B&W P5 Vs Bose QC15

Norcal. said:

So i'm in the market for some headphones and want to hear everyones suggestions on what headphones would be best for the $300 range. I primarily listen to classic rock, hard rock, alternative, and trance.

I'm looking for quality and comfort over anything.

I've heard alot of good things about the Bose QC15's, as well as the B&W P5's. I'm looking for unbiased answers based on personal experiences, especially if you've used both of the headphones in question.

Anyways, the question is: Which are better/higher quality for music? Bose QC15 or B&W P5?

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As far as noise cancellation goes, I can only say good things about the QC15 - they are probably the most important thing to carry with me in long-haul flights. Music quality is also great (I am mainly into heavy rock, alternative and some classical), although perception is obviously subjective.

I also have no issues wearing them for a long time, even though I would prefer slightly bigger cups. Battery life is OK, enough for at least one 12-hour flight...

Just be careful with generic statements that "Bose is bad" around here...I have had my QC15s for a good while now and they continue to deliver a very solid experience; not to mention that they were probably one of the first mainstream companies to release good noise-cancelling headphones.

No idea about the B&Ws, though.

Norcal. said:

That's something i've noticed. I've seen so many anti-bose posts that i'm unsure if they're really that bad or if this is some sort of anti-bose bandwagon trend (Kind of like how some PC people are anti-apple). It's sort of frustrating.

But anyways, I suppose i'm more concerned with quality/comfort than noise cancellation.

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Bose has good noise cancelation technology but if you have a quiet enviroment you can get MUCH better quality sound for 1/2 the price with something like the AGK K240 Studio. These are an recoding industry standard and sell for $99 but don't cancel noise at all.

What gave Bose the bad name are their speakers. Those are not only over priced but poor. Their headphones are simply over priced (unless you ned the active noise canceling.)

Norcal. said:

So i'm in the market for some headphones and want to hear everyones suggestions on what headphones would be best for the $300 range. I primarily listen to classic rock, hard rock, alternative, and trance.

I'm looking for quality and comfort over anything.

I've heard alot of good things about the Bose QC15's, as well as the B&W P5's. I'm looking for unbiased answers based on personal experiences, especially if you've used both of the headphones in question.

Anyways, the question is: Which are better/higher quality for music? Bose QC15 or B&W P5?

Click to expand...

I have had both and have similar musical tastes besides the trance. P5's offer a warmer sound signature, not as much of a soundstage as the qc15. Qc15 has a greater deal of clarity (probably due to the noise cancellation) but also have a decent amount of bass surprisingly. Comfortwise, P5's clamped my head and I had a great deal of fatigue after listening for hours. They are the on ear type so I felt my head squished for extended listening periods. However, pads are really comfortable so YMMV with comfort. I prefer the around the ear of the QC15. Very lightweight, does not clamp on my head, comfortable for extended listening periods. Build quality wise I'd say the P5's win out with the design and metal accents. More heavy duty and I am less scared of breaking them compared to the Qc15. At the end of the day though, I enjoy using my Qc15 more.

The QC15 isn't a terrible headphone by any means. It's made it to the recommendation list of Jude (co-founder of Head-Fi). As a previous member has mentioned, it does have superb noise-cancelling capabilities. The P5 as well is a nice headphone. However, I feel the better headphone would be the ESW-9 from audio technica. It's a nice headphone and it works well for most music.

destroysall.

Norcal. said:

But anyways, I suppose i'm more concerned with quality/comfort than noise cancellation.

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In this case, and not meaning to be rude, I think your question is flawed from the very start - if noise cancellation is NOT a concern, you have a LOT more to choose from than just those two...

Are you planning to take them outside or just use at home? If the latter, Sennheiser 598 are probably the best headphone you can buy at that price range.

Norcal. said:

So i'm in the market for some headphones and want to hear everyones suggestions on what headphones would be best for the $300 range. I primarily listen to classic rock, hard rock, alternative, and trance.

I'm looking for quality and comfort over anything.

I've heard alot of good things about the Bose QC15's, as well as the B&W P5's. I'm looking for unbiased answers based on personal experiences, especially if you've used both of the headphones in question.

Anyways, the question is: Which are better/higher quality for music? Bose QC15 or B&W P5?

Click to expand...

In general, noise cancelling headphones have fairly poor quality sound, in alot of cases you would be much better off going with some decent closed back cans. I know Denon make some of the best closed back HPs out there, the AH-D2000's are really good for the money. Another great choice would be some IEM's with noise isolation. If you must go Noise cancelling Bose do make some of the better NC cans out there, also check of the Sennheiser PXC450's.

I've had the B & W P5s for a few months and must say that I find them the best headphones I have ever owned. They are extremely comfortable (the actual ear phones are made from leather), quite portable, (and not too massive), beautifully crafted, solidly made, and have excellent sound quality. I have used them on several long flights, as well as long bus and train journeys and found them very comfortable to wear.

While I used to have a set of Bose in-ear phones and found them perfectly good, I have no experience of the Bose QC15.

B&W P5 is a beautifully designed headphones, probably the prettiest. The premium styling does induce people to be in the state of denial. This is not a bad pair of headphones, but it is incredibly overpriced for what it does ($330 !!!). Something like Audio Technica M50 which you can get for less than $130 on amazon, has better dynamics, bass, clarity - everything than the P5. Trust me, I have tried both on many occasions.



Another recommendation is the sub-$200 Beyerdynamic T50p

Used the QC15s on a plane ride for 10 hours, it was a dream. I'd recommend them since they it really made a difference, and when we was going to prepare for landing.... Boy did my ears feel weird.

Norcal. said:

So i'm in the market for some headphones and want to hear everyones suggestions on what headphones would be best for the $300 range. ...

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So what happens if you find some that are better for $100? Seriously what an odd way to shop. Why not decide what you need then find out what the price it.

You have selected two over priced brands. You can do better for less.

+1 on QC15. Also worth reading:
http://ericrshelton.com/2012/03/15/bose-qc15-vs-bowers-wilkins-p5/

Qc15 is obviously better noise cancelling but the p5 sound significantly better. I own both.

silentsim said:

Qc15 is obviously better noise cancelling but the p5 sound significantly better. I own both.

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I should say +1 if someone is traveling.
I can imagine P5 is better sound wise but if someone is traveling a lot and can't afford both, I would go for QC15. If traveling is not the case, I would give a try to P5 since QC15 switch on / off and battery might be annoying for some.