Deep, tight bass. Open, clear midrange. Sweet top-end.

Not enough of them to go around!

I'm no audiophile, but I've been enjoying hi-fi for over 25 years. I'm known for constantly upgrading hi-fi components, always in search of that elusive hi-fi heaven. For the last 10 years though NOTHING I've heard has made me want to change my gorgeous P5's!!! I bought them a decade ago, when 900 was one helluva lot of money to me and my family. Having said that, the fact that I've been so happy with them has probably saved me a great deal of money over the years. Back in 1995 I auditioned quite a few floor-standers of the day and NONE came close to the P5. As much as I'd previously enjoyed Castle speakers previously, the B&W's trashed any model I listened to. And it wasn't a case of "straining" to tell the difference, the mighty P5's demolished the competition with complete authority. The only thing I heard which beat the P5 was the P6 (which I just couldn't afford). I recall enjoying the Mission 753 too, but it didn't have the same slam and presence as the P5. Reading through the other reviews, I cannot for the life of me understand the "Cindy" 3-star rating and the talk of little or no bass (there's something wrong with your system)!! The P5 absolutely EXCELS in the BASS department. It can plumb the depths of 28Hz which really does question the value of subwoofers even in an AV setup. The mid and low bass of the P5 is exceptional!!! I've never heard another speaker in this price bracket (and above) come close. And how Cindy can say these babies aren't suited to Jazz I do not know....jazz sounds soooo cool thru P5s. A WORD OF WARNING though.... My speakers are 10 years old. 10 years of regular use at strong volume levels. If you buy a used pair of P5's off Ebay or anywhere else, please bear in mind that all speaker cones are MECHANICAL DEVICES which are subject to wear and tear just like anything else. In ANY SPEAKER, the drive units will become "tired" over a period of a decade and will not be as responsive as they were when in their youth. Its a fact! I recently changed the drive units on mine (genuine B&W parts) and WOW, what a difference!!! You don't notice the deterioration over the years, just as you don't notice your own kids growing :-) Don't believe it?? Try replacing just ONE tweeter in a pair of 10 year old speakers and see what happens. Anyway, back to the amazing P5's. If you see these for sale, don't hesitate even for a moment - go buy them. They are first class speakers which are difficult to equal with todays offerings unless you pay an awful lot of money. P5's are TRUE CLASSICS!!

Similar Products Used:

Castle, Mission, Dynaudio.

Amazing bass alied to smooth and sweet treble.

Treble could be a little sharper. e.g. nautilus tweeter

A great speaker. managed to get this secondhand for less than a third of its original price and im stunned. Possibly not the sharpest treble in the world, esspecially next to my CDM-CNT but they tonaly match very well. The P5 almost makes a subwoofer unncessary as i get 30-40Hz grunt in my movies with ease. Not the loudest speakers i've heard either but they do give a fair bit of welly when needed. Just make sure yoru amp can take it. My yamaha cinema amp gets far too hot running my front three B&W's. Im rating the value at their full price. Not what i paid for them.

Similar Products Used:

B&W CDM2, Mission 752, Kef Q5

Everything

Nothing

The best speaker for the price Sound: Five stars Build: Five stars

Similar Products Used:

KEF and Dynaudio twice its price.

Natural sound, very good soundstage, high and mid clarity (detailed), fast and tight bass, build quality and looks.

None for the price.

I spent a long time listening to speakers of different brands but the first time I listened to a B&W was like dream: a happy meeting I will never forget. I still remember I told to myself: "I am going to buy one"...
Today, thanks to SOM MAIOR in Brazil,they are part of my system. They're the P5s. They are brand-new so I gave them an extensive running-in over a period of 5 days. Now I have the system I always wanted and the P5s play everything music brings to life. They're detailed, clear, very expressive and natural. The woven Kevlar cone material found in B&W speakers makes midrange amazing. Bass is fast and well controlled, especially if you find out the best position in your room (B&W recommendation is at least half a metre from rear and side walls, but try yourself). However don't forget a very good cable is obligatory. Imagine these "little jewels" driven by a Krell, a Mark Levinson, an Audio Research, a Jeff Rowlland or even by a powerful McCormack!

I've used Dynaudio and other famous speakers, acclaimed everywhere. Of course, great speakers, but B&W are different, you fall in love the first time you hear them.

The P5s are accurate, smooth, and vocals are sweet to listen to, but placement, biwiring and a long break-in time are very important.

There is another point you must not forget. B&W has a representative/dealer everywhere, so you will always be protected if you need any help. In my country, for example, B&W is very well served by SOM MAIOR, where sellers and audiophiles speak the same language.

I don't understand why B&W doesn't make a new P Series NT (Nautilus). Certainly would be a success all over the world. Think about it!

