[Sceptre]

Quote:

 
Finally, just for funs, I'd like to hear what you think of them in comparison to the ESW10, seeing as there has been a lot of speculation and, seemingly unfounded "opinions" on the subject.

I know you asked for Skylabs view but as there aren't many ESW10 owners and I have them and the P5 I thought I'd chip in.
 
In short, I hardly ever take the AT's on a daily commute now.  The audio presentation of the AT is far superior in my mind to the P5 but has about half of the isolation of the P5.
 
The ESW10 is delicate and natural where the P5 is beefy or 'over confident'.  The bass and treble of the P5 is emphasized whereas I feel the ESW10 is either flatter or has forward mids.
 
The ESW10 appear delicate and the P5 are built for a tougher life and can fold flatter.
 
You will be torn between these two for either quality v. practicality.  I cn listen to either for hours and get used to the presentation, but the ESW10 scores about 30% higher for accuracy and detail.  The P5 scores 50% more in practicality though.
 
The ESW10 compares more to my JH13's than the P5 which does remind me of the Bose Triports I still own.
I commute with an iPhone and can take calls on the P5 very easily.  When I am wanting to enjoy non iPhone time (Sonosax SX-DA2 or D10) I nearly always switch to JH13's and do not regret not having the ESW10 with me.
 
So if I don't take the ESW10 on commutes and they don't get much 'home' time, why do I keep them?  They are my go to phone for nights away.
 
Hope that helped, but do not hesitate to ask for more detail in a particular area.
 
Regards
 
Sceptre
 

 

[epithetless]

 A very helpful rundown of your experiences, Sceptre. Thanks for that.

 

[Young Spade]

Nice comparison Sceptre. 

 

[PenDragon]

Thanks a lot Sceptre But seeing as I always use my ESW10 for commuting and when I'm on the run in general I guess I have no use what so ever of the P5 ^^ And they're actually not as frail as they may seem, even though I don't doubt the P5 are of a more sturdy build, but since I take excellent care of my headphones it's not an issue. Also I consider my iPhone inferior to my Cowon S9 when it comes to SQ, meaning I rarely use my iPhone for music anyways (rendering the various iPhone functions of the P5 pointless for me). But thanks for clearing up a few things for me, I appreciate it!

 

[gsdali]

I've been following this thread with interest and would like to ask a couple of questions.
 
Back in February I lost my old and very treasured HD 25 - I headphones. Stupidly left them on a plane. No matter they had been good and faithful friends but were starting to sound a bit worn and what I can only describe as flabby. Besides, I bike so didn't need them for commuting and have a nice pair of Alessandro MS1s at work. Then, last week, I remebered what the best thing about the HD25s was, flying back from california with no ear protection and a very loud trio behind me I sorely missed the all conquering isolation. I was about to put some money down on a new pair but thought I'd check out the competition. 
 
As I say I liked the HD 25s a lot with a couple of gripes, the earpads wore out too quickly and the connection between the cables and the cans became less than robust over time, albeit with pretty intensive use. These were less of an issue when I worked in broadcast and could sneakily raid the spares from stock. (HD 25s must be the most popular OB headphone and with cameramen everywhere).
 
Anyway It now comes down to Sennheiser HD 25-II, B&W P5 and Beyerdynamic T50p . Sound quality is important but Isolation is even more so, I loved the fact that even with no music on the HD 25s block most of the annoyances of plane travel. I also liked the gentle bass reinforcement that the Sennheisers give, however I also like the openess of the Alessandros, although it took a while for both the headphones and my ears to break in, I found them uncomfortably bright for the first few weeks.
 
Primary sound source will be a iPhone, a new aquisition, I have been a Blackberry + iPod person for a very long time but given that I am now on my 6th replacement Blackberry Bold and I now know the good people at the AT&T service centre better than some of my own family ...
 
I like the idea of having an inline microphone but this is not a difficult thing to achieve with the headphones that don't have it. The B&W cans are pretty, the BD ones none to shabby and there's nothing wrong with the no-nonsense rugged looks of the HD-25s especially when you see them clamped round the heads of every sportscaster on TV.
 
 
Anyway, I would appreciate your thoughts on this trio of cans and if I should be considering any others.

 

[fella]

really you have to try the p5s before you buy them.  You can demo them in any apple store.  If you like their warm and unique sound signature, then lucky you, you'll be able to enjoy  a headphone with inline mic and iphone control that's built to last and smells like new car.   I don't see them becoming less robust over time, the build quality is great and everything is modular and replacable.  Most people will likely say the hd-25s are more neutral/less colored and if sound quality is your only concern, you'll find head fi consensus putting them over the p5s..    The t50p isn't out yet so I don't know how many impressions you'll get.
 
If you demo them post up your impressions.

 

[Sceptre]

You're all welcome.
 
I'm getting a TWAg cable for the HD25's.  Maybe that will tel you how much I like them.
 
If ever someone questions the effect of a cable on a headphone a get them to try the HD25 with standard then APS V3 cable.
 
Without doubt a night and day difference.
 
So why haven't I re-cabled the AT ESW10 or P5?  P5 scores on it's iPhone integration and imho, AT doesn't need it.
 
Regards
Sceptre

 

[neverover]

hi, i was looking for a portable headphone that could work straight plugged from my ipod. i was torn between this b&w p5 and the sennheiser mx 980. i currently have b&w p5 that is returnable at apple store for 14 days. but i think 500 dollars headphones are to expensive for a student like me. so i was considering to buy the cheaper mx 980 before the return policy date. anyone could give me an insight between these two portable phones? thanks

 

[2rooi123]

Quote:

hi, i was looking for a portable headphone that could work straight plugged from my ipod. i was torn between this b&w p5 and the sennheiser mx 980. i currently have b&w p5 that is returnable at apple store for 14 days. but i think 500 dollars headphones are to expensive for a student like me. so i was considering to buy the cheaper mx 980 before the return policy date. anyone could give me an insight between these two portable phones? thanks

if you prefer isolation then p5
sound is better on the senns IMO

 

[neverover]

Quote:

if you prefer isolation then p5
sound is better on the senns IMO

really? how significant is the difference? i was trying out hd25-ii today and i didn't like their piercing sounds every time a singer pronounce an "s" and a "t". i ended up liking the p5 sound signature more. does the mx980 have this problem? thanks mate^^

 

[Szadzik]

 
Quote:

really? how significant is the difference? i was trying out hd25-ii today and i didn't like their piercing sounds every time a singer pronounce an "s" and a "t". i ended up liking the p5 sound signature more. does the mx980 have this problem? thanks mate^^

No problems like that with MX980.
 

 

[neverover]

Quote:

 

No problems like that with MX980.
 

nice. thanks ^^

 

[HK47]

Yo, does anyone know how low J&R will go on these?

 

[meizumintyboi]

I'm in sheer shock, I just saw a chav in his late 20's at my gym, wearing his P5's while sweating all over them :|

 

[immtbiker]

IMHO, The ESW-9/10's are far superior to the P5's sound-wize in everyway. The HE-500's sound better than both and are in the same league money-wize.
 
I own all three, and the ESW-10's are a huge jump above the P-5's. The P-5's are very comfortable and offer excellent isolation, and they are my "Go-To" headphones, while watching my evening dose of Hulu before retiring each night. They work great when lying on on a pillow. But in reality, the bass and treble extension do not come close to the 10's, or the 9's for that matter.
But, they are a classy, well built, great isolation pair of headphones. But when soup comes to nuts, they don't hold a candle to the AT's or the HE-500's. There's no escaping that. They server their purpose.but
cannot be compared to the AT's.