It has been a while since I posted a review to the site. I’ve gotten busy with so many other things. I’m going to start trying to update the website a little more regularly with reviews and what not. I’ve been wanting to review these Bower & Wilkins P5 headphones which I’ve had for probably about a year now, take or give.
These are hands down the nicest headphones I own in terms of materials, and build quality. The build quality and materials alone in my opinion are worth the $300 I spent on these headphones. The leather is high quality, and they are all metal with no cheap plastic bits. By far the biggest let down regarding these headphones is the angel hair like pasta cable they come with : ( I really wish the cable on these was thick like the Sony MDR V6 or the Grado Prestige line of headphones. Either way, with that being said, I haven’t broken the cable, and worst case scenario if you do it is replaceable.
These are an on ear headphone and because they have a very supple leather ear pad they really isolate very well for an on the ear headphone. I’ve used these at loud coffee shops, tons of airplane flights, and other noisy places and the isolation is excellent. The headphones do clamp a little tight on the head, and after a few hours my ears do need a break.
How Do They Sound?
I’m not going to lie these headphones are not high fidelity like a pair of Grados. There is not a whole lot of sound-stage, but what do you expect with closed backed headphones?
This doesn’t mean that the sound is not good, it is. I love these headphones for more passive music listening. Sometimes I don’t want to be able to hear every instrument so clearly; believe it or not there are times when I want my music a little more muddled, and when I do these headphones are perfect. When I want to listen to the song, rather than getting caught listening to one instrument (like I do with my Grado 225i) these are perfect. These are a very warm sounding pair of headphones. If I could improve anything slightly, I would like to be able to kick up the bass just a notch.
Should You Buy Them?
If you really want a well built headphone and have the money to spend I would recommend you get them. However, if you want to spend less and want a nice closed back headphone I would still recommend the Sony MDR V6 headphones. The Sony headphones have a little more bass, are more comfortable and cost about $200 less.
Pros
- Build quality
- Noise isolation
- Travel bag
- iPod controls on cable
- Extra cable
Cons
- Fatigue ears
- Price
- Thin cable
My video review of the Bowers & Wilkins P5 headphones:
