Reviews for Bowers & Wilkins P5 Mobile Headphones

Because I listen to music a lot and got tired of my in ears. I was looking for an upgrade , testing the obvious brands like Bose, Beats, Sennheiser etc. I came across these Bowers and Wilkins P5's. I knew the brand but never tried a product.

At first sight you already know this is something special, no plastics like the other brands mentioned above. They fit perfectly, there's no pressure on your head and the leather is very comfortable on your ears, which means you can listen for hours.

So they are comfortable and build like no other, but most importantly is the sound quality, in short: I was blown away with it. The sound is so pure and so rich. I don't think any headphone can reproduce the original sound better than the Bowers and Wilkins P5's.

I'm really, really happy with my headphones. My advice: If you're about to spend 299 on a pair of good headphones consider these, try them and I think the P5's will blow you away as well.

10 of 11 people found this useful

I purchased these headphones one year ago after trying them out in the apple store. After listening to them for about 30 minutes in the store I was very impressed with the sound quality. These are easily the most expensive headphones I have bought; but after the sticker shock wore off I came to the conclusion that the materials and build quality in addition to the warm, balanced sound were enough to justify the steep price.

After a break-in period of a few weeks, the sound got audibly warmer, the bass deeper, and the highs more crisp and accurate. The bass is now perfectly adequate and TIGHT, not overstated or sloppy in any way. The mids are probably the best part of the sound with these headphones; velvety smooth and rich in tone. My first impression of the Treble was that it was lacking but upon further listening(and break-in) I realized it is well accounted for, but not to the point where it would fatigue the ears during long listening sessions. I tested these out listening to a wide array of jazz, some chamber music, and quite a bit of symphonic as well. From my experience, these are the genres to listen to with these headphones. Female jazz vocalists sound STUNNING through these.

Having tried out the Beats based on several recommendations, these headphones DO NOT have the amount of bass that the Beats headphones have. That being said the Beats DO NOT have the build quality, material quality, or overall sound quality these headphones offer. To me, it was a no-brainer buying these over any of the Beats. I would, however, suggest you listen to both makes before you buy either of them. I can't comment on any of the Bose headphones compared to these, as I didn't listen to any of their offerings.

I would venture to guess that both the Bose and the Beats lines would not be as durable as the P5 have been for me. One year into ownership of the P5, I have absolutely no complaints about their durability. They have accompanied me on 6 flights, 4 road trips, and many daily commutes. Yes the cable is a bit thin, but assuming you aren't a complete neanderthal it should be sturdy enough. I have been using the cable with the in-line remote since the day I bought these, and it has no signs of wear to date.

Overall, 5 stars despite the steep price. I feel the sturdy yet luxurious materials and borderline bulletproof construction are well worth the extra money.

13 of 14 people found this useful

If you're a long-distance traveler like me, you may have experienced discomfort with having earbuds in for extended periods of time. I wanted to move away from "inner ear" headphones to something with great sound, a low profile and the ability to take and answer calls on my iPhone.

The Bowers & Wilkins P5 headphones fit the bill, offering Zeppelin-like sound in a portable package. I've tried these with a wide range of music styles and from classical to opera; indie to pop, the sound is natural with good base definition and acceptable (albeit noticable at times) high-end clipping.

Construction is sturdy steel and leather - the earcups are held in place magnetically, not a problem if you use the included soft bag for transporting them. Included are two cables - one with iPod / iPhone controls, the other without. I don't advise you change the cable a lot though; the little tab on the inside of the earcup that holds the cord is sharp and can nick the cable, and the molded plug feels cheap - of more concern is there is no flex of the cable at the plug end so over time the cord may internally fray and break.

Overall, these headphones are value for money exhibiting good performance and a solid design. With a fold-flat design and passive noise-reduction earcups, the Bower & Wilkins P5 fit that bill matching style and performance in a minimalistic over-the ear package.

11 of 13 people found this useful

I finally went for the plunge! I'm in love with these headphones. Very comfortable to wear and the sound is outstanding with the right lows, mids and highs. The classiest piece of headphones I have ever worn. Love the packaging and pouch. Definitely worth the price.

