Bowers & Wilkins C5

In-ear headphones with in-line remote and microphone

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Item# 749C5

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Accessories

Our take on the Bowers & Wilkins C5

by Dave Bar

Warm natural sound with a cool futuristic look

The Bowers & Wilkins C5 headphones have it all — rich, dynamic sound, a secure, comfortable fit, plus up-to-the-minute convenience and style. These well-sorted in-ears deliver amazingly powerful bass with warm, natural mids and highs that make them perfect for listening to just about any genre of music. A unique, adjustable cable loop keeps them gently but firmly in place as you move. They also provide convenient control of your favorite Apple® device, including hands-free conversations using your iPhone®. And along with their siblings, the B&W P5 on-ears, we think these buds are among the coolest, best-looking headphones out there today.

In-ears that really stay in

The C5's infinitely adjustable Secure Loop design helps keep them firmly and comfortably in place.

Most in-ear headphones stay in place reasonably well, as long as you're sitting still. But once you're on the move it can be a different story. The C5s feature an innovative Secure Loop design that gently hugs the inner rim of each ear, holding the headphones firmly in place no matter how bumpy the ride. The loops can be easily adjusted for a comfortable, custom fit. These buds also utilize a solid Tungsten sound tube that balances them towards your ears, further improving the security of fit while increasing isolation from outside noise. And because the noise reduction is passive, no batteries or active electronics are ever needed.

with_iPod touch

The Micro Porous Filter acts as a diffuser to create a more natural, open sound.

Advanced design for better sound

B&W knows great sound — their professional monitor speakers are found in some of the world's finest recording studios, Their goal for the C5 was to create the same natural and realistic sound in a headphone that their speakers are famous for. One key feature that helps achieve that goal is the Micro Porous Filter. This filter uses hundreds of microscopic steel balls clustered at the end of the headphones that act as a sonic diffuser, enabling the C5 to deliver pristine, natural sound while also providing the kind of spacious performance that you'd only expect from open-air headphones.

Enjoy great sound and hands-free conversations.

Built-in controls for iPod®, iPhone®, and iPad®

A remote built into the headphone cable lets you conveniently control music playback without having to dig your iPod or iPhone out of your pocket. You can even take calls on your iPhone hands-free, thanks to the in-line microphone. The C5's supple, plastic-coated headphone cord resists tangles like a champ. And the zippered, pocket-sized storage case makes a nice home for your C5s when they're not in use.

From the review Bowers & Wilkins C5 In-Ear Headphones Earbuds of the future

"Sound was robust and clear; with palpable bass and smooth, detailed midrange. High frequencies were just ever so slightly rolled off at the very top. I also greatly enjoyed the way the C5s spread the instruments across a wide and moderately deep soundstage, rather than concentrating them right in the middle of my head. This is a pretty neat trick that you normally only expect to hear with open-air, around-the-ear headphones."

— Dave B., Crutchfield A/V Writer

Highlights:

in-ear design provides natural sound isolation
in-line remote to control playback and adjust volume on iPod, iPad, and iPhone
built-in microphone on remote for receiving calls on an iPhone
adjustable ear loop design holds headphones securely in place
Micro Porous Filter system for added spaciousness
solid tungsten sound tube provides better weight balance and improved wearing comfort
large 9mm Mylar® diaphragms and powerful neodymium magnets deliver rich, detailed sound
frequency response: 10-20,000 Hz
impedance: 32 ohms
sensitivity: 118 dB at 1kHz
54" cable with stereo mini plug
includes assortment of silicone ear tips
quilted fabric storage case with zippered closure for headphones
weight: 0.71 ounces
warranty: 2 years
Our 60-day money-back guarantee

Hands-on research from the Crutchfield Labs (what are the Labs?)

Features and specs chart | What’s in the box? | In-depth notes

Features and Specs

General
Type Loading...	Noise-isolating
Style Loading...	In-ear
Frequency Response Loading...	10-20k Hz
Sensitivity Loading...	118 dB
Impedance Loading...	32 Ohms
Weight Loading...	0.71 ounces
Cord Length Loading...	47"
Airline Adapter Included Loading...	No
iPod Control Loading...	Yes
Volume Control Loading...	Yes
Built-in Microphone Loading...	Yes
Parts Warranty Loading...	2 Years
Labor Warranty Loading...	2 Years

Product Research

What's in the box?

