Bowers & Wilkins P5 Wireless

[obsidyen]

  Just got confirmation from B&W, P5 wireless supports BT4.0 + apt-X.  BT3.0 was a typo in their page.

Great news! Always good to have futureproof.

 

[Bananas Ananas]

Here are my brief impressions of P5 Wireless after short listening:
 
All the listening I have done with P5 Wireless has been in wireless mode and thus I’m not going to compare how do they sound wireless versus wired. After all, why would one buy wireless to listen with a wire when wired can be had for $100 less. Music I listen to is streamed from Apple Music (supposedly 256kbps AAC) through either iTunes on 13” Macbook Pro (Early 2015, OS X 10.11 Beta) or Music app on iPhone 6 (iOS 9.0 Beta). My choice of wireless headphones and listening equipment probably confirms that I’m not very hardcore audiophile.
 
Connectivity:
 
P5 Wireless was easy to pair to both of my devices. On the bottom of the right side of the headphones there is a power switch / bluetooth button. Sliding the switch turns headphones on and off and pressing the button for 2 seconds brings P5 Wireless to pairing mode. First thing you pair P5 Wireless to becomes a “master device” and short press of the bluetooth button will connect to this device. With other paired devices it is required to go to bluetooth settings and reconnect whenever you want to use headphones, but going through pairing process is not necessary. According to B&W, P5 Wireless can remember 8 devices at once, but I do not have more than 2 so I can’t confirm this.
 
After connection is established in between of device and P5 Wireless the connection is very solid. Connection does not stutter or anything until I go to the opposite corner from an iPhone or Macbook Pro in small/mid-size Floridian home with pretty open floor plan. I doubt there will be any issues with the connection in any normal situations. While connected it is also possible to control music playback with volume up, down, and play/pause buttons. They work well, but I prefer to control through the device I’m using instead. 
 
Design:
 
Aesthetics are very subjective thing, but I personally like the way P5 Wireless looks and feels. They’re mostly made out of leather and metals, but rather than having chrome ring familiar from P5 and P5 S2 in between of ear pad and ear cup there’s a black plastic ring, which accommodates all the buttons. I’m not too big fan of plastic, but this strip seems sturdy enough and is probably a necessity to achieve stable bluetooth connection. 
 
These are also pretty comfortable headphones for me to use–more comfortable than P5 or P5 S2. However, since I’d rank P5 to be the least comfortable and P5 Wireless to be most comfortable, I suspect that my head is just getting more used to the feel of these headphones over time and they’re in fact just about equally comfortable when compared to each other. Regardless, although I don’t have much experience with my P5 Wireless I bet I can wear them for long hours without significant discomfort.
 
Sound:
 
Unfortunately sound is the hardest thing for me to really review since I have nothing really to compare these to. Of course I have had some other headphones too outside of B&W offerings, but it has been so long ago that I can’t possibly remember their sound. Additionally, I have nothing to do direct comparison with since I always sell, dispose, recycle, or give away my previous stuff before buying new. In fact, besides some furniture, all of my stuff fits in the cargo area of Mustang, so I really don’t have too much stuff… 
 
Regardless of lack of comparison I can still say though that P5 Wireless sounds very good. Judging by the sound I couldn’t really tell they are in fact a wireless pair of headphones. Mid frequencies are probably their strongest point and vocals sound fantastic. Highs are pretty good too, but sometimes a bit too bright to me. I personally set EQ to bring highs slightly down. Bass in these headphones is something I like very much too. To me it feels like that the bass would be “under” or “behind” the vocals, while still having quite good presence. Out of my memory P5 Wireless bass seems to be less powerful than it was on P5 S2, but I can still very much enjoy EDM and other bass heavy music I tend to listen to.

