Reviews for Bowers & Wilkins P5 Mobile Headphones

These headphones are outstanding. Defined, warm sound with great definition. The build quality is top notch and they are comfortable to wear. Worth the price. I highly recommended these headphones.

8 of 12 people found this useful

So, you read through all these reviews. Why wouldn't you? This headphone, along with a few others on here, are pretty expensive. Yet, they aren't the most expensive: There are two others on here that are 100-150 dollars more (Sennheiser and Beats Pro respectively). However, the P5s are the best of the bunch. Actually, out of all of the headphones for consumers (not studio procution/recording, etc...) the P5s are hands down the best in audio quality.

The build quality on the P5 is astounding. Really. For $300, it feels like they are giving you so much more. The sound quality is amazing. It is truly "high fidelity." You can hear things that you never did before. Just be careful not to listen to Pandora too much without turning on the "high quality" option on the stream on your iPhone. The mistake I made was not turning that on and I was thinking my headphones had a defect!

Also, as previous reviews mention, you need to have them play for a good 15-20 hrs before they really settle in and sound their best. That and make sure your music is encoded at a high bitrate. Mine is all 320. Apple Lossless would be great but it takes up way too much space on my hard-drive.

Before I purchased these from the Apple store, I did lots of research and made sure that these were going to be perfect. My biggest concern was that the on-ear design would hurt my ears. I had a pair of Grado headphones a while back and they would hurt so much. I ended up giving them away after one of the sides gave out on the bass. These headphones, the P5s, however always seem to take to the brink. I think they are going to hurt and they seem to get a bit warm, but then they never do hurt. Its almost magical. Not sure what is going on. The New Zealand sheep leather is very soft and the padding below it begins to break in to fit nicely.

The bass really isn't there as much as you would like. This isn't their fault. B&W has produced amazing headphones that don't interfere with the music. They present you the music as it is without meddling with it. There is no equalizer that makes the bass louder or the trebles higher. You can set that on your device yourself if you would like. If there is suppose to be genuine bass, then you will see it. However, most Rap and Hip/Hop songs reduce some of the bass in their songs because they know people will boost it up in their cars, on their headphones, etc...So, with that, the P5s are able to recreate bass just fine (less than the Beats though) but keep in mind that they are not trying to change anything: keeping things as natural as possible.

Lastly, what you will notice here with the P5s is that the middle notes are really there. Not a combination of bass and treble mixing at exaggerated volumes to compensate for a middle. I mean, truly, that the middle range is present and stands on its own. Its amazing to hear the full violin bow stroke and to be able to hear a single strand of horse hair snap on a down stroke (kidding, but you get the hyperbole : ).

So, if I were to compare these headphones to a different category of products, I would say that the Apple headphones that you get with your iPhone/iPod are like watching standard definition TV. The Bose/Beats headphones are like watching a DVD on a 720p screen. And the B&W P5s are a Blueray playing on a 1080p. You can really tell the difference. And for the same price as the others, you are better off getting the most stylish, no battery needed, top of the line high fidelity headphones. Plus, they are cheaper than the Beats Pro and the Sennheiser travel set. This is a no-brainer.

19 of 23 people found this useful

The first time I used it, it was *okay*. I say this because i had to amplify the midrange using the equalizer on my laptop which isn't a good sign. It also made my ears hurt but i have big ears and wear glasses so that's understandable. My biggest problem was how depressingly fragile they looked plus the cord looked breakable and it was buried in the left can with a movable jack that could be torn right out. ooh, foreboding... YOU HAVE TO LISTEN TO THIS: Second time I put them on, something happened to the electronics in the 'phones. I couldn't hear vocals or bass at all. I put on my beloved Technics (i'm a dj) and they sounded fine (and notably better than the P5 before it lemoned out on me) so it wasn't a problem with my laptop. And i didn't abuse it before, i only used it once while lying in bed and then i disconnected the cord from the left can and nicely stored it in the box. These headphones are grossly overpriced, when buying headphones always remember to buy ones with a design that won't compromise it's durability. I'm returning these and getting some beats by dre.

