[plainsong]

Yeah I'm converted. I got lots of time to audition a set at a nice friendly local audio store called Helsinki Sound + Cinema. I always have an enjoyable experience with them. Anyway, I think these sound as Jude and Duncan describe them. Not reference, not neutral, but natural and fun. That's what I want from an iPod, or maybe even a macbook. I have a bigger rig for critical listening... and even then my setup leans towards the natural. Neutral is overrated.
 
I thought I might hate these, but they are exactly the sound I was looking for. I hope B&W doesn't cave to pressure from forums and critics to release something that sounds "neutral" - this is the way to go.
 
It's dark, and these unburned in ones have some settling in to do, but I can hear the character of them, and luckily got to hear a grown up version. Isolation is excellent, looks top notch, ergonomics great. This is the proper match for my needs.

 

[kwkarth]

Quote:

Yeah I'm converted. I got lots of time to audition a set at a nice friendly local audio store called Helsinki Sound + Cinema. I always have an enjoyable experience with them. Anyway, I think these sound as Jude and Duncan describe them. Not reference, not neutral, but natural and fun. That's what I want from an iPod, or maybe even a macbook. I have a bigger rig for critical listening... and even then my setup leans towards the natural. Neutral is overrated.
 
I thought I might hate these, but they are exactly the sound I was looking for. I hope B&W doesn't cave to pressure from forums and critics to release something that sounds "neutral" - this is the way to go.
 
It's dark, and these unburned in ones have some settling in to do, but I can hear the character of them, and luckily got to hear a grown up version. Isolation is excellent, looks top notch, ergonomics great. This is the proper match for my needs.

That's what my thoughts were as well when I listened to a pair my brother has.  Really an enjoyable, toe-tapping, listen.
 
 

 

[plainsong]

Exactly. I mean sitting here at home with them, I can say that yes there is loss of detail, or this that or the other, but it's STILL a fun listen.  And I don't have to worry about how to power them. And there's enough honesty to make them quality. It's a mix I've always liked in a portable headphone, the ratio of fun to honesty. It's a tricky balance.
 

 

[pcgo]

Plainsong, glad you're enjoying them. If you're concerned with a noticeable loss of detail, try using them out in a noisy environment - you'll see their true potential! The detail that they do maintain seems to create a very enjoyable and extremely listenable sound, and they do a wonderful job of isolation!
 
That said, they really do need to burn in to reach their full sound potential: they open up a good amount, and the bass gets deeper and crisper/less muddy. I've found about 50 hours does it.

 

[plainsong]

Umm, I wasn't worried about it. I've seen what they can do to isolate from noise and it's pretty spectacular. What I meant is that headfiers tend to overthink things. B&W got the balance right with these. For this kind of headphone you need a "fun" sound. True you want some honesty but really the honesty should be drawn with the fun brush. I hope they don't cave to pressure with whatever their next headphone might be, and make something "neutral" - which unless it's a big ole reference headphone tends to mean hyped treble.
 
Quote:

Plainsong, glad you're enjoying them. If you're concerned with a noticeable loss of detail, try using them out in a noisy environment - you'll see their true potential! The detail that they do maintain seems to create a very enjoyable and extremely listenable sound, and they do a wonderful job of isolation!
 
That said, they really do need to burn in to reach their full sound potential: they open up a good amount, and the bass gets deeper and crisper/less muddy. I've found about 50 hours does it.

 

 

[Shahab Ahmad K]

Hello,
 
First ever post. Has anyone used these on a plane? I absolutely HATE flying and anything that can reduce the drone of the engines are a God sent. That's just about the only time I use an ipod directly - usually it is in my car working as a hard drive for the head unit. 
 
So the question is, having these on during take off (when they ask you to turn off all electronic equipment) would they reduce noise significantly? And while listening to ipod during flight, how much of that dreadful sound of the plane will be left out?
 
Many thanks!
 
 
 

 

[jude]

Welcome to Head-Fi, Shahab.
 
While the passive isolation of the P5 is very good, it's not going to be your best choice for taking the edge off the din of air travel (though it certainly helps in a pinch).
 
A good active noise canceler is going to be your best shot.  On a couple of long flights I was on recently, I used the Sennheiser MM450 Travel (which is a wireless Bluetooth stereo headphone that can also be used wired), and its active noise cancellation was outstanding.
 
Also consider some good in-ear monitors, many of which have extreme passive isolation.
 
Quote:

Hello,
 
First ever post. Has anyone used these on a plane? I absolutely HATE flying and anything that can reduce the drone of the engines are a God sent. That's just about the only time I use an ipod directly - usually it is in my car working as a hard drive for the head unit. 
 
