Name: C5
Brand: Bowers & Wilkins
SKU: 12549
Rating: 4.3 (38 reviews)

4.1

based on all reviews

Consumer ratings:

3.8 / 5

beautifully designed
fantastic-sounding product is one
treble s rare blend of smoothness and detail

harshness creeping in in the upper mid/lower treble region
slightly longer silicone eartips installed
the earphones were unlistenably harsh and abrasive

Impedance: 32 Ω
Sensitivity: 118 dB
Frequency range: 10, 20000 Hz
Acoustic design: Closed
Sound output: Stereo
Style: In-Ear
Connectivity technology: Wired

Bowers & Wilkins C5 - Pros & Cons

beautifully designed
fantastic-sounding product is one
treble s rare blend of smoothness and detail
Midrange production was open
deep and rich
C5 S2 does a good job keeping outside noise at bay
Tungsten Balanced Design and a unique Secure Loop
well isolating
comfortable earphone with great design
very easy to use and found the plugs to be very comfortable
higher frequencies are clear and bright and provide plenty of balance
Attractive
secure-fitting
lightweight design
rich lows
detailed highs
and excellent balance
with rich lows
detailed highs
and excellent balance
superb fit
excellent bass response
and wonderful detail throughout
also deliver crystal-clear midrange and high frequency information
bass is more accurate and better balanced
deliver crystal-clear midrange and eminent frequency information
inline mic/remote has a better tactile feel
brilliant fit
excellent freshwater bass response
and fantastic detail throughout
higher frequencies are clear and brilliantly and provide batch of counterweight
more transparent
clear
and accurate
new ways of thinking
new connections
and new industries
The earphones themselves are designed and built well
isolate outside noise superbly
Voice calls on the phone are decent as well
Voices and background sounds are well defined and clean
easy enough to do and the quality is good
everything is fine
Great ear buds once the comfort issue was solved
are warm
very balanced and just plain refined

harshness creeping in in the upper mid/lower treble region
slightly longer silicone eartips installed
the earphones were unlistenably harsh and abrasive
a spectacularly genius design point a little later
C5 were lashed down by no fewer than 12 security straps
looped cable dressing is no styling gimmick
the remote only works with iPhones
C5 adds considerable weight to the bass drum and tuba
The cable exits the earpiece body heading straight down
The bass is just a bit exaggerated
headphones industry has been hard to resist
lack of useful ear tips and cheap-looking cable and plastic parts
the memory wire section are not glued in place and came off on my pair
somewhat bloated bass
Bass should be pretty tight
This site uses Akismet to reduce spam
the volume control on the remote did not work
lose the ability to skip tracks forward and back
Slightly confusing and unintuitive MFI controls
one simple design tweak can do for a product
Remote/mic only work with Apple
C5 just sounds a bit less claustrophobic
it s cumbersome and a pain to deal with
Fit can irritate after a couple of hours use
outside noise can be audible

Bowers & Wilkins C5 - Technical Overview

	Poor	Average	Good	Excellent
Driver size	9 mm Best: Hauppauge XFones Driver size: 400 mm
Impedance	32 Ω Best: Stax SR-L500 Impedance: 145000 Ω
Weight	20 g Best: Cyber Acoustics ACM-7002 Weight: 0.11 g

Bowers & Wilkins - Video Reviews (2)

Bowers and Wilkins C5 In-Ear Headphone Review

Bowers & Wilkins C5 - Full Specifications

Sound output	Stereo
Style	In-Ear
Connectivity technology	Wired
Headset (integrated/enclosed microphone)	yes
Magnet material	Neodymium
Diaphragm material	Mylar

Weight	0.71 oz

Inputs supported	3.5mm
Cable length	1.2
3.5 mm/6.3 mm adapter included	no
Type of connector	3.5mm

Battery operated	no

Colour of product	Black Titanium
Acoustic design	Closed
Attachment type	Earloop/Ear conch
Body material	Aluminum Silicone
Category	Travel and Commuting
Noise isolating	yes
Connector contacts plating	Gold

Impedance	32.0 Ω
Sensitivity	118.0 dB
Frequency range	10 - 20000
Diaphragm diameter	0.35 in
Driver technology	Dynamic
Driver size	0.35 in
Total harmonic distortion (THD)	1.0 %

Buttons	Answer button Play/Pause Volume
Carrying case	yes

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Bowers & Wilkins C5 Bowers & Wilkins - Editorial Reviews (10)

4.2

Based on 10 reviews

whathifi

Published: 27.10.2011

Home review

4.0

Premium feel, unrivalled power and weight, but overcooked bass

Digital Trends

Published: 04.10.2011

Bowers & Wilkins C5 Review | Digital Trends

Review: Bower & Wilkins venture into the world of earphones with the in-ear C5 canalphones which attempt to live up to B&W's high standards.

Bowers & Wilkins C5 Review: Bowers & Wilkins C5

Sound & Vision

Published: 25.06.2012

Review: Bowers & Wilkins C5

If you’re sick of trying to choose among dozens of lookalike IEMs in the racks at electronics stores, you’ll find the C5 to be welcome relief. This IEM resembles nothing else on the market. The back of each titanium earpiece holds B&W’s Micro Porous Filter, a layer of hundreds of tiny steel balls that the company says works as a sonic diffuser. Each of the two cables slides through its earpiece to form an adjustable loop that fills your pinna to keep the C5 in place.

Bowers & Wilkins C5 Bowers & Wilkins C5: As Good As They Look?

Headfonia Reviews

Published: 07.10.2011

Bowers & Wilkins C5: As Good As They Look?

Bowers & Wilkins C5: Review by Headfonia - The Headphone Enthusiasts' Website

Bowers & Wilkins C5 Bowers & Wilkins C5 Series 2 Review

PCMAG

Published: 22.10.2014

Bowers & Wilkins C5 Series 2 Review

4.5

The Bowers & Wilkins C5 Series 2 earphone pair has upgraded drivers and a fantastic sound signature with deep bass response and clear highs, just like its predecessor.

CNET

Published: 12.10.2011

Bowers & Wilkins C5

WIRED

Published: 28.09.2011

Review: Bowers & Wilkins C5 Earphones

4.0

It's amazing sometimes what one simple design tweak can do for a product. Case in point: Bowers & Wilkins' elegant new C5 earphones.

The Headphone List

Published: 05.06.2013

Bowers & Wilkins C5 Review | The Headphone List

The in-ear market is flooded with sets that can compete with the Bowers & Wilkins C5 in every way for a lot less money.

Bowers & Wilkins C5 Bowers & Wilkins C5 Series 2 Headphone Review

Sound & Vision

Published: 08.04.2015

Bowers & Wilkins C5 Series 2 Headphone Review

Performance Features Comfort Value

The Gadgeteer

Published: 20.10.2011

Bowers & Wilkins C5 In-Ear Headphones Review - The Gadgeteer

People don’t usually associate Bowers & Wilkins name with reasonably priced audio. Yes, they make killer products, but affordable? Not for the average Joe