Music Maestro Please
The P5 was tested on an iPod Touch. Music sounds firm and solid. It’s easy listening to songs of different kind. Listeners looking for a tight and uncoloured bass reproduction (hi fi so to say) can find a good companion in the P5. It is without a doubt an audiophile product, which shines when pairing it up with the headphones connection on a classic system: clear balanced voices, spaciality and a nice touch, the well known B&W sound. If you want pumping and throbbing bass you should look for another solution. The leather headband pushes the foam-filled ear pads against your ears and manages to keep environmental sounds to a minimum. At first the pressure of the pads against your ears may seem a bit much, but the headband adjusts itself to the shape of your head after a while and turns out very comfortable to wear. After a few days the P5 fits nearly perfectly. The headphones manage to keep the sound inside very well, so they are very suited to wear in a public space or on a bus. At higher volumes the headphones do not show audible signs of distortion.
B&W did research on how to provide a natural and unfatiguing listening experiences, and the conclusions where incorporated into the design to enhance the portability of the headphones. The longer you wear the P5, the more it becomes one with your head’s shape. If you take the headphones of, the ear pads automatically turn outside, which protects the pads from damage. Personally I believe fixed ear pads are more practical, but it may be subject to habituation.
Quality with a price
The P5 headphones are beautifully designed and have a high quality finish using real leather. B&W thought of interaction with the Apple-devices and the sound is very familiar. B&W certainly reaches out to the lovers of the make (a must have product). More important perhaps is that it also reaches out to the general audience that appreciates mobile music. For them the P5 is an upgrade, both in esthetics as in sound, to real high fidelity. Once the P5 has shaped itself to your head, it’s easy to enjoy it for hours. The higher price tag is justified by the mobile hifi-approach, but the listener has to be prepared to shelve out 300 euros to listen to its iPod’s music, which may contain lesser quality music. If you are prepared to spend this money, you get very pleasing looking headphones. In the comfort zone of your living room the P5 is very well suited to enjoy your favorite music, with all registers and without compression artifacts. B&&W promised us a natural music reproduction without excessive bass. And it well delivers. The P5 is available at several Apple stores and at all B&W dealers for a price just under 300 euros.