So the question is, having these on during take off (when they ask you to turn off all electronic equipment) would they reduce noise significantly? And while listening to ipod during flight, how much of that dreadful sound of the plane will be left out?
 
Many thanks!
 
 
 

 

 

[miceblue]

Quote:

Welcome to Head-Fi, Shahab.
 
While the passive isolation of the P5 is very good, it's not going to be your best choice for taking the edge off the din of air travel (though it certainly helps in a pinch).
 
A good active noise canceler is going to be your best shot.  On a couple of long flights I was on recently, I used the Sennheiser MM450 Travel (which is a wireless Bluetooth stereo headphone that can also be used wired), and its active noise cancellation was outstanding.
 
Also consider some good in-ear monitors, many of which have extreme passive isolation.
 


 

I tried the P5's at the Apple store a couple days ago and while the noise isolation was actually really good for a supra-aural design headphone, I could still somewhat hear the people in the background. Though the passive noise cancelling is effective, it maaay not be the best choice for an airplane flight.
 
It would certainly help block out the engine noise, yes, but I'm not sure how much of the noise you can tolerate. I've used in-ear monitors (V-Moda Vibes) on a flight before and they do help with noise isolation, though I could still hear the engine sounds with my music playing so it was less annoying and more tolerable.
 
 

 

[rsajdak]

Did it sound better on an iPad 2?

 

[blub]

Hi Jude!
 
While the active noise-cancelling of the Sennheiser MM450 will certainly have it's effect on the isolation, compared to the B&W P5 (or others), could you give more info on their comparison on the level of sound quality?
I find it very hard to find any thorough review or experience on them (or on its brother PXC-310) on sound-quality aspects (soundstage / separation / detail / natural<>colouration).
 
(if this takes us too far out of the subject of this topic (B&W P5), you may always send a PM / other forum-thread, not to high-jack this thread)
 

 

[rydog]

One thing that I've noticed in this review is how quickly people are giving up on these prior to allowing proper break in.  It has been stated a number of times, including B&W's owner's manual, that these cans need to be properly broken in to sound their best.  A good couple weeks of solid listening will get them there.  
 
I understand that if you don't listen to them often enough, you might go over your time frame to return for a full refund prior to properly breaking them in, that's fair considering their price.  However, it seems extremely premature to post negatively about any product in the world when you haven't followed the recommendations of said product to achieve optimal performance.  It's like saying a performance car sucks after only a couple of hours of driving it, it will drive like a totally different car once properly broken in.  These cans need proper break in to sound their best.
 
With respect to someone saying that these sound worse than the Beats, I truly feel sorry for your ears if you find that the Beats sound better.  The Beats are over-bassed, over-hyped cans capitalizing on an image that kids think is cool.  Don't get me wrong, Dre is awesome, but just cause his name is plastered on a product, doesn't make it the product magically excellent.
 
Just my two pennies.

 

[dlhen68]

After I purchased them, I blew the "dance / electronica" channel through them via Comcast 24/7 for two weeks. With detailed listening, they still lacked the range I was looking for. I found that range in the DT990's. Yes, a lot of this is subjective and has to do with the flavor of the sound. I also like spicy food.  I still miss the little beauties though. I might even buy another pair to replace the ones I returned. For some listening, they are fine. They are more forgiving when listening to MP3's, which is of course what they were designed to do...

 

[Finnegans]

 
[size=10.0pt]Hello![/size]

[size=10.0pt]Many thanks for this interesting discussion - I really enjoyed reading it! [/size]

[size=10.0pt]I’ve got one specific question – in your opinion, which headphones are more natural sounding – B&W P5 or Senn HD25-1-II (which of them will be better suited for classical music)? [/size]

 

[Duncan]

 
[size=10.0pt]Hello![/size]

[size=10.0pt]Many thanks for this interesting discussion - I really enjoyed reading it! [/size]

[size=10.0pt]I’ve got one specific question – in your opinion, which headphones are more natural sounding – B&W P5 or Senn HD25-1-II (which of them will be better suited for classical music)? [/size]

I would personally say, giving the other headphones that you have that the HD25 will be better for you... The treble on the P5 would make you want for more... At least compared to your home cans...

It is horses for courses though, as - with all the praise I can heap on the HD25, the P5 are my guilty pleasure for when I am in the mood for fun...

Oh, and Karen Carpenter sounds sublime on the P5... Enough said for me

 

[AussieJarred]

hi everyone, jsut wondering the best place to buy a pair of these headphones????
 
i have looked everywhere but cant find a price worthwhile...
 
any suggestions?
 
thanks