Download owner's manual

In-ear headphones (54" cable with in-line remote and microphone terminated by a male 3.5mm connector
4 Pair of silicon single-flange ear-tips (XS/S/M/L)
Protective case
Quickstart guide
C5 Brochure
Safety instructions and Warranty information

Our Product Research Team

At Crutchfield, you'll get detailed, accurate information that's hard to find elsewhere. That's because we have our own in-house Product Research team — they open the box, verify contents, check the owner's manual, and record dimensions, features and specs. We stay on top of new products and technologies to help people make informed choices.

Features

Micro Porous Filter: To create a spacious sound B&W uses Micro Porous Filters, hundreds of microscopic steel balls that act as sonic diffusers, opening up the sound and making music feel rich and expansive.

Secure Loop Design: Each of the headphones uses an adjustable wire that fits comfortably in the inner ridge of your ear and helps hold the headphones in place. The C5's inner casing is also weighted with Tungsten, ensuring they are balanced towards the ear, not away from it. So the headphones will stay securely inside your ears.

Noise Isolation: The C5's snug fit offers passive isolation from the outside world, but lets in just enough ambient noise to allow you to retain your sense of place.

Microphone and Remote: The C5 headphones are Made for iPod/iPhone/iPad compliant and the in-line remote and microphone let you answer phone calls and control music playback when used with compatible iPhones, iPods, and iPads. Remote control functions include volume, answer call, end call, play, pause, skip forward, and skip backward. Compatible models are listed in the chart below (as of September 2011):

iPod/iPhone Model	Generation	Audio Playback	Music Control	Mic	Phone Control
shuffle	1st	Y	N	N	N
	2nd	Y	N	N	N
	3rd	Y	Y	N	N
	4th	Y	Y	N	N
dock connector	3rd	Y	N	N	N
clickwheel/color screen	4th	Y	N	N	N
mini	1st	Y	N	N	N
mini	2nd	Y	N	N	N
video	5th	Y	N	N	N
classic	1st gen-80/160GB	Y	N	N	N
	2nd gen-120GB	Y	Y	Y	N
	3rd gen-160GB	Y	Y	Y	N
iPod nano	1st	Y	N	N	N
	2nd	Y	N	N	N
	3rd	Y	N	N	N
	4th	Y	Y	Y	N
	5th	Y	Y	Y	N
	6th	Y	Y	Y	N
iPod touch	1st	Y	N	N	N
	2nd	Y	Y	N	N
	3rd	Y	Y	Y	N
	4th	Y	Y	Y	N
iPhone	2G	Y	N	N	N
	3G	Y	N	N	N
	3GS	Y	Y	Y	Y
	4	Y	Y	Y	Y
iPad	All	Y	Y	Y	N

Note: Requires latest iPod/iPhone software update. Audio is supported by all iPod models.

Product reviews from the Crutchfield Labs (what are the Labs?)

Bowers & Wilkins C5 In-Ear Headphones Review

Dave Bar

8/5/2011

based on 27 ratings (4 comments)

Can a company known for their high-end speakers shrink down all their technology and cram it into a set of earbuds? Our resident audiophile tries out the Bowers & Wilkins C5's to find out.

Review Summary

Average Customer Review:

9 people say:

5 Star:

(7)

4 Star:

(1)

3 Star:

(0)

2 Star:

(1)

1 Star:

(0)

1 customers also rated:

"Coolness Factor"

Build Quality

Comfort

Noise Reduction

Sound Quality

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Thanks for taking the time to share your experiences about this product. Please be sure to focus your comments on the product itself. Read our Review Guidelines for more information.

1-9 of 9 items Sort Results By: Date Reviewed | Rating | Helpfulness

5 out of 5

Excellent

Written By MRZ, New York, NY on Monday, October 31, 2011

Crutchfield Customer Review (What's this?)

Crutchfield Customer Review

The reviewer purchased this item from us, verified by the email address on the order.

These really are remarkably high quality. In truth, I had been expecting to find that I had paid a bit of a markup for the B&W moniker, but they are every bit as luxurious as their price suggests. Thick cord, nicely weighted, and, most notably, perfect sound.

This is one pair of headphones that really benefits from a couple weeks' breaking in. It's no myth. Don't be disappointed if they sound a bit unimpressive out of the box. Once they've loosened up they will dish out effortless gobs of bass beneath untouched, glimmering highs, and you will notice. Very immersive -- rich texture, tonal subtlety, and plenty of attack on drums.

The wraparound ear-bracing is a bit gimmicky, but they are quite heavy, so I suppose it helps keep them in place. It's subtle enough. I still find myself adjusting them quite a lot as I walk, however. Moreover, because they're quasi-open-backed, they leak more sound than typical earbuds; not a problem on the subway but noticeable on airplanes, etc.

