Got a secondhand WS99. Previous owner got them on (closeout) sale for 110€ and he was selling it for 60€. Just 4 months old. Couldn't resist.
 
First of all...what poor packaging. no case or cover. Just two cables. Both quite short. And pretty cheap looking. Cables can't be removed  and goes into both cups. (How durable are these headphones). Build all plastic except for steel headband and alu cupcoverings and swivels. Definite lacking in premium feel or look.
Very very poor isolation. Is it actually semi open?(oops missed that it was an semi open headphone) Everyone can hear what i am playing and I also can hear outside noise quite easily when no music is playing. So you tend to play the volume up a bit.(Carefull). For my big ears it's semi on ears to me.(Hmm seems its on ears and not over ears!! Damn bad reaseacrh on my part. its a HUGE on ears. bigger iMO than teh momentums over ears) Thankfully it's quite comfortable.So light.(Still to be honest after a few hours of continuos wear like 5 hours, my ears start to hurt) And I like how flush it sits when i wear it. Looks quite nice and sleek  like the B&W p7 and P5 on your head.
 
To be honest cant believe this headphone was selling at more than 200€. The marketing at AT is nuts. Compared with the competition it just doesn't deliver. Lacks the premium looks and feel.
Weak in accessories. But what really baffles me...short cables, lightweight, sleek look it screams mobility to me. But when you consider it's terrible isolation(for closed), its'semi open design(Still not good iso for semi open). how risky is its design to outside rain or humidity. Should I treat it as an open or a closed headphone?!
 
It's something i need to seriously think about...because this headphone is a keeper. The reason is quite simple...the sound is AMAZING. Fits my taste to T.
People consider this a Bassy or Basshead headphones. So first song I tried was something from Adele. it messes up most of these bass heavy headphones. Adding unnecessary bassiness to her songs and voice. TERRIBLE. To my surprise...i didnt hear anything. No bassy undertones. After a few songs...I was doubting if it's  a WS99?!? Sound was almost balanced.Couldnt believe these were considered basscanons.Still cant call it neutral. Not a laidback sound.A bit to forward and trebly, But all this without being in your face and fatiguing. 
 
But what really sets it apart is the bass. Cant forget the first time it kicked in. I started an EDM song. Holy crap. All of a sudden there was the bass. Like someone suddenly turned on a (small) subwoofer. Where did all the (mid) bass come from? Simply wondrous. It doesn't go as low in rumble like the Q40. But it's still there when the song asks for it and it has much much better slam than the Q40.
 
The sound fits my taste.A fun balanced sound without sibilance in it's highs, good bass with a nice thump that doesnt bleed to the mids. It comes so close to the HP50. Much better Bass, but mids and highs are not as good. Lacks clarity and spaciousness.Otherwise would have been perfect. 
A while back I joined a discussion on Beats Solo 2. It was praised so much by Innerfidelity. When i tried the Solo 2...this was the sound I expected from it after reading the review. 
 
 
 
Anyway at € 60 I think it's an incredible steal. Even around 100€ if your taste in sound is similar to mine or are simply looking for a bass heavy headphone...than this headphone is almost perfection.Literally a no brainer.
Just be warned about its lack of isolation. I still have to figure out if I can use it outside or not.
Quite an allround headphone who can turn out the bass with the best of them. 
 
It leaves me with a question though...at it's old pricepoint...what the hell was the AT marketing guys thinking? Did they want to make the best possible headphone with a certain sound. and it ended up  so expensive to produce that they couldnt add in any extras without going even higher in price.
Or did they think they had a winner soundwise and just wanted to cash in as much as possible. Fullfilling a niche market. Anyway right now the result is that it's pulled from production and I feel lucky to have gotten my hands on one..

I bought an open box model B&W p5. Got warranty. But just 1 working cable. It's typically british. Luxury high end item. Like a Jaguar or Rolls Royce. Or a B&W speaker set.
 
Always have been intrigued by B&W. The first of many high end stereo companys (Bose don't count) getting their feet wet ín headfi gear.
P7 was my initial target. But damn its expensive.399€. No where can i find it cheaper. 
To be honest the sound didnt wow me when i tried it a few times. 
P3 is nice. Love the different colors. but I think it's more trendy than luxurious.
So it's up to the P5. At 299€. I never really considered it at all. On ears at this price...with DT1350, HD25s, Momentums, M80s etc etc...not surprising.
 
