Superb imaging. Great overall sound.

Top heavy (corrected by securing to filled Sound Anchor stands) No longer available

I bought my pair of P4's in 1996 as a 40th birthday present for myself. I've been amazed ever since. I've tried them in many different configurations and compared them with other similar priced speakers over the years. These speakers are simply amazing! These days I have them in a bi-amp configuration using a Halfer DH-220 for the high end and a Hafler DH-500 for the lows.. The amps are basic except for power supply capacitor upgrades. The sound is stunning. Yes the P4's are dated, but so is my 1990 Miata. Both are still fun and do exactly what they were built to do.

Similar Products Used:

Acoustic Energy Epos

Bass extention for the size of the speaker is superb. Tight and low bass. Smooth and sweet vocals. Very musical.

Highs can be better, can be more transparent. Not very easy to drive. Requires high-current amps.

Got it second hand. See below.

Similar Products Used:

B&W, ProAc, Ruark and Castle bookshelf speakers.

I'm writing again to suggest another pair of speakers, the Heco Argon 50. Why did i put the p4s aside? well, at first the built quality of the Heco Argon 50 is outstanding- rock-solid. The driver units very good- glass fibre for the high frequensies, phase plug on midrange and carbon on the bass unit. Apart from that, they sound fantastic. After a 20hours running in period in my system (parasound HCA 1000 power amp, Audio Note M1 pre-amp, Nad 512 cd player(cheap,but very-very good0, cardas 2x21 interconnects and Van Den Hul speaker cables) i placed a compilation from Telarc-Jazz and... i found myself looking at the music- the singers were there just in frond of me and the soundstage- what a soundstage- i could count the guitars, see the drums-feel their membranes vibrating. All the frequencies were there and the speakers were just singing. After the jazz, classical was placed in the cd-player- the vikings, the church organ, the choir, the violings made me feel that i was in the theatre. I wanted to hear all my collection again Tori Amos, Rebecka Pidgeon were in front of me singing for me...only. After all, i was listening to a pair of speakers with Hi-End sound (by all means) for 700 Euros (about 400 pounds or 700$). Please, before you blaim me listen to them in a good set-up. They worth a play whatever you like to listen to. They really do worth it.

Similar Products Used:

Heco Argon 50 (superb speakers- before you blame me listen to them, please)

Tight controlled bass Sweet midrange revealing top end Fabulous looks

No longer available

This is my second pair of P4's, the first I owned new back in England about 6 years ago (used with the equally amazing Pioneeer A400 int. amp). Obviously I like them having just aquired another pair :) I cannot really ad much else to all the other enthusiastic reviews except to re-affirm that these speakers have the tightest bass I've ever heard. Great sense of control and imaging. Killer looks, sound, what more could one ask? Need a good front end, amplification, and cables.

Similar Products Used:

Kef Cresta3

They match very well with lamp and pure classA electronics. That way you get detailed highs, honey-mids and great-well extended and rather controlable bass

They like high class electronics. They also prefer to stand away from the walls and from each other. (never express an opinion for the P4s if your amps lack of strength against their low and phace-changing impedance).

I bought the P4s at 1997 and i still don't want to change them. They match fantastic with my Audio Note M1 pre-amp and Parasound 1000 power-amp. My rather cheap NAD 502 cd player fits incredibly well. Bi-wiring is necessary i think (i use the Audioquest Midnight speaker cable).

Similar Products Used:

NAD 502 CD PLAYER (old,cheap but great) AUDIO NOTE M1 pre-amp PARASOUND 1000A power amp Audioquest Midnight biwiring Cardas 2x21 rcas (great)

Fast tight sound, works well with high end equipment.

At £400 why should I complain.

Bought them as ex-demo stock and use them with Aura VA100 II evolution amp and Arcam Diva CD92. My old Kenwood CD player never realy tested them but the Arcam shows that they are capable of handling higher end stuff. Bass is very well controlled and goes down very well especially in an AV setup. I am in the process of upgrading the amplification to Arcam FMJ but I think I will hold onto the P4s for a long while yet. It is a shame that B&W haven't offered an upgrade path to the newer drive units with the phase plug. Don't try to ask B&W they advise against it. Just one gripe, check the mounting of the tweeter as the epoxy glue can dry out and cause the tweeter to come loose.

