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Gizmag: Bowers & Wilkins (B&W), the company that boasts the distinctive Zeppelin iPod dock, Nautilus and Panorama amongst its line of high-end speakers, has made its first foray into the headphone market with its P5 Mobile Hi-Fi Headphones. With a slim design and great sound reproduction that provides warm bass and stunning clarity through the mid-range and high-end, these headphones would have to be the most comfortable – and amongst the most impressive – headphones I’ve ever wrapped around my noggin.

The P5 features specially developed neodymium magnets and optimized mylar diaphragms along with a closed-back design with rigid metal faceplates and sealed earpads that isolate the sound, while preserving just enough ambient sound to make them perfect for listening to music on the go. To ensure comfort the P5 headphones feature an adjustable headband and earpads (padded with memory foam no less) crafted from New Zealand sheep leather that is soft and supple (which we can most definitely confirm), yet durable and hardwearing (which we’ll take B&W’s word for).

The headphones come with two cables. A standard 3.5mm jack cable and an MFI cable, which provides track switching and volume control of an iPod or iPhone along with a microphone to allow for calls or voice control. The earpads are magnetically attached so they can be quickly removed to swap between the supplied cables, which plug into a concealed modular jack.

Measuring 180mm high x 150mm wide x 60mm deep (7.08 x 5.9 x 2.36 inches) when in use, the P5 headphones also fold flat to a depth of 35mm (1.37 inches). They weigh 195g (6.88 ounces). They boast a frequency range of 10Hz to 20kHz and are available for US$299.95. That might sound pretty steep for a pair of headphones, but after giving these baby’s a listen at IFA 2010 I can only say it will be money well spent.

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T3: Can B&W’s first headphones live up to the awesome Zeppelin iPod dock range?

Bowers & Wilkins have been rolling out the red carpet for our MP3s for quite some time. The B&W Zeppelin is a sex symbol of modern tech design, pumping out some of the best sound we’ve ever heard from an iPod dock.

The newer B&W Zeppelin Mini follows suit, snipping £100 off the price tag and putting itself in the running for Music Gadget of the Year in the forthcoming 2010 T3 Gadget Awards.

But can B&W transfer that success to the mobile music market with the high-end audio specialist’s first ever pair of headphones? In a word; yes.

The P5’s bring not only the trademark audio quality associated with the brand, but also a beautiful design. With an SRP of £250, they certainly come at a B&W-like price too.

B&W P5 headphones: Performance

But it’s easy to see where that extra few quid goes. These headphones allow us to discover parts of our favourite tunes that we’d never heard before. Testing the cans to Weezer’s Blue Album opened our ears to subtle guitar parts we didn’t even know existed. It was a similar story with Guns ‘N Roses Appetite for Destruction, an album the world has listened to a million times over. These cans allow us to appreciate these tunes in a new light.

Audio quality is very warm, with excellent clarity and a great middle range. Heavy bass audio isn’t as good as we’d hoped and can sound a little distorted, while Elvis, The Beatles and The Rolling Stones’ cleaner guitar parts sound great. The B&W P5′s can’t do wonders with poor quality MP3s though, and often highlight imperfections rather than hiding them

B&W P5 headphones: Noise isolation

The P5 headphones don’t boast noise cancelling-tech in the truest sense of the word, rather noise isolation. There’s no battery powered system to keep out the external racket, but with these cans nestled closely to the ears there’s very little room for outside interference to interrupt your listening pleasure. However, you won’t be disorientated by complete isolation from your surroundings.

B&W itself says the attractive closed-back design and secured ear-pads – which are magnetically attached to the speakers – are responsible for this excellently functioning system. Like Bose’s QC range, these sit on the ears rather than engulfing them, so it’s a real achievement to cut out external noise without the noise cancelling tech that define the Bose cans.

They may be an expert at keeping noise in, but had a few annoyed glances when hammering out some tunes at half volume using our iPod Touch on a packed tube.

B&W P5 headphones: Comfort

The hinge which swings the speakers towards the ear gives the P5′s a very unique feel. However, they are a little heavy at times, and on a warm summer ride into work, prove a bit much for us to handle. There’s also the slight problem of them slipping off the back of your head ever so slightly when you move around; it’s only very minor, but they don’t feel quite as secure as you’d lilke. They can be a little too restrictive when worn around the neck, although the pads rotate inwards to sit flatly, which helps rectify that.

Audiophiles can further enhance the quality by unhooking the double-ended 3.5mm jack to replace it with one of their choosing. This is certainly preferable for home listening rather than on the move. The original cable is perfect for on-the-move Apple owners though, with stop and start and volume controls, as well as a microphone for iPhone voice calls. The B&W P5 headphones are pricey, but sound quality is excellent,  noise isolation excellent and design wise, well,  these are unquestionably the iPhone 4 of headphones.
 

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