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We compare products from their published specs and features; the verdicts below are our independent editorial opinions.
If you want actual sound and a headphone you can wear on a plane, choose Bowers & Wilkins P5; if you need somewhere to park the headphones you already own, choose Focal FHPSTAND Headphone Stand. These two share almost nothing except a passion for good audio — one is a wired on-ear headphone, the other is a piece of stainless steel furniture for your desk. Let's sort out which one actually belongs in your life.
• Bowers & Wilkins P5 — biggest strength: An on-ear headphone built around a Hi-Fi-style drive unit, with a 20Hz–40kHz frequency range, aluminum and sheep's leather construction, and a detachable, magnet-held ear pad design that lets you replace pads or swap cables instead of replacing the whole headphone.
• Bowers & Wilkins P5 — biggest trade-off: It's a wired 3.5 mm headphone with an Apple-focused remote and mic cable. No wireless listening, and the remote/mic behavior depends on which Apple device generation you plug it into.
• Focal FHPSTAND — biggest strength: A rigid, well-weighted stainless steel stand with a synthetic stone base, engineered so you can hang headphones without pressing on or damaging the ear cups.
• Focal FHPSTAND — biggest trade-off: It makes no sound at all. It's a display and storage accessory — if you don't already own a pair of high-end headphones, it has nothing to do.
• Who each pick is for: P5 → someone who wants a portable wired headphone for commuting and calls. Focal FHPSTAND → someone who already owns premium headphones and wants them displayed safely and neatly.
The P5 Series 2 is the second iteration of a well-known on-ear design, and the spec sheet tells you what changed: an all-new drive unit, tuned with the same team behind Bowers & Wilkins' flagship 800 Series speakers. The drivers are built to move the way a Hi-Fi speaker driver moves — more precise, more controlled. That's the pitch, and the 20Hz–40kHz frequency range backs up the ambition. This isn't a bass-first consumer headphone; it's voiced like a small pair of serious speakers you happen to wear.
The P5 is also explicitly a travel and phone partner. It's wired via a 3.5 mm jack, it includes a remote-and-mic cable, and the remote and mic support a long list of Apple devices — iPhone 3GS and later, iPod Touch 2nd gen and later, all iPads, with remote-only support on iPod Classic, Nano 4th gen and later, and Shuffle 3rd gen and later. It ships with a quilted carry case and a universal cable. Noise control is passive sound isolation, not active cancellation.
Buy it if you want a compact, wired, materials-forward on-ear headphone for commuting, calls and desk listening, and you value being able to replace pads and cables. Skip it if you want wireless freedom, active noise cancellation, or you're an Android user who needs the inline remote to control playback — the sheet only documents Apple compatibility for those functions.
Focal FHPSTAND Headphone Stand: Who It's For
The FHPSTAND is a headphone stand, and it's unapologetically that. Focal designed it for its own high-end models — Utopia, Clear and Elear — and the shape echoes the Focal logo. The point of the shape isn't branding vanity: it's that the headphones rest on the stand in a way that avoids pressing on or damaging the ear cups. If you've spent real money on open-back headphones with delicate pads and thin headbands, that's the whole argument.
The build is stainless steel on a synthetic stone base, described as Setapan, with laser engraving. It weighs about 2.1 pounds and measures roughly 5 x 5 x 10 inches. That weight is the feature. A light plastic stand tips over the moment you drape a full-size headphone on it; a stand with a stone base and a stainless upright just sits there. It's rigid and well weighted, and the sheet is explicit that it's meant to provide greater stability.
Where does it fit? Two places. On a home desk, so your headphones live somewhere better than a pile on the keyboard. And in a recording studio, where gear needs to be visible, reachable and protected between takes. It's a two-year manufacturer warranty part, one unit per box, and that's the entire product.
Buy it if you own premium over-ear headphones and want them stored safely and shown off properly. Skip it if you don't own headphones yet, or if you need something portable — at 2.1 pounds with a stone base, this is a leave-it-on-the-desk object, not a travel accessory.
• If you want to actually listen to music → Bowers & Wilkins P5. The Focal stand produces no audio whatsoever.
• If you want to protect headphones you already own → Focal FHPSTAND. Its stainless steel build and weighted stone base exist to hold headphones without crushing the ear cups.
• If you want portability → Bowers & Wilkins P5. It's a compact on-ear headphone with a quilted carry case; the Focal stand is a fixed 2.1-pound desk piece.
• If you want long-term serviceability → Bowers & Wilkins P5. Magnetic, detachable ear pads mean you can replace pads and change cables rather than replace the headphone.
• If you take calls on an iPhone → Bowers & Wilkins P5. It ships with an Apple-compatible remote-and-mic cable.
• If you want a cleaner desk or studio → Focal FHPSTAND. It's designed for display and storage of high-end headphones at home or in a studio.
• If you want wireless → neither, strictly speaking. The P5 is a wired 3.5 mm headphone; the stand is passive hardware.
• If you're building a two-part setup → both. A P5 for listening and an FHPSTAND to store a pair of premium headphones is a coherent desk, not a contradiction.
In my opinion, most people reading a comparison like this should buy the Bowers & Wilkins P5. It's an actual product that does something — it plays music, takes calls through an Apple-compatible remote, and its magnet-held pads mean you can keep it alive with new pads and cables years down the line. That's a headphone with a long service life built into its design.
I'd only recommend the Focal FHPSTAND to a specific buyer: someone who already owns premium headphones — ideally Focal's own Utopia, Clear or Elear — and wants them stored safely and displayed well. As a stand, it looks like the right answer; as a purchase for someone without headphones, it's a very nice object with nothing to hold.
If you're torn, ask one question: do I need sound, or do I need storage? That answer decides it instantly.
No. The P5 Series 2 is a wired headphone with a 3.5 mm jack and an included remote-and-mic cable. The spec sheet lists Bluetooth fields, but the product is sold and used as a wired on-ear headphone — plan on a cable.
No. It's a stand only — one unit per box, stainless steel with a Setapan synthetic stone base. It's designed to hold Focal's Utopia, Clear and Elear, and it works for other over-ear headphones too.
The sheet only documents Apple compatibility for the remote and mic — iPhone 3GS and later, iPod Touch 2nd gen and later, all iPads, plus remote-only support on several iPod models. If you're on Android, don't count on the inline controls.
They solve different problems, so value depends on what you're missing. If you need a headphone, the P5 is the purchase; if you need a safe home for headphones you already own, the FHPSTAND is. Check the current price on Amazon for whichever one matches your need before deciding.
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See also: ASFSKY Wood Controller Holder vs Generic Walnut Headphone Stand, B&W Bowers & Wilkins vs Rockville PRO-M50, SAMDI Wood Headphone Stand vs GEVO Headphone Stand