My local Apple Store got the new B&W P5 headphones in recently, and I noticed yesterday that they had them. I had a quick listen on the demo pair in the shop, and was impressed, and after a bit of agonising about spending £250 on a set of headphones, I reassured myself that they'd take them back if I didn't like them and went and handed over my credit card today...
My previous reference headphones were the Shure E500 IEMs, which I think sound outstanding, but, particularly when I am listening at work, they are a pain to have to keep removing and inserting when people come and ask you questions, so I wanted to try some on-ear phones instead. I've been using a pair of £30 Sennheisers, but the sound quality on them is nowhere near as good as on the Shures.
The P5s actually kill quite a lot of outside noise - perhaps not as much as the Shures, but there is certainly a noticeable reduction in outside sound when you put them on. The earpads are very comfortable; the only thing I'd say is that the headband clamps your ears quite tightly. It's not painful, but you are aware of the pressure. In all other respects the phones are comfortable and they're quite light in weight. Your ears can get a bit warm under the earpads, but they are no worse in this respect than any other on-ear phones I've used.
Sound-wise, these are a very good headphone, as you'd expect for the price. I'm assured they take a couple of days use to break in fully, and mine have only been out of the box for a few hours, but they already sound superb. The sound is very balanced; there is low bass, and high treble, but the overall effect is very well integrated and natural sounding - the one thing these phones won't sound is fatiguing. That said, they don't sound dull, either - it's a very well judged tonal balance. (Very reminiscent of my B&W XT4 speakers, actually.) Bass isn't seismically low and pounding, but if it is present on the recording, the P5s will capture it.
Volume-wise, I am amazed at how easy they are to drive. I'm using them with a 6G iPod classic, which hasn't got the most powerful headphone amp in the world, but it will drive them to very high levels with no sign of distress, and the dynamics are more than adequate - I'd say they lose out very little to the E500s, which are a comparably tiny driver coupled far more closely to the eardrum. For normal listening, there's no need to have the iPod volume much over 50%, and that's on an EU-volume-capped classic.
Finally, the build quality of the P5 is outstanding. There's no plastic anywhere on them - the headband is metal padded with real leather, as are the earcups. The supplied cables are on the short side, and feel a bit flimsy compared to the rest of the package, but they are easily interchangeable if they get damaged - I presume that B&W will sell replacements. (Actually, given the price, I'd expect B&w to give you replacements for free...) The package includes two cables, one with an integrated iPod controller and microphone, and one without, a 3.5mm to 1/4 inch adaptor, and a quilted carry pouch with an inner pocket to hold your iPod - a nice touch. (This was the only problem with mine - the pouch has a flap which is held shut with a magnet at each corner, but on mine, one magnet was missing. For £250, I wasn't putting up with that, but the Apple Shop happily replaced the pouch with one with the full complement of magnets - a bit worrying that B&Ws quality control didn't spot that though...)
Are they worth the price tag? Depends on your priorities - there may be better-sounding headphones at the price (although I suspect there aren't many - certainly I'm quite happily sitting here listening to them in preference to my Shures, and in preference to my speakers, come to that), but I don't think you'll find much that combines that sound quality with impeccable build and styling in the way that these do. Put it this way - I don't think I will be availing myself of the Apple Shop's 14-day return period!
My previous reference headphones were the Shure E500 IEMs, which I think sound outstanding, but, particularly when I am listening at work, they are a pain to have to keep removing and inserting when people come and ask you questions, so I wanted to try some on-ear phones instead. I've been using a pair of £30 Sennheisers, but the sound quality on them is nowhere near as good as on the Shures.
The P5s actually kill quite a lot of outside noise - perhaps not as much as the Shures, but there is certainly a noticeable reduction in outside sound when you put them on. The earpads are very comfortable; the only thing I'd say is that the headband clamps your ears quite tightly. It's not painful, but you are aware of the pressure. In all other respects the phones are comfortable and they're quite light in weight. Your ears can get a bit warm under the earpads, but they are no worse in this respect than any other on-ear phones I've used.
Sound-wise, these are a very good headphone, as you'd expect for the price. I'm assured they take a couple of days use to break in fully, and mine have only been out of the box for a few hours, but they already sound superb. The sound is very balanced; there is low bass, and high treble, but the overall effect is very well integrated and natural sounding - the one thing these phones won't sound is fatiguing. That said, they don't sound dull, either - it's a very well judged tonal balance. (Very reminiscent of my B&W XT4 speakers, actually.) Bass isn't seismically low and pounding, but if it is present on the recording, the P5s will capture it.
Volume-wise, I am amazed at how easy they are to drive. I'm using them with a 6G iPod classic, which hasn't got the most powerful headphone amp in the world, but it will drive them to very high levels with no sign of distress, and the dynamics are more than adequate - I'd say they lose out very little to the E500s, which are a comparably tiny driver coupled far more closely to the eardrum. For normal listening, there's no need to have the iPod volume much over 50%, and that's on an EU-volume-capped classic.
Finally, the build quality of the P5 is outstanding. There's no plastic anywhere on them - the headband is metal padded with real leather, as are the earcups. The supplied cables are on the short side, and feel a bit flimsy compared to the rest of the package, but they are easily interchangeable if they get damaged - I presume that B&W will sell replacements. (Actually, given the price, I'd expect B&w to give you replacements for free...) The package includes two cables, one with an integrated iPod controller and microphone, and one without, a 3.5mm to 1/4 inch adaptor, and a quilted carry pouch with an inner pocket to hold your iPod - a nice touch. (This was the only problem with mine - the pouch has a flap which is held shut with a magnet at each corner, but on mine, one magnet was missing. For £250, I wasn't putting up with that, but the Apple Shop happily replaced the pouch with one with the full complement of magnets - a bit worrying that B&Ws quality control didn't spot that though...)
Are they worth the price tag? Depends on your priorities - there may be better-sounding headphones at the price (although I suspect there aren't many - certainly I'm quite happily sitting here listening to them in preference to my Shures, and in preference to my speakers, come to that), but I don't think you'll find much that combines that sound quality with impeccable build and styling in the way that these do. Put it this way - I don't think I will be availing myself of the Apple Shop's 14-day return period!