With the Melomania M100, the British audio specialist has launched impressive ANC earbuds that impressed almost everyone in our test report in May 2024. In terms of sound and battery life in particular, the in-ear headphones are right up there with the best. The manufacturer now wants to project this onto its new over-ear model, which was announced in July 2024. Our test shows that the team has once again hit the bull’s eye with the Cambridge Audio Melomania P100.
Technical data
| The product | Melomania P100 |
| Headphone type | Over-ear (closed) |
| Bluetooth version | 5.3 |
| Bluetooth codecs | SBC, AAC, aptX Adaptive, aptX Lossless |
| Maximum operating range | 12m (without obstruction) |
| Battery life | Up to 100 hours (without ANC); Up to 60 hours (with ANC) |
| Driver | 40 mm |
| Weight | 328 grams (without cable) |
| Connections | USB Type-C, 3.5 mm jack |
| Color variants | Black, white |
| Special features | Multipoint; Wear detection; Hi-Fi amplifier; Gaming mode |
| Price | € 279.00 * |
Cambridge Audio Melomania P100 Review: Unique look with recognition value
- Unique, elegant design
- Wobbly brackets and fastenings
Cambridge Audio products always have a rather unique design. Fortunately, this is also the case with the Cambridge Audio Melomania P100, which stands out with its protruding ear cups and the different sized holes on the underside.
The design looks very classy and high-quality and is kept rather simple, so that it also cuts a good figure in a business look. The P100 is available in either black or white and looks very classy with its predominantly matt components.
However, the surface attracts fingerprints very quickly. The build quality is also at a good level despite the very high proportion of plastic. However, the ear cups and their holder are very wobbly and unstable.
They can be turned inwards as well as outwards, but they cannot be folded back. Unfortunately, the P100s don’t look quite as robust due to the very wobbly earpieces. A cheaper Sony ULT Wear (our test) feels much more valuable here. However, this did not have any effect on practical use during our test.
Unfortunately, the wearing comfort of the 328 gram Cambridge Audio Melomania P100 is not entirely convincing. Although the over-ear model has soft imitation leather pads and a fabric-covered, reinforced headband, the 1.7 cm thick ear pads are so soft that the headphones quickly press on the hard frame underneath.
In addition, the ear cups are comparatively small at 6.2 cm x 4.2 cm (height x width), meaning that people with large ears quickly reach their limits here.
Top features and record-breaking battery life
- Bluetooth 5.3 with aptX
- Built-in hi-fi amplifier; cable modes
- Incredible 100 hours of battery life
In terms of features, the Cambridge Audio Melomania P100 leave almost nothing to be desired. The headphones use the modern Bluetooth 5.3 standard and therefore not only offer an impressive range, but also a highly stable connection.
Thanks to Google Fast Pair, they are quickly set up in the Android cosmos and support voice control via the Google Assistant and Apple’s Siri. There is also Multipoint for connecting to two audio sources simultaneously and support for the high-resolution codecs aptX Adaptive and aptX Lossless for playback in 96 kHz/24-bit.
Also included is a wear detection feature that automatically pauses playback when you take the headphones off and resumes playback when you put them back on your head. This works perfectly and quickly in practice, but can also be deactivated in the software if desired.
A special feature of the P100 is the built-in hi-fi amplifier with Class A/B circuitry, which is designed to improve the sound quality compared to other over-ear headphones. But more on that later.
Another advantage: in addition to wireless use, the headphones can also be used wired via USB-C or 3.5 mm jack with various audio sources. Of course, there is also active noise cancellation (ANC) that works adaptively, including a suitable transparency mode.
An absolute highlight of the P100, however, is the battery life. As with the M100 in-ear model, they outperform even the strongest competition by far. What does that mean in figures? An incredible 100 hours of battery life on a single charge.
Even if only without ANC, if you switch on the active noise suppression, it’s still an impressive 60 hours. Pretty impressive.
The competition, such as the Sony WH1000-XM5, only manages a maximum of 40 hours, while the Sennheiser Momentum Wireless 4 (our test) has to be plugged in again after 60 hours without ANC. Five minutes on the mains is also enough for the Cambridge Audio Melomania P100 for 4 hours of playback.
Operation of the Cambridge Audio Melomania P100
- Simple and well thought-out operation
- Dedicated buttons reduce incorrect entries
- practical companion app
I really like the operating concept of the Cambridge Audio Melomania P100, which is realized via dedicated buttons and no touch control. These are located on the left and right ear cups and are easy to feel. They also score points with a clearly defined, good pressure point.
On the left, you will find the on/off switch, which can also be used to initiate Bluetooth pairing. Above this is the ANC button, which can be used to switch between the three modes Normal, ANC and Transparency at the touch of a button. A double tap also calls up the respective voice assistant.
There are three additional buttons on the right-hand side, which have multiple functions. Here you can start or pause playback and adjust the volume. Double-tap the volume up or volume down button to skip to the previous or next song. These buttons are also used for call control.
