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We compare products from their published specs and features; the verdicts below are our independent editorial opinions.
Updated: 2026-10-03 · 7 min read · Independent comparison
• Bowers & Wilkins P5 — biggest strength: on-ear comfort and materials. Aluminum and sheep's leather, magnet-held ear pads, and a 17-hour battery spec.
• Bowers & Wilkins P5 — biggest trade-off: it's a wired on-ear, so no active noise cancellation, just sound isolation.
• LEAUDIO DUNU VULKAN 2 — biggest strength: hybrid driver architecture — 2 dynamic + 6 balanced armature drivers per side with a 4-way crossover.
• LEAUDIO DUNU VULKAN 2 — biggest trade-off: it's a wired in-ear with no mic or controls, so it's a music-first, not a phone-first, product.
• Pick Bowers & Wilkins P5 if you split your day between music and calls and want one low-fuss pair on your desk.
• Pick LEAUDIO DUNU VULKAN 2 if you're chasing detail and separation and already own a dongle or DAP with a 4.4mm output.
The P5 Series 2 is the "walk out the door with it" headphone. Bowers & Wilkins redesigned the drive unit for this generation and tuned it with the same team behind its flagship speaker line, which tells you the intent: a Hi-Fi speaker philosophy shrunk down to something you can wear. The ear pads use an acoustically optimised grille pattern so air moves freely through them, keeping acoustic impedance low. In plain terms, that's the engineering behind why an on-ear can sound open rather than boxy.
The build is the part I keep coming back to. Aluminum and sheep's leather, with ultra-soft cushioning, and ear pads that attach by magnets — meaning you can pop them off to swap the cable or replace worn pads instead of replacing the whole headphone. Frequency range is listed at 20Hz–40kHz, and the driver type is dynamic. Weight is 0.2 kg, which is light enough that the on-ear clamp shouldn't fight you.
Who should skip it: anyone who wants real noise cancellation on a plane. The P5 has sound isolation, not active noise cancelling. And if you want a completely wireless experience with no cable at all, this isn't that product.
LEAUDIO DUNU VULKAN 2: Who It's For
The VULKAN 2 is a different animal entirely: an in-ear with eight drivers per side. Specifically, one independent ultra-low-frequency dynamic driver, one independent low-frequency dynamic driver, two custom Knowles midrange balanced armatures, and four custom high and ultra-high frequency balanced armatures. Those run through a hybrid physical and electronic 4-way crossover. If that sounds like a lot of hardware, it is. The point of a design like this is to hand each slice of the frequency range to a driver that's good at that slice, rather than asking one driver to do everything.
Numbers from the sheet: 5Hz–40kHz frequency response, 35 ohm impedance, 113dB/mW sensitivity at 1kHz, THD under 0.3% at 1kHz. Sensitivity that high means it doesn't need a monster amp to get loud — a decent dongle will drive it. The 35-ohm impedance is moderate, not punishing. The 5Hz bottom end is the spec that hints at what those two dynamic drivers are there to do.
The shell is milled from aerospace-grade aluminum in a champagne gold finish, about 8g per side, with a red indicator marking the right channel — a small thing that matters more than people admit when you're inserting IEMs in a hurry. The stock cable is a 4-core high-purity silver-plated monocrystalline copper Litz design, 1.2m, with reinforced expandable MMCX connectors. DUNU's Q-Lock Mini modular plug system is included with both a 4.4mm balanced and a 3.5mm single-ended plug, so you can move between a phone dongle and a balanced output without buying a second cable.
The accessory kit is genuinely complete: a larger carrying case with an inner pouch sized for a USB DAC or dongle, a separate pouch for each earpiece, a cleaning brush, a microfiber cloth, and DUNU's Candy and S&S eartip sets for two different presentations — one warmer and more vocal-forward, one wider and more studio-like.
Who should buy it: listeners who care about separation, layering and detail, and who already have a source with a 4.4mm output or a good dongle. Who should skip it: anyone who wants to take calls. There are no controls and no noise control listed — this is a dedicated music tool.
Side-by-Side: Which Should You Choose?
• Best for all-day comfort and easy wear → Bowers & Wilkins P5. On-ear, 0.2 kg, sheep's leather and soft cushioning.
• Best for phone calls → Bowers & Wilkins P5. The Apple-approved remote and mic cable is the deciding feature here.
• Best for deep bass extension on paper → LEAUDIO DUNU VULKAN 2. Two dedicated dynamic drivers and a 5Hz low-end spec.
• Best for source flexibility → LEAUDIO DUNU VULKAN 2. Swappable 3.5mm single-ended and 4.4mm balanced plugs in the box.
• Best for noise isolation on a commute → LEAUDIO DUNU VULKAN 2. In-ear fit seals; the P5 relies on on-ear sound isolation.
• Best for minimal fuss → Bowers & Wilkins P5. Two cables, a case, done.
• Best for tinkerers and cable rollers → LEAUDIO DUNU VULKAN 2. MMCX connectors and two eartip families to tune the sound.
In my opinion, the honest answer is that these don't compete — they solve different problems. If I had to pick one for a general listener who wants a single pair for music, calls and travel, I'd buy the Bowers & Wilkins P5. It's the more versatile object: comfortable, well made, replaceable pads, Apple mic cable included.
But if your goal is critical listening and you already own a dongle or a player with a balanced output, the LEAUDIO DUNU VULKAN 2 is the more interesting purchase. Eight drivers, a 4-way crossover and a modular plug system is a serious hardware stack, and it's aimed squarely at people who notice the difference. Match the product to the job, not the other way around.
FAQ
It's built and marketed as a wired on-ear with a 3.5mm jack, and it ships with an Apple-approved remote and mic cable plus a universal cable. The spec sheet also lists Bluetooth 5 with a 10-meter range, but the wired path is the primary use case.
No. The data sheet lists no controls and no noise control — it's an in-ear monitor for music, not a headset. If you need call handling, the P5 is the one with the mic cable.
On paper, the VULKAN 2. It uses two dedicated dynamic drivers — one ultra-low-frequency and one low-frequency — with a 5Hz lower frequency limit. The P5 lists a 20Hz–40kHz range with a single dynamic driver per side.
The VULKAN 2 is the more serviceable design in this respect: reinforced expandable MMCX connectors, a silver-plated monocrystalline copper Litz cable, and a Q-Lock Mini plug system with both 3.5mm and 4.4mm plugs included. The P5 uses magnet-held ear pads so you can swap or replace pads and cable rather than the whole headphone.
The P5, in my opinion. It comes with an Apple-approved microphone and remote cable covering iPhone 3GS and later, plus all iPad models, and the remote works with iPod Classic, Nano 4th gen and later, and Shuffle 3rd gen and later. The VULKAN 2 has no inline controls.
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