You could say that British audio firm, Bowers & Wilkins, has been rather slow in adopting Bluetooth for its audio range. It was only last year that it released its first Bluetooth speaker after all. The T7 wireless speaker was worth the wait, though, bringing with it fantastic sound with a delightful design.
Well now the company has launched its first ever Bluetooth wireless headphone. The P5 Wireless, as you might, expect is based on the P5 Series 2 headphone. In fact, aside from being released from the inconvenient tether of a 3.5mm headphone cable, you would be hard-pressed to tell them apart.
On first glance they look identical right down to the combination of leather and aluminium materials. That is until you take a closer look and find the volume controls integrated into the bottom of the right earpad. You have the option of connecting a wire should the built-in battery run out of juice, but with a reported 17 hour battery life that shouldn't happen too often. There's also a padded carry case thrown in to keep your headphones in pristine condition.
The P5 Wireless support Bluetooth aptX, much like the T7, so if you have an aptX-compatible device you'll benefit from less-lossy sound. There are two integrated microphones, one for your voice and one for the ambient sound to ensure your voice is picked up clearly for hands-free calling.
We had a chance to try the P5 Wireless out ahead of its launch and can safely say that if you were fond of the P5 Series 2, you're going to love the P5 Wireless. The sound signature is wonderfully crisp as we would associate with Bowers & Wilkins' headphones and the leather earpads are supremely comfortable even after long listening sessions.
The P5 Wireless are available from today for £330 so that's an £80 premium over the P5 Series 2. Keep an eye out for a full review coming soon.
