Reviews for Bowers & Wilkins P5 Mobile Headphones

So I've had the headphones for a week or two and I think I'm finally ready to write a proper review.

Build:
Very sturdy. You wont be worried about these headphones breaking any time soon. I love the fact that these are only leather and metal. The headphones rotate flat for safe and easy storage. The metal it's self is very sturdy and the leather and memory foam are very soft and plush. They don't hurt my ears at all but then again I have a smaller head. The design is very well engineered. For many of the parts, if they break there is an easy way to remove/replace them. One thing that I'm a bit worried about is the fact that there is a cord covered in cloth out in the open right in-between the speaker and the head rest. It doesn't seem like a big problem but just giving a heads up.

Sound:
At first they don't seem like they are all they are made out to be but do not fear, they started sounding better and better with usage. I recommend to keep using them and listen to all your favourite artists/songs and you'll start to head just how amazing they are. The other good thing about these unlike the beats, the sound doesn't leak like crazy. If you have your music up really load then people directly next to you will hear music but theres no need to have your music up that loud because these headphones are fairly good at keeping noise out. By no means are they amazing but they do a satisfactory job. The headphones hit the notes nicely and there isn't any trembling with the volume up high. By the way. The base is rather good. Its not as strong as the Beats by Dr. Dre but you still get more with these headphones overall in my opinion.

The case:
Its nice, not great though. Doesn't offer any protection to the headphones but thats not a huge deal because the headphones are pretty tough.

Some other things to know:
The headphone jack is very small and will fit into most iPhone 4 cases. I have a Elementcase Vapor Nickle case and they fit like a charm and that was one of my main concerns because my iPhone is my iPod too. Last thing, the remote and mic on the cord works rather nicely unlike the one on the beats which broke for me almost right away. The remote also has a rewind feature via 3 presses of the centre button which is something I've wanted for a while.

Overall, I'm very happy with my purchase. Definitely recommend these to everyone if you have the money. Sorry about the long review but hey, If your spending this much money, you need the info!

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.

I have owned the B&W p5's for about a month now, and i have to say that they have OUTSTANDING SOUND QUALITY. I own a pair of $500 Sony's which sound more or less the same as these headphones. However the main reason that I purchased these headphones was for comfort and leisure, which these headphones did not deliver. They feel wonderful over your ears for the first 5~8 minuets then become tiresome and you ears begin to hurt. B&W offers a year long free membership to their Society of Sound( a free program which allows the download of FLAC or lossless( super high quality)files.) which I believe was a nice inclusion from B&W.

I picked these up from the Apple Store and I must say, I am very impressed. The P5's produce a very rich and solid sound.

I am not an audiophile by any means, but I do enjoy good headphones and earbuds and have invested in a few different "higher-end" pairs. For the "average" music listener, these headphones are worth the money, if you have it to spend.

However, I have been testing them all day, and I'm not sure why, but, the P5's do not seem to re-produce the same sound from the iPhone/iPad on a MacBook Pro. I've tried a number of different genre's of music, and tested them from iPhone to MBP and iPad to MBP using the same song, and they sound different. The mid's seem really loud and the bass seems to be flat. But, switching them back to the iPhone or iPad and the sound is once again rich and full.

I'm not sure if this has anything to do with the different power output that each device can produce and how it works with the impedance of the P5's, but there is a difference.

All-in-all, a good investment for the right device.

First of all, the primary areas I had in mind when purchasing headphones was audio quality, design/build quality, ergonomics/portability and cost. I tested every headphone throughout my local Apple store as well as the one's Bestbuy had on display and in my opinion the P5's were the clear winner. The design/build quality is typical B&W. The looks are very elegant and will appeal to anyone that likes the finer things in life. The build quality is very good and should last for years as long as you maintain the fine leather. Ergonomically, I love the feel of the pads and the fit is very comfortable. The cord being on one side is a plus but I do think the controls could have been lowered about two inches but I'm sure I will get use to it. As for the sound, I find them to sound very warm with a good smooth bass. The mid's are warm as well as the highs but it could be a bit more detailed. Controls work great on the iPhone.

Overall, it will be hard to find a better headphone for $300 that will give you quality sound, comfort and the look of elegance. I had the P3's for a few days and realized for a price tag of $200 they just weren't cutting it that's why I stepped up to the P5's.

I tried these and i have to say, they sound like pure awesome, but if you listen to hard rock/metal i wouldn't recommend them, becuase they lack punch/bass to heavy guitar riffs and the drums, for Jazz, classic ans son on they shold be pure awesome

Having owned many "studio" headphones, I have been pleased with the sound, construction quality and overall comfort of the P5s. On my MacBook Pro, they sound pretty good connected directly, but using a dedicated USB audio device like the Griffin iMic makes a dramatic improvement in definition and low end punch.

On my iMac based home system, I use an M-Audio Transit that completely isolates the audio from computer power supply noise when you use the fiber-optic output connected to a DAC or receiver. You won't realize how much a computer contributes to the noise floor until it is gone.

If you want even more improvement, try a small headphone amplifier. I would recommend the P5s to anyone who enjoys headphone listening and can hear the difference between OK and exceptional sound.

Like a couple of other reviewers here, I love these headphones but don't understand why B&W would attach such a cheap, flimsy cable to it. I've owned my P5s for one year, and I'm on my 3rd cable already.

I record and listen to music more than anyone I know, and these headphones are a great representation of what you play through them. In NYC, as a music engineer and producer, it's hard to do the "car test" unless you own a car. Most of us don't, or don't always get a chance to use them. These headphones take the place of that "car test" for your mixes. I listen to them all over town... If your mix if off, they'll let you know it's not that good sounding. They're pretty noise isolating but not completely, which I dig because I don't want to get hit by a bus. They're super comfortable, streamline, built to last and sound noticeably better then ear-buds and other small mobile head-sets. They just feel nice. Like a BMW over a Honda... In my studio I've got fantastic Focal audio monitors and awesome Ultrasone headphones... These B&W P5s are another great way to listen to all kinds of music. Save your up your money, they're worth every cent!!!

Incredible sound, clarity, bass, comfort, timbre of voice and instruments. Comfortable, engaging, and seem to be really well constructed with quality materials. Great with acoustic and slower songs, but DO NOT ROCK! Oh well. Mellow out with these.