Bowers & Wilkins P5 Series 2
These are initial impressions... Initial is the key word here. My initial impressions about the P3 and P7 both changed as time went along, that may happen with the P5 S2 I have here. There are 40 hours on this pair (maybe a tad bit more by now) and they are still getting use. The headphones may get more comfortable with time (memory foam tends to do that, so does stretching the headband
). That said, here's what I think of them. Design and build definitely won't change, comfort rarely does (but can) while sound most likely will (if my history with B&W's on/over-ears has anything to do with how these will react). Happy reading.
Design and Build
As always, Bowers & Wilkins does a great job with the design and feel of the headphones themselves. They look extremely sexy and stylish in person. The hard-drawn silver accents give the headphones its shape while the black leather and brushed aluminum allows for a classy look entirely. They look absolutely gorgeous, what else is expected from B&W though?
The build, feel, and choice of materials on the actual headphones is top notch (what would you expect from B&W?) and feels great in the hands. The cable on the other hand... It's like the one that is included on the P3. It's a little thinner than I'd like and terminates at a thinner, strait headphone jack. This cable could be improved in many ways.
Comfort
I took these out for a nice long walk over the weekend, it was a nice peaceful walk around the park, little (if any) running involved; it was a nice day out. This also sufficed for a comfort test for long durations (I was out of the house for approximately 1.5-2 hours). In that walk, I began getting some discomfort at a pressure point on the top of my head as well as on the antihelix of my right ear. This discomfort ended up creating some tenderness, though it wasn't enough to make me take off the headphones. It should be noted though.
Keep in mind that I was walking around and the up and down motion will, in a way, force the pressure point on the top of the head. This may not happen when sitting still at home or in the office (or even in a vehicle), and it actually didn't (at home anyway). The tenderness on my antihelix still exists though; there's no getting around that.
Sound
Before I begin with the sonic impressions, I should note that I have never had extensive experience with the Bowers & Wilkins P5 (original), only a short 2 song audition at the Apple Store. That said, the signature seems to have chagned in a pretty large fashion. Many people stated that the original P5 was more neutral and had controlled bass over the P7. This is no longer true, in direct comparison, the bass is bigger, thicker, and slower. Let's get into more specifics.
We'll begin off on the low end, as I always do
As stated, this low end has a distinct thickness to it that kind of reminds me of a stronger sub-woofer. The size off the bass gives each impact a thorough, tough slam to it, but it's not sloppy. Digging down lower, we find that the sub-bass texturing is a little more solid and one-noted than I'd like. This tends to take away from the delicate and fluid texturing. The low end isn't tight, but it isn't out of control, and it does give a warmth to the midrange. It is, however, on the slower side of things.
As we move to the midrange, the first thing that hits you square in the face is the thick lushness that fills each and every song. The headphones are smooth with a touch of warmth to them. Taking the edge off things, the P5 S2 is anything but analytic, but most details still get through. Instrumental clarity isn't overbearing, rather just there while vocals are absolutely beautifully rendered. So although some dynamics may have been sacrificed with instrumentals for smoothness, no such impact is done on the vocals.
In the treble, B&W decided that a softer texturing was needed to complete this smooth signature, but they didn't do it in a way that it'd be too controlled. There is ample extension up top to give great detailing, clarity and separation thoughout. Presence, despite the more laid-back nature of the highs on the new P5s, isn't an issue either. Snares still have dynamic touch to them and proper timbre, though they aren't in your face. In reality nothing is in your face.
Now, I should note a second thing, these impressions are very close to how I felt about the P7 when I first go them. Those changed a lot during the course of use. As of right now, I've had approximately 40 hours on these headphones for burn in (and about 5-6 hours of actual use on my head). These still have a long way to go, I did notice the bass becoming more controlled as I used them. I can't be sure though as I didn't compare and contrast the P5 to anything as I burn them in (I normally compare them to another pair of headphones as a reference to get a better picture of how they break in with time).
P7 comparisons should come towards the end of the week, no promises though. With that said, it's time to take these off for a little while as I've had them on for the past hour writing this up
But I have noticed an interesting behavior. With my ancient Galaxy Note 2 I can drive it with a same volume level as most of my other headphones. With AP100 DAP, need a few more ticks, but with X5 (that's the only one) I need at least 10 more ticks of volume increase. It sounds phenomenal and has a great synergy with its built in amp (though I still prefer LO output + Cayin C5 amp), but needs a higher volume level, probably due to impedance difference.