Similar Products Used:

Monitor Audio M10s.

Fast, punchy, accurate, compatible with a wide range of supporting devices.

Absolute detail

I'm the happy owner of a pair of P-4's for more than four years. I bought them for less than $ 600, and all I can say is that it is the ultimate all-round speaker for non Hi-End systems. It's only drawback is that it lacks the ultimate detail some Hi-End speakers (at double cost, at least) posess, and perhaps it can sound hard on treble with non-appropriate cables. I use bi-wire with cheap Cable Talk Talk 3 cables, and the sound is absolutely superb. But then, there is nothing wrong in not pretending to be a Hi-end speaker, nobody expects to buy a hi-end speaker for less than 100 $. And, by the way, this must be one of the most elegant floorstanders around.
Currently, it works with Sony 920 Cd player, Pioneer A-400 amp (another favourite of mine- even if the control buttons are ready to pop out of the box- for normal speakers, it can be bettered only by some class A amps, like magnum Class A and the small Electro), Project 6.1/Ortofon MC-30 Supreme/Mitchell ISO phonostage-and it works fine with all sorts of music.

Similar Products Used:

Mission 733, Ruark Templar, Chario 200

Just read Chris Wynn's review 5/4/99. I have been using P4 for more than 5 years with Exposure XX amp and various sources and can confirm every word in that review. Congratulations, Chris, if only all reviews in the Hi-Fi press were as professional and useful... I also use cheap Cable Talk Talk 3 cables(bi-wired), just as Frendazas (see below also) and can confirm that it's a very good and cost effective choice. One thing to add: they do like some space around so do not put it close to the wall.

Musical Tastes: Classical, Jazz, Rock, R&B, New Age, ....Current Setup: Denon AVR-2500, Panasonic SLP469 CD

I discovered the P4s in a small speaker boutique quite by accident because I had come to audition another speaker. I listened to the P4s first and was astonished. They are rather small floor standers, but their sound is out of all proportion their size.

I was not at all prepared for the P4's excellant response to my test discs. No matter what I threw at them, the P4s just could not stumble. From Classical to R&B to Jazz, the P4s were dynamic, fast, & beautifully accurate with excellant bass resolution & excellant timing. I did not want to stop listening to them,& when I finally got around to listening to the speaker that I had come to hear, I was dissappointed. Whereas they might have been great had I listened to them first, after hearing the P4s...well, they could not compare. My biggest disappointment at the time was the P4's price tag. $1299 for the pair was more than I had to spend that day. I reluctantly had to leave the P4s behind and find a speaker with the same overall all-round performance that would fit my budget.

I settled on the Tannoy Mercury M2s, but their disappointing performance with piano music due to box resonances led me to seek a better speaker and back to the P4s. Lo and behold, having just been replaced in the B&W line the P4s were now being reduced 40%. I rushed to buy a pair. Everyone who can should do the same.

The P4s are terrific all-round speakers. They are beautifully built of inch thick board, absolutely rock solid with real wood veneers. No resonance problems here & their sound, Oh Wow! The P4s possess all the Tannoy Mercury M2's strengths of being dynamic, with excellant imaging & detail married to well extended, gutsy bass, but the P4s push the performance envelope even further with a sweeter treble, better balance, a richer, more even mid-range, & absolutely no resonance problems. Very few speakers are as accurate as the P4s. In short, they are as near to being the perfect all-rounders as I have ever heard. BUY THEM WHILE YOU CAN!

MY SYSTEM SPILTS INTO TWO: 1. HT SYSTEM INCLUDING ROTEL SEPERATES (DD+DTS), PIONEER LD & PANASONIC DVD
2. STEREO SYSTEM INCLUDING CLASSE' AMP AND PREAMP,CAL TRANSPORT & ALPHA DAC

IN BOTH SYSTEMS I USE THE B&W P4 SPEAKERS AND FEELS IN HEAVEN - THEY SOUND
ABSOLUTLY GREAT. I TRIED OTHERS MUCH MORE EXPENSIVE SPEAKERS IN MY SYSTEM,
BUT COULDN'T MATCH THE P4'S ACCURACY, IMAGE & SOUNDSTAGE.

VERY RECOMENDED ALLROUNDERS SPEAKERS TO FIT GRATE IN ANY SYSTEM

P.S. - BIWIREING IS A MUST