Reviews for Bowers & Wilkins P5 Mobile Headphones

I have had these headphones for a year now. Now I can't say that these are the best headphones in the Apple Store because I haven't tried every headphone. But I would wager they would be. They are certainly the best I have ever owned. Here's the pros and cons:

Pros:
- Incredible design; practical, functional and aesthetic. From the adjustment mechanism, to the tangle-resistant and snag-free wire, to the brushed aluminum and supple leather, this product is deliberately and thoughtfully designed and built to last a long time.
- Comfortable to wear for extended listening sessions indoors. I find I can wear them 2-3 hours before wanting to take a break.
- Passive noise canceling that effectively blocks out almost all of the surrounding environment.
- Audio quality; I'm not an experienced audiophile, but the bass sounds spot-on, and I've heard more in my music than I ever thought there was. The sound field is very expansive; sometimes something in my music sounds like it is coming from another area of my house.
- Phone, iPod and Siri functionality works through the inline controls and my voice is clear to my callers and Siri through the microphone, even while during windy walks in the city.
- Included suede-lined pouch has been durable after a year of transport in my backpack.
- The two-year warranty and Society of Sound membership are great bonuses.

Cons:
- In warmer weather, while wearing outdoors they can be uncomfortable and get sweaty, so I am going to start using the B&W C5s in these instances.

The Bowers & Wilkins P5 is the first "real" headphones that I purchased.

The remote control features work just like the Apple in-ear headphones that I have and work with both my Mac Pro and the iPad that my children gave me for Christmas. The noise isolation is much better than the Apple in-ear headphones. (My ear canals don't conform to Apple's standards as their headphones keep falling out.) The sound is excellent and sounds more natural on both the iPad and the Mac Pro.

The one complaint is the length of the cord. I can't lean back in my chair and relax while I listen to music or watch a movie on my 30" Apple Cinema Display.

Does anyone know a source for a 4-conductor extension cable that allows one to use the remote controls and the microphone?

I recently purchased these headphones after a very long and drawn out saga where I waffled back and forth between these and the Bose QC-15 headphones.

I eventually chose these for their superior sound quality, build quality, and materials.

Yeah, I lose out on the active noise canceling, but these fit so well and block out so much, it hardly seems missed at all.

If you can afford them, and you want the best sound you can have, without overly processed bass, then these fit the bill. Now if only iTunes store music where not so compressed...

Like many, I've been through scores of headphones over the years. These present the best combination of design and sound that I've encountered. Sound reproduction is outstanding across the spectrum. Tight yet mellow. The included microphone cord is a real plus. The build qu thatality is outstanding, and the carry case is good looking and functional. I was afraid I was overpaying (again) for a piece of technology, but these headphones are worth every penny.

I have been in dire need for a new pair of headphones ever since my Apple earbuds started peeling and the wires began loosening. I wanted to get a decent pair of headphones, but I wasn't sure I wanted in earbuds again. They have always become very uncomfortable after extended periods of use. I also wanted a pair of headphones that would work not only with my iPhone 3GS, but also my iPad. That's when I found the B&W P5's.

After doing some research on Apple's site and reading other online reviews, the P5's made it to a short list. However, I was distressed to learn from Apple's website that the headphones weren't listed as being compatible with the iPad. After a quick research of the iPad specs and the P5 specs, I determined they would, indeed work. Just to be sure, I called Apple and was pleased to find that they would indeed be compatible. The Apple rep said it was most likely due to the relative newness of the P5's and the iPad.

The P5's arrived today and they are simply impeccable! The leather and brushed steel is completely sexy and quite modern yet with a tasteful flair of retro. The leather these cans are wrapped in is absolutely buttery soft. It is apparent from the moment you remove these headphones from the box that these are indeed special. Without a doubt, these are the most comfortable headphones I've ever worn. The memory foam in the ear cups has been been neither uncomfortable or hot now after wearing them for over an hour and a half.

Arguably more important than comfort is the sound quality of the P5's. Believe everything you've read on these reviews. Initially, I wasn't looking to spend more than $125 for my headphones, but I'm glad I spent the extra money to get this set. I've thrown everything at them from my iTunes library. Everything from Beastie Boys to the Doors and these have handled them with great ease. The sound is just unbelievably clean, crisp and vibrant. The bass isn't overpowering or artificially thunderous. It's precisely as it was intended to be heard when it was recorded. The highs are just soaring and sweet. The full spectrum of my music can now be fully appreciated. Since there is a glaring difference between songs with a bit rate of 128 kbps and 256 kbps, I guess I'll spend the weekend importing my CDs into iTunes again, but this time with Apple Lossless!

