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Product Description
Many manufacturers like to accentuate bass and high frequencies to help make audio sound better. In some cases, it works. For those who prefer all the natural music properties preserved in the original form, there's the Bowers & Wilkins P5 Mobile HiFi Stereo Headphones.
Deep" bass. "Enhanced" treble. Sounds good on the pack, but the problem with the gimmicky effects that so often come with other headphones is that they quickly become tiring with extended listening. With P5, you get a far more natural sound, and longer-lasting listening enjoyment.
Behind P5's natural sound is some of the most advanced technology ever to be put into a set of headphones. Specially developed ultra-linear neodymium magnets and highly optimised Mylar diaphragms keep music sound rich, pure and incredibly detailed, with no need for artificial adjustments.
Use of a closed-back design with rigid metal faceplates and sealed earpads ensures that all the detail and dynamic range of your music is kept intact, while preserving just enough ambient sound to give you a sense of place. This makes the P5 perfect for listening to music on the go.
No one knows how to get great sound out of your iPod or iPhone better than Bowers & Wilkins, makers of the award-winning Zeppelin sound docks. P5 gives you the same amazing sound quality when you're out and about. There's also an iPhone-approved cable, for easy speech and device control.
Smart design and user-friendly features support the P5's high-quality sound and luxury materials. The Made for iPod cable allows easy control of an iPod, and the microphone facilitates calls on an iPhone. The leather earpads are magnetically attached, and can be quickly removed to swap the supplied cables.
The Bowers & Wilkins P5 headphones are compatible with any device with a headphone output. The P5s are supplied with two cables, one of which, the MFI cable, provides extra f
Deep" bass. "Enhanced" treble. Sounds good on the pack, but the problem with the gimmicky effects that so often come with other headphones is that they quickly become tiring with extended listening. With P5, you get a far more natural sound, and longer-lasting listening enjoyment.
Behind P5's natural sound is some of the most advanced technology ever to be put into a set of headphones. Specially developed ultra-linear neodymium magnets and highly optimised Mylar diaphragms keep music sound rich, pure and incredibly detailed, with no need for artificial adjustments.
Use of a closed-back design with rigid metal faceplates and sealed earpads ensures that all the detail and dynamic range of your music is kept intact, while preserving just enough ambient sound to give you a sense of place. This makes the P5 perfect for listening to music on the go.
No one knows how to get great sound out of your iPod or iPhone better than Bowers & Wilkins, makers of the award-winning Zeppelin sound docks. P5 gives you the same amazing sound quality when you're out and about. There's also an iPhone-approved cable, for easy speech and device control.
Smart design and user-friendly features support the P5's high-quality sound and luxury materials. The Made for iPod cable allows easy control of an iPod, and the microphone facilitates calls on an iPhone. The leather earpads are magnetically attached, and can be quickly removed to swap the supplied cables.
The Bowers & Wilkins P5 headphones are compatible with any device with a headphone output. The P5s are supplied with two cables, one of which, the MFI cable, provides extra f
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
189 of 204 people found the following review helpful
These are amazing headphones. Everything about them is high quality. They feel like a well worn hat with soft covers over your ears. The sound is incredible, with outstanding imaging. The negative, they are expensive, but you know that already.
From the moment I cut open the two clear tape rounds and started to open the box, I knew these were special. Oddly, Apple had them put a peg board hanger on the box - yes these headphones hung on a rack like any cheap old Apple accessory in the store. Inside the box, the headphones are nestled in a carbon fiber looking velveteen covered plastic holder. They lift out easily and the instruction manual (more like advertising literature for B&W), the straight audio cable, and 1/4 inch headphone adapter were underneath. A really beautiful black cloth case with a diamond weave is included. The interior is suede, and the flap is held closed with an invisible magnet. There's also a small pouch inside that exactly fits an iPod or iPhone, sweet.
The headphones themselves are beautiful. The black leather (they do make a big deal out of this being sheep's leather) cover over the headband and ear pieces is flawless. There is ample foam padding all around for the top of your head and ears. The metal swivel, headband, and speaker covers are machined beautifully and are heavy duty.
The headphone wire is interchangeable. Remove the left ear piece cover to reveal a jack and the headphone wire. The headphones come with two different wires, one with a microphone and iPod controls, and the other straight through. The little strain relief holds the wire snug. Unless you exchanged these wires every single day, that relief is never going to harm the wire. The great news about this arrangement, if the wires ever broke, it is a simple matter to replace them - both ends of the wire are 3.5mm jacks. The headphone wire is decent, a rubbery insulation, that looks like it will survive a good long bit of wear. May 22, 2010 update - a reader has mentioned that one end of the cable is 2.5mm and the other 3.5mm, so this might not be a super easy cable to replace.
