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Bowers & Wilkins P5 Series 2 Headphones Review

Tested using Methodology v1.3.1
Reviewed Aug 26, 2016 at 10:06 am
Latest change: Test bench update Nov 21, 2019 at 11:22 am
Bowers & Wilkins P5 Series 2 Picture
6.0
Mixed Usage
6.5
Neutral Sound
5.8
Commute/Travel
6.2
Sports/Fitness
5.9
Office
5.0
Wireless Gaming
6.8
Wired Gaming
6.3
Phone Call

The Bowers & Wilkins P5 Series 2 are well-designed, eye-catching, and compact headphones with a good audio reproduction. They have a sturdy and durable build quality. However, they're uncomfortably tight at times and don't block much ambient noise. They also sound a bit tinier than the Bowers & Wilkins P5 Wireless.

Our Verdict

6.0 Mixed Usage

The Bowers & Wilkins P5 Series 2 are mediocre for mixed usage. They're well-designed and have a solid build. Their sound quality is above-average and caters well to most tracks. However, their poor noise isolation makes them not versatile enough for loud environments.

Pros
  • Good audio reproduction.
  • Stylish and compact design.
  • Durable build quality.
Cons
  • Poor noise isolation.
  • Slightly uncomfortable and tight on-ear fit.
  • Bass delivery varies significantly across users. Sensitive to glasses.
6.5 Neutral Sound

The Bowers & Wilkins P5 Series 2 are above-average on-ear headphones for neutral listening. They sound a little bit closed due to their small ear cup design, but they reproduce the bass, mids, and treble frequencies quite well. Their sound is a bit tinny, but they should still please most listeners with their better-than-average audio reproduction.

5.8 Commute/Travel

The Bowers & Wilkins P5 Series 2 are decent for commutes. Their noise isolation is weak and can let the ambient noise of a noisy commute seep into your audio.

6.2 Sports/Fitness

The Bowers & Wilkins P5 Series 2 are decent for sports. They're compact and moderately stable enough for jogging and some light exercising. However, they're not the most comfortable, and the on-ear pads get a little steamy when you sweat a lot.

5.9 Office

The Bowers & Wilkins P5 Series 2 are average for office use. They won't leak enough to be audible except at higher volumes. However, they won't isolate you from the ambient noise of a lively office.

6.8 Wired Gaming
  • 6.0 Mixed Usage
  • 6.5 Neutral Sound
  • 5.8 Commute/Travel
  • 6.2 Sports/Fitness
  • 5.9 Office
  • 5.0 Wireless Gaming
  • 6.8 Wired Gaming
  • 6.3 Phone Call
  1. Updated Nov 21, 2019: Converted to Test Bench 1.3.1.
  2. Updated Nov 21, 2019: Converted to Test Bench 1.3.
  3. Updated Feb 16, 2018: Converted to Test Bench 1.2.
  4. Updated Oct 02, 2017: The microphone has been tested with our new methodology, as explained here
  5. Updated Aug 10, 2017: Converted to Test Bench 1.1.
  6. Updated Mar 01, 2017: Converted to Test Bench 1.0.
  7. Updated Aug 26, 2016: Review published.
  8. Updated Aug 24, 2016: Our testers have started testing this product.
  9. Updated Aug 09, 2016: We've purchased the product and are waiting for it to arrive in our lab.

Compared To Other Headphones

Audio-Technica ATH-M60x

The Audio-Technica ATH-M60x are better sounding on-ears than the Bowers & Wilkins P5 Series 2. The Bowers & Wilkins have a much better build quality that not only feels more durable but also looks a lot more premium than the Audio Technica. The Bowers & Wilkins' design is also a bit more compact and easier to use with mobile devices since they come with an in-line remote. On the other hand, the Audio-Technica have a better-balanced sound and a more comfortable on-ear fit. They also come with three audio cables which make them a bit more suitable for a recording studio.