The P5s arrived with the cord installed that contained the remote for operating iTunes and for making phone calls from the iPhone. I tried making a phone call with the mic and found the sound to be far superior to the mic on the standard issue Apple cans. The party I called said they couldn't even tell I was on the headset. The sound was perfect. The only thing that was a little off with the mic was that I couldn't really hear myself in my headphones very loudly if at all. I haven't read the instructions yet, so perhaps there is something I need to adjust, but even if there is no input into the headset from the mic, I had no trouble carrying on a conversation and that's a trade-off I'd be willing to accept to have such an exceptional pair of headphones.

While these aren't noise cancelling, they do an outstanding job of reducing ambient noise. I can see that these will be the perfect headphones to wear on my long car trips with the family when I don't care to listen to music in the car, but would rather watch a movie on my iPad. I won't have to crank the volume up to an uncomfortable or dangerous level in order to drown out the background noise. It's a very sequestered and peacefully isolated feeling inside the velvety smooth leather lining of these P5's!

I can not recommend these highly enough!

I put these on and didn't want to take them off. The sound is wonderful and they are very comfortable to wear. No boomy headache causing bass out of these headphones. The sound is clean, crisp and detailed. B&W is well respected in the audiophile community and it shows in these headphones. You won't go wrong with these unless you're looking for that booming rap bass.

i own a pair of Bose QC15 and i swear by them. I viewed them as the epitome of sound quality. However, i tried these B&W headphones today and within 3 seconds of listening, i was sold. I bought them on the spot and haven't stopped listening to them. Easily, the best headphones i have ever used. Extremely comfortable. Extremely well engineered. It's like hearing music for the first time

The P5's are excellent headphones. Bowers and Wilkins is a company that knows what they are doing. The clarity and warmth of the sound is just hard to beat for the price and they are exceptionally comfortable for "on ear" headphones. These beat the QC2/QC15's hands down in audio clarity and quality. These headphones are a great deal for the price.

I spent ages searching for a decent pair of headphones & it soon dawned on me that I maybe paying in excess of £150. At first I was reluctant to part with so much. Yeah you can notice the difference between a £10 pair from your local electrical store & a pair costing 10 times as much but I find it utterly ridiculous that anyone can genuinely hear a difference between say, a £100 pair and a £1000 pair so I really think anyone claiming otherwise is full of... well, you know.

I been extremely happy with the Monster Tour's ive been using for about a year now so i figured my first stop should be either the Monster Solo's or Studio's... The sound quality of both was great & just what Ild expected, but I quickly discovered the build of both felt pretty flimsy & after a bit more research I found a lot of horror stories from people saying theirs had snapped &/or fallen apart shockingly quickly. So between this, the fact the Studios require batteries & are so big they make you look like Princess Leia, I soon ruled these out.

Next I happened to stumble across the Bang & Olufsen Form 2's, while browsing through their store & at first glance they seemed ideal. Beautiful design, not too obtrusive & amazing sound quality. The price was also a surprise… £130! Unfortunately I did have a couple of gripes; the ear pads are rough & really not very durable (oh & the replacements will cost you £30). Secondly they didn't have an inline remote/mic. Not the end of the world I grant you, but as im looking for something to pair up with my iPhone & MacBook it was a major flaw.

So finally I got to the B&W P5's. I adore their Zeppelin iPod player so I was expecting big things from these. Straight from the off I knew I had a winner. With real leather & brushed metal the build quality was not only the best looking (by far) but massively superior to anything Ild ever picked up. Also, they seemed to have thought of everything. The ear pads are not just incredibly comfy but magnetic so if (for reasons that I cant fathom, given the quality) you have to replace one, it couldn't be easier. Plus, if you've ever been like me and plagued with cables/jacks wearing and snapping through vigourous use and your sound cutting in & out as a result, you'll be happy to know the they are easily replaceable. So off to a good start, but I really put these to the test while on a trans Atlantic flight & Ive got to say for about 5 hours of constant use they were perfect! Drowning out engine noise, emitting gorgeous sound & still remaining comfortable. I honestly cant fault the P5's, with just one exception. Since owning these, Ive gone back through my iTunes and re-ripped most of my collection to the highest quality so I can enjoy all the tracks the way they were meant to be listened to.

Everything about these headphones is near perfect. Aside from the fact that they're incredibly comfortable and not overly bulky, the sound quality is simply incredible. no overpowering bass like the incredibly overpriced beats, and a much more well rounded sound than anything from bose. And I really feel like these were built to last, unlike too many products on the market today.