Reviews for Bowers & Wilkins P5 Mobile Headphones

Dropped the headphones on floor once (1m height, wood laminate floor), lost left channel. No warranty. There is no repair offered to these headphones, no spare parts available apart from the cords and earpads. Great sound quality, against popular belief of full metal/leather construction, P5 has a plastic frame under the leather on the outside.

I so wanted to buy these headphones; the sound is as good as other reviewers have attested. Alas, like so many others, they don't expand large enough to be comfortable on me. In order to fit on my 7-5/8 hat-size head (also tall; think John Kerry shape head), the band had to be too far forward; thus, they kept falling off the front of my head. They were also tight enough on the ears that they were uncomfortable after just a few minutes. I guess I'm stuck with Bose. Whatever shortcomings they may have, the QC-15s are comfortable on a big head beyond compare.

They have tremendous difficulty reproducing mid range and perform only moderately well with vocal. Exceptionally poor reproduction of Muddy Waters... Also, the volume control failed after one week.

I just picked up the P5's for a trail run. With a 14 day return policy, I figured I would give it a shot. I a bit of headphone elitist so this is more a review for those in the "know". I currently have Westone 3s, Shure 530s (broken, stupid cable) Grados i60's and ATH-A700 to compare. I was looking for a portable closed back can as my Westones can start to hurt the ears after a few hours. I wont reiterate what has already been said, build quality (incredible) and price (high), but will chime in with my 2 cents. First I dont have a iphone (broken) listen to them on my HTC HD2 (better music player in my opinion). Overall impressions have been, average. Comfort for me have not been a problem. I can wear glasses, no problems. They do heat the ears a bit, but does not bother me. I wont even compare them to Westones, but will say I do like them better than the grados. I feel there is a better overall richness than the grados, but still think the ATHs have a better soundstage.That being said, the ATHs are HUGE, so not a really option to commute with. Like previous comments, the seem to be lacking a bit of highs, or for that matter, the lows I think are a bit overpowering. I tried a variety of music, and depending on the bit rate and style, it varies. Listened to Pink Floyd on a loseless codec and it lacked the depth that should be there. On the other hand, Blackroc incoded at 192k, sounded really good. Social Distortion sounded good, but vocals seemed distance and not up front. Basement Jaxx at 320k, sounded better than my Westones, so go figure.

I tried them both amped and no amp, and its very clear these are made for a DAP with NO amp.

I think if you are thinking about Monster Beats, or Bose, then these are a great option. I hate active nosie cancelling, so these are better than the Bose, but still have the heavy bass signature sound like the UGLY beats.

Let me start off by saying that these are an extremely accurate, and laid back pair of headphones which may not be to the liking of those looking for booming bass, or more than adequate volume. Let me also say that these headphones boast the very dry, and somewhat harsh sound that Bowers and Wilkins has been known for since the company was founded in the 1960's. However, they do have their sweet spots. I found these to be mostly with classical, jazz, and choral recordings rather than with hip-hop, and rock n' roll. That being said, these are one of the best sounding headphones I have ever herd with an ipod, and they do block out quite a bit of sound. But let me warn you. THESE ARE NOT FOR USE WITH HOME EQUIPMENT UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES!!!!!! Overall, I really liked the B&W P5's they are a fantastic pair of headphones that perform exceptionally well with most recordings.

Thats gonna wrap it up for this review

Thanks,

Happy listening

I bought these on the recommendations of the apple UK store. First off, if you have a big head, forget about these..they are pretty tight fitting around the ears. The construction is well made. The sound is clear, but I tested these against the shure SE530's and no comparison. I will be returning them. I think they are somewhat overpriced. Not a big fan like everyone else.

These headphones are truly well made and good looking. I bought them based on the great reviews from the Apple Store and the reputation of the brand.

However, I just returned them a day after buying them because they did not deliver on as a suitable set of headphones for iPhone usage. Sure they say they are iPhone compatible with mic and easy to use controls. What they don't say is that they are IMPOSSIBLE to carry on a phone call (especially a business call) because you cannot hear yourself talk. You hear yourself muffled and it's too distracting to engage in a conversation. In my opinion, this fatal flaw makes them UNUSABLE with the iPhone. They should either immediately fix this or do not claim to be iPhone compatible. They can still be iPod compatible of course because music listening is a treat with these headphones.

But for anyone looking for a high quality set of headphones that can serve admirably for both music and phone calls, keep looking...