Reviews for Bowers & Wilkins C5 In-Ear Headphones

These earphones are claimed to be better fitting than typical in ear headphones due to the unique design. Well that all depends on the shape of your ears, and since you cannot try them that is a problem. I looked at them a few times then decided to take the plunge. In my case no matter how I adjust the loops they simply fall out while walking about or even when sitting down. The only way to get a snug fit is to push the tips into the ear so they essentially just wedge in, which makes the ear loops superfluous. Because they are metal under the silicone rubber ear tips this is also very uncomfortable, and verges on painful after 30 minutes use.

I've tried all the different size ear tips that are included and this makes little difference to the fit. Previous earbuds from other companies haven't given me any real problems so I was really surprised to have such issues with these from a company like B&W. I'm sorry to say they really are a triumph of design over function. Sad, since they are really beautiful objects and the sound is very good.

6 of 10 people found this useful

Having a couple of other really superb B&W products, I was really expecting these earphones to be special. They are good and I really wanted to love them but they are just....well, good.. I might be in the minority but I find them filddly to put in and they don't always seal that well. They are good but I really expected them to breathtaking at this price.

11 of 12 people found this useful

Let me start by saying that where build quality and comfort are concerned, these earphones are every bit as good as they look. I listen for long periods and there has been no physical discomfort at all, the loop system works well for all but the most rigorous exercise. I can run and cycle with no problems and love the fact you don't have to jam them super deep into your ears to get decent sound. Simply use the right size bud (they come with 4 sets) and you get a nice seal. The remote weighs nothing at all and is a joy to use.
I have owned a few pairs of fairly good quality ear phones all around the £40-60 mark before taking a chance with the Beats Tour, my most expensive before the C5. I was far from totally blown away by the beats and felt at least half the price was for the badge alone. I took another chance with the C5's. So, are they worth £100 more than your typical £50' Sennheiser, Denon, Sony, phillips, etc…? I would say yes and no. If you are still using the awful buds which came with your iPod you will be astounded by these, but coming from fairly decent earphones I feel the sound quality jump, while noticeable, is actually not that overwhelming. The C5's sound is definitely a little clearer, but for those expecting audiophile quality, the response is not quite flat. Audiophile types say you should be able to pick out any instrument during any track and follow it the whole way through without ever losing it. That is not the case here. However, the separation is quite natural sounding, particularly in the mid-range, where, for example, vocals, guitars, drums, pianos, brass and woodwinds are really well defined. I think the low end is quite rich and smooth, pleasant to listen to and blends well with the mid range without being overpowering. But, as many have said, crank the volume up, and the highs become a little too dominant and piercing. This is very apparent in acoustic tracks with high pitched female vocals and where percussion is heavy on snares and symbols. But this happens at an overall volume which, I think for most, would be uncomfortable anyway.
To summarise, yes, I feel the Build, the comfort and slightly higher definition (especially in the mid-range) is worth the extra money. Just. But don't expect too much extra performance. For instance, compared to Denon's AH-C551 ear buds @£70, I found the C5's only offered a better defined upper-mid to high range output (which, as mentioned can be over bright). However, the low to mid range output on the Denon's is very comparable with the C5's. Just my opinion.
Conclusion, if you are only into R+B, Rap, etc… on listening you will probably feel that the price, relative to improved SQ, is unjustified. For those with more eclectic tastes though, I say go for it. The C5's will easily do the Rap and R+B, but you will notice the gain more clearly with other genres. Just keep those highs in check with the volume nob!

Comfort=5 Second to none I have tried
Build quality=5 Can't fault them yet
Looks=4 Will get noticed
Sound=3.5 Good, Not overwhelmed
Value=3.5 Difficult. 3 seems about right
Overall=4 stars Less would be plain unfair.

15 of 15 people found this useful

Sound is excellent, clear and detailed with good bass. Also, the loop design is ingenious and really works; it's comfortable enough and holds the earpiece firmly in place.
B&W have ruined these headphones however, in my opinion, with a cable that causes bad 'microphonics' (signal noise that is transmitted through the cable if it comes into contact with anything - there is a word for it).
So for example if the cable lightly brushes against your clothes you will hear it - no matter how loud your music is. It's a real let down for such great sounding headphones and in balance if I had known about this I would not have bought them.

6 of 10 people found this useful

I was blown over by the sound quality of these b&w in ear headphones but, a big let down for me was the interference heard when the cable moves. This is particularly evident when listening to low notes and low volume. I guess This is the consequence of having a more hefty and durable cable. In saying that, When compared to Nixon and Bose in ear speaker, b&w block out ambient noise the best so if you are on a flight, these would be ideal.

3 of 3 people found this useful

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

Purchased these in-ear headphones, as i have the B&W P5's already and was very impressed with them. I had to take the first set of in-ear headphones back as the bass rattled a lot in one ear, they were replaced in store. However there are several observations which after spending £149 are quite disappointing. The case for these isn't exactly the best designed, with the headphones hardly fitting in, and the zip jams quite a lot. The in line remote is quite unresponsive, and seems to have the tiniest response area when pressed. The in ear loop system doesn't maintain the position which you have to set in between uses, so each time you need to re-adjust. The sound is good though, but, as stated, the design feels compromised.

4 of 4 people found this useful

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

I bought a pair of these headphones, primarily because of the manufacturer B & W, I have NEVER been so disappointed it could have been that I had been unlucky re the sound which I hope is the case it was so bad I returned them the same day.

The sound was so tinny, there was no base I really was so dissatisfied particulary when you think who the maker is and not forgetting the cost.

I would advise anyone to try before you buy.

4 of 18 people found this useful