Bowers & Wilkins C5 In-Ear Headphones

Reviews for Bowers & Wilkins C5 In-Ear Headphones

Customer Reviews and Ratings

4.0 out of 5 stars

Based on 31 reviews

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  • 5.0 out of 5 stars

    Good All-Round

    • Written by from MANCHESTER

    First thing you notice when you take them out of the pack is the great build quality and the weight.

    I initially tried them with the factory fitted buds and the sound was overwhelming "bassy". It took many attempts to get the combination of buds right and I would recommend that you try them all out at least a couple of times to make sure you get the right fit. This is very important as it affects the sound enormously and also the general comfort too.

    Once the right fit is obtained, you'll notice the sound quality on these is very good.

    The low frequencies are very punchy but the sound is very natural and don’t feel forced, nor do they have the "manufactured" bass sound that many cheaper earphones I have owned in the past do. It is important to note that the C5s do not distort in the slightest, even at very high volumes.

    The mid range and high frequencies are very refined. Admittedly, the highs aren’t as good as the ER-4Ps that I am having been using for the past year, but it is compensated for in the lows to give an overall incredibly detailed and balanced sound and a large soundstage to boot!

    As with all of these things, the sound each listener prefers is down to personal preference, but I find a flat equaliser setting gives the best sound on these.

    The secure loop concept does what it says! However, I tend to use these in the office where I can be listening to music whilst working away for up to 10 hours a day and I have noticed after 3 or 4 hours, the loop starts to get uncomfortable (“digging” into the ear). Taking a 15 min break every couple of hours seems to do the trick.

    Timing was good, as I was on a plane the next day and with these and they performed very well with respect to sound quality and blocking out background noise.

    Another positive is the cable sheath coating which seems to reduce knotting after storage. It also seems to reduce microphonics, although a thud is still noticeable and with no shirt clip, I’m not sure how good these would be on the move.

    The only negatives I have so far with these is that the carry pouch is a little small for the size of the earphones (tends to squash the buds), the cable is a little on the short side and comfort is somewhat compromised with extended periods of listening.

    Overall, these are very good and although are a little expensive, they are worth it and are not far from the P5s in terms of sound quality but with the added benefits of portability, size and £100!

    Highly recommended.

    46 of 51 people found this useful

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  • 5.0 out of 5 stars

    Fantastic Headphones!

    • Written by from Tonbridge

    Firstly, I would like to dismiss any poor reviews of this product. The first thing I noticed when I took them out of their packaging is the size and weight of them (a comfortable size and weight, not too big or small).

    Then when I plugged them in for the first time, I was truly blown away by the simply amazing sound quality, just as good as the P5's! They were much better than any other headphones I have tried, and thats before I had even worn them in (e.g. Monster, Sennheisser, Beats By Dr. Dre and Apple).

    I am also very impressed with the 'Secure Loop' design, it does what it says on the tin! And another bonus to add to the already growing list, if you still can't get a fit with the 'Secure Loop', you can even remove it, yet they still stay in place just the same as if the 'Secure Loop' was still in place!

    There is only one small gripe I have with these headphones, the supplied case is a bit of a pain as it seems to squash the earphones and but and it is kind of hard to get them in properly without fear of damaging £150 of earphones...

    Overall, I would most certainly recommend these to any one who asks me for recommendations to a decent set of earphones!

    42 of 50 people found this useful

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  • 5.0 out of 5 stars

    Love these earphones

    • Written by from London

    These are the best sounding in-ear 'phones I've heard. They have the same "trademark sound" as other B&W products where the bass is natural sounding and punchy, but without saturating the mid-range and treble. May not be to everyone's taste - especially if you listen to a lot of classical or jazz - but these are a great all round performer.

    I found the fitting very comfortable and secure and prefer it over the comply foam type ear buds which can feel too much like... well like wearing ear plugs.

    Another thing to note is that the 3.5mm plug will fit nicely into an iPhone with the bumper or similar case attached.

    31 of 34 people found this useful

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  • 5.0 out of 5 stars

    Great sound compared to the more expensive Senn IE8

    • Written by from Twickenham

    Great sound once you have the fitting, as others have said play around with the fittings as we all have a different preference...

    I listen to dance mainly and the base comes through nicely without requiring a super fit, this is without it being over powering..Jazz also comes across very nice..

    The volume is lower than the IE8s, the build quality seems ok, but i like the idea of replacement cables with the IE8s..however, are these worth and extra £50 its upto you...

    Just to note you never are going to fullfill the potential of these higher end IEMs if you are listening to low quality files..

    7 of 7 people found this useful

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  • 5.0 out of 5 stars

    Stick with them ..awesome

    • Written by from Baildon

    For the first few hours I wasn't sure I had made the right decision. However after five days they just get better and better as they bed in. They deliver crisp clear sound with good range. They are as at home with a Mozart opera as they are with my favourite Stiff Little Fingers track Johnny Was. I love them.

    9 of 12 people found this useful

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  • 5.0 out of 5 stars

    Excellent headphones

    • Written by from London

    I wasn't sure what to buy but I love my Zeppelin Air so thought I'd try these. I am very pleased all around. I wasn't sure how the loop would work but am pleasantly surprised. It is comfortable and very secure. No worries about it falling out.

    As for sound quality, they sound amazing, at all volume levels and with my strange collection of music. I have to use the large tips they supplied to get a good seal but after I swapped them, all good.

    Highly recommend.

    8 of 10 people found this useful

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  • 5.0 out of 5 stars

    Excellent headphones that not only fit but stay in my ears.

    • Written by from London

    I must say that I am very pleased with my purchase of the C5 headphones and that sound quality suits me very well.

