Reviews for Bowers & Wilkins C5 In-Ear Headphones

I read the reviews, compared competitors, weighed all options and these were definitely not worth the $$$ they cost. Two problems I have, and they are big ones:

1. SOUND QUALITY is way too bass heavy. I had to adjust the equalizer to bass reducer to get close to the quality I want.

2. FIT is too awkward. B&W are trying too hard here. Design doesn't always succeed just because it's different than everyone else's headphones. I never achieved a truly snug fit, even with all the various rubber tips provided. A sung fit is essential for proper sound, but these would slip out often causing me to reseat them. The Secure Loops are an interesting gimmick, but after an hour, they hurt my outer ear because they press on the ear folds.

I retuned these the very next day and exchanged them for the Ultimate Ears 600vi. I already own a pair of custom Ultimate Ears UE10 Pros that cost $1,000, and think they are the best I've ever heard. I bought the B&Ws because I needed a temporary pair of phones while my UE10s are being repaired. The UE 600vi's don't fit much better than the B&Ws, but at least the sound is more balanced.

I must mention that UE10 Pros are in an entirely different class of in-ear phones and they don't get much better than that. Comfort and sound are truly phenomenal. I've had them for 7 years and can always get them repaired (drivers replaced, new cables, etc.) if need be. The cables are detachable in case you need to just replace those. About once a year I ship them to Ultimate Ears for a check over and they usually find something that needs to be tweaked. If you have the means, you must buy them, otherwise find an alternate that you can afford. Just don't waste your money on the B&Ws.

So far the best all around fit and sound for a non-custom in-ear phones are the Klipsch Image X10i for $350. They have one negative, though. The cables aren't well made. Mine disconnected after about a year of mild use.

I did research & the sound is tremendous....big 3 things for me: sound, fits well in ear, & stays in ear while I'm active.
Sound--1-10: with 1 lowest & 10 most awesomeness: 9.7 awesome!!
Fits well in ear: 1-10 with 1 lowest & 10 most awesomeness: 5
Once you figure it out it's alright in there...not uncomfortable, but it's just awkward.
Stays in the ear while active: 1-10: with 1 lowest & 10 most awesomeness: 2. Unfortunately this reason is why I couldn't keep the earphones...if someone looked at me funny they would come out...that's exaggerating a smidge...but seriously if I was at the gym moving around: the earphones wouldn't stay in my ear....& for the price & the lack of "staying put in my ear while working out" ability: these won't be recommended...Sorry Bowers & Wilkins

I listen to audiobooks all day every day at a full time job that can be loud and dirty and rough. I also listen to all kinds of music at home. I am a maintenance man at a couple of apt. complexes, and I have to pause my audiobooks frequently to talk to tenants or coworkers or bosses, and it's already become an inside joke that it takes WAY TOO LONG for me to find and press the pause button on this thing! I've owned iPhone headsets (prolly around ten at least) from every price point, from $20 (Sony) to $300 (Beats), and these ($190) are the WORST I've ever used! Why is that?! Bowers and Wilkins supplies the monitor speakers for Abbey Road studios. The Beatles are my #1 favorite band, so I thought I'd be buying a quality product because of their connection to my favorite music. I could not have been more wrong about that assumption. *******The remote is round when it should be angular or flat. You can't find the pause/play button fast-enough in this fast-paced world.*******

That's just the remote.

The bass is there but fake (not as bad as Bose or Beats Studio, though).

The mids and highs are gone, and it is way too forward with caustic, ear-piercing loudness, devoid of tonal quality, though it's not lacking in muffled, muddled gobbledegook. It seems to amplify the worst parts of audio while rendering the front parts way back in the mix.

The adjustable ring comes out of the earpiece. It also bends almost beyond repair (even after being stored in its protective case).

I gave it two stars, because they don't sound as bad as Bose (no bass) or Beats (too much bass). Otherwise, I would have given them a one star rating.

