Ray, who had done an extensive comparison here, writes:
I have just purchased the P5s and I do agree that the cable is flimsy compared to many other headphones and also the Jack plug adapter that comes with it is a cheap adage that can be purchased in any audio shop. I think that Bowers and Wilkins could have spent the extra on a better cable and gold plated adaptor. However, I have compared the P5s to my collection of headphones. I am in the business of music and have made some comparisons with them in build quality, sound staging, stereo imaging, clarity and trueness in sound frequencies. Although the P5s are not reference headphones like several of my others which have larger ear cups and are both semi open and closed, the P5s compared favourably. The build quality is very good considering that it is a traveling headphone and I believe they will stand up very well to wear. I prefer them to Grado's which have crap build quality, and I prefer the P5s sound to Bose headphones of comparable price.. I also compared the P5s with Sennheiser HD 595s, Denon AH-D 2000, Beyerdynamic DT 770s and 990s, and although the P5s are a smaller ear cup than my other headphones I liked their overall performance a lot. The leather headband and ear pads sit very comfortably on the ear and isolate the sound very well. Personally I think that Bowers and Wilkins did a good job with the design and if one is to argue that they are overpriced then I would argue that I have seen a lot of headphones that are overpriced but the P5s are definitely better value than most on the market for the price. My Sennheisers although having a well balanced and open sound have a totally crap build. My Danon's do not pick up the full frequency range, The Bayer DT 990s and 770s along with the P5s are the only headphones that I am happy with.
I'm an owner of DT990 Pros. The sound is great and the build is good for the most part, with one glaring weakness. There are two plastic parts on either end of the headband that keep the sliders of each earcup attached. The problem is that the sliders are made of a tough metal, and due to there being a little play in this joint, the metal slider becomes a lever that when wiggled (as when removing or putting on the headphones) tries to pry apart the plastic component (which is two halves screwed together). The bigger your head is, the further out you slide the earcup, and so the leverage force increases to the point where this stress is enough to crack and eventually break apart the plastic. I had to replace this once already at high expense for a piece of cheap plastic. Beyerdynamic should really make this from metal, or just redesign the joint completely.
Posted by: Ulysses | June 11, 2015 at 08:20 AM