Reviews for Bowers & Wilkins C5 In-Ear Headphones

I am a Bowers & Wilkins person. I don't just own their consumer electronics, but their professional audio equipment as well. Since I purchased their headphones about a year ago, I've been in search of earphones to mach the quality and performance produced by B&W. But now that I have a pair of their C5 earphones, I can say the search has come to a close.

The bass is rich and full but also strong; it doesn't become distorted at high volumes or in bass-heavy songs. The highs and the mid tones are just as impressive, if not more pronounced then the headphones (the Bowers & Wilkins P5). If you do choose to pick up a pair, I would recommend breaking in the drivers for about eight to ten hours. The only downside I can find about these earphones is the cable; it's rather irritating at first but over time, it looses its stiffness and rigidity. All and all, a great pair of earphones to match the headphones.

31 of 33 people found this useful

The sound is pristine. They stay in your ears very well. You can run with these, I ran a half marathon with them. They fit in the outer ear so well that they block out sound (not "cancel" but essentially block all sound. Put these on in a crowded coffee shop and you can easily escape and concentrate on the book/lecture/task at hand. I love them.

29 of 31 people found this useful

I have some shure in ears they cost about the same as these C5 in ears, and I can tell you the shire ones are blown away. The C5's stay better in my ears and have way better sound across the whole range. They are just awesome !

28 of 30 people found this useful

These are wonderful sounding earphones - and my favorite so far (have had Bose's, Klipsch, and multiple others). Had to get some replacement buds for these, and I have to attest that Bowers' customer service was TREMENDOUS. They have a customer for life given how well they treat you after you buy. Most places nowadays cast you off and it takes forever to get a response - not Bowers. Love em. Buy some - you will not regret it (I promise I don't work for them!!).

27 of 29 people found this useful

After less than 1 month of use the left earpiece stopped working. Very unreliable.
I was also refused any service at the apple store, despite being within the return period.

40 of 56 people found this useful

Have had them for 3 days now; they are open, airy, pretty neutral and really reveal quality recordings so if you try them in the Apple store or elsewhere use artists who care about the quality of their recordings..Chris Isaak, John Mayer or Mark Knopfler..also try Beethoven's 5th. The cable keeps them snug in your ear and they won't move if you jog or jump around. Found them to be more detailed and precise than the Sennheisers I had, but they cost $70 more but are worth it.

21 of 21 people found this useful

These earbuds are superb! I have tried multiple pairs of earbuds in this price range and other prices, both more and less expensive. Although a bit expensive at $190 a pair, they are well worth it and blow away the competition. They do take some getting used to as they are a bit of a different fit in the ear, however, I use mine for working out and they are very secure and sound AMAZING. I hear sounds from my songs that I never heard before, the fidelity, quality of music and balance across mids, lows, and highs is Awesome. By far the best in ear product I have ever experienced. Only thing that could make these better is if they had a white model to match my shiny white iphone 4!!!

21 of 22 people found this useful

These were great at first. I got them for Christmas and the left side quit working by February. Loved the fit while running, however, the left side now has a short in it and doesn't work. I only used them for running. I thought the headphones would have lasted longer. I am very disappointed.

23 of 28 people found this useful

Although the B&W C5 headphones have tremendous sound quality (super deep bass for buds, great mids and highs as well), I have had to return them twice so far due to the same manufacturer's defect. After a month of buying these from the Apple Store, the left ear monitor stopped working. Apple was kind and switched them out for a new pair free of charge under their 30 day retailer's warranty. This was in October, and now three months later in January, the left ear monitor on the newer headphones has stopped working again. The sound goes in and out if I jiggle the cord that enters into the headphone but it was too frustrating to deal with so I returned them to B&W. The flaw is in the design of the headphone in that the loop that extends above the headphone that is supposed to fit inside your outer ear also contains the cord that enters into the headphone, so it seems very easy to disrupt the connection when you are adjusting the size of the loop. These are great sounding headphones when they work but the headaches they have caused me due to their malfunctioning design have led me to write a poor review. Avoid these if you want a durable pair of great sounding headphones (these will NOT last).

18 of 20 people found this useful