Reviews for Bowers & Wilkins P5 Mobile Headphones

Look great and no plastic, durable. only made of aluminium and leather. it gets better. these beauties sound amazing from the highs, midds and the lows are perfect. And the cable can be changed if u ever need to but stick with this one, got iPod remote and mic. really comfortable. beats are no where near as good as they are true perfection. when i plug them into my mac, the sound really comes out and i am blown away, much louder. a protective case is included and it really is a great case. don't buy a pair of beats, get a pair of true amazing sound quality headphones. Worth every penny

The performance is great. Not one piece of plastic just made it the most stylish headphones yet. One thing though is that the plug is easily breakable, but overall just a stunning pair of headphones.

I bought these last september, it is now march and now my second pair have broken, same problem both time, left speaker stops working, although the remote still works, you could say use the replacement cable but why pay £250 to have a pair of headphone (in this case for 7 weeks) for them to break. My £20 sony in-ear still work great, sound is nothing in comparison, but for the cash i question the value if they break after 7 weeks? No water damage, no loud levels, barely used!

I love the sound of these headphones. It's a joy to just close your eyes and get lost in the music. Also, they look amazing. These are the most stylish headphones I have ever seen.

But.. they get really uncomfortable after just a couple of hours. It broke my heart, but I had to return them. They are beautiful, the sound is wonderful, but they are impossible to wear for more than an hour or so.

Held out from getting these headphones for about a year since I already have the Bose OE and IE2 (which, by the way sound great, much more after a year of regular use).

Love the looks and the entire feel of it. So much sleeker and more premium looking than the Bose OE.
First week of limited use of maybe an hour a day was terrible. Although the treble was clear, there was no bass. Voices had great detail, but they were piercingly uncomfortable. Almost gave up and was ready to go back to the shop to return it. Thought there was something wrong. For 300 bucks, not worth the money.

Until I remembered reading reviews which said to 'break it in' or do a 'burn in'. So I did. After about 10hrs of playing a wide range of music in moderate volume, it now sounds great!
Different sound characteristic than the Bose. Comparatively, the P5 has a 'gentler but firmer' bass and voices are more defined. I believe this is important for extended listening. Too much bass can get tiring after a while.

If you're thinking of getting it, please do. If you are choosing between this and the Bose OE, either is fine sound-wise. But the P5 gives you a more premium feel and a perception that you're buying something which will last, say 5yrs at least. Hopefully it exceeds that time.

Short and sweet, if your in the market for headphones in this pricepoint than these P5's are a must.

They musically are an accurate representation of whatever your listening too. Nothing over bearing or added. They will expose poor mp3's or cd's in your collection and highlight everything recorded within great ones (things you may never have picked up prior). They offer an incredible soundstage and in most recordings you will be able to differentiate each instrument and their place across the range.

If you love to lie in a dark room with your eyes closed and just get lost in the music than you may find yourself with permanent smile on your face doing so when wearing the P5's.

Ive yet to find any of the heat issues (I'm sure this is a personal thing that each individual will have to see for themselves).

They say that running shoes should feel like slippers while on...well I'm not sure what a direct equivalent is but when you forget that your wearing them like I've done before than that might be it.

That's it...don't hesitate or over-think it the B&W P5's are a class above any other headphones in their price range. They are a sophisticated headphone bottom line...

I have a couple of extended trips coming up and decided I wanted a set of comfortable headphones. After reading reviews of the soft leather and quality construction, I decided to buy these. They are great and very portable for this style. They fold flat in a nice carrying case and they have adaptors for different uses. My only criticism would be the need for a better description of the product in the booklets included. There is so much interest in the number of languages in the brochure, that little is actually said.

Well i had the Dr. Dre Beats Studio headphones for 4 days and just returned them for an alternative. I listened to these and wow Dre could learn a lot by using this set as a model not only for their robust construction, (metal head band, actual acoustic spectrum AND the overall size.)

These sound put out by these B&W P5's are a perfect marriage between stunning clear, crisp highs, miss in their right level and bass that doesn't mud up the overall sound. The Beats Studios have WAY to much bass and you lose the overall feel for the song at hand. I am overjoyed at these P5's! So much better than the Beats. Highly recommended these Bowers and Wilkins P5's!!! A perfect 5 in all areas.

after 3 months of searching for the right pair i finally made my decision on these B&W headphones. the first thing i love is that these headphones have little to no plastic, the feeling you get when holding them and wearing them is what i call the (man) feel, i think some can understand what i mean by this guys like to grip things and feel it sitting on our hands if it were to be a remote control or even a phone. B&W has build just that like the beauty of the 4th gen. iPhone its design also complements the build, i can tell you it seems like the electronics are going that route now not having to compensate design over technology. I think the Leather idea was just perfect for one you feel like you are holding an expensive piece of audio and the smell of the leather hints those leather goods that you smell in high end clothing stores in shoes or jackets etc...


The audio is just soothing to the ears, i normally like to bump the sound on headphones but ive noticed that i get much better acoustic space when turned down at middle or a few swipes higher from the middle volume control. I honestly hear every detail especially detail that never has been noticeable in my Bose headphones. If some of you who are reading this is saying to themselves well i like bose blah blah let me explain bose, there speakers inside there headphones are made with paper, those knowledgeable in sound know that unless coated with a specific solution paper speakers will never produce good audio feed back more muffled sound actually. The P5 actually are made w/ ultra-linear neodymium magnets and highly optimised mylar diaphragms. you can even see the colour of the speaker inside and how it doesnt look like a cheap little speaker even its magnets and design all do part to enrich the sound coming out of them. great great sound, especially when playing stuff from michael jackson, earth wind and fire, george michael, sade, mercedes sosa, gipsy kings, chano lobato and Pavarotti to name a few.

the only real dislike has to be the thin cord and maybe the slight price tag but i guess at times you pay what you get for and i can tell you this these headphones are sooo beautiful, there sound, the smell of the leather, there design all compliment any portable Apple product, not to mention you get a few turns by people normally the electronic geeks who are into tech stuff, i actually had a guy compliment me when i was flying from LA to San fran and he was hearing his music and showed his wife... it was funny. and you know how it says isolated sound? that is true in some way let me explain while i was site seeing in san fran i took these headphones and outside sound i was literally eliminated, captivated by the sound of the B&W P5's although when at home for some reason i hear everything :-) idk maybe its me. enjoy! and last i know a thing or two about sound im a classical musician... and know alot of my world and its sounds and these by far have given me that solace.

I am 16 years old and bought these headphones to wear in my dorm and at home because of the great reviews and company reputation. After using them for a few days I am very impressed with the sound and build quality but my ears do become quite sore after wearing them for more than 90 minutes (only con so far!). The carrying pouch the unit includes was a pleasant surprise and something you would expect from a high end pair of headphones. I would strongly recommend these cans over any monster product. I have been unsatisfied with both pairs of my Beats as their customer service is a joke and their headphones are guaranteed to break within a year. The bottom line is that the Bowers and WIlkins p5 is a high quality, reliable, and fantastic sounding pair of headphones that are compact and mobile, well worth the hefty price tag. You are getting what you pay for!