Top positive review
5.0 out of 5 starsP5 Series 2 and P5 Wireless Recertified: excellent sound quality (after break-in), lightweight, comfortable, portable
Reviewed in the United States on August 6, 2016
I've now purchased the wired P5 series 2, and the P5 wireless (recertified). I'm happy with both.
For reference, I also own the Sennheiser HD650 and the Bose QC35, and I've previously owned Audio Technica ATH-AD700 and Shure SE535 (relatively high-end in-ear monitors) and a few less notable headphones and earphones.
SOUND QUALITY
The P5s sound great. The lowest bass frequencies are a bit pronounced, but not anything like Beats by Dr. Dre. In contrast, the Bose QC35s accentuate the higher frequencies. The Senn 650s are the most neutral sounding of the three.
The P5s need break-in. The sound quality is disappointing right out of the box. Plug them into an old iPod and let them run overnight and they'll sound better the next day. The Sennheiser headphones and every good pair of speakers I've ever purchased also sounded disappointing out of the box and way better after 20 hours or so of break-in.
The P5s are very clear and have a nice soundstage--both wired and wireless. You can hear the space between instruments, you can hear the bow of the violin on the strings, the airiness of flutes and saxophones, the pluck of an acoustic bass. But when the music is busy and complex, for example when everyone in an orchestra is playing simultaneously, you lose some of the separation with the P5s and the music sounds a little bit like a big wall of sound rather than a large number of distinct voices--this is true for every headphone in this price range, in my experience. The more expensive Senn 650s are better at letting you hear the individual instruments when many are playing simultaneously, as in a big orchestra.
I think the P5 sound quality is very very good for a headphone in this price class. But I don't think it's audiophile quality, as some reviewers here suggest. Some reviews say the P5s are the best headphones they've ever heard. Almost every pair of headphones will have some reviews that say the same thing. You have to ask yourself what kind of headphones did they have before? What are they comparing them to? If a person has only ever used the cheap earbuds that come with an iPhone, or a $40 pair of headphones, then of course the Bose will sound amazing. People tend to "buy up," in other words every headphone they buy is better than the previous one (it wouldn't make sense to buy one that's worse than the previous one), so most reviewers are comparing their newest headphones to their previous ones which were cheaper and not as good sounding. That comparison doesn't do you much good, though, especially if you are accustomed to better headphones than the reviewers.
BLOCKING OUTSIDE NOISE
The P5s have no active noise cancellation. But for an on-ear headphone, they passively block out a lot of external noise. Not as much as the Bose with active noise cancellation--this is Bose's one true advantage, outstanding active noise cancellation. But I think the P5s sound better than the Bose, and sound quality is more important to me than noise cancellation.
BLUETOOTH
Bluetooth pairing is easy, including to multiple devices. The bluetooth connection of the P5 Wireless is perfectly reliable, whereas with the Bose QC35 randomly drops the bluetooth connection for 1 or 2 seconds--not often, maybe once or twice an hour at the most--a minor annoyance about the Bose.
All bluetooth headphones run on internal rechargeable batteries. Battery life is excellent on both the P5 wireless and QC35, I've never run out of battery charge. However, each of these headphones includes a cord so you can use the headphone as a wired headphone in case the battery charge runs out. Also, the sound quality is slightly better with the cord than via bluetooth for both headsets.
LOOKS
Looks are subjective, and looks are less important than sound quality for most people, but they're somewhat important to some of us. I think the P5s look even better in person than in the photos, while the Bose QC35s look about the same in person as in the photos. The P5s are made of real leather and chrome-looking metal. The QC35s are made from some kind of composite material that Bose says is stronger than plastic--but it looks like plastic. The Bose are cheaper looking than the P5s.
COMFORT
The Bose are, physically, more comfortable to wear than the P5s, but the P5s are nonetheless very comfortable to wear for hours-long listening sessions. The P5's earcups are memory foam covered in soft, nice leather. At first, both sets of the P5s clamped a bit too tightly on my above-average-sized head, but after a week or so of usage, they stretched just a wee bit and now the amount of clamping is perfect: tight enough to keep them very stable on my head, but not so tight as to be uncomfortable.
PORTABILITY
The P5's are also light weight and fold nicely into their included travel bag. Great for traveling. I expect the more expensive B&W P7s have better sound quality, but they are definitely bigger and heavier--especially the wireless version--and portability is important to me. So, the P5 (wired & wireless models) are perfect for me. The Bose QC35 are equally portable. The Bose comes with a hard shell carry case while the P5s come with a cloth case. The hard shell is more protective, but heavier. The cloth case that comes with the P5 has a diagonal quilt pattern. Some people might think it looks a bit feminine, like a purse.
RECERTIFIED
I bought the P5 Wireless as a recertified/refurbished unit and saved $60. The refurbished ones look, work, and sound indistinguishable from new; the only way you can tell they are refurbished is the box they come in is more plain-looking and says "re certified" on it, making it less giftable.
SUMMARY
Of all the headphones I've owned in this price range, the P5s have the best sound quality, good comfort, great looks, and the P5 wireless works great and is the best-sounding bluetooth headphone I've ever heard (but keep in mind that I have not yet heard the Sennheiser Momentum Wireless, maybe you should check out that model, it gets very good reviews from owners and from professional review websites like What*Hifi).
But if you are accustomed to audiophile-level sound quality, you might look at headphones in a higher price range. Maybe the B&W P7 or the Oppo PM-3 or better headphones.