And if I still have something to add about the P5s, I'd like to say they're "highly recommended". But if you have any doubts, don't worry, go to "What Hi-Fi? Magazine" - June 1995 and you will understand what I'm talking about!

B&W speakers are different. Once you hear them, you never forget. They're magic!

Equipment used for the review:

Proceed THX Amplifier AMP2
Yamaha DSP-A 3090
Sony CDP-XA1ES
Sony DVP-S500D
Sony MDS-JB920
Adcom Enhancer ACE 515
Van Den Hul "The First Ultimate" - Coaxial digital cable
Van Den Hul "Second" - Interconnect cable
Chord "Odyssey" - Speakercable
AudioQuest "Optlink Z"

Similar Products Used:

Dynaudio, JM Lab, Paragon, Infinity, KEF...

Great looking boxes, deep bass, extreme detail

Slighty slow bass

These are great speakers from B&W. Paid about $900 US for these 2+ years ago.
Previous speakers were JBL LX55...Geez, what an improvement.

Similar Products Used:

B&W P6, P4, Mission 753

Natural sound, very good soundstage, high and mid, fast and tight bass, build quality.

None in this price range

Just a thing to point out: a lot of reviewers complain about the bass, and I understand why. The problem is that
these speakers are not amp firendly, I mean they have a rather hard to drive impedance curve. You have to match them with a very good amp to actually hear what they're capable of. When I bought them, I used several SS amp, and I had the same problem (low bass, no deep bass at all).
I was blaming the speaker but then I change to SET amplification (Zen SE84C www.decware.com)... and the change is just amazing. All I can say is the P5 can make bass, and even a lot, you just got to match them with a strong amp. (not in the power register, the Zen is only about 3W/Ch, but in the ability to drive complex and hard loads)
Give them a try, you won't be disapointed.

Similar Products Used:

Infinity, DM602

highs & high mid, detail & transparency

bass & mid-bass

These speakers have remarkable clarity and transparency, and outstanding detail such as woodwind pads, organ stops, brass overtones, and snare snaps. They produce sweet, clear highs and high mid, but lack depth as the frequency drops into the midbass and bass range. The 8" woofers just can't handle it. Bass is tight, what you can hear of it, but there just isn't enough depth to it. Performance was enhanced somewhat with bi-wiring and boosting the lows with a graphic equalizer. They are much better suited to classical and vocals than to pop, rock, or jazz, in which they become far too top-heavy, with too much brightness, little midbass, and far too little bass to balance it on the bottom. Again, this can be somewhat compensated for, and may work better with different equipment, but I am considering buying a pair of Cerwin Vegas as B speakers just for the bass response, or exchanging them for Infinity studio monitors.

Similar Products Used:

KLH 319, Marantz 940, B&W Nautilus 802, Klipsch Chorus II

Correction and Addendum to my review of 9/17/99.The correction to my last review is that I run the P5's Bi-Amped from the MC-7100.The Mc runs the Hi end using Audioquest CV4+ and the B&K 202 AVR runs the low end using Audioquest Indigo.The resulting effect as stated was wonderful.
Now the addendum: I went tubes as a second system for the B-Room.As I just had to I hooked up my C.J.MV55(45 watts)to the P5's.and It absolutely BLEW the above bi-amping config.away!!! NOT even close.How the P5's sound on a good tube amp is nothing short of MAGIC!!
Trust me matching your pieces to
your EAR is so critical.It lust get's scarier as to how incredible these speakers can sound given the right match.
Don't ask as to what I did with my
Dig.vs Tube delema!

Cristal clear high and mid range, very "musical" sound, very good soundstage, good and articulate bass.

None.

It is a shame B&W discontinue the P Series, especially the P5. P5´s are very superior to the new 600 and CDM series, so if you still can get a pair do it without any doubt.

They are also good for AV. With Classical, New Age and Jazz they sound at its best.

They shine with any 80Watt +, Mid/high end amplifiers, especially Rotel´s, Audiolabs, Electrocompaniet, Musical Fidelity amps.

I use a Rotel 980BX power Amp with Vandenhul Cables (biwire).

Similar Products Used:

B&W 600 and 600S & CDM series. None of them are even close to the P Series.

Rich detailed sound.

Need good equipment to appreciate them, otherwise they will sound bright.

This is a follow up to my review below. I mentioned how good power conditioning helped make the P5 sing. Well I took the recommendation of a couple reviewers below and the B&W dealer who I have know for 20 years and picked up a tube preamp.
The improvement again was immediate and even better than what I love before. Now they are perfect. Could not ask for more. I am using a solid state power amp with the tube preamp.
If you get good equipment and match carefully you can not do better for the price anywhere.
If your equipment is lacking, these speakers will expose those weeknesses. So do not blame the speakers.

Similar Products Used:

600I, 601, 602, Matrix 804, Matrix 805