Cambridge Audio's new ANC over-ears will give you the blues in the best possible way

Cambridge Audio has unveiled a new special edition of its excellent Melomania P100 over-ear headphones, and there's more going on here than just a new blue colour option. There are some significant audio improvements too.

We reviewed the original P100 headphones last year and liked them a lot. We said that Cambridge Audio had made "a pair of headphones that compete directly with more expensive mainstream options, premium in build quality and great in sound, but pricing them at a way more reasonable level".

Now it seems the audio brand has made them even better.

Cambridge Audio Melomania P100 SE headphones: key features and pricing

The Melomania P100 SE headphones have custom 40mm three-layer composite drivers with neodymium magnets, and they're powered by the same Class AB amplification also used in Cambridge's impressive CX series Hi-Fi amplifiers.

There's Bluetooth 5.3 with support for Snapdragon Sound and aptX Lossless, a low-latency 80ms gaming mode, and there are three levels of active noise cancellation.

Battery life is up to 60 hours with ANC on, and 100 hours with it switched off.

For the Special Edition, Cambridge Audio has tuned the drivers "for more powerful, immersive playback, improved bass weight, and refined dynamics".

There's also DynamEQ, which monitors the audio and subtly optimises it to deliver a consistent experience across the volume curve. You can adjust the headphones' audio with the app's seven-band EQ and there are also six presets to shape the sound.

The Cambridge Audio Melomania P100 SE headphones are available now in white, black or the new blue colour option, and they're priced at £249 / €279 / $299 (about AU$510).

That's £20 / $20 more than the original P100 over-ears when they launched in the UK and US, but you are getting more for your money.