Discussion
I bought a set of P5's to replace my BOSE Q3's and I have used them for about 5 months, these would be my observations;
- Sound quality for me is far superior to BOSE and this in itself was my main consideration. This is very subjective but the P5's seem much more neutral in their reproduction of the music (I listen to a wide range) and provide a much better sense of space and clarity. The BOSE's produce a very characteristic, smooth and bassy sound that is not unappealing but just too removed from the original music for my taste.
- In terms of volume I guess that will depend on the quality of your source however even on my iphone they maintain good low volume performance
- As you may be aware the P5's are noise isolating and not noise cancelling, ie they are passive. They are no match for eliminating background noise like the BOSE's, on a flight you can still hear a higher level of ambient noise that the BOSE's.However on the tube or bus they strike a good balance. For me that was a compromise I was happy with but for others that may not be the case.
- Build quality is just superb.They are a pleasure to use and are designed with the iphone in mind if that is important to you. That said they are 'on ear' phones and so will never be as comfortable as an over ear design such as the BOSE Q15's. I have used them on a 6 hour flight with no discomfort.
If the quality of the sound is important to you then I would reccomend them highly. I think John Lewis have demonstration units to auditon and compare.
HTH, Kieran
- Sound quality for me is far superior to BOSE and this in itself was my main consideration. This is very subjective but the P5's seem much more neutral in their reproduction of the music (I listen to a wide range) and provide a much better sense of space and clarity. The BOSE's produce a very characteristic, smooth and bassy sound that is not unappealing but just too removed from the original music for my taste.
- In terms of volume I guess that will depend on the quality of your source however even on my iphone they maintain good low volume performance
- As you may be aware the P5's are noise isolating and not noise cancelling, ie they are passive. They are no match for eliminating background noise like the BOSE's, on a flight you can still hear a higher level of ambient noise that the BOSE's.However on the tube or bus they strike a good balance. For me that was a compromise I was happy with but for others that may not be the case.
- Build quality is just superb.They are a pleasure to use and are designed with the iphone in mind if that is important to you. That said they are 'on ear' phones and so will never be as comfortable as an over ear design such as the BOSE Q15's. I have used them on a 6 hour flight with no discomfort.
If the quality of the sound is important to you then I would reccomend them highly. I think John Lewis have demonstration units to auditon and compare.
HTH, Kieran
Edited by Kieran on Tuesday 29th March 19:21
I bought a set of P5's to replace my BOSE Q3's and I have used them for about 5 months, these would be my observations;
- Sound quality for me is far superior to BOSE and this in itself was my main consideration. This is very subjective but the P5's seem much more neutral in their reproduction of the music (I listen to a wide range) and provide a much better sense of space and clarity. The BOSE's produce a very characteristic, smooth and bassy sound that is not unappealing but just too removed from the original music for my taste.
- In terms of volume I guess that will depend on the quality of your source however even on my iphone they maintain good low volume performance
- As you may be aware the P5's are noise isolating and not noise cancelling, ie they are passive. They are no match for eliminating background noise like the BOSE's, on a flight you can still hear a higher level of ambient noise that the BOSE's.However on the tube or bus they strike a good balance. For me that was a compromise I was happy with but for others that may not be the case.
- Build quality is just superb.They are a pleasure to use and are designed with the iphone in mind if that is important to you. That said they are 'on ear' phones and so will never be as comfortable as an over ear design such as the BOSE Q15's. I have used them on a 6 hour flight with no discomfort.
If the quality of the sound is important to you then I would reccomend them highly. I think John Lewis have demonstration units to auditon and compare.
HTH, Kieran
- Sound quality for me is far superior to BOSE and this in itself was my main consideration. This is very subjective but the P5's seem much more neutral in their reproduction of the music (I listen to a wide range) and provide a much better sense of space and clarity. The BOSE's produce a very characteristic, smooth and bassy sound that is not unappealing but just too removed from the original music for my taste.
- In terms of volume I guess that will depend on the quality of your source however even on my iphone they maintain good low volume performance
- As you may be aware the P5's are noise isolating and not noise cancelling, ie they are passive. They are no match for eliminating background noise like the BOSE's, on a flight you can still hear a higher level of ambient noise that the BOSE's.However on the tube or bus they strike a good balance. For me that was a compromise I was happy with but for others that may not be the case.
- Build quality is just superb.They are a pleasure to use and are designed with the iphone in mind if that is important to you. That said they are 'on ear' phones and so will never be as comfortable as an over ear design such as the BOSE Q15's. I have used them on a 6 hour flight with no discomfort.
If the quality of the sound is important to you then I would reccomend them highly. I think John Lewis have demonstration units to auditon and compare.
HTH, Kieran
Edited by Kieran on Tuesday 29th March 19:22
Kieran said:
I bought a set of P5's to replace my BOSE Q3's and I have used them for about 5 months, these would be my observations;
- Sound quality for me is far superior to BOSE and this in itself was my main consideration. This is very subjective but the P5's seem much more neutral in their reproduction of the music (I listen to a wide range) and provide a much better sense of space and clarity. The BOSE's produce a very characteristic, smooth and bassy sound that is not unappealing but just too removed from the original music for my taste.
