Bowers & Wilkins P5 Mobile Headphones

Probably like many others, the prospect of forking out nearly 300 notes on a set of headphones does chill me to the bone, so I did a lot of research and more importantly listening to many headphones.
I initially had my heart set on the Dr Dre Studio Beats after checking them out in the Apple Store Newcastle and almost bought them then and there but I am pleased I held my passion.
As much as I liked the Dre's I just could not get away from the fact that they are a little plasticy and then when when you read the reviews on many sites you notice just how many people are having trouble with them breaking... not good.
After really just stumbling across the B&Ws and how well they were being reviewed I thought I needed to audition them.
I am not new to the B&W brand as I have Hi-Fi speakers by them, so my expection was for them to perform well, so it was off to the Apple Store to compare these with the Dre's and the Bose with my iPod and my eclectic musical taste.
I tested all three with tracks by Radiohead, Muse, Jane's Addiction, Kanye, Lupe, Zero 7, David Gilmour and Joe Purdy so a right old bag full.
Out of the three the Bose fell first, the Noise Cancelling is superb but does put a little too much pressure on your eardrums for my liking plus out of all three they were the hardest for the iPod to drive and needed turning up high to get any decent sound level.
The B&W and Dre Studio Beats both are superb but in the end it came down to two main points, firstly the Dre's plastic feel and the poor reviews online backing this up but more importantly sound quality, I feel that the sound is boosted too much in the higher frequencies and once you lock onto this it is hard to ignore. They are very good but the B&W just pips it for me.
So after a long couple of weeks I have decided on the B&Ws. With these beauties there is not plastic just a great leather and metal build. They are very comfy and most importantly they SOUND FANTASTIC. Bass response is very good and the mids and highs are handled very well. Nothing feels forced and you dont need to give yourself a break after listening, you can actually relax while listening and hear the recording as it was intended.
So do yourself a favour and go and audition these and by all means the other brands and see what you think. These things have just breezed onto the scene without a hail of hype or premiership footballers wrapping them around their necks post match and for that demand a listen.
Whichever way you go all these Headphones are fantastic but the B&Ws are just a cut above. …More

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I've got a varied taste in music and they bring out the best in almost everything. They're sound very balanced so don't expect just pure bass, but don't get me wrong when the bass kicks in when necessary YOU WON'T BE DISSAPOINTED. The comfort is deceptive though, initially yeah they feel great...but my biggist gripe with these phones is after an hour or so's use my ears feel pretty sore. Maybe it's just my head :( The customer service is second to none by the way. Called the manufacturer for a replacement cable and they shipped 1 out no questions asked. …More