Is B&W P5 worth it?
Feb 14, 2015 at 4:44 AM Post #61 of 65
I tested a pair of the P5 headphones for under an hour and thought the sound was quite good, it has the tonal characteristics that I enjoy, no harsh treble on top, but I did not give it a long listening session and did not test it against another headphone. I did get to hear the P3 and P5 side-by-side in another short test and thought the P3 was much, much worse.
 
Jan 16, 2018 at 5:42 AM Post #62 of 65
I know this is old, but the p5 are great cans especially if you like a warm sound. There's no way the AE2 come close regardless of what kind of sound you prefer.

Personally the P5 aren't anything special if the looks and isolation don't do anything for you - especially for $350. Compared to the AE2 you'll give up soundstage, detabably give up isolation and comfort, and probably a little extension. The AE2 are a good all-around headphone owing to their fairly smooth and rolled-down top-end - they play nice with everything. If you want to upgrade from them you have a number of options depending on budget and preference - but you'll have to be somewhat more specific as far as what you want.

As far as "Quincy Jones made a headphone" - I'm not sure how to respond to that. Quincy Jones has licenced his name out for a number of AKG products that've been re-branded as "Quincy Jones Edition" headphones; the Q701 is the "top" of that range, and is derived from the K701. Very different sound from the AE2, and they're not suitable for mobile use - really depends on what you would (or wouldn't) change from the AE2 as to whether or not they'd be a good fit. If you're looking for a bassy headphone, they probably won't deliver though.

Personally if I had to pick a "luxury" headphone (like the P5), I would (and did) pick the Audio-Technica ATH-ESW9; better mids, better fit, I just like what they do with the music better (and they cost less). Less isolation and more fragile though, but I don't use them for mobile applications - life is good. However if you're talking about comparing either of those to the 701, that's another story altogether - the 701 have a much larger soundstage; flatter, dryer, and more analytic overall sound; and different fit (they're around-ear, and open). It makes them a different beast altogether - personally I like them, but I think there are better options as "forks" from the 701 (the 701 are a really good entry into high-end, and do a little bit of everything relatively well, but master nothing) - if you want a faster headphone, a more lively headphone, a better staging headphone, etc there are options. But that comes down more to preference than anything else.

Overall I think the AE2 are a good candidate for the all-around kind of use you're after, but there certainly are headphones that would represent an improvement in one way or another. I don't think the P5 would be that headphone though - the ESW9 would be a better choice there imho, or the AE2's bigger brother, the QC15. Otherwise from that, the K701 aren't a bad choice, but you'll give up some bass impact; there's also some JDM imports I'm partial to suggest, and depending on how much you feel like spending, some American exotics.
 
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Jan 16, 2018 at 6:24 AM Post #63 of 65
I really liked the P5 wireless. It's sound just did it for me. The pressure on my ears from the pads though was unbearable and so I let them go. I bought a P7 wireless but the bass infected the mids too much for my liking and so I let them go as well.

Not surprised B&W have discontinued the P7W,

Havn't tried the PX as I just want BT and don't want all the other bits like NC and such. The tech with BT headphones is becoming too much for my needs, In fact tech in general is getting too much for me. CES was a load of nonsense in many regards IMO, with tech 'for the sake of it' .

Looking forward to the Beyer Amiron Wireless in the spring. I hope they put out a no nonsense audiophile BT headphone, then I will be happy.

Shame about the P5W pressure on the ears though as I would have kept and still be using them as I much prefer buttons rather than touch control to 'play', 'next' 'answer calls' etc.
 
Jan 16, 2018 at 7:11 AM Post #64 of 65
I really liked the P5 wireless. It's sound just did it for me. The pressure on my ears from the pads though was unbearable and so I let them go. I bought a P7 wireless but the bass infected the mids too much for my liking and so I let them go as well.

Not surprised B&W have discontinued the P7W,

Havn't tried the PX as I just want BT and don't want all the other bits like NC and such. The tech with BT headphones is becoming too much for my needs, In fact tech in general is getting too much for me. CES was a load of nonsense in many regards IMO, with tech 'for the sake of it' .

Looking forward to the Beyer Amiron Wireless in the spring. I hope they put out a no nonsense audiophile BT headphone, then I will be happy.

Shame about the P5W pressure on the ears though as I would have kept and still be using them as I much prefer buttons rather than touch control to 'play', 'next' 'answer calls' etc.


Yeah I agree - I think bluetooth headphones are a great idea for portable use because I hate dealing with wires when i'm on the go, but tech is moving really fast and it's basically become a money grab for people to get the latest things even if they don't have a use for them. For me all I need is my smartphone and maybe a pair of wireless headphones lol
 
Jan 16, 2018 at 9:14 AM Post #65 of 65
I think it needs to be clarified a bit. The OPs were talking about the first generation P5. Today's are Series 2 so it is entirely possible that both points of view are entirely correct. I too fall in the camp of really liking the P5 (Series 2) but would stop short of calling anyone else's opinion of them BS. This hobby is way too subjective to think a single point of view is the only valid response.
 

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