Reviews for Bowers & Wilkins P5 Mobile Headphones

I was not a great headset wearer except when travelling but these headphones have changed my thinking. They are truly outstanding in every respect. Beautifully made they exclude most extraneous noise without completely isolating you. But it is the rich, natural sound reproduction where they really score. Test them out on your favourite Pink Floyd, Massive Attack or Puccini track and you will understand why they are being raved about. Look no further - if you want great sounding and comfortable headsets on the move these are the ones to buy.

I wanted headphones for my Walkman (Sony x series) and iPhone. I wanted to treat myself and saw B&W were releasing these. Choices between Sennheiser 380 pros and Audio Technica A700s. Chose B&W through experience of their speakers.

Pros: Sound quality is fantastic - very open and precise; passive noise isolation is effective, build quality is excellent and they're very portable.

Cons: Only con is they're not that comfortable for spectacle wearers. I find myself adjusting them occasionally if I've got my specs on instead of my contact lenses.

I'd say worth the £250.

I been looking for a pair of good headphones for a while. I first went to the Apple Store with my iPhone 4 loaded with my favorite songs and tried Bose Quiet Comfort 3. I was very impressed with quality and noise cancellation. I tried out Monster Cable Dre Beats Solo and the audio quality sounded terrible, honestly. The one issue Bose didn't have in-line remote with mic. I seen Bowers & Wilkins P5 Headphones with in-line remote. I tested music quality with my tracks on my iPhone 4. I listen to variety of music from Classical, R&B, Jazz, Blues, Rock & Heavy Metal and etc. Massive Attack track "Black Milk" from Mezzanine album and Jill Scott's live version of "Do you Remember" from Experience: Jill Scott 826+ album are what had me sold. I bought iPad 2 , iPhone 4S and I use these headphones everyday. I made and receive a lot of phone calls with no problems. I watch movies and tv shows for hours on my iPad 2 with no ear fatigue. One thing I can honestly say you will zone everything out easily with these. Meaning being in a noisy environment won't bother you. Build quality is very good it's going on 2 months I see no wear and tear. Magnetic and removable pads are great. I liked the headphones so much I bought the Bowers & Wilkins MM-1 Multimedia Speakers for my MacBook Air. Bowers & Wilkins are now a standard in my household. It's kinda ironic after being a so-called Sony Man. If my review and others is not enough to convince you then load up your iPhone or iPad with your favorite music tracks, test the quality in the Apple Store and find out for yourself.

I have been a Bose QC15 user for years...decided to take the plunge and purchase the P5 to use as my daily headset. Great tight sound. Very clear treble and warm bass. Comfortable snug fit...not too heavy. I wish the cord was a bit longer but thats minor issue. Great having iPod controls on cable.

Bose QC15 or the Bower and Wilkins P5...very subjective. I love them both. Bose requires batteries but offers superior noise cancellation with a plastic build. P5's are definitely the go to headset for everyday use and what I use during my commute...seems to be built for abuse.

Bose will be my stand-by when I need absolute silence.

I have a few pairs of headphones, Grado SR325i, Sennheiser PX450 and Bose QC15. Soundwise I would grade them Grado first then Bose then Sennheiser. The B&Ws I would probably slot in between the Bose and the Grados they sound brilliant. I was concerned about whether they would be able to manage depth like an over ear headphone and they do (just not quite as well as the Grado open ears do - but you can't take those out with you they are really an at home headphone).

I have eclectic taste in music (everything except classical and opera), they may not have quite enough bass for some dance and hip hop fans but it's more than enough for me as I am only a mild liker of dance and hip hop and certainly no expert (tried Snoop Dog, Outkast, Dr Dre, Eminem and Chemical Bros, Fatboy Slim and Prodigy). My primary music collection is probably broadly described as rock/alternative (NIN being a particular favourite and they do pick up on all the NIN depth, New Order and David Bowie sound great too). My husband is a major Opera and Classical fan and seemed to think they were fairly good - although dived straight back for the Grados when he could.