These headphones feel fantastic on my head. I have a rather large pointy bald head (go ahead, conehead jokes are allowed) and a lot of over the ear headphones are uncomfortable. The P5's are just about perfect. The band expands large enough and the padding is thick enough that the top of my head isn't pressured. Over the ear is comfortable.
Oh you don't care about all these cosmetics, other than you don't want to look like a Bose lemming on your next flight (and these headphones are handsome compared to those by Bose). You care about the audio quality. I was stunned. The bass is solid and smooth. Vocals were crystal clear. These are warm speakers, there is good bass but it is not overpowering. The response seems to be very smooth across the full tone range - highs and lows were not emphasized. The first thing I noticed was imaging. In recordings that I thought were not good, I could actually pick out and position instruments that were blended across the soundstage before. These are audiophile grade headphones.
My frame of reference is five years with a pair of Shure E3c's. Those are absolutely crystal clear, accurate, efficient speakers. The downside, they don't deliver much bass. The P5's are nowhere near as bright; they are not sharp and crisp in the high end like the E3c's. But they make up for that in warmth, in some ways the P5's are like adding a subwoofer to my Shures. The P5's are not as efficient, they require about 2 notches more to reach the same volume. On my Sony DVD player, the E3c's are perfect volume at 1, the P5's need to be set at 3 or 4. There is still plenty of room to get huge volume out of the P5's.
From a music standpoint, the P5's are stupendous. I won't miss my Shure headphones at all. When I first listened to these headphones I was reminded of visits to the special rooms in high end audio stores, my eyes moved all over trying to find the musicians in the room. For movies, these headphones will work very well. Dialog might not be as clear, but special effects and music are much better. Sound is better localized to different parts of the screen.
The iPod/iPhone cable has a little tiny in line controller. It is simple beyond imagination. One click in the center (there is a depression for your finger) starts and stops music or answers a phone call. Two clicks advances one song. Three clicks moves back one song. It's kind of strange taking a phone call through these; the sound is so much fuller and warmer than through the crummy iPhone speaker. On the other hand, the microphone is no substitute for a Jawbone or Bluetooth set up. The only way this microphone thing makes sense is if you happen to be listening to music or watching a movie and a call comes in.
Sound isolation is surprisingly good. The world isn't as dead silent as in ear canal headphones, but I was hard pressed to hear much going on around me. I was aware of noise, but it was muffled and way off in the background. These will work very well on a plane. There is no need for crazy electronics to create the sound isolation.
April 2, 2010 update - in the back of a twin engine jet where the engines are connected to the plane body (some of the loudest jets in captivity, the Embarer 150) the headphones do a decent job on the engine noise. It is not a silent world, but much quieter. My Shure headphones were pretty much dead silent, and I would guess the Bose are also. But I'll still take a bit of noise trade off for the sound quality.
Overall these are outstanding headphones. They are super high quality. I expect they will last a very long time. The sound is wonderful, the comfort high, the materials sensuous, and they are unique (you likely won't see two of these on a flight any time soon).
April 30, 2010 update - something very unfortunate happened, while traveling I accidently left these headphones on a plane. The sad part of the story, United Airlines can't seem to find them. There is a crew member that is very happy right now listening to my headphones. I certainly hope they enjoy them, I will miss them. This might be a cautionary tale, if you are used to earbuds, you'll need to figure out a home for a much larger package if you travel with them. I really messed up.
From the moment I cut open the two clear tape rounds and started to open the box, I knew these were special. Oddly, Apple had them put a peg board hanger on the box - yes these headphones hung on a rack like any cheap old Apple accessory in the store. Inside the box, the headphones are nestled in a carbon fiber looking velveteen covered plastic holder. They lift out easily and the instruction manual (more like advertising literature for B&W), the straight audio cable, and 1/4 inch headphone adapter were underneath. A really beautiful black cloth case with a diamond weave is included. The interior is suede, and the flap is held closed with an invisible magnet. There's also a small pouch inside that exactly fits an iPod or iPhone, sweet.
The headphones themselves are beautiful. The black leather (they do make a big deal out of this being sheep's leather) cover over the headband and ear pieces is flawless. There is ample foam padding all around for the top of your head and ears. The metal swivel, headband, and speaker covers are machined beautifully and are heavy duty.
