Bowers & Wilkins P5: yes we can!

Friday 26 March

Bowers & Wilkins' P5 headphones cater more for the discerning mobile music fan than the home-based audiophile.

For the past few days I’ve been enjoying the company of the Bowers & Wilkins P5 headphones – the very first set of “cans” produced by the famed hi-fi speaker manufacturer.

And very nice they are too: take a look at this week’s Web TV episode to find out exactly what I thought of them. But it’s perhaps surprising that B&W, known primarily for its wonderful high-end speakers, has decided to make a lightweight pair of headphones designed with the iPhone, iPod and their ilk in mind, rather than a large set of home cans that deliver the very best in sonic quality.

Or is it? B&W has clearly enjoyed a lot of success with its Zeppelin and Zeppelin Mini iPod speaker docks, so perhaps its newfound interest in the portable side of music is just a matter of following the market. After all, how many people actually sit at home and listen to CDs and records on an expensive hi-fi compared to the amount that rely on their iPod for all their musical needs? Not that many, I’d wager.

That said, I wouldn’t be hugely surprised to see Bowers & Wilkins launch a truly astounding set of ultra high-end headphones for audiophiles in the not too distant future – and I for one will be queuing up to try them when they do.