The squirrel has been off bike and working a lot recently … chatty colleagues have made me use my headphones more with my iPod (- they’re lovely though … colleagues, that is!).

Currently have Bose QC3s … no lectures on price, please, they were substantially subbed. Sound is good but no more (- this may be a reflection on Apple rather than Bose). I’m not sure I’m getting my money’s worth though, as I don’t travel as much as I used to, and I think these come into their own on flights, train journeys with the active noise reduction. I have pretty sensitive hearing and am not sold on the “white noise hiss” you can get with this type of noise isolation.

I’ve seen the B&W P5s and the rave reviews they get … could sell the Bose and buy these. Reviews reckon there is even less noise leakeage with these. Cost not too much of an issue (for once). Does anyone have these and could advise? I realise audio appreciation is very personal, but any advice gratefully received. I like the iPhone mic aspect and also the looks too (although neither are my main reasons for wanting to buy!).

I’m going to test drive tomorrow at the Trafford Centre … 😀

Unless your music on your iPod is less than 128Kb then the pod isn’t the issue. Active noise suppression’s going to introduce spurious background noises when it’s quiet, the whole point is really to block background noise passively, and the B&W’s are, frankly, bloody marvellous. I don’t own a pair, but I spent some considerable time in the Bath Apple Store listening to a pair with one of their Nano’s, and also my iPhone, all my music’s ripped at 320Kb, and they blew me away. Very comfortable, leather headband and removable earpads so your ears don’t get sweaty. Replaceable cables as well. The only reason I don’t have a pair is because I use earphones as ear protection at work and I need something that isn’t bulky, so I use UE TripleFi 10’s, which are around £260, so can’t justify the expense, but I seriously want a pair, they’re superb.

Depends what type of music you listen too. If you like bass the new beats headphones are worth a shot, they sound fantastic, however they don’t have a very natural sound. All music is presented clearly and you can hear all the different parts, they are base heavy though. Prefer them to my qc2s though.

Thanks for the replies. TBH I listen to all sorts of music, often depending on how hard I need to concentrate and shut out the world – basically from classical through to rock. Tracks from Greenday and Dire Straits are ones I will test with later this morning.

I can feel the active noise reduction “pressure” a bit with the Bose – more odd than unpleasant, so if I could get something without this (and with the sound quality as described), then that will be a bonus. I do think the QC3s are pretty good, but I’m really not getting the use out of them that I intended, so if I like the B&Ws, I’ll probably sell on the Bose.

I might also try out the Dr Dre, but people seem to love or hate these too!

I have seen comments that the B&Ws sound a little rich and slow, so great for classical, not quite so good for rock.

I bought some Shure SRH840s and think they are nicely balanced – quite similair in balance to my Shure SE530s.