Test Results

Design
Design
Style
Type On-ear
Enclosure Closed-Back
Wireless No
Transducer Dynamic

The Bowers & Wilkins P5 Series 2 are well-crafted headphones with a premium build quality. The headband and earpads are covered in a smooth black leather that adds to the high-end appeal of these headphones. They're compact and look a bit sleeker than the Bowers & Wilkins P7. They have small square ear cups like the Bowers & Wilkins P5 Wireless and a unique metal frame that's quite eye-catching.

6.5
Design
Comfort
Weight 0.43 lbs
Clamping Force
0.92 lbs

These on-ear headphones are moderately comfortable. They're lightweight but feel a bit tight due to the light padding on the ear cups. They clamp the head a bit more than the Bowers & Wilkins P5 Wireless. On the upside, the padding is covered with a plush leather that feels good on the skin. They won't be the most pleasant headphones for long listening sessions, but they're comfortable enough to not cause any pain or soreness.

7.2
Design
Controls
OS Compatibility
iOS
Ease Of Use Good
Feedback Okay
Call/Music Control Yes
Volume Control Yes
Microphone Control No
Channel Mixing
N/A
Noise Cancelling Control N/A
Talk-Through
N/A
Additional Buttons No

The Bowers & Wilkins P5 Series 2 have an above-average control scheme that provides call/music, track skipping, and volume controls. The buttons have decent tactile feedback with a dip in the middle of the inline control module for the call/music button. However, the shape of the inline controls looks dual-sided which can take a little time to get used to.

8.2
Design
Breathability
Avg.Temp.Difference 2 °C
6.4
Design
Portability
L 7.63"
W 5.5"
H 1.63"
Volume 68.4 in³
Transmitter Required N/A

The Bowers & Wilkins P5 Series 2 are fairly portable on-ear headphones. They're compact and lay flat to take less space. They fit into most bags and larger purses but don't fold to reduce their footprint, which makes them a bit cumbersome to comfortably carry on your person.

7.0
Design
Case
Type Pouch
L N/A
W N/A
H N/A
Volume N/A

The Bowers & Wilkins P5 Series 2 come with a soft pouch that can help shield the headphones from scratches and minor water damage. However, it can't really protect them against hard falls, and its fabric isn't waterproof.

8.0
Design
Build Quality

The Bowers & Wilkins P5 Series 2, like the Bowers & Wilkins P5 Wireless, have a sturdy metal frame and dense ear cup design that's robust and durable. The materials used in their build quality feel premium and should withstand regular wear and tear quite well. They shouldn't get damaged by a few drops. However, the metal frame connects to the earcups with a relatively thin hinge, which could get damaged by heavy physical stress.

6.5
Design
Stability

These headphones are moderately stable. They should stay in place during casual use and mild physical activity. However, they aren't meant for running or strenuous exercise. They're a bit tighter on the head than the Bowers & Wilkins P5 Wireless, but unlike the wireless version, the cable can get hooked on something and pull the headphones off your head.

Design
Headshots 1
Design
Headshots 2
Design
Top
Design
In The Box

  • Bowers & Wilkins P5 S2 Headphones
  • 1/8" to 1/4" Adapter
  • Audio cable 
  • Carrying pouch
  • Manual

Sound
Sound
Sound Profile
Bass Amount
1.02 dB
Treble Amount
-2.91 dB
5.9
Sound
Frequency Response Consistency
Avg. Std. Deviation
1 dB

The frequency response consistency is sub-par. Their response shows significant deviation in bass delivery across our human subjects, especially with the one who wears glasses. This shows that the bass delivery is sensitive to fit and seal and could cause as much as 6dB of drop in bass at 100Hz, which is quite noticeable. The treble delivery, however, is a lot more consistent.

