Customer Ratings & Reviews

If I were forced into a single word review, then my word would be “luxurious”. Visually, materially, physically, and sonically the Px8 is luxurious. My Royal Burgandy and Nickel Px8 is a rich, decadent wrapper implying the musical finery waiting inside each ear cup. The leather wrapped ear cushions are soft and blush. The Px8’s are constructed of metal and soft, plush leather. The ear cup outer shells are a combination Metal, leather, and brushed nickel. The connecting armatures are brushed aluminum metal and extend well into the headband. The head band is wrapped in a matching royal burgundy leather, plush foam padding, and is very flexible. The ear cups have a 180 Degree rotation that allows them to rest cups facing in or cups facing out when wearing the Px8 around your neck. It is nice that B&W gave me the option that I find most comfortable. Sonically, these are like having two high fi speakers strapped to my ears. I would describe the sound as clear, precise, rich, detailed, intimate, and full bodied. In some instances, acoustic guitars and classical piano are sonically voluptuous. There is just the little extra something that I find lacking from less expensive headphones. For example, Chopin’s Nocturne No. 2 in E-Flat. Op. 9 No 2 and the Plonaise No. 6 in A-Flat, Op. 53 – “Heroic” are like being teleported into the best seat in a professional concert hall. I can hear everything from the most powerful notes reverberating through both ear cups to the gentle decay of the most delicate keystrokes as they forever vanish into silence. The world simply evaporated away and reconstituted as Chopin. The Px8’s did not shy away from anything I threw at them. As a matter of fact, they played everything I threw at them magnificently. Meghan Trainor, Indego Girls, Air Supply, Metallica, Old 97’s (thank you James Gunn), Anime Anthems, Bach, Beethoven, Mozart, Albinoni, Litz, John Williams, Boston, Christmas and Holiday Music, and so much more. Christmas/Sarajevo 12/24 by the Trans-Siberian Orchestra is simply explosive. The electric guitars are alive and screaming in my ears with such richness that I wish the piece could go on forever. In my home, I can only outperform the Px8’s with a fully dedicated component stereo system. But now we are comparing apples to rocket ships. Bottom line, the Px8’s sound amazing with all music in every genre I sampled. At low volumes they sound good. Medium volume is where the Px8’s truly come alive. Hands down, this is the best headset, wired or wireless, that I have ever used. And just in case you believe my experience is limited to midrange only. Wrong. The Px8 put out a surprising amount of bass without any adjustments. And bass can be boosted in the B&W App. The same with the treble. They are there, they are clean, and they are wonderful and airy. The 40mm Carbon cones of the Px8’s delivers the goods and then some. ANC: Active Noise Cancelation is good but not excellent. Sorry B&W. However, B&W states that their ANC does not impact the quality of their sound. I mostly agree with that assertion. ANC has a slight impact on sound but nothing that you will notice until you turn off ANC in the middle of a listening experience. And even then, the difference is very minor. Much better than other ANC enabled headphones and earbuds I have used. The other thing to keep in mind is that strong ANC can, and does, increase the pressure in the earcup and will eventually lead to ear fatigue. I have not experienced either with the Px8’s. So, the tradeoff is superior sound quality/low fatigue vs inferior sound quality/high fatigue. That’s a no brainer. I am picking the Px8’s all day long unless I absolutely need the very best ANC that money can buy. Passthrough: The Px8’s have six external mics. This is for ANC, phone, and Passthrough. What is the purpose of passthrough. I am sure there are times where you wish you could casually listen to music, a podcast, the news, but also want to remain sonically aware of your surroundings. Maybe you are in an office building, keeping one ear open for your mischievous children, or your wife is…uh…just turn on the ANC and up the volume. You’ll be fine. The six mics pick up the sounds around me and reproduce the environmental sounds in the ear cups. Unfortunately, the passthrough is boosted which gives it a slightly unnatural sound. Conversations, road noise, wind, and other environmental sounds are clear but not 100% natural. For instance, computer fans, ceiling fans, air purifiers, drier sounds, and anything that I would qualify as “white noise” is boosted and will take away from musical enjoyment. Phone calls: The Px8’s are not the best for phone calls. The six external mics do not do a good job of picking up my voice. For example, my voice has been described as distant and with the quality if speaking through a hallow tube. My voice was very clear. However, my partners needed to turn the volume to maximum to enjoy a full conversation with me. There is no gain adjustment in the B&W app. So, it is what it is. Moving on. Bowers and Wilkins Sound App: My only musical subscription is Apple Music. Thus, I can only comment on the Px8 controls portion of the app and not on the music service integration portion of the app. The Bower and Wilkin’s headphone control app is spartan at best. It does not have the same flagship feel or experience as the Px8’s. And there is no reason why not. It’s software. You can make it look like and do anything you want. The options are as follows: - ANC is On, Off, or Passthrough. There is no manual adjustment to customize the ANC to my tastes. - EQ: limited to Bass and Treble. - Quick Action button: Environment Control or Voice Assistant. - Auto Standby 15 Minutes or Off - Wear Sensor: On or Off. There is an added configuration for movement sensitivity. - Device Rename - Factory Reset I was hoping for a multi-band EQ, Passthrough volume controls, in ear notification volume and sound/voice selection, additional sleep timer settings, and maybe an ANC intensity adjustment. It is functional and useful for what it does. It could be much better for a premium product such as the Px8’s. Conclusion: The Px8 is the best sounding wireless over ear headset I have ever heard. Period. Waitress, may I have the check! Do I think they could be better? Yes. If the Px8’s had Muli-EQ support and more control over the ANC, microphone gain for phone calls, and volume adjustments for native functions then these would be next level wireless headphones. But none of the cons I rattled off above are deal breakers. As is, these will need to be pulled from dead, rotting hands before I’ll give them up. The Px8’s radiate luxury; both physically and sonically. Pure and simple, this is an outward expression of decadence. Sonically luxurious. I would recommend these all day long for anyone looking to take a dip into the high-end wireless headphone pool.

