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Tulani

macrumors 68000
Original poster
Dec 6, 2012
1,774
752
0a051ffea858d3f891c516f957757087.jpg


.....and the Beat goes on!
 
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Scepticalscribe

macrumors Ivy Bridge
Jul 29, 2008
63,832
46,277
In a coffee shop.
I've owned 2 pairs of the P5s, C5s and now the P9s! I have to say the P9s are worth every cent. Sounds amazing, look great, and solid build quality. Highly recommend for anyone considering.

That is a serious recommendation.

I'm still pondering them, I must admit.

It is a big outlay but when you get 4-5 years of use out of a product its well worth it. I bought my first pair of P5s in 2012 and they got stolen not long after and the second pair has had about 4 years of solid use, around 2-3 hours a day at a minimum.

Damn those thieves, as @Tulani has remarked - but they had good taste.

Having said that, my P5s are used daily as well, sometimes for hours and hours, especially if I am travelling.

0a051ffea858d3f891c516f957757087.jpg


.....and the Beat goes on!

Ah - my Precious........

What beautiful headphones and I can attest to how well built they are, how exceptionally good they are, and how completely comfortable they are to wear.

I have had my first pair of P5s (I have two) since 2012, - and while they have been repaired once - they still work perfectly well and look almost as good as new.
 

Scepticalscribe

macrumors Ivy Bridge
Jul 29, 2008
63,832
46,277
In a coffee shop.
repaired? what was the problem and who does repairs for B&W?

I was working abroad at the time and the sound in one of the ear pieces went.

When I returned home on leave, I called into the shop where I had bought them - it was an authorised B&W distributor - and they promptly despatched them off to B&W for repair. I think they said something about "drivers".

Anyway, the P5s were easily two to three years old at that stage - and had been used almost daily, and had literally travelled the world with me.

I bought a second pair - as I was due to return to where I worked in central Asia and the pair sent for repair would not have been back for the best part of two to three months, and I did not wish to be without my P5s; the second pair came in that fetching navy leather - the so-called "Maserati" edition, which the vendors swore had even better sound quality.

In any case, it took several weeks for B&W to repair the originals which were returned to me in excellent condition, repaired, new lining, etc - I think I was told that both ear -pieces had been replaced not just one, and the leather was new, etc.

As I travel a lot, - and absolutely love the P5s, having two pairs is not an issue - as one is always in a briefcase, and the other near my computer.
 
Last edited:

Sam_S

macrumors 6502
Nov 20, 2016
258
314
Everywhere
All good. Had not heard of failures of these before but you explain it well.

I had the right driver fail on my P5s series 1, about a week before the warranty expired. They were promptly repaired by the distributor where I am from. They were almost 4 years only before the left driver failed, so I upgraded to the P9s.
 
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Tulani

macrumors 68000
Original poster
Dec 6, 2012
1,774
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I am observing that they have continued with physical control buttons as opposed to swipe gestures that have manifested on the modern headphones.

I wonder if they have found them to be too gimmicky??

Not that it takes away my love for B&W. Just curious.
 
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Scepticalscribe

macrumors Ivy Bridge
Jul 29, 2008
63,832
46,277
In a coffee shop.
I am observing that they have continued with physical control buttons as opposed to swipe gestures that have manifested on the modern headphones.

I wonder if they have found them to be too gimmicky??

Not that it takes away my love for B&W. Just curious.

Give me physical control buttons anyday, I must admit. Not a fan of swiping for such purposes.
 

Tulani

macrumors 68000
Original poster
Dec 6, 2012
1,774
752
Give me physical control buttons anyday, I must admit. Not a fan of swiping for such purposes.

You have a point.
I was just assuming manufacturers would want to “catch up” with the trendsetters like the Sony WH-1000XM3 in both Design and Noice cancellation
 
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Scepticalscribe

macrumors Ivy Bridge
Jul 29, 2008
63,832
46,277
In a coffee shop.
You have a point.
I was just assuming manufacturers would want to “catch up” with the trendsetters like the Sony WH-1000XM3 in both Design and Noice cancellation

Well, personally, I like the nice "physical" feel of a switch, or knob, or dial or button for such functions, and the idea that the device responds to this stimulus.

Moreover, I am not - remotely - a slave to fashion; if it works on the grounds of both function and aesthetics, it may be worth considering, but I like the "feel" of physical things.
 
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randy98mtu

macrumors 65816
Mar 4, 2009
1,454
140
Not sure if I should thank you or curse you. PI7’s inbound - ETA Saturday. I’m such a sucker for B+W...
 
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randy98mtu

macrumors 65816
Mar 4, 2009
1,454
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These things are really good. My only real complaint would be the case. It feels a bit cheap for the price. Everything else is great. They fit in my ears comfortably and securely. I loved my original AirPods. They were a compromise in sound quality for convenience. Sound wasn’t bad at all, but wasn’t anything special. Theses guys the case is a bit on the big side, but still fits in my pocket ok. Connection is fast and easy. Controls are ok, but I don’t really feel much of a need for controls with ear pods and Apple Watch. Sound quality is … B&W. They sound, as expected, fantastic. I can’t speak to comfort for long listening sessions or battery life, or call quality. I use them for music at my desk and in the grocery story, a little around the house. I’ll report back after some more listening.
 
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Tulani

macrumors 68000
Original poster
Dec 6, 2012
1,774
752
These things are really good. My only real complaint would be the case. It feels a bit cheap for the price. Everything else is great. They fit in my ears comfortably and securely. I loved my original AirPods. They were a compromise in sound quality for convenience. Sound wasn’t bad at all, but wasn’t anything special. Theses guys the case is a bit on the big side, but still fits in my pocket ok. Connection is fast and easy. Controls are ok, but I don’t really feel much of a need for controls with ear pods and Apple Watch. Sound quality is … B&W. They sound, as expected, fantastic. I can’t speak to comfort for long listening sessions or battery life, or call quality. I use them for music at my desk and in the grocery story, a little around the house. I’ll report back after some more listening.
Thank you so much for the feedback.

Do they connect to 2 devices at once?

I am also sceptical about the insertable ear-tips as compared the the AirPods which are not as invasive.

Sound I am sure is always as good as the B&W has always been.
 
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randy98mtu

macrumors 65816
Mar 4, 2009
1,454
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I’m not entirely sure what your definition is of 2 devices at once. Are you saying you are listening on your ipad and a phone call comes in through your phone? I have them paired to my iPhone and my iPad now and I just have to go into the settings on the respective device to switch the one connected (just like I’ve always had to do with my AirPods.)
 

Tulani

macrumors 68000
Original poster
Dec 6, 2012
1,774
752
Yes “2 connections at once” should be a seamless switch over between devices without having to do it manually
 

Tulani

macrumors 68000
Original poster
Dec 6, 2012
1,774
752
I never got my AirPods to do that…
i think its only the pro's that can do that with only Apple products

but other headphone makers like Sony and Bose do and you can link an iOS and Android device for example
 

Tulani

macrumors 68000
Original poster
Dec 6, 2012
1,774
752
I’m not entirely sure what your definition is of 2 devices at once. Are you saying you are listening on your ipad and a phone call comes in through your phone? I have them paired to my iPhone and my iPad now and I just have to go into the settings on the respective device to switch the one connected (just like I’ve always had to do with my AirPods.)

Sony has something new coming up soon to “suffocate” all of these now.

 
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