Sound
Raw Frequency Response
7.9
Sound
Bass Accuracy
Std. Err.
2.87 dB
Low-Frequency Extension
10 Hz
Low-Bass
3.67 dB
Mid-Bass
3.56 dB
High-Bass
1.88 dB
7.8
Sound
Mid Accuracy
Std. Err.
2.9 dB
Low-Mid
-2.63 dB
Mid-Mid
-1.53 dB
High-Mid
2.95 dB
5.8
Sound
Treble Accuracy
Std. Err.
5.23 dB
Low-Treble
1.66 dB
Mid-Treble
-4.08 dB
High-Treble
-8.32 dB
6.8
Sound
Peaks/Dips
Peaks
1.89 dB
Dips
2.1 dB
8.6
Sound
Imaging
Weighted Group Delay
0.22
Weighted Amplitude Mismatch
0.87
Weighted Frequency Mismatch
1.79
Weighted Phase Mismatch
4.36
3.5
Sound
Soundstage
PRTF Accuracy (Std. Dev.)
4.92 dB
PRTF Size (Avg.)
-0.22 dB
PRTF Distance
6.22 dB
Openness
5.2
Acoustic Space Excitation
2.7
7.9
Sound
Weighted Harmonic Distortion
WHD @ 90
0.118
WHD @ 100
0.189
Isolation
4.6
Isolation
Noise Isolation
Isolation Audio
Overall Attenuation
-11.38 dB
Noise Cancelling No
Bass
0.73 dB
Mid
-7.22 dB
Treble
-28.23 dB

Poor overall isolation. However, considering these headphones don't have active noise cancelling, the passive isolation provided by the ear cups is decent. Treble isolation is good, but as expected, the passive isolation only becomes effective past 400HZ and does not really block any low-bass frequencies. Isolation in the mid-range is also below average.

7.8
Isolation
Leakage
Leakage Audio
Overall Leakage @ 1ft
34.71 dB

Average leakage performance. The majority of leakage is in the 2kHz-6kHz frequency range, which is relatively narrow. The overall level of the leakage is also decent.

Microphone
Microphone
Microphone Style
Integrated
No
In-line
Yes
Boom
No
Detachable Boom
N/A
Mic Yes
7.4
Microphone
Recording Quality
Recorded Speech
LFE
354.04 Hz
FR Std. Dev.
4.19 dB
HFE
12,177.48 Hz
Weighted THD
0.795
Gain
22.15 dB
6.0
Microphone
Noise Handling
Speech + Pink Noise
Speech + Subway Noise
SpNR
12.76 dB
Active Features
not tested
Active Features
Battery
Battery Type
N/A
Continuous Battery Life
N/A
Additional Charges
N/A
Total Battery Life
N/A
Charge Time
N/A
Power Saving Feature
N/A
Audio While Charging
N/A
Passive Playback
N/A
Charging Port N/A
0
Active Features
App Support
App Name N/A
iOS N/A
Android N/A
macOS N/A
Windows N/A
Equalizer
N/A
ANC Control
N/A
Mic Control N/A
Room effects
N/A
Playback Control
N/A
Button Mapping N/A
Surround Sound N/A

No compatible app.

Connectivity
0
Connectivity
Bluetooth
Bluetooth Version
N/A
Multi-Device Pairing
N/A
NFC Pairing
N/A
Line of Sight Range
N/A
Default Latency
N/A
aptX Latency
N/A
aptX(LL) Latency
N/A
0
Connectivity
Non-Bluetooth Wireless
Non-BT Line of Sight Range
N/A
Non-BT Latency
N/A
9.5
Connectivity
Wired
Analog Audio
Yes
USB Audio
No
Detachable Yes
Length 4.04 ft
Connection 1/8" TRRS
Wired Latency
0 ms
Connectivity
PC / PS4 Compatibility
PC / PS4 Analog
Audio + Microphone
PC / PS4 Wired USB
No
PC / PS4 Non-BT Wireless
No
Connectivity
Xbox One Compatibility
Xbox One Analog
Audio Only
Xbox One Wired USB
No
Xbox One Wireless
No
0
Connectivity
Base/Dock
Type
N/A
USB Input
N/A
Line In
N/A
Line Out
N/A
Optical Input
N/A
RCA Input
N/A
Dock Charging
N/A
Power Supply
N/A