    I would recommend these to anyone that has problems with keeping headphone ear bud in. The C5 have a very clever adjustable loop that is very comfortable to wear and stops them from falling out.

    I have tried many others but non have fitted as well as these little babies.

    5 of 5 people found this useful

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  • 5.0 out of 5 stars

    What a beauty

    • Written by from worthing

    That is amazing product. I have enjoyed it. I have also Bose but B&W from worthing the best.

    2 of 2 people found this useful

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  • 5.0 out of 5 stars

    Smashing

    • Written by from London

    What a buy! These sound amazing and look great! I find them incredibly nice to wear and out & about in London they cancel background sound really well!

    3 of 4 people found this useful

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  • 5.0 out of 5 stars

    best Earphones ever!

    • Written by from cambridge

    I got these earphones after trying the etymotic hf3's and them being the worst earphones i had ever had so i decided to try these. The earphones are well made and feel durable but i wouldn't go chucking them around or anything!

    Then we come to the sound quality, they have just the right amount of bass and i think it it better than any other earphones in this price range. I have tried beats tours, atomic floyd and etymotic and these are by far the best out of all of them.

    The fit of the earphones is just brilliant i think the secure loop is a genius idea and works really well, they stay in my ears perfectly when I'm running and cycling so no problems there.

    The accessories are also good, the case protects them very well and after trying some smaller earbuds they are a perfect fit. When i took the bigger earbuds off the earphones they did rip so that was a bit of a disappointment but they were the wrong size so it didn't matter to me.

    so all in all these are expensive earphones but are well worth it if you want a good pare earphones with a brilliant experience of sound quality!

    3 of 4 people found this useful

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  • 5.0 out of 5 stars

    great headphones and selection help

    • Written by from thetford

    worth every penny, excellent sound quility perfect for mid range music and bass. comfortable fit. sturdy build quility strong cable. never a bad view from other owners. great for fitness sits tight. only problem is the carry case which..lets face you wont use much ones you get hooked on these in your ears as the sound blows you away.
    fantastic ambiant cancellation
    you can spend 60-90 on others and regret or more and be pleased and enjoy music with crystal clear sounds in all ranges.

    2 of 2 people found this useful

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  • 5.0 out of 5 stars

    Simply Brilliant!

    • Written by from London

    I own a pair of Dr.Dre studio's but lets face it, over ear headphones especially the beats can get very uncomfortable after a while.

    I was looking for a good pair of headphones after the cable of my in-ear beats ripped apart and OMG the sound is just mind blowing... I can't emphasise how good the clarity, bass and treble is...

    I had doubts about purchasing so I asked if I could test them, the Apple store working guy :))) said we aren't allowed to give you a test go but you could always return them within 14 days if you're not satisfied SO my advice if you are looking for a good pair of in-ears definitely purchase it... if you don't feel satisfied (which I doubt) you could always give them back.

    1 of 1 people found this useful

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  • 5.0 out of 5 stars

    Absolutely Fantastic

    • Written by from Whitchurch

    I was torn between these and a pair of Beats so I asked the Apple Store employee and she said the B&W were better.
    My previous pair of earphones were the Apple in ear ones so when I plugged these in and listened for the first time, I was blown away.
    The bass is really good and I almost felt as if I was in the music. Definately the best impulse buy I have ever brought.

    2 of 3 people found this useful

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  • 5.0 out of 5 stars

    Superb Quality

    • Written by from Driffield

    Over the years I have gradually improved the quality of headphone I have used and these are the best by far and the service I received from Bowers & Wilkins has been unbeatable. The key to these phones is to find the right fitting for your ear. Initially I was really disappointed and thought everything was tinny and pretty poor but then I swapped over the silicone ear buds that come supplied and found the ones that worked for me and the jump up was excellent. On this note I lost the ones that came with the earphones and contacted Bowers and Wilkins 2 days later a new set of silicone tips arrived free of charge, I was very impressed.
    I have been using these now for about a month and a half with my iphone 4s on a fairly flat EQ setting and am hearing things that I have not picked up before.
    The wires seldom get tangled and the microphone works perfectly with the iphone. The build quality is excellent and the innovative loop means they do not fall out of your ears or loosed off. If you find you can't get on with this part of the earphones the loop can be simply removed and these can be used as a conventional set of earphones.
    All in all these are brilliant headphones and well worth the money bringing the best out of your ipod or iphone.

    1 of 1 people found this useful

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  • 5.0 out of 5 stars

    BEST EVER

    • Written by from Manchester

    in the past 4 years I have bought 4 headphones including bose in ear the old and new edition .. they are just craap compared with this FANTASTIC headphones ..!
    I am in LOVE with this product!
    comfortable, sound quality is amazing! and quality of the product is just brilliant! you get what you pay for ..

    1 of 2 people found this useful

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  • 5.0 out of 5 stars

    Beautiful noise, buy them now

    • Written by from Shepton mallet

    Got a pair of these for Christmas day and i must say they only get better and better. Click above and buy them now.

    Despite what you may have read they are simply the most comfortable and easy headphones to wear. The loop system is excellent and I'm thinking that people who find it painful must have it set to tight against their ears. Its fully adjustable and also the loop can be removed so they are "loopless" and just fit inside. The headphones are lovely metal things and feel great and cold when they go inside your ears. Magic. There are 4 different size ear buds so have a play to find your preferred size.

    The whole device is classy and elegant and this is before you have heard them. The sound is great and loud and it really is a concert in your head. All parts of the sound spectrum are there and i have not been disappointed once. Music is so crisp and clear its amazing.

    Are they worth £150? Certainly. Having had a Zeppelin since day one the B and W quality is immense and customer service is second to none.

    Stop reading and buy them now.

    2 of 4 people found this useful

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