Cambridge Audio Melomania P100 Review: A Game-Changer in the Audio Space

I can hardly think of a better example of a ‘heritage brand’ than Cambridge Audio. Established in 1968, they have been producing exceptional audio gear, including amplifiers, turntables, and headphones, for an extended period, and as such, they are a brand I have admired from a distance. Their P100s mark their initial venture into wireless, over-ear headphones with noise cancellation, joining a highly competitive market in audio.

Let me clarify further – the competition for wireless noise-cancelling headphones priced between £200 to £300, which Cambridge Audio has targeted, has long been dominated by brands like Sony and Bose, with various alternatives from companies such as Sennheiser and Bowers & Wilkins also available. Recently, we’ve also seen specialized manufacturers and products like the Focal Bathys and the Keep Levinson No. 5909s enter the scene, albeit at a significantly higher price point than what has been the norm. Consequently, the P100s represent somewhat of an anomaly – a specialist hi-fi brand offering a set of more ‘affordable’ headphones to effectively compete with Bose and Sony.

The experience is undoubtedly positive once you extract the P100s from their understated packaging, featuring a beautiful woven fabric hard case for transport that includes a well-organized compartment for the provided braided USB-C to USB-C and USB-C to 3.5mm cables. The case prominently displays a subtly indented Cambridge Audio logo, with little else to distract aesthetically. After all, it’s just a case.

The headphones themselves boast the same modern, polished design as much of Cambridge Audio’s other equipment, which is visually appealing. The main arms, yokes, and exterior of the ear cups are all made of aluminum, while the soft ear pads are crafted from memory foam and vegan leather. Every detail is thoughtfully constructed, making the P100s exceptionally comfortable. Weighing in at 330g, they feel just right, and their moderate clamping force means you can comfortably wear them for hours without discomfort. Personally, I experienced no issues during my weeks of use, whether commuting or just lounging around.

A small yet delightful feature of these headphones is the inclusion of physical controls. For me, having tactile buttons that I can press and use is far preferable to the overwhelming number of touch controls that are now prevalent on the market. The left ear cup includes a power and Bluetooth pairing switch, as well as a toggle for switching ANC on or off. The right ear cup features volume controls, a play/pause button, and track skip functionality. There are affirmative audio prompts whenever the left buttons are engaged, and within the accompanying Melomania Connect app, you can change the language of these prompts, with an amusing option for ‘Southwark’ that includes the dulcet tones of Matt Berry. I hadn’t realized how much I needed Douglas Reynholm providing details about ANC modes, but here we are, and the P100s are all the more enjoyable for it. Additionally, there’s a proximity sensor within the P100s that stops whatever you were listening to when you remove them – it’s a small touch, but it prevents the headphones from playing to an empty room for too long.

Connectivity is managed with cutting-edge Bluetooth 5.3 LE, and the P100s support a good variety of codecs. To be specific, you have the usual suspects of SBC, AAC, and aptX Adaptive, with aptX Lossless also included. However, support for LDAC is missing. Pairing via Bluetooth with both my Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra for casual Spotify listening or my FiiO M11S DAP for more serious audio sessions was a breeze. They can also be used wired with the supplied USB-C to 3.5mm jack, but they do not operate passively, so you’ll need to ensure they are charged before enjoying any wired audio.

Ensuring there is sufficient battery life in the P100s is a simple task, thanks to their impressive longevity. Without the enjoyment of ANC, they can last for an incredible 100 hours before requiring a recharge, while using noise cancellation will reduce that to approximately 60 hours. With these numbers in mind, this is still one of the best battery lives I’ve encountered in a set of wireless headphones, compared to options that typically demand more frequent charging.

The P100s feature active noise cancellation (ANC), and while it may not be class-leading in the vein of Bose’s technology, it certainly proves effective for many users. The P100s can effectively dampen most external noise, while their transparency mode sounds impressively natural. They successfully blocked out much of the background noise on the Northern line during a recent trip to London, and their Bluetooth connection remained strong as I navigated through St Pancras station. Despite the P100s’ best efforts, they simply cannot outdo Bose in this arena, but then again, that seems to be a challenge for nearly everyone.

Generally, it can be challenging to quantify the sound quality of headphones, as many of them possess distinct characters and profiles that can sway the listening experience one way or another. The primary word that springs to mind with the P100s is ‘inoffensive’. That’s not