But for me the real killer factor that makes me love them is the design, I get a lot of discomfort from over ear headphones, I find they press on the area around my ear (especially under my ear) so I can't eat or drink anything whilst I am wearing them and after a while the tips of my ears start to hurt. For me the P5s are the most comfortable headphones I have ever worn, they are light and soft and don't press on my head under my ears - I can wear them all day and be comfortable and the flatter design is easier to sleep in (which I am looking forward to next time I fly). I must add however that I have quite a small head and I could see that perhaps someone with a larger head might not find them as comfortable, and your ears do warm up a little.

The noise isolation seems to be good, not on a par with the Bose QC15 but I prefer it to the Sennheisers which hiss slightly. I haven't tried them on a plane yet however but on the train they were great.

All in all my favourite travel headphones, the Sennheisers are going on ebay (hubby is keeping the Bose).

The design, fit, finish and feel is nothing short of astounding. The sound is breathtaking. I have tried many high end buds but these blow them all away. The bass is tight, the mids are smooth and the high end is crystal clear. On high end recordings (Apple Lossless or similiar) you can hear nuances not previously discernible with headphones compatible with IPod/IPad/IPhone type devices. The sounstage is convincing. They are comfortable for long term wear. No fatigue during extended listening. Yes they are expensive but worth it if you love your music. By the way, the IPad is head and shoulders above the IPhone and IPod in terms of sound quality, just in case anyone was wondering.

I received these today and have only spent an hour or so listening so far. But my previous earphones were the Shure SE530s and for headphones I've been using the Denon AH-D2000 so I've got a basis for comparison ....

First impressions? I'm keeping them! The whole unpacking experience is like when you get a new iPhone/iMac/MacBook (I know I'm lucky), so you gape at the quality of what's being revealed. Then you plug them in - and the sound is truly excellent. There's depth and clarity throughout the highs, mids and lows, and nothing dominates - the whole listening experience is mellow and delicate at the same time.

I don't often write reviews of new toys but these have seriously impressed me. I've only tried them on the iPhone so far and if I hadn't already sold the Shures I'd be doing so now: even though they sound great on the iPhone they lack the depth of the P5s.

Almost as good as the P5s themselves is the fact that, despite the Apple Store showing a 1-2 week delivery delay, I ordered last Friday and they arrived today, Tuesday.

I have own many pairs of headphones, Bose on ear mobile headphones, Solo Beats by Dre, Sennheiser in ear headphones but theses are by far the best i have had the pleasure of owning. I spent the best part of two hours in Regent Street Apple store bouncing between, Beats studios and solos, bose Q3s and these and the P5s. Like it says on the box these offer the most natural sound and i have to agree, nothing is exaggerated, each song sounds as it should. I listen to R&B, Hip-Hop, Reggae, vocal (frank sinatra, nat king cole, etc), and others and i have yet to find a genre that these headphones do not handle well. You hear every sound in ever song, the noise isolation is very good and manages to even block out the noise of the central line. all in all I love them and have yet to find fault.

If you’re going to listen to headphones without a headphone amp, these are without doubt the best there is. They are very low ohm load, which is crucial if you want accurate sound, with a device like iPod, iPad, or any computer. I have far too many high costly headphones such as Sennheiser 650, top of the line AKG’s, Beyerdynamics, amongst others. Yes these expensive headphones sound better with an $1000 amp. They are designed to be used with an expensive amp. However if you care to move around, or don’t plan on investing in VERY expensive headphones and an expensive amp, you’d be insane not to grab these incredible B&W’s, nothing comes even close!

Having been raised in a music-oriented household, B&W was a name that was equated with top-of-the line. I remember about 12-15 years ago when my dad set up our B&W home surround sound system.... I was blown away by the richness of the sound and the loyalty to the actual recording. The bass wasn't excessive and I could tell that what I was hearing was how the artist and sound engineers wanted the track to sound. The first time I put on the P5s at the Apple Store, I was blown away just like I had been years ago.

While these cans will not deliver the most intense bass possible (if you're looking for those try the Beats by Dre) and they aren't truly noise-cancelling like the Bose QC 15s (they are noise-isolating though, which actually gets rid of a lot of noise naturally), they are the richest sounding headphones I've tried at this price point. Again, B&W has focused on making the sound as true to the recording as possible. And when sitting at work, on the subway, or walking around in the city, I couldn't be any happier with a pair of headphones.