NOISE CANCELLING/PASS-THROUGH: Noise cancelling is probably the one thing that these do not excel at. Which isn’t to say they are bad. But they are not class leading. My AirPods Max and Sony XM4’s do a better job. If those are at 10/10 then these are at like 8/10. I found that they did a great job at blocking out low noises and normal talking voices. Fans I could still hear but were greatly reduced as was running water (where those were either blocked or completely blocked by the other two). Music it struggled with and would come through (which I’d expect) but performed as well as the others in that regard. But regardless it does reduce the sound of things going on around you by a noticeable degree and is good enough that it is worth turning on. Pass-through was surprisingly good. I usually can’t stand Pass-Through on anything other than Apple devices as they are normally trash. But with these I was easily able to have a full conversation with someone with these on. Or listen to a video on another device quickly using their speakers. And be aware of what was going on around me such as typing, people walking around, etc. Everything is a bit more quiet in comparison to without the headset on. But I’ve found that Apple’s Transparency mode has been leagues ahead of the competition. These are the only ones that I’ve tried that have come close to being at the same level. They aren’t. But they are moderately close. CONTROLS: So many devices these days have poor controls. Usually do to limited buttons. To the point I’ve almost forgotten how nice it is to have actual buttons again. On the left earcup you have your “Quick Actions” button which can be paired to either Environmental (Noise Cancelling, Pass-Through, or Off) or Voice Assistant (Siri, Google, etc.). On the right earcups from top to bottom you have your slide to power on/off. Which is unique and I like a lot. Holding up will let you go into pairing mode. Volume Up, multipurpose button (single press for play/pause, double for forward, triple for back), and volume down. On the bottom of the right earcup you have a USB-C female port for charging, connecting the included USB-C to 3.5 mm jack, or USB-C to USB-C cord (gives the best wired quality). SOUND: You have three ways to listen on this device. First, Bluetooth. Second, USB-C to 3.5 mm. Third USB-C to USB-C. The third option will give you the best audio quality. And with most phones and devices having a USB-C port isn’t all that inconvenient. I also plugged this into my DAC/AMP and it sounded great and better than Bluetooth. Bluetooth will be the worst simply because the amount of data it can send is limited. Which isn’t to say it sounds bad by any means. It would be neat to see these brands start to include 2.4 GHz connections which give lower latency and better audio quality. With the plugged in methods you do need to have the headphones powered on and using battery though. Which is a bit of a bummer but not all that surprising. Which also means noise cancelling and all that jazz works. These simply sound fantastic no matter which method you choose to listen to them. I have no complaints. Treble is fully present, can be a bit sharp, but due to that you get the sparkle that allows voices and stuff to be highly impactful. Bass is present, tight, impactful, and accurate. It isn’t overblown or heavy though. But does give a nice deep rumble given the correct type. If you are a basshead these aren’t going to give you what you are looking for as the bass is backed off in order for the mids and treble to shine more and not muddy up the rest of the sound while still adding a lot of impact. I’m able to hear the nuanced parts of songs and different aspects going on easily. Also, I put these on for some gaming (Escape From Tarkov) and was blown away at how accurate the localization was. I knew exactly where someone was. To the point I’d actually say wired they are viable for gaming. They get plenty loud. I listed to music, movies, media, games and found they excelled at all of them. I tried to think of some negatives here. But they are right up there with the AirPods Max, Senneheiser HD650, and Hifiman Ananda’s that I own. Where at this level those all sound fantastic and the differences come down to specific tuning that specialize in certain areas. They are much better than my Sony XM4’s. It seems like I’ve made these seem like they are the greatest things since sliced bread. They aren’t and I hope I don’t give you unrealistic expectations. They aren’t perfect. No headphones are. But at this level I think it really comes down to what specific sound you want and I find these do great at multipurpose. Where they do a great job at most genres instead of a specific one. Which is my preference. PAIRING: Is extremely simple. You can be connected to two devices at a time. On the right earcup on the top you have your slide to power on/off button. If you hold that up whether the devices is on or off it will go into pairing mode after a short while. It will say “Ready To Connect” repeating until it pops up on your device. I’ve found that it doesn’t always pop up immediately and takes some time. As does pressing connect and it actually connecting. So not the quickest I’ve seen. Once a connection is established it does connect quickly upon first powering up the headphones. While it is a bit delayed