B&W vs. Bose QC-15 Headphone Shootout

[spaceydecember]

I use the Dre earphones which came with my sensation xe phone. I found this review interesting because for a very long time I wondered whether I should go for the Sound-dock 10 or The Zeppelin Air. One seemed loud, other seemed consistent for rock and roll. I eventually got the Zeppelin Air by B&W. I have in the past once purchased the Bose headphones you have reviewed but returned them within a couple of days. Thanks for the review, I'm considering other options too.

[energeez]

B&W has better sound, and Bose has the best noise cancelling (yes some people really want that). In this price range, i like Denon D2000/5000, or Ultrasone Pro 900. These are more bassy though.

[sdemosi]

Listened to both of these for long periods while comparing phones in our office. QCs sound good but the B&W sound great. It's not reference quality but it has a power and depth that the Bose phones can't muster. There's no way I'd buy the Bose but the B&Ws are just not comfortable for long periods of time, for me at any rate. If B&W had made these just a bit more adjustable then I'd have bought them. Instead I went for the Klipsch Mode 40s which were a great compromise.

[antszabo]

Apples to oranges...NO SHIT EINSTEIN....Why bother comparing noise cancelling headphones with "fashion" headphones....Oh wait...thats exactly what you have just done!

B and W form over function imo!

[The1andonlyBYack]

@antszabo Take your ignorant comments elsewhere. You know NOTHING about audio if you want to begin to describe B&W (one of the most prestigious audio companies in the WORLD) as simply "fashion" headphones. Bose is simply good at ONE thing and that's MARKETING! The Bose are noise canceling, and the B&Ws are noise ISOLATING. They do very similar things just in a different way. Bose = synthetic leather and plastic. B&W = REAL leather and METAL. Which two are better? Lol, n00b.

[Mrrockman261]

@The1andonlyBYack very well said, i agree with the whole B&W being far better than Bose also thanks for this video really helped out with which headphones to purchase.

[JCccZzz]

@The1andonlyBYack Agree with u 100%

[escarlatalancaster]

and i mean there is noting out there that can mach tracks from sol republic

[escarlatalancaster]

p5 thank you!

but if you wanna kow the best ones are soul republic tracks! hard to believe! but believe it

[IceManBushwickIce]

Bowers And Wilkins For The Win I Got Me A Pair

[davidsdiego]

Great review! I wish you could have used a tripod because I was getting dizzy. :)

[adamalexxx]

Its the best sound and quality

[JCccZzz]

I own a few pair of headphones. IMO, comparing B&W and Bose is a travesty.

B&W = leather, metal, great sounding, lasting, beautifully designed.

Bose = plastics, synthetic "leather" ... and Bose in general is basically overrated.

just my 2 cents.

[KaiserBecks]

@TheRunescapeAddicted lol, "B&W = one of the REAL quality hp's.". They build great speakers, the p5 however is overpriced as fuck. A pair of (cheaper!) headphones like the Sennheiser HD 25-1 II or the Beyerdynamic DT1350 will completely destroy them.

[EPICSKATENYC]

thank you

[aingaran2003]

i can't believe these are in the same class price wise

[nazhif1]

bose have the best audio quality but poor product quality. but I still prefer the bose

[MuuhZick]

@nazhif1 Bose makes mediocre headphones/speakers sound wise... AT BEST. Bowers and Wilkins completely blow them out of the water, hell Sennheiser blows Bose out of the water for headphones!

You're right with the poor quality but the sound quality isn't there either....

[rush4ever1]

Good review! i love how you talk about the build of the monster beats. ITS HORRIBLE! and its really only for rap. because the bass in the beats are great. but it really isn't that clear. everyone says the beats are the best headphones and they're WRONG.

[The1andonlyBYack]

@cosmc2079 What?!

[The1andonlyBYack]

@TheRunescapeAddicted I am comparing two pairs of headphones that are popular in the states and are actually available to buy in store today. Same price but other than that they are very different. And although Bose are lacking in a couple ways the sound quality is actually not bad at all compared to the crap they push in the Home Theater market.

[lol3ndir]

Battery is not really an issue, just buy rechargeable batteries and put a spare inside the bag. You can buy batteries after buying $300 NC headphones.

[derbigpr500]

@gogeleo Why biased?  He's comparing 2 headphones from completely different brands. Bose, who is known for having low to average sound quality from their products, and are known to be overpriced, and then on the other side we have Bowers&Wilkins, which are known as one of 3 best audiophile gear manufacturers in the world.

[CristianOnaca]

I will like to know if P5 are made in China tx

[erasthai]

@CristianOnaca

Yes, they are. unfortunately and surprisingly. :)

[ax5645]

my ears are sensitive as is the tip of my manhood! hahaha

jus kiddin! overall awesome review i was about to buy bose but after watchning this i will definetly buy the B&W i have been a fan of B&W for over 5 years now!

cheers mate!

[mines10inches]

I'd vote the P5's the winner all day long! I sell both models and have had great experience with both.

[MosWaki7]

i could not agree with this review more

[seanoge2]

I debated buying both these headphones and opted for the P5's. I have to say that I regret my decision as wearing them for long periods of time (over 2hrs) is reall uncomfortable. They really press your ears back.

