I just tested these HiFi ANC headphones, and they’re my new favorites for under $300

I make no bones about my love of Cambridge Audio gear. The firm makes some of my favorite HiFi equipment, and all of the consumer audio stuff I’ve tested has been 4 stars or above. So when I heard that some of my favorite mid-price headphones — the Cambridge Audio Melomania P100 — were getting an update, I jumped off my seat and headed straight for the door, eagerly awaiting my package.

And then they arrived. Upon pulling them from their box, I was slightly disappointed to see very few external updates; and then I put them on my head. I knew they were going to be more comfortable, more sonically capable, and that they’d block more noise, but the minimal external design changes almost made me re-think those assumptions.

But the Cambridge Audio Melomania P100 SE are indeed worth the hype. They take every criticism I had about the first model and work on them, and then find new places to excel. Obviously, they’re still not perfect. The controls are slightly janky, and the case is very large. But they are some of the best headphones under $300.

Cambridge Audio Melomania P100 SE review: Price and availability

There has been a price hike for the new version of the P100. Where the old model cost $239, the latest version is going to set you back about $60 more at $299. That’s not a small price increase, especially considering the price of the previous model.

That puts them on par with the new Nothing Headphone (1), although I’d still recommend you go with the Cambridge Audio headphones. They’re now more comfortable, sound much better, and offer similar-performing ANC to Nothing's over-ear rival.

The Bose QuietComfort Headphones are $50 more, but I’d still say it’s worth picking up the Cambridge Audio cans. They sound much better, and their battery life is far superior to Bose. However, as you'd expect, the QC headphones do offer better ANC.

Cambridge Audio Melomania P100 SE review: Build and design

• Top-notch construction
• New, more comfortable headband
• No outward design changes

If you’ve seen the Melomania P100, you’d be forgiven for thinking this is the exact same headphones all over again: They share the exact same control layout, physical design, and large carrying case. The only way I can tell the P100 and the P100 SE apart is by giving their headbands a squeeze to see which has the new softer foam.

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Otherwise, there are two external updates — the reinforced clamping force and the new, more padded headband. Both changes make the headphones more comfortable over longer periods of time. If nothing else can be said for their external design, at least their internal structure has been worked on for a more comfortable fit.

I found them far more comfortable to wear over the course of my work day as a result. I’ve been testing them for the last week, and I’ve had no pressure on top of my head, or around my ears. Mission accomplished.

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In some ways, though, this lack of innovation is a disappointment. Not because the P100 were an unattractive pair of headphones, far from it, but because creating a new model of something should entail design changes.

While the design isn't revolutionary, it’s meant that the investment has gone into the changes and updates to the sound.

Cambridge Audio Melomania P100 SE review: Features

• Refreshed Melomania app
• No spatial audio
• Customizable seven-band EQ

“Oh no,” says the spatial audio fan. “There’s no spatial audio,” they continue, glancing jealously at the more expensive Marshall Monitor III. “Whatever will I do?”

Don’t worry, unnamed spatial audio fan, you’re not going to need it because the P100 SE are even better at spatial imaging with a stereo mix than their predecessors and, mind you, they were pretty darn good at it, too.

To that end, I didn’t find myself wishing for a spatial audio mode — especially when I remember how unsuccessful the one found in the similarly priced Nothing Headphone (1) was.

Despite lacking spatial audio you’ll find a decently featured set of headphones: There’s a USB-C mode so that you can listen to lossless music when they’re plugged in, and thanks to the excellent sonic internals, it’s well worth using.

There’s a 3.5mm wired mode as well, although you do require power to make it work. No passive mode for when the battery runs out, sadly.

You’ll control the features of the headphones from the newly refreshed Melomania app, and it’s a solid experience no matter what phone OS you use. The Android version of my phone was reliable and offered a range of different customization options.

First is the EQ, and it’s perhaps the most useful feature. There are seven presets from rock to classical, and then a customizable option so that you can dial the headphones into your desired flavor. They sound good right out of the box, but it’s always nice to have the option to customize the sound profile.

ANC can be set to off, on and transparency. There are three levels for ‘on’ as well, which is always a bonus, although there’s no dynamic option which switches between the three depending on environmental noise levels. That’s fine — I just leave things on ‘max’ anyway.

You’ll find DynamEQ here as well, which tunes the sound of the headphones to sound “fuller” no matter the volume level. It works very well, bringing slightly more warmth to music at lower volume levels, while seemingly reducing distortion at higher volumes.

Next, there’s the option to turn wear detect on and off, followed by a preset gaming mode which reduces latency for gamers. It’s good — it works.

Finally, there’s my favorite feature: You can change the voice of the announcements in the headphones to Matt Berry from What We do in the Shadows and Toast of London, something that I love about all Cambridge Audio headphones.

Cambridge Audio Melomania P100 SE review: Controls

• Clicky physical controls
• Need a firm press
• Still better than touch controls

I am always pretty ecstatic to see physical controls on my headphones, and the buttons from the Melomania P100 are all accounted for on the SE version. There is one small caveat: They need a slightly firmer press than some of the competition, but they’re still more accurate and less annoying than any touch controls.

