Reviews for Bowers & Wilkins C5 In-Ear Headphones

I love B&W products, and when I saw the C5's I knew I was going to have to try them, despite loving my current headphones (Etymotic Research HF3's).

Pros-
Comfortable fit.
Clear sound with an authoritative punch.
Classy aesthetics.
Solid cables.
In-line remote and mic.

Cons-
The travel case is awkward at best.
The in-line remote buttons are difficult to find while running and have poor tactile feedback. Also, they hang from the left ear, which works well for lefties, but most people are right handed. I find it difficult to pause the music quickly if someone starts talking to me. There are no physical features of the remote that let you blindly orient yourself with it.
There is a black piece of plastic that wraps around the cord where the headphones connect, that slides off easily, and seems like it shouldn't. Maybe I got a bad pair.
Putting these on with the ear loop takes a bit of practice and takes a bit longer.

Other than that, the headphones sound great and feel really solid. My Etymotics are still going to be my go-to pair of headphones because of the remote and how much easier they are to put on, but I can be finicky. I'm sure you'll love them.

14 of 17 people found this useful

I got these earphones for christmas, and I have to say that they have a terrible overall design. They are not very comfortable in the ear for long periods of time, and tend to fall out of your ear if your working out and sweating. They also stick out of your ear a lot more than you would think, so it looks funny.

The worst part is that with normal use, these earphones only lasted 6 weeks until the wire got disconnected from the left earbud. Not too happy about these earphones considering they cost almost 200 bucks.

14 of 19 people found this useful

These headphones provide great sound, unfortunately they aren't particularly durable.

15 of 21 people found this useful

The clarity of these headphones are probably the clearest i have ever tested.
They do take a little getting used to putting them in you're ear, but once you have it adjusted to your ear they fit snuggly.
The carry case makes storing them easy so they wont get damage.
Only thing stopping me giving 5 starts is the cord could be a little more tangle resistant and a touch longer. Highly recommend.

10 of 11 people found this useful

These headphones have an amazing balanced sound for perfect bass and crystal clear highs. I listen to all kinds of music and enjoy the experience on these headphones. Much more balanced than Beats in-ears. I highly recommend!!

10 of 11 people found this useful

These are the best in ear headphones..EVER !! I thought that the cable mechanism used to hold them in place would irritate my ear. Was I ever wrong. Once i adjusted them, they felt comfortable. I had to check to see if they had not fallen out but they hold pretty well. I tested them in their intended purpose..running. Went for a 5 miler and never did they even jiggle. I cannot believe they stay in my ears so well. And the sound, well...this is a B & W product. It sounds just like the P5's and maybe a tad better if thats possible. This is the type of headphones that let you hear things that you've never heard before. The music sounds different. Clarity is the word that comes to mind. Just an outstanding product. Buy these, you won't regret it.
5 stars !!!!!!!!

9 of 10 people found this useful

I've always preferred in-ear phones and as such have always looked for a good pair to replace the stock iphone set. I can say these are the best I've ever used and the ones I'll be sticking with in the future. First, the fit is secure and comfortable. The locking loop keeps the phones sitting in the right position without falling out or too far in. The sound is also of superior quality - the construct allows the music to sound open and airy. My only complaint is with the in-line remote, which is fine to use, but sometimes difficulty to identify the buttons from touch alone. Overall, excellent build quality and usefulness.

8 of 8 people found this useful

I did research & the sound is tremendous....big 3 things for me: sound, fits well in ear, & stays in ear while I'm active.
Sound--1-10: with 1 lowest & 10 most awesomeness: 9.7 awesome!!
Fits well in ear: 1-10 with 1 lowest & 10 most awesomeness: 5
Once you figure it out it's alright in there...not uncomfortable, but it's just awkward.
Stays in the ear while active: 1-10: with 1 lowest & 10 most awesomeness: 2. Unfortunately this reason is why I couldn't keep the earphones...if someone looked at me funny they would come out...that's exaggerating a smidge...but seriously if I was at the gym moving around: the earphones wouldn't stay in my ear....& for the price & the lack of "staying put in my ear while working out" ability: these won't be recommended...Sorry Bowers & Wilkins

8 of 8 people found this useful

After just having my C5's for just a couple of days and all I can say is awesome! These are my first expensive set of ear phones that I have ever bought, so I really don't have anything else to match them too. But I do have a set of Sony MDR-V6 headphones. In 1987, audio industry journalist Daniel Kumin wrote, "Throw away your loudspeakers. There is now what may be the most perfect transducer yet made by man. Recently I auditioned a pair of Sony MDR-V6 Studio Monitor headphones, then purchased them. There are not enough superlatives in the dictionary to describe the performance of these headphones. Listening to them with a good CD recording is like being in the center of a live performance."

But when comparing them to the B&W C5's, their is no comparision, the B&W's blow away the closed over the ear Sony Monitor Headphones. When listening to the different kinds of music that I have, everything from Bach and Mozart, to Sade, Harry Connick, Jr., Bush, Peral Jam, Depeche Mode, Gloria Estenfan, Hall and Oates, NKTOB, New Order, Madonna and Billy Joel, all the music sounds totally different than I have heard it before. The B&W's bring out all of the music and sounds that I have never heard before and made me stay up late one night til 2 in the morning, I started to go to bed around 10:30, listening to my music all over again. The bass is just about perfect, not over bearing but just right. The treble is perfectly matched as well. Nothing else really compares.

I once had the opportunity to listen to a pair of 800 Diamond series speakers from B&W at a place here in Houston called the Home Theater Store. It was a room with just the speakers, which cost over $20,000 a pair, and a couple of Macintosh amps sitting on the floor and a plush leather chair sitting in front of them. The salesman ask me what wanted to listen to from the choices that they had and lucky for me that had a copy of Sade's greatest hits CD, so I had heard the songs on that CD many times and knew what each song sounded like. After sitting in the chair, he asked me to close my eyes as he started playing the track off of the CD, which was "Cherish The Day". When the song started playing it actually felt as if Sade was standing in the room in fromt of me singing the song, that is how great those speakers sounded. That is how these Bowers and Wilkins C5's sound, the artist singing the music feels as if they are in the room with you giving you a private concert.

Should you have the means to buy these headphones, please do so, as they will probably be the last set you ever buy.

8 of 8 people found this useful

These in-ear headphones blow the Bose away! Stay in and play great!

15 of 22 people found this useful