This is probably my sixth or seventh pair of not-cheap earbuds over the years -- the cats do them all in eventually -- and I'm confident saying these are the best. They sound as good as I've heard with an iPhone or iPod; with a moderately amplified DAC they're incredible.

1 out of 1 people found this helpful

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5 out of 5

Huge sound!!!!

Written By Vic F., Glen Burnie, MD on Tuesday, November 08, 2011

I am a big fan of Bowers and Wilkins since I bought my first bookshelves way back in 2000. I tried the P5s on a store and really loved the sound and comfort as well as the quality of the construction, and not even speak about the look and style. Still, I have become an addict to the in-ear headphones due to the big convenience and versatility that they provide.

I thought that after owning and using Bose IE I was not going to find anything better for the price.

The C5s are on a league of their own.

- Incredible sound, with powerful bass and clear sound all across the frequency spectrum. These devices were engineered for sound clarity, precision and sound detail.

-They are definitely a system, that whenever setup properly, will provide perfection. The innovative infinitely loop feature is a +++ one, which takes a little time to master in order to know how to set it in your ear and adjusted to get the maximum out of them, but once you get them you start to realize what I am talking about. Advice, make sure that the whole loop fits where it is supposed to and then expand the loop to properly fit it. Then push it just a little bit to the inside to maximize the noise isolation feature. Once there, it almost works as well as a noise cancelling devices.

-The quality in construction and electronics is simply top notch and you will notice once you use them. Give them around 20+ hours and the sound will simply expand even further.

Enjoy!!!

Pros:

Sound, quality, design... Bowers and Wilkins

Cons:

Cable noise and case.

2 out of 4 people found this helpful

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5 out of 5

Bowers & Wilkins C5

Written By Hoss, Rochester NY on Wednesday, August 24, 2011

Crutchfield Customer Review (What's this?)

Crutchfield Customer Review

The reviewer purchased this item from us, verified by the email address on the order.

I bought these at Crutchfield to replace my UE SuperFI 5 Pros that recently died. I don't like compressed music so I have an iPod Classic and use the Lossless format. I really enjoyed the UEs so I wasn't sure about these especially since they are new and there aren't many reviews yet. I can now say the C5s are excellent! The sound stage is very open and much bigger than the UEs with great bass. My home speakers are Ohms which also have an excellent open sound stage and great imaging. The C5s are like mini-Ohms in my ears. I do think the UEs had finer details but the C5s have great bass and an overall balanced natural sound. I don't have enough listening hours yet for them to be fully burned in so I expect them to get better still. I give them a 5-star rating for the great sound and excellent build quality. For the price, these are a great value and I am very pleased that I bought them.

4 out of 10 people found this helpful

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5 out of 5

Excellent sound

Written By Dan B., York, PA on Friday, October 14, 2011

These are excellent headphones and rival the sound of traditional over-the-ear 'phones' as long as they are correctly placed in the ear canal which can be a little tricky. They also isolate sound very well when they are positioned correctly.

Compared to what comes with an ipod/mp3 player, it is a whole other level of listening quality. I am especially impressed with how much bass these put out while still maintaining crisp mids and highs.

I am also using these with an Nu-Force I-DAC2 headphone amp when listening to music on my computer. They sound great together. These earbuds may be fairly expensive, but some things are actually worth the price. These are.

1 out of 2 people found this helpful

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5 out of 5

Bowers & Wilkins C5

Written By , Chicago, Il. on Saturday, March 31, 2012

Crutchfield Customer Review (What's this?)

Crutchfield Customer Review

The reviewer purchased this item from us, verified by the email address on the order.

Very nice sounding earphones! I was considering a few others (in the $100-150 range), but settled on these after reading many reviews, and knowing the reputation and sound of B&W. They sound very open and natural across the frequency spectrum. Ear tip and placement in ear do make a big difference. The default ones seem the best for me. I have no problem switching tips (other people have said they tore). I am very careful and pinch near the end. They pop right off and go back on easily. I was concerned that I might feel the weight of the switches on the left ear cable, but I do not at all. They cable takes some getting used to, because it is very ridgid, and does not fall flat by itself like my other earphone cables. It is a minor inconvenience and the overall construction is rock solid. My source is an Ipod Nano with 320kbps mp3s. Very nice sound compared to my Sony and Klipsch earphones (though these were both much less $, and still very good products), but in my opinion worth it because I usually listen a few or several hours a week, and these B&Ws really do sound great. These C5s are loud compared to the others, so I can turn the volume down substantially to get the same impact, but with greater detail and clarity.

Pros:

Very 'open' and natural sounding. Durable construction. They also look nice and unique, but that was not important to me.