9 of 91 people found this useful

Not an audiophile, but appreciate good music so hearing every note and instrument is important to me. Just sent my Etymotic Research EF2's in for repair and ran to Apple Store after and picked these up. Wanted some comfortable cans when I don't want to shove the EF2's into my ear canal. I have a pair of Dre Beats Studio at home, waiting for a new buyer. I like to compare them to ball players, the Beats are like Lebron, the P5's are like Kobe. They're both good, but Kobe is a better all around player.

Beats:
Pros
- great headphones. Excellent with hip hop, pop, rock. Good with classical.
- deeper warmer, punchier sound
- looks
- Hardcase is excellent

Cons
- Some classical music not as well defined
- Poor build
- doesn't work without batteries, grrrr.
- remote mic poor sound and no volume control
- looks
- design will get dated quickly

P5
Pros
- Sound is amazing. You can actually hear vocals! All genres shine through.
- Built to last, feels like a heritage piece ala Dieter Rams.
- Timeless design, looks and feels more high end.
- Remote mic sounds much better and has volume control
- replaceable earcups
- low profile design, looks amazing on your head compared to the chunkiness of the Beats
- comfortable even after many hours, unlike the Beats.

Cons
- The case is embarrassing, looks like a hand purse you bring to weddings and events. Functionally poor, it's a softcase as opposed to the Beats hardcase.

Summary:
For those deciding between the two, if you're looking for a more punchy heavy sound, go with the Beats. If you're looking for a well balanced clearer sound, go with the P5's. Let me be clear, this does NOT mean the P5's lack bass. They just don't overwhelm. The breaking point for me with the Beats was the battery consumption. They're died so many times on the train, and unless you're always carrying spares with you, you're screwed.

The only reason I deducted a star is the poor excuse for a case. Seriously, you spend $300 and they couldn't include a hardcase like the Beats?

Give them a week to break in. They sound tight in the beginning, but loosen up as you use them more.

18 of 24 people found this useful

Solid headphones, perfectly crafted from premium materials. The sound disappointed me, too much bass, distorted midtones. BOSE sound quality is much better in comparison. The biggest issue is the pressure applied to the ears. After 2 hours you feel like you head might explode, and your ears will hurt. Also the cable is too soft and it might broke soon, especially the connector to iPad will be a problem after a while.
B&W needs more experience with headphones. Good first try, but I have to return these.

7 of 27 people found this useful

These headphones are a truly the best I've ever listen to and the build quality is simply amazing for a $300 product. B&W has truly made a great product that is magnificent for the price and if I may please ask those who are in the market for new headphones please do check out bose and BEATS because you will find that B&W has not only the best build quality but also an amazing pure sound. Dr. Dre's Beats will run you the same price as P5's but they are simply inferior they sound like total rubbish and will fall apart after a week of wear and tear. The only criticism I personally have for this product is that P5's could have a much more robust and overtone bass and that would be the only thing that these headphones would need to be perfect.

7 of 13 people found this useful

I love my new P5's but what's up with the carrying case?
Maybe they redesigned it now but I got the quilted black purse with the polished chrome logo plaque. I guess it's functional but lit looks like an old lady's make-up purse.
My wife cracks up every time she sees it.

9 of 16 people found this useful

I'm not an audiophile but.... these headphones make my Bose QC3's feel like toys. All the components are solid - no plastic. The fit is comfortable and luxurious. I bought my QC3's to help with noise at work and during travel. They always felt a bit heavy and muddled on bass, and put pressure on my ears with the noise cancellation. The P5's make the sound feel natural and balanced. I'm excited about my music again. Worth every penny.

6 of 8 people found this useful

I have been a bose owner for a very long time. I have B&W speakers for my home stereo and always love the sound they have givien me.

when I first saw the P5's come out I had to give them a run. they were excellent and brought out a lot of the music that was a little lost with the bose. the bass is not as heavy as the bose phones, but it is tighter and clearer. and the P5's can go a lot louder with no distortion. the high end is a lot more distinct where I can hear the airyness of the vocal effects and reverb. these phones also bring out more of the instruments and I can discern the different instruments more easily.

I am glad that I got these phones...another detail that i liked, besides the great styling, is that the ear pads come off so easily (just in case I need to replace them-as i did a few times already with my bose phones)

4 of 6 people found this useful