Bowers & Wilkins at CES unveiled two new products which mark a first for the company, with the P5 noise-isolating headphones and MM-1 computer speakers. The P5s have comfortable earpads lined with New Zealand sheep’s leather and a closed back design with rigid metal faceplates. There is no bass boost or noise-cancelling features built-in for a pure sound that doesn’t totally isolate listeners from their environment.
Made to work with iPods and iPhones, the cord has a built-in microphone and remote that lets users pause and play tracks or answer and end calls, as well as adjusting the volume.
The MM-1 speakers each have two drivers and produce a clean sound that B&W believes does not require a separate subwoofer. The tweeters have a tube-loaded design that is shared with B&W’s Nautilus speakers. Digital Signal Processing is integrated into the speakers for rich bass effects. The speakers connect to PCs using a mini-USB input for a distortion-free digital signal before converting it to analog. There is also a 3.5mm headphone output as well as a 3.5mm input for connecting to sources other than PCs.
The P5 headphones are expected to ship at the end of January, with preliminary pricing estimated to be $300, while the MM-1 speakers will ship later, likely by April, for what is believed to be $500.
