Bowers & Wilkins P5 Mobile Headphones Review - Page 3

Played with them some more. The midrange is actually nice. Female vocals sound pretty good. I EQ'ed the bass at 50Hz down by 5dB and they sound half decent. Shame the iPhone can't offer that level of EQ (though I'm not a fan of using EQ in the first place).

I'll be riding the bus home with them, so I'll have a chance to try them portably. Maybe that's when they'll show their strength.

I understand the whole "safe sound signature" explanation, but my question to B&W is "Why, why be so safe?"  To me "safe" is just an excuse for not putting enough emphasis on SQ.  I'm really wanting to audition these long-term as I really like the looks.  They're $400 in the UK, which makes them pretty high-end, well, as high end as the HD650.  Then again, the HD650 is not made of solid metal and supple leather.  Based on my brief auditions, the HD650 out of a mobile phone sounds better than the P5.  Alas, the P5 and HD650 are in different niches, as mentioned multiple times in Jude's most eloquently written review   For those of us who don't see headphones as essential fashion/show-off items, and can tolerate IEMs, methinks any of the higher-end IEMs will make for a more satisfying listen.  I'm sure I'm not the only person who regularly succumbs to the horrible habit of over-analysing SQ when listening to music, regardless of setting.

Quote:

Originally Posted by ex0du5 

Played with them some more. The midrange is actually nice. Female vocals sound pretty good. I EQ'ed the bass at 50Hz down by 5dB and they sound half decent. Shame the iPhone can't offer that level of EQ (though I'm not a fan of using EQ in the first place).

 

I'll be riding the bus home with them, so I'll have a chance to try them portably. Maybe that's when they'll show their strength.

I think your ears are acclimatising to the P5-sound which is absolutely normal :)  I'm getting used to Apple In-Ear buds as we speak, and they're surprisingly technically proficient too!
 

I am definitely in the market for a headphone in this class (T50p, P5, etc).

Can someone recommend any other headphones that fit into the comfortable,truly-portable, works-well-without-amplification, warm/laid-back category?  

Anyone else have the problem that their local Apple store websites aren't selling these anymore? Apple Finland has always been a bit Fail with a capital F. I guess when the time comes I'll have to beg one of the audio stores to order. What a pain. 

Quote:

Originally Posted by DefBringer 

I am definitely in the market for a headphone in this class (T50p, P5, etc).

 

Can someone recommend any other headphones that fit into the comfortable,truly-portable, works-well-without-amplification, warm/laid-back category?  

T50p is my favorite, but it's not warm/laid-back

Maybe look into Audio Technica's ESW9 (definitely warm, comfortable), ES10 (no experience, but many are positive)

Quote:

Originally Posted by Eric_C 

What a coincidence that you'd post a review on the P5! I just came back from a work trip and saw a guy in a suit, sitting in Business Class using a pair of P5 with his iPad. Right there and then I thought to myself: if I have to fly more often, that's the kind of sweet setup I wish I could afford.

Even though Jude says they are among the best passively isolating headphones, they probably don't isolate well enough for a plane.  Your tendency will be to up the volume.  Most in ears provide barely adequate isolation for planes and I doubt if these isolate as well. 

I had these cans for some days... Loved the looks, sound and isolation, but couldn't wear them for more than 30 straight minutes at a time! The grip was just to hard for me, and after that time, they started to hurt my ears, from the clamp force... 

Before, I thought I didn't have a large head or big ears, but after this, I just don't know... All reviews I read never mension the problem I had with them! Is it just me?!? 

I still like them, and miss their sound (for portables), but it's a bit pointless for me to own these cans and can't be able to use them straight (although they're really enjoyable to look at)... 

I think the sound that annoys me the most is the snare drum off these P5's. I'm a drummer, and the snare drum being played through the P5's sounds like there's a quarter inch thick layer of velvet layered on top of the snare. Extremely congested.

Maybe I don't like warm sound...but the highs here just seem extremely congested and unnatural to me.

Anyways, I'll be leaving in about an hour, and will have a chance to test them out in public transit.

Quote:

Originally Posted by ex0du5 

I think the sound that annoys me the most is the snare drum off these P5's. I'm a drummer, and the snare drum being played through the P5's sounds like there's a quarter inch thick layer of velvet layered on top of the snare. Extremely congested.

 

Maybe I don't like warm sound...but the highs here just seem extremely congested and unnatural to me.

 

Anyways, I'll be leaving in about an hour, and will have a chance to test them out in public transit.

had the same experience, I also thought that snare was muddy with the p5.

