Review: Bowers & Wilkins P5 Headphones

You can get a great set of over-the ear headphones for $100 or less — pick up Grado's SR60i or Shure's SRH440, and you'd need a keen ear and a petrified ass to muster any sonic gripes. So spending three times that much would seem downright stupid.

That said, we suggest you skip meals for a couple weeks and divert the money you would've spent eating on a pair of Bowers & Wilkins P5s.

These are the first headphones Bowers & Wilkins has ever sold, and it's clear from the moment you remove them from their suede-lined, quilted-nylon pouch that England's audio alchemists are interested in sending a message: "We are not screwing around."

Though the cans are constructed mainly of metal and leather, they are comprised of 100-percent attention to detail. These are simply the best-made headphones you've ever seen. From the memory-foam-padded, sheepskin-swaddled earcups to a subtle biomimetic cant that evokes the placement of ears on a head, evidence of careful consideration is front and center.

The interchangeable cables don't just plug into an exposed port — you lift an earpad off a magnetic coupling and push down to expose a swiveling modular jack. The in-line microphone and remote adds volume adjustment to the familiar iPhone-friendly multifunction button without added bulk.

And, oh yeah, the sound.

There is a technical term for this level of audio performance: DOPE. You don't expect bass from a company that recommends you download lossless versions of Peter Gabriel and the Creole Choir of Cuba from its website, but hook the P5s up to some nasty hip hop and their 40mm Mylar drivers will rattle the gold off your grille. Hook up something sweeter, and the phones will tug at the heart you never thought you had with their dulcet high notes and cut-crystal midrange.

Think we're over-enthusiastic? Go to the store and have a listen — but bring cash. You don't want that $300 impulse buy compiling interest on your credit card statement.

WIRED Sounds so sweet, you'll want to re-rip your entire music library into lossless files. Memory foam earpads block a ton of ambient noise. Go ahead and wear 'em in public — the low-profile headphones won't make you look like a ham radio operator. Interchangeable cables: one with an inline mic, one without. Included pouch is so swank, you'll probably see a knock-off for sale on Canal Street within the month.

TIRED One small gripe: The tiny sub-earpad tab that holds the cable in its routing channel is poorly machined and sharp enough to cut the rubber cord jacket. Pricey? Yep. Worth it? No doubt.