementary effects to the B&W P9’s sonic performance. Your own requirements will play a part in choosing the right D/A converter as well. After we have gone through all these, we will then share a list of the best matching DACs with you.
Table of Contents
Sound Characteristics of B&W P9
They do have a luxurious look and feel premium as well, since it is a closed-back design, we are expecting a more pronounced bass reproduction. It is a pity the Bowers & Wilkins P9 is not suitable for outdoor use though. It has poor noise isolation and the music you are listening to will leak out which may cause disturbance to people near you. They are rather heavy too and their weight is 413g, still, the B&W P9 is comfortable to wear and doesn’t feel very warm after long hours of use. It is recommended to use them indoors in a quiet environment.
Their frequency response of 2Hz-30kHz is impressive and this shows the B&W P9 could dig very deep into the bass extension. They have high sensitivity and a really low impedance of 22 Ohms, you wouldn’t really need a headphone amplifier to drive them which is pretty rare for a high-end headphone. As expected, the bass reproductions of the Bowers and Wilkins P9 are powerful but don’t overwhelm the upper registers. There are rare occasions where we find the bass performance of the P9 coming at us too strong. The overall bass performance is still tightly controlled and has a taut delivery, not to mention, the low ends are well-textured too.
More Details at Amazon – Bowers and Wilkins P9 Over Ear Headphones
The B&W P9 sounds engaging, not just because of its bass response but also the headphones’ music pacing and agility. It is capable of providing us with an energetic musical performance without losing its precision. More importantly, the whole music presentation does not go all over the place. The midrange reproductions are dynamic and expressive. The highs can be bright-sounding and fortunately don’t go overly harsh when pushed. It is easy to enjoy listening to our music with the B&W P9 and feeding it with high-resolution audio sources is highly recommended.
Bowers and Wilkins P9 Specifications
- Transducer Principle: Closed-back
- Frequency Range: 2Hz-30kHz
- Sensitivity: 111dB
- Impedance: 22 Ohms
- Weight: 413g (0.91lbs)
Your DAC Requirements
You might want to choose DACs with certain sonic traits to partner up with your B&W P9 such as higher clarity in the upper registers, tighter bass control, etc. Getting a warmer-sounding DAC may provide more full-bodied bass reproductions. Since the P9 headphones are not suitable for outdoor use, you might not need a portable DAC and should get a desktop model instead. Depending on the available space you have on your desktop, you should set a requirement on the dimensions of the DAC. If you frequently bring your B&W P9 to other indoor venues, a portable D/A converter can be a better option.
Working out a budget is important and this will help the set price requirements. You can easily filter out the DACs which doesn’t fit your budget. There are a plethora of features that you might want in a DAC such as Bluetooth connectivity, MQA decoding, built-in headphone amplifier, and more. You should take some time to consider what are the features you will need and jot them down on a note. We suggest listing out more DAC requirements on your own and when you are done, please take a look at the best matching digital-to-analog converters below.
Best DACs to match with B&W P9
For listeners who have high budgets and only want the best DACs to match with their B&W P9. You most certainly should check out the award-winning Chord Hugo 2. This is a high-end DAC with exceptional sound quality and like the P9 headphones, feeding them with higher resolution audio files will provide an even more satisfying listening experience. The Chord Hugo 2 is more than capable of unraveling the details and subtleties of the music. The transparency of the Hugo 2 will work really well with your Bowers & Wilkins P9.
More Information at Amazon – Chord Hugo 2 Transportable DAC (Silver)
The Schiit Audio Gungnir Multibit DAC is an excellent match with the B&W P9 headphones. This premium DAC is able to project a wide and spacious soundstage which will be a great addition to the overall sound reproduction. It also provides more musicality and the engaging performance of the P9 ensures the music presentation won’t sound dull. There is a touch of warmth coming from the Schiit Audio Gungnir and the smoothness helps to ease down the harshness. The music presentation also sounded natural too.
More Details at Amazon – Schiit Audio Gungnir Digital Analog Convertor
The Topping D90 is an ideal choice for listeners who are looking at features in a DAC without compromising the sound quality. It can decode MQA files and supports up to 32-bit768kHz and DSD512 resolution. Topping D90 has Bluetooth (5.0) connectivity as well. Even with all these features, the D90 is sanely priced and will be well-matched with the B&W P9. It has an ultra-low noise background, allowing us to focus more on the high-resolution music presentation and enjoy the clean sonic delivery.
More Information at Amazon – Topping D90 MQA DAC (Black, MQA Version)
Chord Mojo is another amazing multi-award-winning DAC that you can go for and pair up with your B&W P9 headphones. It is incredibly portable where you can carry the Mojo within your pockets. The Chord Mojo is an energetic performer and will complement well with the P9 headphones, giving us an engaging musical performance. There are also plenty of music details to boot and the information is handled with precision. The bass performance of the B&W P9 does help to add more punch into the overall sound reproduction.
More Details at Amazon – Chord Mojo DAC/Headphone Amplifier
For listeners who require a headphone amplifier with an option to choose either Multibit DAC or ES9028 DAC module, you might want to take a look at the Schiit Audio Lyr 3, This is a powerful headphone amp with no problems driving the B&W P9. We will recommend choosing the Multibit DAC but if you want to save some money, then the ES9028 DAC module will be a better option. Schiit Audio Lyr 3 uses a single tube which adds musicality to the overall sound reproduction and enables us to simply enjoy listening to our favorite tunes.
More Details at Amazon – Schiit Audio Lyr 3 Without Module
Woo Audio WA11 Topaz is a high-end DAC with a powerful Class A amplifier and could drive the B&W P9 closed-back headphones with ease. More importantly, the Woo Audio WA11 Topaz is an ideal match with the P9, delivering full-bodied music performance with accuracy and clarity. The high-resolution music presentations are revealing and yet engaging as well. The DAC speed and agility complements the B&W P9 music pacing really well too. WA11 Topaz’s bass performance is superb, making it an even more suitable DAC/amp match.
To Sum It Up
It is highly suggested to hear them out first before deciding which DAC to go for and partner with your B&W P9 headphones. You can shortlist a few of the DACs mentioned here based on your requirements. During the auditioning of the D/A converters, it is highly recommended to use your own Bowers & Wilkins P9. You should prepare a list of your favorite music to be used for the audition of the DACs.