 

[rsemedo]

Hi there,
 
I bought the new P5 wireless and I'm quite happy with them (previous owner of the original P5)...I was successful at connecting them with good sound quality to my iPhone6 and Surface3 (with native Bluetooth support)...now I'm trying to link them to my Windows Home PC that doesn't have native Bluetooth support...any experiences there? I bought the Sennheiser BTD500 USB because of the aptx support but it doesn't seem to support the headphones....they get synced and all but no sound... ...looking for other users experiences and an USB dongle that will supprt that connectivity?
 
I'm looking to this ones, but once again, not sure if they will work... Inateck Wireless Bluetooth 4.0 Adapter Dongle USB 2.0 with LED - http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00F0CG0N4/ref=pd_lpo_sbs_dp_ss_1?pf_rd_p=569136327&pf_rd_s=lpo-top-stripe&pf_rd_t=201&pf_rd_i=B007C4D6A8&pf_rd_m=A3P5ROKL5A1OLE&pf_rd_r=1ZC049BJYEKRD2V9EAM7
 
 
Thanks

 

[chailee80]

Just been doing some extended listening tests and my opinions on comfort have changed. Initially the p5s feel more comfortable but I've found that I have to really pull the p5s down onto my head to get them to feel like they are in the right position, this places more pressure on the top of my head from the headband which creates a bit of a sore spot over time. For those with large heads you might want to try before you buy to make sure they will fit. The b&o h8 are slightly larger and don't feel quite as comfortable initially but they sit perfectly on my ears at the maximum setting and still feel quite comfortable after being on the head for an extended period. Definitely better for larger heads.

 

[obsidyen]

Just been doing some extended listening tests and my opinions on comfort have changed. Initially the p5s feel more comfortable but I've found that I have to really pull the p5s down onto my head to get them to feel like they are in the right position, this places more pressure on the top of my head from the headband which creates a bit of a sore spot over time. For those with large heads you might want to try before you buy to make sure they will fit. The b&o h8 are slightly larger and don't feel quite as comfortable initially but they sit perfectly on my ears at the maximum setting and still feel quite comfortable after being on the head for an extended period. Definitely better for larger heads.

 
I don't have a large head but good finding nonetheless. I can take a bit of discomfort, which one has better sound and portability, now that some time has passed?

 

[twister6]

Just like with Momentum 2 Wireless, B&O H8 is plagued with ANC problems.  They should stick to making the best wireless headsets and leave active noise canceling to Bose
 
P5 wireless needs a good 50hr burn in.  I have an average size head and they are VERY comfortable.   That is an advantage of on-ear design where it's independent of your ear size to worry how over-ear earcups going to fit you.  This one goes on top of your ear and you don't need to fiddle around to find a "sweet" sound spot.  The only problem, earpads do get hot after about 30 min of continuous listening.  LOVE the controls!!!  Very ergonomic, easy to reach, with a nice tactile response.
 
The sound is excellent, nicely balanced, smooth, full body.  Great extension down to sub-bass without sound becoming muddy.  Excellent retrieval of details, great delivery of vocals (both male and female).  Treble is clear and smooth.  Really digging these.  Will have a full review sometime next week.

 

[chailee80]

I don't have a large head but good finding nonetheless. I can take a bit of discomfort, which one has better sound and portability, now that some time has passed?

I really like them both when it comes to the sound. The p5's really shine for vocals so I prefer them for my acoustic music. The h8's are a bit more aggressive sounding and I find the extra bass great for hip hop and edm. Both are very good for portability but I find the h8's slightly better as they hang around my neck more comfortably due to their larger size. The touch controls can be a little annoying at times like I might try to double tap to skip a song and it will just pause and play the music instead or I'll try to make a circle shape to change volume and it pauses instead. It's also a shame the connectivity isn't as reliable. The p5s are a bit tighter around my neck and don't feel as comfortable but connectivity is better and the remote buttons suit me better. The p5s are probably the better portable due to a more reliable connection, better battery life and fairly good noise isolation. I do quite like the h8s noise cancelling though, when I'm out walking beside a busy road they really help drown everything out.
It's proving quite tough to choose which one to keep, both have good and bad points which leave me unsure at the moment.