There’s a power switch which doubles as a Bluetooth pairing switch, an ANC on and off key, and then three playback buttons. They’re very responsive, although you’ll need to remember to press them that bit harder. You’ll soon get used to it, as I did, and you’ll be pausing, skipping and changing the volume to your heart’s content.

Cambridge Audio Melomania P100 SE review: ANC

• It’s good!
• Slightly improved over the previous model
• There are better systems

The ANC is effective, although there are slightly better options if you pay more money. If you play music, it’s obviously going to do a better job of blocking out the sounds of the outside world, but during my testing sometimes my clicking and clacking keyboard made it through. There are three noise-canceling modes here, but you’ll want to stick with max if you’re looking to keep out the outside world.

That’s about par for the course at this price, although pay $50 more and you can pick up the Bose QuietComfort Headphones and their improved ANC.

Transparency mode is good and natural-sounding, though, and it makes it easier to order a bus ticket or buy your breakfast without taking your headphones off. For under $300, you’re not going to have any issues with the ANC.

Cambridge Audio Melomania P100 SE review: Call quality

• Solid mics
• Great call sound
• Good for most calls

You’re not going to want to do your next interview with Goldman Sachs using the Cambridge Audio Melomania P100 SE. An informal team meeting is about as far as I’d go with them, thanks to their solid — if unremarkable — mic quality.

While your voice might not sound immaculate to others, the sound you’ll hear will be crystal clear. Voices sound natural, like they’re in the room with you. This does change depending on their microphone, of course, but I had nothing to complain about when I called my colleagues and my friends to test the P100 SE's call quality.

Cambridge Audio Melomania P100 SE review: Sound quality

• Lovely warmth
• Without being too bassy
• Loads of impact and detail

The P100 were a solid pair of headphones, but there’s more control on display with the Cambridge Audio Melomania P100 SE as well as more bass impact and a greater eye for detail. The highs are crystal clear, with plenty for you to get your teeth into when cymbals and guitar solos get going. The mids are perfectly well-rounded, with plenty of meat for guitars and vocals.

But the bass truly shines. There is more bass than the previous model, but it’s also tighter and more control. There’s a sense that Cambridge has tuned them to go lower while keeping the reins on so that the bass doesn’t run rampant.

The result is an overall warmer and more pleasing sound signature to the ear while sounding more refined. It’s remarkably well managed.

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Watain’s Total Funeral brings the devilish staccato drums and furious tremolo-picked guitars for some edgy, black metal fun — and the P100 SE have a great time with it.

There’s separation between the twin guitar parts and the bass, while the drums do their foul work in the background. The vocals are edgy and terrifying, and each annunciated word is well defined against the metallic maelstrom around them.

They sound wide as well, even though the mix itself is fairly restrictive.

1991’s (the artist, not the year) Full Send ploughs through with all the electro subtlety of an oil tanker covered with neon lights, and the headphones have a great time bringing the bass. It’s not quite like having a well-integrated subwoofer mounted to your head, but it’s close — and somehow the rest of the ensemble doesn’t suffer.

The digital drums are timed excellently and don’t overstay their welcome, while the synth lines and vocal samples are well-defined and easy to decode.

There are disco beats are aplenty and some lovely, bouncing bass in Dua Lipa’s Hallucinate. There’s a jump that’s impossible to resist here thanks to the incredible low-end of the P100 SE, although again, it never manages to completely defeat the rest of the frequency range. Lipa’s vocals are crystalline, but dynamic, changing pitch and volume well. It’s three and a half minutes of poppy fun.

Cambridge Audio Melomania P100 SE review: Battery life

• Unchanged from the previous version...
• ...But still excellent
• 60 hours ANC on

Battery life remains the same as the standard model P100, with 60 hours of ANC battery and 100 hours when you turn it off.

That’s some excellent battery life, and I’m not really sure you could expect any more than that — the only headphones with more charge capacity are the Marshall Monitor III, which last 10 hours more.

Everything else (including the AirPods Max) is lagging far behind these two frontrunners.

Some more good news: The batteries and earpads are user-replaceable. This is huge! It’s not easy, and you’ll worry you’re breaking them, but you can pop the earpads off to access the battery.

You can buy a replacement for $40 from Cambridge Audio, which includes the price of some new earpads and all the tools you’ll need to do the swap.

I hope support stretches long into the future, as this is a big sustainability win. Afterall, batteries and earpads are the things that tend to die first.

Cambridge Audio Melomania P100 SE review: Verdict

Here's the TL;DR: If you’ve got the P100 already and you like them, you’re better off sticking with them and waiting for a completely new version. The P100 SE deliver some good upgrades, but they’re not worth buying a completely new headset for.

If you’re in the market for a pair of headphones that cost under $300, however, the P100 SE just became your best option. They sound incredible, and the new headband does make them a whole lot more comfortable than the P100 that came before.

If money's tight, the older P100 are still very good — but, were it me, the $60 price hike here is well worth it for the improvements to the internals.