Reviews for Bowers & Wilkins C5 In-Ear Headphones

Was debating between these of the P5s, both seemed like great choices - B&W has a great reputation. Anyways, I went with these for a few reasons. Namely they were more portable, less flashy, and at the better price point. I can always get the P5s for half-price anyways through credit card rewards.

Many people have said that they hurt their ears, this is true - BUT only because your USING THEM WRONG. They were hurting my ears, the metal part kept gouging into my ear, and I felt like I had to push the headphones in deep to get strong bass. Turns out I was using the wrong tips. Changed out the tips for a different pair, and it solved all my problems. Now they stay in, have great bass, and DON'T hurt my ears!

Let's be realistic here, these are mid-high end ear buds, not high-end. They cost $100-200 less than some of the others I tried in non-Apple store. For me they have better bass than most, not overwhelming but not boomy either. The highs are a bit tinny or sibilant but either I am getting used to sound or they are "breaking-in" and highs are becoming more subdued.

The case is small but the earphones fit and it fits in my front pocket, I wouldn't want a case any more than slightly bigger.

Fit is individualistic and as such you need to try for yourselves and ignore the more strident reviews. They fit me better than most and stay in my ears way, way better than most non-canal buds. For me the wire loops work and are very clever.

Downsides include mildly rough highs (though getting better and no longer noticed by me with higher bit rates), I wish the kit still included the adapters, particularly the right angle adapter. I bought some foam Comply tips that for me work much better than the included tips - they are more comfortable and sound much better. In fact I think B&W is making a mistake by not including this sort of tip with the earphones - their tips don't do their product complete justice. As someone else here mentioned, you may need bigger tips than you realize because these are not canal buds, you do not insert them so deeply into your ear.

All-in-all I really like these and if they are durable (I've only had for 2 weeks) I'd recommend that everyone not wanting to spend more than $200 give them a try.

This product obviously has great, clean, technical sound. Some of the best I've heard. I wanted to comment on the comfort factor, however, since most other reviews speak badly of them. I feel like only those people with some kind of complaint are more likely to leave negative reviews, so here I go. I bought mine 3 days ago, and I put them on leaving the Apple store--got home 45 minutes later after making some stops and still had them on. My ears weren't sore at all. I understand what some people say, but that's because they shove them too deep in their ear to make them "noise canceling" and the sharp metal outer piece gouges their ear. First, the product never claims to be "noise canceling," though it does a reasonably good job blocking out most noise. They are supposed to sit in your outer ear canal with the APPROPRIATELY sized rubber ear piece so the fit is snug. If you use an undersized ear piece and cram them into the ear, yeah of course it's uncomfortable, but then again you are trying to make them something they're not--noise canceling (by cramming them into your ear to be noise canceling). I love mine. I have warn them every day for hours since I bought them and they are great. Sound is wonderful, especially classical, vocal/choral, and jazz. I highly recommend them.

If you're looking for headphones (Ear-Buds) that have a perfect in-ear fit that adjust for ultimate comfort, sound so unbelievably clear even when at loudest levels and appearance resembling the future then get Bowers & Wilkins C5 in-ears. Bass is crazy good, noise canceling is surprisingly comparable to over-earphones. The best part is they never need adjusting while running and don't fall out of your ear!!!!

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.

Now at $180, it is fairly costly, however it is worth every penny. The audio quality for all genres of music is simply staggering. This is a headphone that has been carefully crafted to produce consistently excellent results. So don't be fooled by the Beats by Dre hype. Instead, pop down to your local Apple store or indeed the online store and get yourself a pair of these. You won't regret it.

The pros:

The C5 offer excellent sound, especially mid- to low range. Deep bass is reproduced with convincing control and authority, so much so that I frequently find myself pulling out one of the plugs to check if I accidentally left the subwoofers on. Vocals are also treated with usual B&W signature excellence. That being said, expect the usual B&W coloration; i.e. not neutral sound, but warm and a bit woolly and with a slight lack of treble clarity and detail.

Aesthetically, the C5 are things of beauty. From the jet black cylindrical design to the silver "grille" at the back, they look very nice indeed. Some users are complaining that the buds are too heavy, but for me this hasn’t been a problem during workouts.

The cons:

There are a few points that potential buyers need to know about. The cable is very stiff and easy to break. I work at a Hi Fi dealership, and we’ve had unusually many C5s returned due to cable breakage. I’m on my second pair now after only two months, and despite being very careful I’m likely to move on to my third before summer.

The carrying case is a joke. Although very stylish, it’s far too small, especially considering the stiff cable. B&W have attempted to rectify this by removing the integrated plug holder in later versions, but this hasn’t helped much considering the case is still the same overall size.

The remote is also a bit of a blunder. It’s cylindrical and only works if pushed in a very specific way. It’s difficult to use without looking, and impossible if you ever wear gloves. There is also a lot of noise when using the hands free function.

Conclusion: Great sound, but troubled by some very poor design choices.

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.

These earbuds (1) fit well (2) stay in my ears and (3) sound great! After being disatisfied with four previous brands of expensive earbuds, I'm happy to say the B&W C5 earbuds excel in all 3 categories. I love them!