Bowers & Wilkins gets into in-ear headphones with steady C5s
updated 10:40 am EDT, Mon July 11, 2011
Bowers and Wilkins C5 targets iPhone runners
Bowers & Wilkins broke from its focus on external audio Monday through launching the C5s. The in-ear headphones are tailored to runners with a new 'secure loop' that should keep the buds in an ideal position rather than gradually slip out. Even the weighting, made of tungsten, is designed to keep the design comfortable by balancing them towards the head rather than away from it, the company said.
A micro porous filter helps recreate some of the effect of open speakers by diffusing the sound even as it cuts back on the amount of outside noise getting in. The C5s have a wide 10Hz to 20kHz frequency range, a 32ohm impedance, and a 118dB signal to noise ratio. Bowers & Wilkins, as a regular iOS supporter, has built in an in-line mic and remote so iPad, iPhone and newer iPod touch owners can make calls or steer tracks.
So far announced in the UK, the C5s are due to reach the country in August for £150 ($239). An American launch isn't yet public, but most of Bowers & Wilkins' audio equipment reaches the US.
