Reviews by AlanChi607

I definitely won't be buying another Bowers & Wilkins product. That's for sure. After THIS headphone, no. I've had it with the fancy British design which achieves NOTHING in practicality.
 
The P3 is a small on-ear headphone, the cheapest of all B&W headphones (excluding the C5 Series 2, which is an in-ear headphone). It costs $199. It looks extremely nice, with soft-touch rubber and aluminium faceplates and chrome hinges.
 
Sound? Sound is, in my opinion, probably on par with a Beats product. Beats is probably even better. The sound on the P3 is a mess: muddy, unclear, but somewhat pleasant for casual listening. Yes, it has a good soundstage, yes it has good bass, but it's just like someone not putting their glasses on-->blurry, unclear. Extremely disappointed with sound on the P3. Terrible value for money.
 
Even if the sound was good enough for an average consumer, the design is horrible, the comfort is even worse. The design certainly looks appealing, what with the fancy chrome hinges and whatnot. However, when you touch it, it just reeks flimsyness. Extremely poor build. One of my ear cups makes a disgusting creaking sound whenever I press it. As for comfort, the two earcups sort of "eat" your ears like a hungry crocodile. No. Just no. Smaller ear cups=higher pressure exerted on ears. Design fail. Also small, thin headband also=higher pressure on top of head. Another design fail.
 
In conclusion, your $199 is better spent somewhere else. Bowers & Wilkins is a failure in both design and sound, at least for this product. I'm never buying a B&W product again.

In short, given that these Bose in-ear headphones are not made to isolate outside noise, they perform admirably well in the bass frequencies. Bass feels tight and clean, however may sound muddy at times. I would classify these headphone as having a slightly "V" shaped sound signature. Female vocals feel slightly far away with the muddy bass covering up the vocals sometimes. 
 
These SoundTrue in-ear headphones come with Bose's signature StayHear tips, which tick all the boxes in terms of comfort and unique design. Wearing these for hours on end is no problem for me. Whilst the sound may not be up to audiophile quality, these headphones are definitely quite decent in terms of sound. All frequencies are balanced out somewhat evenly. However, the clarity of the frequencies are not very good. With bass-heavy tracks, it feels like the bass frequencies are muddy and leaks into the mids and treble.
 
The SoundTrue in-ear headphones feel very durable, and the cable, whilst made of rubber, is surprisingly tangle resistant and rather smooth to the touch. Definitely quite good when throwing them into your bag and taking them around. They also come with a semi-hard carrying case made of durable cloth-like materials, I do recommend you putting them in the carrying case when transporting them around. The mic/remote is also exceptionally good and the ergonomics is brilliant.
 
In conclusion, these have decent sound and a very industrial and durable design.

The Apple Earpods, whilst not being revolutionary, offer a good fit and surprisingly good sound for its price. The ergonomics of the iDevice remote included on the cable is excellent, with solid tactile feedback. Soundwise, while these Earpods may not offer any isolation whatsoever, is tastefully tuned for balanced sound. The bass is very good, and midrange frequencies are crisp and clear, whilst treble frequencies are rolled off.
 
The Earpods are made of hard, white, ceramic plastic, and while they may not offer a comfortable fit for everyone, fit my ears perfectly without any comfort issues (haha-perhaps my ears are just strange). The hard plastic makes the Earpods feel more durable and able to take a beating. They also come with a hard carrying case that loops the wire around to prevent any tangling issues (I doubt anyone uses the storage case anyway!) but it comes in handy when packing it into your bag.
 
In conclusion, for the price, the Apple Earpods offer solid sound with unique design. Though its competitors may offer better noise isolation, the Earpods are quite decent for their price and I would recommend anyone to try these.