Cons:

Not a problem for me, but they will not block out much background noise. Cable takes some getting used to, but does have a nice look and solid feel.

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5 out of 5

Great earphones

Written By kvilia, Miami on Thursday, May 17, 2012

Crutchfield Customer Review (What's this?)

Crutchfield Customer Review

The reviewer purchased this item from us, verified by the email address on the order.

Another great item from B&W. Excellent quality as expected. No reason to get into sounds details, just as good as it could get for the headphones. The only better piece would be over the ear B&W headphones but this is a different price and category item.

Pros:

Sound quality, build quality, comfortable in the ear.

Cons:

Maybe price, could be a little less expensive - maybe in $130-140 range?

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"Coolness Factor"

Build Quality

Comfort

Noise Reduction

Sound Quality

5 out of 5

Bowers & Wilkins C5

Written By jack, fort white, fl on Monday, November 21, 2011

Crutchfield Customer Review (What's this?)

Crutchfield Customer Review

The reviewer purchased this item from us, verified by the email address on the order.

great sound, fit in ears is excellent and they stay in with the loops. they are very comfortable to wear for extended period of time.

Pros:

sound ,build quality, non tangle wires

2 out of 3 people found this helpful

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4 out of 5

Perfect Fit, Private Concert

Written By Vik, San Jose, CA on Wednesday, August 17, 2011

This is a first impression review. Firstly, the fit is just perfect. My ears are small and the smallest earbud tips work the best. BTW, you need to tug pretty hard to remove currently installed tips. The infinitely adjustable loop is probably the coolest and most useful feature. I've always had problems with earphones falling out and I know these won't. They provide some pretty good passive surrounding noise isolation (not active-cancellation). So far, I've sampled some Diana Krall, Sypro Gyra, Adele, Neon Trees, Black Eyed Peas and Muse playing off of my iPhone with 'Sound Check' turned on. Jazz and lighter rock/pop sounds fantastic and well balanced across the frequency spectrum. There's not a lot of bass on most rock, pop (fine by me). Midrange seems pretty clear. Highs are a touch bright for my taste. As an iPhone handsfree unit, they work just fine. Vol Up/Down and Play/Pause controls on the inline remote work just fine. By far, the nicest set of earphones I've listened to. For most people, this will be an excellent upgrade over Apple's white buds.

5 out of 7 people found this helpful

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2 out of 5

Stays in ear well, but not otherwise impressed

Written By Weston, Claremont, CA on Wednesday, January 11, 2012

Crutchfield Customer Review (What's this?)

Crutchfield Customer Review

The reviewer purchased this item from us, verified by the email address on the order.

Poor build quality, combined with hard to use ear-tips (the original one ripped in trying to remove it), completely dampened my enthusiasm. I did not achieve particularly good sound when I could get the buds in properly. All in all, I realized I would be happier going back to my freebie iPhone stock earbuds. I don't love them, but they don't cost as much to disappoint me.

Pros:

The nifty design with the little loop of cable that holds the bud firmly in your ear.

Cons:

Hard to get good fit in the ear canal. Very hard to get ear-tips off the bud; removing the original one caused it to rip. Had buzzing in one bud. Without good fit in ear, sound was tinny. Hard (impossible?) to use the case as intended (how do you get the buds in the little holder thingy?). Case's zipper tab did not fit nicely into pull tab; came out and required me to adjust with pliers.

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1-9 of 9 items

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For a more in-depth review and enhanced detailed information on the Bowers & Wilkins C5, please visit the Crutchfield website product page (/ISEO-rccbcspd/p_749C5/Bowers-Wilkins-C5.html ).

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Bowers & Wilkins C5

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Bowers & Wilkins C5

In-ear headphones with in-line remote and microphone

Item# 749C5 offer details

Review Summary

By buying this product you'll earn up to 180 Rewards points.

Our take on the Bowers & Wilkins C5

Warm natural sound with a cool futuristic look

In-ears that really stay in

Advanced design for better sound

Built-in controls for iPod®, iPhone®, and iPad®

Highlights:

Hands-on research from the Crutchfield Labs (what are the Labs?)

Features and Specs

Product Research

Our Product Research Team

Features

Product reviews from the Crutchfield Labs

Bowers & Wilkins C5 In-Ear Headphones Review

Product Reviews

Review Summary

Average Customer Review:

1 customers also rated:

Excellent

Huge sound!!!!

Bowers & Wilkins C5

Excellent sound

Bowers & Wilkins C5

Great earphones

Bowers & Wilkins C5

Perfect Fit, Private Concert

Stays in ear well, but not otherwise impressed

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