No doubt the P5's are well built and sound great, but they are uncomfortable and the carry case sucks. Things to consider...

[The1andonlyBYack]

@seanoge2 I would disagree, I have worn them for more than a few hours at a time without discomfort. It did take a bit for them break in but when they did it was fantastic. Bottom line is that for some people depending on ear shape it may be different. There were 2 BIG drawbacks for me about the Bose, you HAVE to have a battery or you can't listen to music and 2, after wearing them for any extended period of time you WILL have sweaty ears becuase they cover them completely. Neither are perfect.

[sepherioth5]

uhh the sound quality isnt better then the qc-15 at all...also the noise bleeds like crazy from it, and using it for long periods of times will make ur ears sweaty 2 and since it doesnt cup ur ears ur sweat goes into the headpone spekers and can short circuit it

[bakkermaarten007]

Will the B&W volume controls work on other players than iPods or iPhones? I have a Sony Walkman. I think it would stupid if they would only work on Apple devices, seeing as these are high-end headphones and Apple devices certainly do not deliver best sound quality. Fingers crossed while waiting for your answer =D

[The1andonlyBYack]

@bakkermaarten007 No, the third ring on their only supports a very limited amount of products. Apple adopted this a while ago and has the greatest benefit from them. Their components actually do produce very clean sound with relatively good sound stage compared to other portable media devices on the market.

[Midknight1124]

oh...also, don't you need to have batteries in the QC 15 for them to work at all? I read somewhere that you have to have the noise cancelling feature on in order to play music through them

[The1andonlyBYack]

@Midknight1124 Yes, that is one of the biggest drawbacks to the Bose. I also didn't like the cheap plastic feel to the case. Bose had pretty good sound quality but needing a battery to listen to music is a step backward in my opinion.

[brown887842]

@Midknight1124 I have them and you do!

[Midknight1124]

Weird that for you (I'm assuming the states) the price is the same. Where I am (Vancouver Canada)..the Bose are $50 more than the B & W's

[tope531]

this question is for the B&W, on a scale of 1-10, 10 being the best, how well would you say that they block sound?

[The1andonlyBYack]

@tope531 I would say at least a 7 or 8, for a non-active noise cancelation set they work very well!

[ind347]

Thanks for the info. That's great to hear and looks like I'll have to get myself a pair.

Best wishes.

[ind347]

Thanks for this comparison. I own a B&W Zeppelin Air and am looking at purchasing the B&W P5s’ to replace my new Bose QC15's. A few questions, do you find the P5's comfortable ON your ears for extended periods (i.e. long haul flights) and also is the battery life on the P5's much better or worse than the QC15s? I expect as they have passive noise reduction it would be better than the Bose.

Thanks for any advice and best wishes.

[The1andonlyBYack]

@ind347 They are VERY comfortable, even after long trips. There is a short period of time when they aren't as comfortable early on because the leather has to be broken in a little bit. HOWEVER, that is a VERY short time and the leather is amazingly soft. Remember the P5s have passive noise cancelation so there are no batteries at all. Their full metal back cancels a lot of ambient noise without the added white noise that the Bose create. These are the best headphones I have owned.

[theworldofiphone]

hm, around 300 dollars max..

Over ear or on year.

I'm going to feel the B&W tomorow.. Hope it sounds well :)

Do u have some other in mind?



[The1andonlyBYack]

@theworldofiphone I would say the B&Ws hands down for $300! I can't think of any other pair that offer the stability and build quality along with excellent sound quality for that price. Check them out and see what you think, one other thing to remember is that it takes a while for them to break in and after that point it gets that much better! Hope this helps!

[DarkAeonSlayer99999]

@theworldofiphone The Beyerdynamic Dt 990. They're about $300, and you can get them as 32 ohm, 250 ohm, and 600 ohm. Get 600 ohm if you have a nice headphone amp, 250 if you do mixing work or hi-fi listening on your computer, and 32 ohm if you want to listen to stuff on your mini player or ipod. They literally have sound quality and comfort that matches the Sennheiser hd 800s, but they aren't quite as good. The Senn 800s are $1400. Very nice headphones; read some reviews and check them out.

[theworldofiphone]

Forgot, I love HOUSE! haha.

[theworldofiphone]

Hi! Like ur reviews. I have a pair of the famous dr dre studio.. I want better sound, what is your number 1 tip? Not over 300 dollar though..

Thanks for answer!

WoiP

[The1andonlyBYack]

@theworldofiphone What kind of price range are you looking for? Also, are you looking for over the ear, on ear, or in the ear style?

[BWKBB]

in the b&w's is the sound isolating good ? because i'd be using them on school bus home laptop etc...? nice review :)

[TheGoldiloxPrinciple]

Thanks for the very clear and informative review! Much appreciated.

Are you familiar with the Beyerdynamic DT770 Pro headphones? I''m currenty looking into those and would appreciate your opinion on these headphones.

[The1andonlyBYack]

@TheGoldiloxPrinciple I am not familiar with those although I have seen great reviews on them for the price. Sorry I couldn't answer that with a better answer.