- In terms of volume I guess that will depend on the quality of your source however even on my iphone they maintain good low volume performance
- As you may be aware the P5's are noise isolating and not noise cancelling, ie they are passive. They are no match for eliminating background noise like the BOSE's, on a flight you can still hear a higher level of ambient noise that the BOSE's.However on the tube or bus they strike a good balance. For me that was a compromise I was happy with but for others that may not be the case.
- Build quality is just superb.They are a pleasure to use and are designed with the iphone in mind if that is important to you. That said they are 'on ear' phones and so will never be as comfortable as an over ear design such as the BOSE Q15's. I have used them on a 6 hour flight with no discomfort.
If the quality of the sound is important to you then I would reccomend them highly. I think John Lewis have demonstration units to auditon and compare.
HTH, Kieran
Nice thanks Kieran.- Sound quality for me is far superior to BOSE and this in itself was my main consideration. This is very subjective but the P5's seem much more neutral in their reproduction of the music (I listen to a wide range) and provide a much better sense of space and clarity. The BOSE's produce a very characteristic, smooth and bassy sound that is not unappealing but just too removed from the original music for my taste.
- In terms of volume I guess that will depend on the quality of your source however even on my iphone they maintain good low volume performance
- As you may be aware the P5's are noise isolating and not noise cancelling, ie they are passive. They are no match for eliminating background noise like the BOSE's, on a flight you can still hear a higher level of ambient noise that the BOSE's.However on the tube or bus they strike a good balance. For me that was a compromise I was happy with but for others that may not be the case.
- Build quality is just superb.They are a pleasure to use and are designed with the iphone in mind if that is important to you. That said they are 'on ear' phones and so will never be as comfortable as an over ear design such as the BOSE Q15's. I have used them on a 6 hour flight with no discomfort.
If the quality of the sound is important to you then I would reccomend them highly. I think John Lewis have demonstration units to auditon and compare.
HTH, Kieran
Edited by Kieran on Tuesday 29th March 19:21
Never heard the Q15's but my in ears have served me well and isolate noise although engine noise on a flight is still audible.
As you say best thing to do is have a test.
Just got a set of these myself to add to the collection!
My main commuting phones are Sennheiser IE8 in-ear ones, but I find them a little uncomfortable for prolonged use.
The IE8s have the widest soundstage I have ever heard on an IEM, but are not quite a match for the P5s.
When I first demo'ed the P5s, it was in an Apple Store. I plugged them into my iPhone and was immediately disappointed after the IE8s. That was only because the P5s require quite a lot more power to get the same effective volume. I had become used to only using 1/3 volume on the IE8s and the equivalent on the P5s is over 1/2.
Extending listening put them above the IE8s - great soundstage and really nice across the whole range. These are certainly not headphones that make you say 'wow' straight away (maybe they should at £250!), but they are the best partner I have heard for the iPhone and that is way I am putting up with the (minor) hassle of carrying around a full-sized set of headphones again.
The build quality is fantastic - great materials all round and really comfortable to use for long periods.
The only thing I would say is that I prefer active noise cancelling for flights. I have a set of Goldring NS1000 (£50 from Play), and they work as well as the Bose and much better than the P5 (IMO!) for drowning out plane noise. The build is poor and the sound quality is nowhere near the P5 for every day use.
I am sure an expert could find a set of headphones and a headphone amp that would outperform the P5s for £250, but if you are looking for a simple, elegant and great sounding solution, I think they are hard to beat.
My main commuting phones are Sennheiser IE8 in-ear ones, but I find them a little uncomfortable for prolonged use.
The IE8s have the widest soundstage I have ever heard on an IEM, but are not quite a match for the P5s.
When I first demo'ed the P5s, it was in an Apple Store. I plugged them into my iPhone and was immediately disappointed after the IE8s. That was only because the P5s require quite a lot more power to get the same effective volume. I had become used to only using 1/3 volume on the IE8s and the equivalent on the P5s is over 1/2.
Extending listening put them above the IE8s - great soundstage and really nice across the whole range. These are certainly not headphones that make you say 'wow' straight away (maybe they should at £250!), but they are the best partner I have heard for the iPhone and that is way I am putting up with the (minor) hassle of carrying around a full-sized set of headphones again.
The build quality is fantastic - great materials all round and really comfortable to use for long periods.
The only thing I would say is that I prefer active noise cancelling for flights. I have a set of Goldring NS1000 (£50 from Play), and they work as well as the Bose and much better than the P5 (IMO!) for drowning out plane noise. The build is poor and the sound quality is nowhere near the P5 for every day use.
I am sure an expert could find a set of headphones and a headphone amp that would outperform the P5s for £250, but if you are looking for a simple, elegant and great sounding solution, I think they are hard to beat.
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