Bowers & Wilkins P3 Headphones (Wired) - Black/Grey

These headphones richly deserve the 5-star rating. The sound is excellent for this price range speakers. Note: The earpieces were a little uncomfortable and felt heavy at first, but after wearing the headphones for a good 30 minutes, the earpieces molded to my ears and the discomfort went away. I was going to keep the headpgones even if the slight discomfort continued becuase of the great sound and separation these headphones afford; so when the earpieces got more comfortable, I was in seventh heaven. I tried other MP3/iPhone headphones before I found these, and always returned them because they were not up to par - but these headphones are really, really nice. They fit tightly, which I really like so that they do not jiggle when I am taking my walks; and they are a little compact, so easy to use for portable purposes. I really like them, I think they are a great buy.

I am familiar with the B&W brand. Although I do not own their speakers, a close friend has been a fan for years and I have heard his setup. Unfortunately, these headphones seem distant and very midrange sounding. They do have good bass, but it never seemed to pop out when listening. These were compared to even a Sony MDR-10RBT and V-Moda XS, as well as the pair I was replacing (which were Bose OE1). Also, the headband was uncomfortable and my wife agreed. The quality is nice of the headphones and they have a great case. Unfortunately, these weren't for me. Distant sound, decent bass, but I bet the P5s would have been better, but unfortunately those are 100 more. Just give a listen first........

The sound quality of these headphones is excellent - no doubt about that. However, after 5 minutes of wearing them, I realized that they are not for me. They are so tight and hurt my years and head so much that it was simply impossible to enjoy them. I don't think I have a large head: an average for a 5.9" person. The problem is, you cannot regulate the pressure of the headphones by extending or contracting them: when extended, they slid off the ears and moved very easily with my head's movements; when contracted, they hurt my head even more with the band. I have returned them after 2 days of interrupted use (could not stand the pain).

P3 has an impressive combination of sound quality, comfort and terrific look. B&W did a great job for all people on the move paying attention to every detail and making it to perfection. Steel rails, magnet earpads, soft plastic accompanied by good noise isolation and awesome sound put P3 to the top of class for portable headphones in this price range. These headphones will be truly appreciated by anyone, who values high quality and style.

Highly impressed with these headphones! my only gripe is they can be a bit uncomfortable, but the memory foam seems to do its job and they begin to conform to your ears pretty well after a while. the sound is great, you can tell these are high quality and they have a very smart look to them.

So these things sound good and they look good. In fact, they sound very good and look very good. But after that, they kind of fall down. Comfort: The on ear comfort is fine. I imagine for listening sessions beyond an hour they might get a little annoying. But that's not how I use portable headphones. But the padding on the band is completely inadequate. These things are much heavier than typical portable headphones. All that aesthetic has a weight penalty. Every 15 minutes I have to adjust where the band rests on the top of my head as the pressure is uncomfortable. Portability They fold. And that's helpful, but they're still very bulky to fit in a bag. And the case that ships with it is ridiculous. It takes up way too much space. My biggest portability complaint is the thin wire. It constantly tangles and wraps itself into knots. Were it thicker, or flatter, or both it would be a much better design. Every time I take it out of my backpack I also have to unwind and detangle the cord. Super annoying. Ergonomics The remote is too small. You will definitely not be using it with gloves. Even without gloves, it takes a few seconds to find the indentation and orient your fingers. The tactical feedback on the clicks is also very slight. It's difficult to know if you've double clicked or triple clicked. If they would add more padding to the headband and entirely redid the cable/remote these could easily be five star portable phones, even with the price. edit: I've changed my review to two stars from three. After living with these headphones for about five months, I've dumped them. All of the issues I mentioned above have become more aggravating. The pressure point on top of my head is just really uncomfortable. The padding may as well not be there. I'm tired of constantly untangling the cord. Additionally, the inline remote functions really poorly in cold weather. Clicks become soft and mushy with almost no tactile feedback. Once you're back inside the remote functions correctly again. When I bought these, I crossed shopped them with the Harman Kardon CL. They were both the same price at $199. Despite the CLs having a slightly warmer and more pleasing sound, I chose the P3s because they were more compact when stowed. I've now switched over to the CLs. The CLs can now be had for $99 making the decision between the two a no-brainer. Despite the CLs being heavier, they are MUCH more comfortable as the leather strap that rests below the metal band distributes its weight evenly across your head. The cord is much less frustrating too. It is thicker and only plugs on one side. The inline remote on the CL is better too - good tactile feedback and the buttons are distinct from each other as opposed to the one piece design of the P3s. I also really love the way the CLs auto adjust as you put them on. I still think the P3s look better and the sound is comparable. But the comfort and usability of the P3s is really lacking.

Amazing set of headphones Good quality sound. Bought them for my husband for his birthday and he uses them every day since. He loves them! Thank you!

I was underwhelmed by both the audio quality and phone call utility. On the audio quality, I A/B compared them with my 10+ year old Sennheiser HD 555's, which retailed for about $125 in 2004 when I bought them. Sennheisers were clearly superior - maybe breakin would have evened it out a bit, but the difference was not subtle. So, I wasn't going to give up my Sennheiser cans for these in terms of music listening for enjoyment. As for telephone calls - and this is universal to phones w noise canceling - it's disconcerting to speak and not hear your own voice. Personally, I felt it was a bizarre and uncomfortable dynamic. They do happen to look great and be made of high quality materials; I just wouldn't end up using them so sent them back.