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
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.
- Good audio reproduction.
- Stylish and compact design.
- Durable build quality.
- Poor noise isolation.
- Slightly uncomfortable and tight on-ear fit.
- Bass delivery varies significantly across users. Sensitive to glasses.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Changelog
- Updated Nov 21, 2019: Converted to Test Bench 1.3.1.
- Updated Nov 21, 2019: Converted to Test Bench 1.3.
- Updated Feb 16, 2018: Converted to Test Bench 1.2.
- Updated Oct 02, 2017: The microphone has been tested with our new methodology, as explained here
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Popular Headphones Comparisons
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.
We've upgraded our Headphones Test Bench to 2.0! This update brings several key changes to our tests and usages, making it easier than ever to interpret our sound results based on your personal preferences. You'll also find a brand-new interactive graph tool featuring multiple targets (including our own!) for you to explore and compare.
For a full breakdown, check out our changelog, which includes detailed commentary from our test designer explaining the rationale behind our update.
We'd also love to hear your thoughts: your feedback helps us keep improving, so join us in the comments!
Test Results
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
No compatible app.