8 of 9 people found this useful

My dad has these and I have the Beats by Dr. Dre studio and trust me these sound just as good, they sacrifice a little bit of the bass the Beats have in favor of a more balanced sound. Realistically at the exact same price the only thing that puts the Beats ahead in my mind is swag factor. The beats just look cooler and maybe seem a little bit more sturdy. I terms of sound quality they are both amazing

4 of 21 people found this useful

The phones are good, but the build quality i expected from a B&W branded product is lacking. The headband wrapped in leather hides a cheap piece of plastic where a full metal frame should have been.

The biggest disappointment is the cable: it is cheap, like airplane free headphones cheap, and really contrasts the phones it's attached to. The build quality of the cable is terrible: after only 2 months of use, the inline mic and controls no longer work, and the jack, if moved around a bit, creates wild variation in volume.

Basically the cable has to be replaced after just 2 months of use. Not acceptable for a product with a $300 price tag. Curious how fast this "premium" product will fall apart.

17 of 39 people found this useful

By way of comparison, I previously had Grado SR225's as my office headphones. I loved the sound quality, but the foam seamed to deteriorate pretty quickly for a $$250 purchase. I bought the P5's after reading numerous glowing reviews, and I'd have to say that each one of those was pretty much spot on.

These are perfect for the workplace, due to the noise isolation qualities. This pertains to both blocking out the environmental sounds around you, but also music escaping your headphones and bothering others. The Grado's are an open design, which means that your neighbors get to share whatever it is that you are listening to as well.

The P5's are incredibly comfortable to wear, and I've not had the "hot ears" issue that others mentioned. Granted I'm in a nice air conditioned office in Boulder, CO, but I am usually susceptible to things like that. No problems whatsoever.

The design is the most gorgeous one out there, and certainly puts the Grado's "Radar O'Reily" look to shame. They are sleek, unobtrusive, and just ooze quality. Better yet, I don't look like a wanna-be rapper or hip hop star sporting Dre's Beats.

Sound quality is simply amazing, and I have actually detected certain parts of tracks that I never noticed before. This is a really cool comparison to run these through... pick a song that you know inside and out, and then listen to it with your old cans and the P5's. Crazy, right?!?!

Anyhow, they are super spendy at $300, but they are truly worth every penny. I splurged on these for my new job, and I'm sure that I'm amortizing the cost daily thanks to increased productivity and happiness. Sure they don't do my work for me, but they make it a heck of a lot more fun to do!

Buy em... you'll love em...

40 of 41 people found this useful

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.

6 of 7 people found this useful

I love these headphones, the sound quality is great. I apparently do not have the most sophisticated hearing. From what I am reading, one reviewer wrote that the headphones are best for Classical, Jazz. I listen to everything from Pop, R&B, Country and most everything but heavy metal or death metal. From what I have heard from my P5's, I think the headphones can handle and provide great listening for anything I throw its way.

Yes, the price is steep but, I buy quality not quantity and if you are good at keeping things and not destroying them quickly, I would say spend the money for a quality listening experience. If you have the money and want to purchase quality headphones, I don't think you can go wrong with the P5's.

Here is where I want to submit my lack of providing a fifth star. My single gripe is that I caught the cord to many times on things and my control cord no longer works correctly. I have to push the one end of the cord in to get hearing in the right ear. This was my fault, nothing B&W did however, I can't find a control cord out there on the web for under $60 to save my life, to be honest, I haven't even found 1 pair even over $60. I did hear through the internet of a pair on B&W website for $60 (or close to) but, I wasn't able to link to the B&W page to look at it.

So my gripe is that if they (B&W) want to sell great headphones, make the availability of the replacement parts available to purchase as well. The best way I can think of is to do this through the Apple Store which I purchased the headphones through.

19 of 19 people found this useful

I have been using these p5 headphones for 2 days straight! I mean they have not come off my head since I got them. Now I have been through just about every pair of headphones you can imagine. I have used Bose QC15's, Beats by Dr.Dre, and a pair of Sony's I picked up a while back. Now I did like the fact that all of the other headphones where noise canceling, but they were so big and clunky. But I was surprised to find while driving with the windows down to my car I did not hear a thing! I guess the P5's rally do cqncle noise. Now for sound quality these blow the compition away! They sound so much clearer than the Beats and more balanced than the Bose.

I would rate them in the following 1-P5, 2-Bose QC15, 3-Beats by Dr.Dre, 4-Sony

P5 Ratings
Sound quality 10/10
Build quality 10/10 (all medal and leather!)
Comfort 9/10
Overall rating 10/10

35 of 35 people found this useful