The headphone wire is interchangeable. Remove the left ear piece cover to reveal a jack and the headphone wire. The headphones come with two different wires, one with a microphone and iPod controls, and the other straight through. The little strain relief holds the wire snug. Unless you exchanged these wires every single day, that relief is never going to harm the wire. The great news about this arrangement, if the wires ever broke, it is a simple matter to replace them - both ends of the wire are 3.5mm jacks. The headphone wire is decent, a rubbery insulation, that looks like it will survive a good long bit of wear. May 22, 2010 update - a reader has mentioned that one end of the cable is 2.5mm and the other 3.5mm, so this might not be a super easy cable to replace.
These headphones feel fantastic on my head. I have a rather large pointy bald head (go ahead, conehead jokes are allowed) and a lot of over the ear headphones are uncomfortable. The P5's are just about perfect. The band expands large enough and the padding is thick enough that the top of my head isn't pressured. Over the ear is comfortable.
Oh you don't care about all these cosmetics, other than you don't want to look like a Bose lemming on your next flight (and these headphones are handsome compared to those by Bose). You care about the audio quality. I was stunned. The bass is solid and smooth. Vocals were crystal clear. These are warm speakers, there is good bass but it is not overpowering. The response seems to be very smooth across the full tone range - highs and lows were not emphasized. The first thing I noticed was imaging. In recordings that I thought were not good, I could actually pick out and position instruments that were blended across the soundstage before. These are audiophile grade headphones.
My frame of reference is five years with a pair of Shure E3c's. Those are absolutely crystal clear, accurate, efficient speakers. The downside, they don't deliver much bass. The P5's are nowhere near as bright; they are not sharp and crisp in the high end like the E3c's. But they make up for that in warmth, in some ways the P5's are like adding a subwoofer to my Shures. The P5's are not as efficient, they require about 2 notches more to reach the same volume. On my Sony DVD player, the E3c's are perfect volume at 1, the P5's need to be set at 3 or 4. There is still plenty of room to get huge volume out of the P5's.
From a music standpoint, the P5's are stupendous. I won't miss my Shure headphones at all. When I first listened to these headphones I was reminded of visits to the special rooms in high end audio stores, my eyes moved all over trying to find the musicians in the room. For movies, these headphones will work very well. Dialog might not be as clear, but special effects and music are much better. Sound is better localized to different parts of the screen.
The iPod/iPhone cable has a little tiny in line controller. It is simple beyond imagination. One click in the center (there is a depression for your finger) starts and stops music or answers a phone call. Two clicks advances one song. Three clicks moves back one song. It's kind of strange taking a phone call through these; the sound is so much fuller and warmer than through the crummy iPhone speaker. On the other hand, the microphone is no substitute for a Jawbone or Bluetooth set up. The only way this microphone thing makes sense is if you happen to be listening to music or watching a movie and a call comes in.
Sound isolation is surprisingly good. The world isn't as dead silent as in ear canal headphones, but I was hard pressed to hear much going on around me. I was aware of noise, but it was muffled and way off in the background. These will work very well on a plane. There is no need for crazy electronics to create the sound isolation.
April 2, 2010 update - in the back of a twin engine jet where the engines are connected to the plane body (some of the loudest jets in captivity, the Embarer 150) the headphones do a decent job on the engine noise. It is not a silent world, but much quieter. My Shure headphones were pretty much dead silent, and I would guess the Bose are also. But I'll still take a bit of noise trade off for the sound quality.
Overall these are outstanding headphones. They are super high quality. I expect they will last a very long time. The sound is wonderful, the comfort high, the materials sensuous, and they are unique (you likely won't see two of these on a flight any time soon).
April 30, 2010 update - something very unfortunate happened, while traveling I accidently left these headphones on a plane. The sad part of the story, United Airlines can't seem to find them. There is a crew member that is very happy right now listening to my headphones. I certainly hope they enjoy them, I will miss them. This might be a cautionary tale, if you are used to earbuds, you'll need to figure out a home for a much larger package if you travel with them. I really messed up.
48 of 54 people found the following review helpful
Wow. I wish I could come up a more fitting word, but I'm currently listening to these as I type this review and I can barely think straight. Seriously.
I have several different full-size earphones, but I've been primarily reviewing IEM's as of late. These seem to be the "big thing" right now and what most people are looking for. People just want something small to use with their iPhone/iPod/MP3 player and full size headphones don't really fit into that equation. A shame, really. To me, over-the-head headphones always sound better than their earphone counterparts. But IEM's definitely have their place and a good pair can really sound awesome.
