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I have a set of B & W P%'s and they are awesome. I also have a set to Bose and Grado's. The P5 beats them hands down. I am going to purchase a set of C5's to use while running and commuting. I have found that the best review doesn't normally tell the story. Why ? Because every human ear is different just like the bodies they occupy. So, what sounds good to me might sound bad to you. Best thing to do is, go down to the store and try them out. Apple has them and they will let you try them out either on the spot or through their 14 day return policy.

And not only does the perceived sound quality vary from person to person, it is also a function of how the sound is reproduced. Using an external amplifier like the Emmeline Mustang and the 30 gb 5th generation iPod classic changes everything. A comparison with the native output of the iPod makes it clear that using in-ear phones of this quality without external amplification via the line out is probably a waste of money. There is simply no comparison; the B&W C5's were addictive when used with the external amp, merely very good when not.

Lemonhead, on 17 April 2012 - 01:55 AM, said:

I always test with headphone amps, and additionally confirm my observations against built-in headphone ports. I also use lossless audio to ensure that compression artifacts don't contribut to my assessment (though again, I spot check lossy files to be sure that compression artifacts don't cause undue issues with a particular model.

mouh60, on 09 April 2012 - 12:58 PM, said:

The P5 is very nice. I was far less impressed with the C5, though.

I agree that it's best to audition equipment in person whenever possible. That's ideal, but not always possible.

I don't agree that sound quality is as subjective as you seem to think it is. If we both hear a live, acoustic guitar, we hear it as it sounds, and there's no room for subjectivity. Likewise, some headphones and audio equipment come closer to "truth" than others. Where personal preference comes in is that when compromises are made, people will differ in their opinion as to which areas of performance should be prioritized and which should be compromised.

There's room for personal preference, but if you really think there's nothing objective about audio, you probably won't get much out of anybody's reviews. I try to assess overall sound quality to help readers decide whether a particular model is a better deal, but I also explain my reasoning so that if I ding a product for something that doesn't bother you, you can factor that into your interpretation of my buying advice.

I have bought a pair of this based on the name. Foul's mistake. The sound of this device is very average to my ears or worse, for times it's like hearing a tin can being beat from behind. I had read many reviews since i bought them and i find that these reviews are biased towards a fear of saying something not right about B&W. But if you look carefully into the review they are all trying to say the same, which bottom line is this "The C5 does not live to its expectations", so take out the blurred picture of these reviewers bias towards B&W and what they are really saying is what i just said above. Don't buy this or you will repent forever. A waste of money and time.

Audiolog, on 14 June 2012 - 12:06 PM, said:

I wasn't afraid to say something bad about the C5; I hope I clearly conveyed that I was disappointed and didn't think them a good value. At the same time, they're not bad on an absolute scale, so I didn't feel they needed to be trashed. I didn't intend my review to be biased toward or against B&W; sorry if it sounded otherwise.

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Put them in your ears

I bought a pair of C5's because they were claimed to be the best in store by the store around the corner. I normally go else where for my audio equipment.

FYI, I have owned Etymotic Research ER4 (lost them), Apple (broke), Grado SR80 (worn out after 10 years), GS1000 (currently own). Have owned the C5's for about 1 year now.

Out of the box the bass was way too boomy as this review suggests. The short story is that I fitted the largest plugs and I make sure I don't push them into my ear too far. Only as far as it needs to seal, then use the cable to secure the bud. Basically get the driver as far away from your ear drum as possible while still sealing.

Compared to the other I have owned:
- apple (plugs) sound OKish but fall out too easily.
- ER4's fit so well they will nearly pull your ear drum out if the lead gets pulled. Accurate sound, sound quality I would say would be at the higher end. I little tiering to use for both hearing and comfort, being soo far into my ear
- Grado's are open ear, different product.
- Have compared them to a friends slightly cheaper Sennheiser's. We agreed the C5's were slightly better. Performance was relative to price.
- C5 Sound good if fitted properly. IMO they are similar to B&W speakers being tune more toward accoustic music. After owning the apple and ER4's I now place more importance on comfort and ease of fittment and removal. The C5's dont sound as good as the ER4's for memory however I would rather the C5's for the comfort and ease of use.

I didn't expect much from this product, I don't particularly like B&W speakers. I have to admit that I have been satisfied with the overall performance of this product, in particular the comfort.