That's why I won't go to in depth in the sound or comparing them to the other models. All I can say is. I like the sound. To my ears it fits with the house sound of B&W. Dark, rich warm sound. Easy on the ears and you could listen to it for hours. It has nothing offensive in it. Works good till great with all music genres i listen too.  And the mods  suggested in headfi means only further improvement on the sound. The bass is good as expected from B&W. If the sound was very neutral/flat or bright...that would really sound wrong to me. Because that's not B&W.
I miss the thump to make it bassheadworthy...but that would also not be a good fit for the B&W sound.
 
What really got to me was the build and the sheer luxurious comfort of the P5s. I am a strong believer in substance over style.Hate to pay extra for perceived style aka marketing BS.
But with the P5 I can't deny that the form and style got to me. All you see and feel is pure leather and metal. Giving it a comfortable but robust feel to the headphone.Simply put the headphone feels like a quality product in your hands. The build is great. It ticks all the boxes for me. Cable is removable. Clever magnetic earpads cover.
 
So build is great, how is the fit. Thank god it's not like VModa. Build like a tank, sadly with the same comfortlevel. The P5 luxurious translates perfectly with the fit.  A great fit and extremely comfortable to me. Easily adjusted. The onear pads that's genuine lambskin leather feels awesome. Stays cool. And never a problem with my ears heating up. Could use it for hours and even fall asleep with it.
Even with over ears the earpads made from synthetic material tends to irritate or heat up my ears after a few hours. Thats why i never bought an On ear before, because I was pretty sure that I cant wear it comfortably for any amount of time. Could it be really this simple...using genuine leather pads for more comfort? Anyway B&W made the right choice.
 
An unexpected bonus was the way the headphones look when wearing it or how the way the headphones look on your head. Sadly it doesn't make you look more attractive. But it beats looking like a cast member from Something about mary or like a butch princess Leia. Wearing headphones on the street are definitely a challenge.Thank god for IEMs.
But with the P5 there is no problem at all. It look surprisingly sleek on your head. The thin cable works perfectly like this. I have the black leather color and it blends perfectly with my black hair. The metallic part accentuate everything nicely. The brushed finish with the shiny bowers & wilkins letters exudes pure class and a bit of high end snobbery. More a jewel or fashion accessory than just a headphone. You know you are wearing quality. To me it's the most beautiful headphone I have ever worn.
 
Another positive is the price of accessories. The simply awesome earpads are quite reasonable. Just 41$ a pair in the USA. Great value for genuine leather IMHO. People criticise rightly the cable. But at 12$ or 7$ for a bose version it's quite a nice price. No problem replacing them if needed. The case or is it a a purse is quite useless. Looks nice...but for a portable headphone a hardcase would be a better option. You can buy them cheap for 11$ at ebay. Only accessory what you need to buy.
 
Reading the posts about these headphones on headfi, people don;t like it. I can understand why this headphone misses the impact on a site like headfi. Where sound is king. Than something with the sound of the P5 doesn't shine. It's to inoffensive to be considered extraordinary or unique. Unlike the famous competitors it misses that edge in sound to make them great. And truth is...lesser and cheaper headphones can be found with similar sound. But when you consider all the other aspects, the P5 has absolutely no competitor and  is a surefire winner IMHO. The looks, the build and even the sound gives them a potential to become a classic. 
 
The original price makes them quite expensive.And truthfully I wouldn't have paid full retail for them. But they can be bought for less money now. And if the price continues to drop.200/225$ for example?! They will be awesome value and can be instant classics. Buying them secondhand is a good and safe idea with the way they are put together, Cause the looks and build are timeless and the inoffensive sound actually works perfectly for the mainstream listeners. Great high end gifts for anyone looking for a headphone. For travellers who want an upgrade in portable headphone. If you are a woman you should give these headphones a try pure on how it looks when you wear them. For us headfiers...if you are looking for something beautiful and comfortable to wear these are perfect. Just luxuriate and enjoy these aspects of a headphone for once instead of focusing on the sound. If you do that..you will also enjoy it's qualities.
 
Quite weird..to say that sound is secondary coming from a famous Speaker company like B&W. But I think it fits perfectly. Sound and fit will let you enjoy music effortlessly and comfortably for hours on end. And the build will insure that you can enjoy this for years on end. Great job B&W.