Moving onto the P5's specifically.
FIRST IMPRESSION/BUILD QUALITY: The box is pretty unassuming and the Apple store even had it hanging from a peg, right next to the Dre Beats and Skullcandy's. Say wha??? But fret not. It's whats inside that counts, and these count in a BIG way. Once the box is opened, you're greeted with the sexiness immediately.
Accessories include a nice magnetic closing pouch, the typical 1/8" to 1/4" headphone adapter, the manual, the warranty card, etc. Pretty much what you'd expect to find when de-boxing headphones. But you're not reading this to hear about accessories, so let me get right to it. The P5's are, to me anyway, a beautiful piece of retro-art, that are built like a tank. There's not a single piece of plastic to be found. The entire set is built with metal and leather. But, don't be fooled. These are still quite light and even after several hours of listening, my ears feel fine. A bit warm, but fine. You actually feel as if your money was well spent.
AUDIO QUALITY: Outstanding. Amazing. Uncolored and Unparalleled. I've got probably 50 pairs of earphones/headphones floating around, and none sound as clear and uncolored as these. Including $350 Klipsch x10i's, $250 Grado's, $400 Sennheiser's, $400 Shure's, $300 Denon's, crappy Dre Beats, Skullpoision's, etc. etc. etc. These, to me, sound better than all of them. And there are a couple pair in there that I swear by!
The sound is ultra smooth from the lowest of bass notes (I tested to 18hz with a frequency generator) through the mids, and all the way up to the highs. Everything just sounds...perfect. These aren't the headphones to buy if you're a total basshead, but the bass is surprisingly strong without being overly so. In other words, the bass doesn't completely wreck the rest of the signal. Mids and Highs are spot on and showcase every nuance of the instruments being played. You really feel as if you're in the studio with the engineer! Even though these are closed-back cans, the sound stage is still quite airy and open. Unreal. I can listen for hours on end without any physical or audio fatigue.
MIC/IPOD CONTROLS: These utilize the same plastic "indented stick" as genuine Apple earphones use and operation is exactly the same. I found mic clarity to be a bit muffled, but definitely not anything I would consider a negative.
CONCLUSION: I simply cannot recommend these enough. If you've been primarily an IEM user, and aren't going to the gym everyday, you owe it to yourself to try a QUALITY (i.e. NOT Dre Beats) pair of headphones, such as these. You'll be pleasantly surprised.
Now, don't get me wrong, there are some amazing IEM's. And as I mentioned earlier, I have couple pairs that I absolutely ADORE, but when it comes down to it, if I'm not out jogging or at the gym, I reach for the B&Ws and leave the world behind. For a couple of hours, anyway.
I have several different full-size earphones, but I've been primarily reviewing IEM's as of late. These seem to be the "big thing" right now and what most people are looking for. People just want something small to use with their iPhone/iPod/MP3 player and full size headphones don't really fit into that equation. A shame, really. To me, over-the-head headphones always sound better than their earphone counterparts. But IEM's definitely have their place and a good pair can really sound awesome.
Moving onto the P5's specifically.
FIRST IMPRESSION/BUILD QUALITY: The box is pretty unassuming and the Apple store even had it hanging from a peg, right next to the Dre Beats and Skullcandy's. Say wha??? But fret not. It's whats inside that counts, and these count in a BIG way. Once the box is opened, you're greeted with the sexiness immediately.
Accessories include a nice magnetic closing pouch, the typical 1/8" to 1/4" headphone adapter, the manual, the warranty card, etc. Pretty much what you'd expect to find when de-boxing headphones. But you're not reading this to hear about accessories, so let me get right to it. The P5's are, to me anyway, a beautiful piece of retro-art, that are built like a tank. There's not a single piece of plastic to be found. The entire set is built with metal and leather. But, don't be fooled. These are still quite light and even after several hours of listening, my ears feel fine. A bit warm, but fine. You actually feel as if your money was well spent.
AUDIO QUALITY: Outstanding. Amazing. Uncolored and Unparalleled. I've got probably 50 pairs of earphones/headphones floating around, and none sound as clear and uncolored as these. Including $350 Klipsch x10i's, $250 Grado's, $400 Sennheiser's, $400 Shure's, $300 Denon's, crappy Dre Beats, Skullpoision's, etc. etc. etc. These, to me, sound better than all of them. And there are a couple pair in there that I swear by!