The Bowers & Wilkins C5 Series 2 is an IEM for those looking for the excellent B&W signature sound in a small, portable package. Unboxing them was a pleasure, the elegant packaging sets the stage and reminds you how beautiful the design of the earphones are.
Opening them, the C5 S2 earphones are held down by 13 security straps (a little bit too overkill), complete with some useful user manuals and 3 extra pairs of silicone eartips (XS, M, L sizes) with the S size already attached to the earphones.
After fitting the XS eartips (which fit me best) I adjusted the secure loop and it fit in my ear snugly. The eartips are made from slicone, with a very firm core, which makes the eartips feel very stable inside your ear canals. Very pleased with this aspect. Noise isolation is very good for a semi-open IEM.
 
Here's what I found about the sound (all my listening is done through a Macbook Pro or an iPhone):
1. Very deep, clean and tight bass response. Goes very deep while not spilling into the lower-midrange...amazing how B&W achieve this with a single dynamic driver!
2. Midrange is very present and crisp.
3. Treble is slightly rolled off, but the so called "Microporous filter", which act as the C5 S2's only port, adds a layer of "air" to the midrange and treble and makes it feel very natural and open. One of the strong points of this particular headphone.
4. Very open sound, with soundstage extending over my shoulders. Treble does sound a bit restrained when listening to bass-heavy tracks due to bass dominance (bass is pushed up into your ears while midrange and treble sometimes feel far away) of this headphone.
5. Very good stereo imaging.
6. Tuned like a real speaker - no sibilance but very realistic treble.
 
However, this earphone is by no means perfect. Some things which could be improved upon:
1. The earphone wires are rather susceptible to tangling when placed in the provided carry case (a half-moon shaped carrying case).They are also rather thin and *look* like could easily break. Thankfully, the rubber is smooth and high tensile and of rather high quality. 
2. The little piece of plastic ( what I refer to as the "plastic jacket") at the end of the secure loop is rather flimsy and keeps coming off.Rather disappointed with B&W craftsmanship here.
3. The mic remote included on the earphone cable is rather slippery at times and lacks proper tactile feedback. The cylindrical design of the iPhone remote control may look attractive, but perhaps the ergonomics is not the best. Fiddling with the remote, along with the thin rubber wires, really does not FEEL good.
4. Secure loop is extremely uncomfortable. This is not helped by the fact the earphones are naturally heavy at 20g already. Terrible for long listening periods.
5. Bass is extremely overwhelming at times. Good for bassheads.
 
Other than that, after using the earphones for less than 2 months, the plastic jacket is already sort of coming off. Other than that, the sound quality is excellent and really good for a single dynamic driver IEM. B&W craftsmanship, particularly with the cables and plastic jackets, however could be much, much better. I would recommend anyone to buy the Bowers & Wilkins C5 Series 2, but do be very careful with them. If you're looking for better durability I suggest RHA T10i or Shure 315, both offer similar sound at a slightly higher price point but are very durable.

After going through many headphones, including the Bowers & Wilkins C5 S2, Bowers & Wilkins P3, Sennheiser Momentum M2 AEi as well as a pair of Westone W40s, I'm mightily impressed by the Bose QC25. It offers fantastic noise cancellation, exceptional sound quality (even for a non-ANC headphone) and is in general an excellent product.
In short, I will be reviewing:
1. Sound
2. Noise cancellation
3. Comfort and design
 
SOUND
Do not listen to these headphones without switching them on (this requires one AAA battery - lasts around 35 hours! I use a rechargable Eneloop AAA battery). However, they sound pretty good if the ANC is turned on, which activates the internal electronics which electronically equalise the sound signals.
 
The bass, mid and highs are tonally balanced and suffers from no excessive bloating or dips in the frequency response. This is pretty good for a noise cancelling headphones. The bass response is tight and clear, exceptionally well-done for an ANC headphone. The slight lack of dynamic range (compared to non-ANC headphones) is a minor issue as well in some tracks. With a good amp (I personally use the Oppo HA-2), the dynamic range increases by a slight degree. The sound, however, is pleasant to listen to from portable devices as well.
 