 

[twister6]

 

I don't have a large head but good finding nonetheless. I can take a bit of discomfort, which one has better sound and portability, now that some time has passed?

I really like them both when it comes to the sound. The p5's really shine for vocals so I prefer them for my acoustic music. The h8's are a bit more aggressive sounding and I find the extra bass great for hip hop and edm. Both are very good for portability but I find the h8's slightly better as they hang around my neck more comfortably due to their larger size. The touch controls can be a little annoying at times like I might try to double tap to skip a song and it will just pause and play the music instead or I'll try to make a circle shape to change volume and it pauses instead. It's also a shame the connectivity isn't as reliable. The p5s are a bit tighter around my neck and don't feel as comfortable but connectivity is better and the remote buttons suit me better. The p5s are probably the better portable due to a more reliable connection, better battery life and fairly good noise isolation. I do quite like the h8s noise cancelling though, when I'm out walking beside a busy road they really help drown everything out.
It's proving quite tough to choose which one to keep, both have good and bad points which leave me unsure at the moment.

 
Sounds like you might be a better candidate for P7 wireless if/when it comes out

 

[chailee80]

Sounds like you might be a better candidate for P7 wireless if/when it comes out

Yeh its been a few years but I don't recall having the same fit issues with the original p5's, I did wear them at the max setting but I'm sure they weren't as small as this wireless pair, I don't know if they've modified the size or shape of them or perhaps my head has gotten even bigger lol. Luckily I have tried the p7s so I know they fit fairly well, hopefully their wireless model will have the same size and shape.

 

[Bananas Ananas]

Sound has changed quite a bit after using more of these headphones. It might be due to mysterious burn-in, which I do not really believe in that much, or ear pads have now had more time to form a shape better to my ears. It may also be just me getting used to the sound, but again, I used to own P5 S2, which sounded almost the same to what P5 Wireless has now become.
 
Anyway, bass has now got off of the background and instead is very present in the listening experience. I love the bass of these headphones now as I did with P5 S2 too. In the beginning treble was too sparkly or sibilant, but now it's no longer an issue. Mid frequencies are still fantastic and the vocal reproduction of these headphones is hard to beat. Soundstage is not too big, but it's sufficient or even great for an on-ear headphone.
 
All in all, I'd recommend these headphones to just about anyone looking to drop $399.99 for their listening experience. While many wired options might be more accurate sounding, P5 Wireless is joy to listen to with wireless convenience. Finally, these also sound great from any modern bluetooth capable source, so buyer doesn't have to worry about impedances or other technical stuff–they just work! I bet that simplicity and convenience with this great sound cannot be beaten by anything on the market today.

 

[twister6]

That's why I always like to do free-air burn in.  Take the first impression out of the box, and then let it play on a loop for 50hrs in my basement "lab".  With a brain burn-in while you listening for 50hrs - you will adjust and miss the changes.  With P5W working in wired, it's easy to run a few day burn in

 

[Bananas Ananas]

That's why I always like to do free-air burn in.  Take the first impression out of the box, and then let it play on a loop for 50hrs in my basement "lab".  With a brain burn-in while you listening for 50hrs - you will adjust and miss the changes.  With P5W working in wired, it's easy to run a few day burn in

I'm not so serious about this stuff—I rather just enjoy the goods.

 

[twister6]

B&W updated their official spec on http://www.bowers-wilkins.com/Headphones/Headphones/Headphones/P5-Wireless.html - BT4.1

 

[imasinner]

These are the best sounding Blueothooth headphones I've ever used. But sometimes my bluetooth connection goes out slightly -- sort of like it did with the Sennheiser $500 headphones, which I returned. It happens when I am walking in a public area. Is anybody else experiencing this?

 

[obsidyen]

  B&W updated their official spec on http://www.bowers-wilkins.com/Headphones/Headphones/Headphones/P5-Wireless.html - BT4.1

Good... BT 4.1 provides better connections with devices that support it.