The sound is ultra smooth from the lowest of bass notes (I tested to 18hz with a frequency generator) through the mids, and all the way up to the highs. Everything just sounds...perfect. These aren't the headphones to buy if you're a total basshead, but the bass is surprisingly strong without being overly so. In other words, the bass doesn't completely wreck the rest of the signal. Mids and Highs are spot on and showcase every nuance of the instruments being played. You really feel as if you're in the studio with the engineer! Even though these are closed-back cans, the sound stage is still quite airy and open. Unreal. I can listen for hours on end without any physical or audio fatigue.
MIC/IPOD CONTROLS: These utilize the same plastic "indented stick" as genuine Apple earphones use and operation is exactly the same. I found mic clarity to be a bit muffled, but definitely not anything I would consider a negative.
CONCLUSION: I simply cannot recommend these enough. If you've been primarily an IEM user, and aren't going to the gym everyday, you owe it to yourself to try a QUALITY (i.e. NOT Dre Beats) pair of headphones, such as these. You'll be pleasantly surprised.
Now, don't get me wrong, there are some amazing IEM's. And as I mentioned earlier, I have couple pairs that I absolutely ADORE, but when it comes down to it, if I'm not out jogging or at the gym, I reach for the B&Ws and leave the world behind. For a couple of hours, anyway.
48 of 56 people found the following review helpful
I just received my P5's at lunch and my first impressions are that these are a great looking set of headphones. The packaging was very impressive and protected the headphones during shipping. I was happily surprised to find that they came with a leather lined bag for storage. The headphones are also very comfortable and really do seal very well despite the small size of the cups. The leather pads are very comfortable and the headband easily adjusted to accommodate (large) my head. The metal finish is outstanding and does not disappoint. Sound so far is amazing and very detailed without break-in time. As with other B&W speakers these will not hide any imperfections in music or add anything to your music, they simply reveal what is there. I only expect the sound to open up with break-in. Package also includes 1/4" plug adapter and spare cable without the in-line mic. You also get 3 months of membership to B&W's Society of Sound when you register your headphones.
Most Recent Customer Reviews
4.0 out of 5 stars
It's a great second headset.
First of all, I need to declare myself the furthest critic from an audiophile. I just like having decent headphones ($300-400 is my limit) to listen to music on my iPhone while I... Read more
Published 11 days ago by Anime fanatic
4.0 out of 5 stars
Good set
Best set of head phone that I have had. I traveled from TN to Korea with no issue concerning sound. Only reason that this doesn't get 5 stars is because of comfort. Read more
Published 19 days ago by Chris
5.0 out of 5 stars
You won't be sorry
These headphones are by far the best on the market for sound and outside noise canceling. Had all the base and treble I wanted. Read more
Published 21 days ago by Pete B
2.0 out of 5 stars
Nice Sound (But No Bass)
I bought these through Amazon (Mindless Entertainment). After listening to them it was clear that the sound was nice and relatively flat; and while i would not buy a pair of Beats... Read more
Published 1 month ago by S.V.
4.0 out of 5 stars
Good for Mobile Devices
Clear sounding if a bit dry. No match for Bowers & Wilkins loudspeakers in terms of rich textured sound, but nonetheless good for iPhone or iPad.
Published 1 month ago by K. K. Jnstne
1.0 out of 5 stars
Left can stops working
I've had two of these, kept in my bag and treated them well, but the left can stops working after a few months. Read more
Published 1 month ago by Jamshid Afshar
5.0 out of 5 stars
Worth the price. Comfy, great sound, and good for long listening.
Great for on the go. Way better sound and much less pretentious than everyone with the beats at the same price range. Lightweight and able to wear for long periods.
Published 1 month ago by Kevin
4.0 out of 5 stars
Amazing Sounds Need a bit more Bass
These headphones are crazy I listen to John Coltrane's Live in Seattle with it and completely blew my earwax to planet rock! Read more
Published 1 month ago by TinKin'
4.0 out of 5 stars
Very Good! I Like It
The B&W P5 Has very good natural sound reproduction.
I like the fit better than my Sennheiser HD25. Read more
I like the fit better than my Sennheiser HD25. Read more
Published 1 month ago by Dennis Navarro
5.0 out of 5 stars
The Bower and Wilkins P5's are INCREDIBLE!!!!!!
I've had these headphones for a month and a half I think I have finally broke them in... I have had 2 other pairs of headphones Sony MDR 7506 and Skullcandy Aviators. Read more
Published 2 months ago by Chris