Bose QC25 being driven by my Oppo HA-2 DAC/AMP
 
However, the sound is tonally balanced and sound-staging is above average for an closed-back headphone. Mid and highs sound really good when listening to saxophone music or any music with less bass.  However, this headphone can make all music genres sound acceptable without leaning towards any part of the frequencies. The neutral and deeply extended bass is extremely well controlled. It suits my music tastes very well. Upper mids/lower treble is very present, only lacks the last bit of upper treble extension (only found in open-backed headphones) but clarity is again very good.
 
Bass: Very good bass extension. Extremely tight, well-controlled. Much better than my Momentums. In combination with the ANC, bass is VERY clear and well-defined. Suits all genres of music pretty well.
Mids: Open, very natural. The mids are very realistic, with a slight peak at the 3kHz region. This makes the headphone sound forward sounding and is exceptional for vocals. I can hear no dips/anomalies in the mids.
Treble: Treble is well extended into the lower treble. Soundstage and a sense of space is clearly defined. For a closed-back headphone, the treble is very well extended indeed. For an ANC headphone, this is simply exceptional. Treble is slightly rolled-off to prevent listening fatigue. Perhaps this is the only area which Bose could improve a bit on for the next QC headphone.
 
NOISE CANCELLATION
Noise cancellation is, as usual, excellent. These were my first pair of ANC headphones and I wore them on a 13-hour flight to London, so here's what I found:
1. Dramatically reduces low frequency noises as usual.
 
2. Mid to high frequency noises are blocked out mostly by the headphone's acoustic seal (i.e. earpads) rather than the noise cancellation electronics. Some higher pitched air-con noises may leak in, however they are still dramatically reduced because of the acoustic seal.
 
3. If you are wearing glasses, this makes a difference. You will let in more noise because the acoustic seal is not perfectly sealed to your head. On the flight, I was taking off my glasses to sleep and noticed how much of a difference it made by simply not wearing glasses. This is because the acoustic seal doesn't seal completely if you wear glasses. I would estimate a further 3-4dB of noise was eliminated just by taking off my glasses. So if you are glasses user, be aware. Glasses, however, do not change the bass response much because Bose's internal DSP is able to compensate for the bass response unlike normal tightly sealed closed-back headphones.
 
COMFORT AND DESIGN
Personally I love the understated and brushed aluminium ear cups. They look industrial, durable and sleek. The headphone comes with a hard carrying case which is also rather understated but is very durable and functional for portable use. This headphone is really light and wearing them for long periods of time is painless compared to head-clamps like Beats by Dre.
 
A fair amount of plastic has gone into the construction of this headphone. Some might argue this means it might feel cheap or not durable. With the Bose QC25, this is totally not true! However, I would say that the plastic gives a solid and sleek feel to the design, and helps it maintain its light weight, making the headphone both feel truly portable and durable. Need I say more? Bose uses aerospace-grade plastic in all their headphones. The cable included is compatible with iDevices or Android devices whichever you choose, and the cable feels thick and durable enough to last for a long time. Cable has a 90-degree 3.5mm jack and is made of durable plastic.
 
CONCLUSION
I highly recommend these headphones to any traveller (even those with glasses). The mixture of sleek design, excellent comfort, superb noise cancellation and good sound make the Bose QC25 an exceptional headphone for home and portable use. It's just the bass and dynamic range that is slightly lacking! Well, compared to the QC20 (the in-ear version of Bose's noise cancelling headphones), I find the QC25 to be a better choice due to better bass performance and soundstaging, as well as none of that awkward "control module" hanging at the end of the cable (as is the case with QC20). Whilst the QC20 might be a better option for those seeking true portability since it fits into a very small case compared to the QC25, the QC25 is in every way better since, after all, it is a full size over-ear headphone!
The QC25 is well worth the $299 retail price for its sound, noise cancellation and design. Do give it a shot and see what you think!