Ooh, shiny-shiny! Bowers & Wilkins, makers of high-end studio equipment, also makes great headphones. Joining their in-ear C5 and over-the-ear P5 is the new on-ear P3. For those of us to whom in-ear can feel a little bit like an alien violation and over-the-ear are too big to be portable, the P3 hits the sweet spot for the mobile crowd.
The sleek aluminum and rubber construction is tres classy and matches the overall very high quality of these headphones. The fabric that touches your head and ears is very comfortable and doesn't get slick over extended wear on long flights. Underneath the fabric is memory foam, so as the phones get warm they get if anything more comfortable. Once on the ear they provide just a bit of outside noise reduction from a muffling effect, very pleasant.
The phones fold up into an included hard case that has room for small extras. B&W also includes a really nice touch with two sets of remote/microphone cables for iPhone and Android. Swapping them out is easy, just pop off the magnetic earpads, unplug the old and plug in the new. Sound quality is excellent for the form factor and price, fairly even without overloading one end or the other. If you're looking for a do-it-all while on-the-go set of on-ear headphones that will last as long as you do, the P3 is an excellent choice.
Available soon.