Learn about headphones from HeadRoom (look them up [their in-house product reviews help]) and then go to an Apple Store for your purchase. That's my strategy. Amazon (read product reviews there, though) is just a little too risky for me. I like to see products in person before I buy them.

I am going to return these and maybe get the upper echelon Klipsch from the Apple Store.

When I first got this pair I thought it sounded good to some degree, but the more I would listen to any genre of music the more I would use the EQ and no matter what I did I could never find much clairty!!! These are like a more expensive version of ibeats but sounds a tad bit better but not woth 179!!!!!!!!! These are worth at the most 89 or 99!!!!

No apologies here. This is the most overpriced set of earbuds I have ever
purchased. The sound was good, but it ends there.
•With the adjustable loop the earbud comes away from inside my ear and allows ambient noise in.
•The wires are so stiff, they stick out and snag everything.
•The buttons are not easy to locate and use for phone calls. The only reference is the slight depression in the bar.
•The clamshell carry case is useless. I can find no logical way to use it. By the time you stuff everything in, you risk zipping up a wire.
•How can a company justify selling these for so much money. I was ashamed that I spent the money after I did. Even though the sound was good, for $179.00, they should knock my socks off like the P5 over the ear B&W's do.

Where do I go from here? I guess my $39. V-Moda from Costco will need to last a little longer. I just wish they were 3 button

At first I thought these were amazing, great sound and base. But after 2 weeks of normal use they started acting up. Itunes would automatically turn on even if I force quite the app, music that is paused starts playing a few mins later like if they had a mind of there own. Eventually the left bud completely gave out. I would expect more from a brand such as bowers and wilkins, especially after 2 weeks of use!

I just bought these today from the Apple Store. I know that Bowers & Wilkins make amazing home speakers but I didn't know what to expect with these. I unboxed them and then tried to use them but they wouldn't fit in my ears. It was extremely annoying and made me want to punch a hole in the wall. I expected that changing the rubber buds would help but it didn't. Not only that, but I was expecting a much more acoustic earphone from Bowers & Wilkins yet these had way too much bass and the treble was too loud. I love the look of them but can't think of any other positives.

Look. I am not a lier, I am not another company just leaving a bad review, I'm like any other person out there and I love music. Music is my life. Spending almost four hundred dollars a week on iTunes for apps and music is what I do haha and I wanted some good headphones to listen to all the music I have. I bought these December 30th 2011 and now it's in almost the second week of January and the right side of the headphone has completely stopped working. I am not going to lie. I am mad. I spent over 170 dollars on these. I usually just but skull cants but since everyone has said the beats are great and I have never heard of these in my life but a ladie at the apple store in Santa Ana, CA recommended these for me so I took it into consideration since she did have the beats and said they weren't great. But If you do like a good sound go for theses but for what I have went through and now having to return them, I will be researching more headphones.

I just got mine today. I was very excited to see what I may be missing with some premium headphones so I rushed out to get these. I must not be the audiophile that I thought I was. Admittedly I have only used the stock headphones that have come with my iPods and iPhones. I really can't hear a difference. The silicone cones that these and much cheaper headphones come with do block out all outside noise (passive noise cancellation, but so do my 1.99 silicone ear plugs that I use when it's too noisy to sleep. The sound quality is a bit flat and seems to be missing some base, which I was hoping for. Mine are going back. They certainly aren't 179.00 better than the ones I already paid for when I bought my iPhone at full retail. Other minor complaints - Made in China. Really? I think that's not good for our country or for quality products. There seems to be no eco friendly efforts that went into the product or packaging. Maybe none of this matters to you but it definitely matters to me. The packaging could have been as elegant and impressive with 75% less of it and using recycled and recyclable materials, possibly allowing for a bit less of a sharp price point. The product itself could have been made of recycled material. If it is made of recycled material there wasn't much of an effort made to tout it. I've been listening to the C5's for 30 mins now and I'm already going back to my ear buds. I had such high hopes for this product but to me it's not worth more than 39.99.