The P3s look every bit as stylish and premium as you'd expect from a company like Bowers & Wilkins. They provide a pleasing, balanced sound, which will appeal to fans of folk music. Hardcore bass addicts would be advised to shop elsewhere.

Stylish looks; Portable design; Good sound

Can be light on bass; A little pricey; Cable feels flimsy

Bowers and Wilkins has a strong reputation when it comes to audio. The company's speaker systems are enviable (and expensive) and have impressed audiophiles for an age. Enter the B&W P3 over-ear headphones: as part of the P-range, at the top of which you'll find the P5s , can these pricey yet...

Elegant; comfortable; carry case included; good and neutral sound

Sound spreads to those around you at mid-high volumes; neutral sound may not suit all genres or tastes; pricey; could do with some more top end "sparkle

Lightweight materials, a foldable design and the neat carry case make them great for commuting too. Oh, and they also sound superb – all punch, sparkle and solidity. Bass is deep and weighty but not at the expense of mid-range detail or clarity.

The P3 from Bowers & Wilkins are cheaper than the P5 but aim to offer sound performance as well as a stylish and portable design. Here's our P3 review.

The Bowers & Wilkins P3s represent another triumph in design and comfort. Like the P5s before them, these headphone look incredibly stylish and are quite possibly the most comfortable I've ever worn.

If you're thinking of spending £170 on headphones, look no further

Amazing sound quality; premium construction; very comfortable

They're £170; but that's about it

I felt compelled to write a review of these headphones so that buyers could get a different viewpoint before spending a lot of money; particularly as they seem to be getting rave reviews in the Hi-Fi and Audio press.

Stylish; Well made

Poor Sound and Fit; Expensive

Like many other reviewers have said you need to run them in for a few hours. Lovely rich mids and deep bass with natural highs. These headphones will satisfy the middle of the road people like me and all the others who like that hippity hoppity stuff.

Only made from rubber, stainless steel and cloth for the earpads. Sound quality is brilliant, and I can't understand why you would say they are light on bass because trust me they ain't.

Bass is very deep; Midrange is fantastic; Very durable; Clear vocals; one of the best you can get for £170

Needs a little more of the higher frequencies

I find a lot of headphones fall short on the comfort department. To date, the ugliest set of cans ever, the Koss Portapros, are the only truly comfortable headphones I've tried on that I would also be willing to listen to.