Kick-drum is pretty nice, but snare and cymbals, very veiled/muddy/velvet-blanket layered.

(drummer here also)

I'm a big fan of Bowers & Wilkins speakers and I enjoyed the P5 very much when I heard it the first time. Later, on second and third trials, the flaws of the SQ became more apparent. Though they are a very nice headphone - they are not for those wanting to do critical listening. They are very stylish but for me, I look for reference quality SQ. In the end, I didn't buy a pair.. 

I appreciate the thorough review, thank you!

To me, the most telling part of this review is the "made for mobile devices" part. Here we have headphones designed specifically for iPods, cell phones, etc. I would assume that the vast majority of people out there have their music collections either on their computer and/or their iPod. Smart move for B&W, and smart move for those that listen via their iPod.

Kinda like me.

Quote:

Originally Posted by scompton 

Even though Jude says they are among the best passively isolating headphones, they probably don't isolate well enough for a plane.  Your tendency will be to up the volume.  Most in ears provide barely adequate isolation for planes and I doubt if these isolate as well. 

Ah, what a shame. I found my IE8 to isolate sufficiently for me though.

Quote:

Originally Posted by DefBringer 

I am definitely in the market for a headphone in this class (T50p, P5, etc).

 

Can someone recommend any other headphones that fit into the comfortable,truly-portable, works-well-without-amplification, warm/laid-back category?  

Well I would recommend something based on sound and comfort (from a very brief in-store demo), but its price is significantly higher than the T50p and the P5: Beyerdynamic's T5p. The sound was immediately pleasing to the ear with no perceptible loss of detail, and the comfort was top-notch--and I'm saying that as a DT880 user! I was listening to the T5p straight out of an iPod Classic 120GB.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Eric_C 

 

Quote:

Originally Posted by scompton 

Even though Jude says they are among the best passively isolating headphones, they probably don't isolate well enough for a plane.  Your tendency will be to up the volume.  Most in ears provide barely adequate isolation for planes and I doubt if these isolate as well. 

Ah, what a shame. I found my IE8 to isolate sufficiently for me though.

 

 

Quote:

Originally Posted by DefBringer 

I am definitely in the market for a headphone in this class (T50p, P5, etc).

 

Can someone recommend any other headphones that fit into the comfortable,truly-portable, works-well-without-amplification, warm/laid-back category?  

Well I would recommend something based on sound and comfort (from a very brief in-store demo), but its price is significantly higher than the T50p and the P5: Beyerdynamic's T5p. The sound was immediately pleasing to the ear with no perceptible loss of detail, and the comfort was top-notch--and I'm saying that as a DT880 user! I was listening to the T5p straight out of an iPod Classic 120GB.

OK 2 quick questions, so in your opinion the T5p is well worth the 1200 dollar asking price as a portable and have you ever tried using the T5p with a mobile amp an if so did it make a big difference is SQ?

Quote:

Originally Posted by DigitalFreak 

OK 2 quick questions, so in your opinion the T5p is well worth the 1200 dollar asking price as a portable and have you ever tried using the T5p with a mobile amp an if so did it make a big difference is SQ?

I'm... not going to say it is "well worth" the price, because that's up to you to decide, and I must emphasise (again) that I only demo'd the unit for a very short period of time.

I think the T5p looks and feels well-made, sounds great, and strikes me as a relatively practical "one headphone" solution. If I had to do it all over again and confine myself to one pair of headphones for mobile and home use, for music (and possible for casual gaming), the T5p appears to be a great purchase.  But it gives me that impression. I can't declare that with a great deal of certainty. 

No, I have not tried it with an amp.

And let's not go any further off-topic; this thread is about the P5.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Eric_C 

Quote:

Originally Posted by DigitalFreak 

OK 2 quick questions, so in your opinion the T5p is well worth the 1200 dollar asking price as a portable and have you ever tried using the T5p with a mobile amp an if so did it make a big difference is SQ?

I'm... not going to say it is "well worth" the price, because that's up to you to decide, and I must emphasise (again) that I only demo'd the unit for a very short period of time.

I think the T5p looks and feels well-made, sounds great, and strikes me as a relatively practical "one headphone" solution. If I had to do it all over again and confine myself to one pair of headphones for mobile and home use, for music (and possible for casual gaming), the T5p appears to be a great purchase.  But it gives me that impression. I can't declare that with a great deal of certainty. 

 

No, I have not tried it with an amp.

 

And let's not go any further off-topic; this thread is about the P5.

Have you heard many top end universal iems? If so, how does the t5p compare (not to drag this more off-topic ha)