The controls work flawlessly and, in my opinion, lack nothing. However, the controls are not customizable.
Melomania Connect is used as a companion app, which impresses with its tidy design. Here you can find almost all settings clearly arranged on the start page and can, for example, choose between different equalizer presets or tweak the sound yourself with the help of a 7-band EQ.
You can also regulate the strength of the active noise suppression (there are three levels to choose from), activate wear detection and/or the gaming mode, which significantly reduces the latency of audio transmission.
Audio quality, ANC and microphone
- incredibly detailed, warm sound
- impressive accuracy across all frequencies
Before I go into detail about the sound, let me start by saying that the Cambridge Audio Melomania P100s sound FAR, VERY FAR above their price range. With an RRP of around 280 euros, the headphones are anything but a bargain, but in terms of sound they outperform even much more expensive over-ears from Sony, Bose, Sennheiser or Apple. By far.
So yes, the built-in hi-fi amplifier can really show off its strengths and produces an impressively full, lively and pleasantly warm sound from the 40 mm drivers.
And not just with high-resolution source material from Tidal and the like or – ideally – wired from an amplifier. The P100 also delivers “normal” MP3 quality excellently.
I used the headphones to listen through my headphone test playlist, which included tracks by Queen, Stone Sour, Dua Lipa, Hannah Parrot, Pendulum and Sia. The headphones mastered all songs and genres with flying colors.
The P100 reproduces the highs in a pleasantly airy and detailed manner and does not tend to be too sharp even at high volumes (these headphones get really damn loud). The mids are also pleasantly detailed and clear, while even the bass is impressive with its convincing depth. And all this even in the standard mix. If you like, you can tease out even more with the help of the equalizer.
ANC, transparency mode and microphone quality
- Good ANC; but adaptive adjustment not always perfect
- Clear transparency mode; but sound not realistic
- decent microphones
While the Cambridge Audio Melomania P100 don’t have to hide from anyone in terms of sound, the noise suppression and transparency mode are somewhat different.
Don’t get the wrong idea: Both modes are also at a good to very good level, but models from Sony or Bose suppress ambient noise much better. Higher frequencies in particular cause slight problems for the P100. Although these are noticeably attenuated and reduced, they penetrate a little more than with the competition.
In addition, the adaptive adjustment does not always behave intelligently. I have a building site next to the house here at the time of testing: while the ANC of the headphones on the “High” setting can attenuate the noise well for the most part, the system keeps switching adaptively so that the noise of the excavator at work gets through more.
Unfortunately, there is no way to switch off this adaptive adjustment and thus, for example, constantly use the high ANC performance. Especially as the noise suppression comes with a low but constantly audible background noise.
The transparency mode works reliably and amplifies ambient noise so that conversations are also possible with headphones on. However, the sound is not 100% realistic and comes across as somewhat distorted. It fulfills its purpose, but not much more.
The microphone quality is very similar. A total of six microphones are installed, which, thanks to Qualcomm cVc echo and noise suppression technology, block out ambient noise very well and put your own voice in the foreground. However, there is a lack of detail in your own voice – it is sufficient for occasional phone calls, but nothing more.
Cambridge Audio Melomania P100 test: Conclusion
Like the M100 in-ear model, the Cambridge Audio Melomania P100 impresses above all with its incredibly detailed, lively sound, which makes the well-known competition look pretty old and is truly captivating across all genres.
The headphones owe this above all to their integrated hi-fi amplifier, which already does a great job in Bluetooth mode, but then really turns up the volume in wired mode via a jack or USB-C in conjunction with an amplifier.
The active noise suppression and transparency mode are also at a good level, but the battery life of a whopping 100 hours is absolutely impressive. No headphones currently last longer than that, at least none that I know of.
However, the P100 is not without its faults. On the one hand, the workmanship seems a little wobbly and fragile, while on the other, the wearing comfort is not entirely convincing. People with larger ears in particular are not well served here. However, this is a personal matter: I find the P100 quite comfortable.
So if you’re looking for over-ear headphones with impressive sound at a powerful price, the Cambridge Audio Melomania P100 are an excellent choice.
Cambridge Audio Melomania P100
Workmanship
Wearing comfort
Sound quality
Noise canceling
Features
Value For Money
91/100
The P100s impress with their incredibly detailed sound and unprecedented battery life. However, the workmanship and wearing comfort have a few flaws.
Not sure what source you are using, but they certainly don’t get “damn loud”.
The typical use case would be someone using a streaming service like Spotify or Amazon Music on an Android/iPhone with normalisation turned on (which is the default setting for these apps), and the volume needs to be turned up almost all the way up in order to sound acceptably loud. Compare to Bowers and Wilkins Px8/Px7/Px7S2 or Shure Aonic, those get loud at a little over 50% volume. This despite Cambridge touting their AB amplification prowess, without the volume to match. Volume is more in line with something like Sennheiser Accentums, which as many have said, are low.
Hope they can fix this via firmware update. One would think they would have actually tested in the field.