in popping up and connecting initially I have found that this process if by fair the easiest I’ve seen on a device. Which usually requires me to turn them off, then hold to turn back on and go into pairing. I much prefer this method. BUILD QUALITY: It is superb and the main thing you are paying for here. It is by far the most attractive and best feeling headset I’ve ever felt or owned. Even putting my AirPods Max to shame. The leather is soft and plushy. The earcups move so smoothly along with the headband adjustment I can’t contain it in words. I don’t feel any plastic on the device anywhere. It’s either leather, padding, or aluminum. There is zero creaking or noise when I am handling the headphones. Each button is easy to tell apart without looking. Has a very crisp solid click to it and the only thing I hear is a nice soft click in the earcup itself. They are very lightweight and just feel incredible on in the hand, when handling, and are supremely comfortable. The color scheme is beautiful. Before these I’m not sure if I fully understood what a quality pair of headphones felt like. Simply put incredible. They do come with a nice hard carrying case, with a great zipper, that holds the headphones and both of the cables which magnetically shuts. Comfort is great and I can wear this for extremely long periods without any issues on my ears or on the top of my head. I don’t get hot ears with them. Clamping force is light/moderate. They can be worn for working out. I can do pushups and running just fine (as long as I’m not throwing my body around a lot). But they tend to slide off when laying down for bench or something. Also, with these actually using real leather I would be worried about destroying that with sweat. THE APP: It is simple, intuitive, and basic. Going from the top to the bottom you have your environmental control which includes Noise Cancelation, Pass-Through, and Off. Each one of those has a unique tone associated with it. I would have preferred an actual voice, especially at this price point. As I just struggle with tones on correctly identifying what they mean. You are not able to select say just Noise Cancelling and Pass-Through. Instead you always have all three options. Then you have a simplified EQ setting where you can increase or decrease the Treble and Bass (+/- 6 dB). That’s it. Connections where you can select what you are connected to just a single device or two devices at once. You can select what the Quick Actions button on the left earcup does (Noise Cancelling/Pass-Through/Off OR Voice Assistant such as Siri). Auto Standby allows low power mode after 15 minutes. Along with Wear Sensor (it will register if it is on your head or not). You have three settings here (low, normal, high) for how sensitive you want it to be. I kept mine on high. It still takes about a second or two for it to register it is off your head before it pauses/plays your media. Last two options are rename product and factory reset. CONCLUSION: These are the best pair of Bluetooth headphones I’ve ever used. I’m not sure if they are “leading class” in anything other than build quality. But they are right up there with the rest of the competition. But the difference between these and them is that they do well in EVERY SINGLE CATEGORY. Where the AirPods Max might have great Noise Cancelling, Transparency, and seamlessly connect on Apple devices. They can be heavy, sound is interesting, and clamping force is high. Where the cons for these guys are more subjective in nature over a complete miss. If these hit the boxes you are looking for and your comfortable with the extremely high price tag I don’t think you’ll be disappointed. As I certainly wasn’t.

You don't come to this class of product for the problems these have. ***QUALITY:*** Clearly, right from the gate you can tell these are quality. The weight, feel and textures tell you. Soft-touch? Check. Mem. foam? Check. GOLDEN metal? Check. Even the cord material which can be seen as you elongate the band is color-matching and woven. "Bowers & Wilkins" is machined (embossed) onto the side. These tell others you got something expensive. ***DESIGN:*** My particular set are "Royal Burgundy", and as such won't appeal to all, but as stated, give you that stand-out gold finish. The microphone ports are substantial, perforated grilles integrated into each earpiece. The left is sleek, with a single botton (ANC) and the right is topped by on/pairing, with textured play/pause sandwiched between up and down volume. Of any set of headphones, this is close to perfect for layout. The only improvement I could make is to move play over to the left so each button can be easily, quickly found (even when wearing gloves, please). ***FUNCTIONALITY:*** These have an exceptional feature no other headphones do: quick sounds to indicate connectivity and modes. All other sets I have tried consume media time with their prompts (you end up rewinding podcasts and videos). Bowers & Wilkins doesn't wish to interrupt. The set is very comfortable even when wearing a hat (quite adjustable) and can be stretched for a wider head (like I have). My medium-large ears are covered by the cuffs, which breathe acceptably well. The volume controls allow you to crank it way up, but... ***SOUND:*** only on Bluetooth. Curiously, plugging these in with USB-C to connect gives you substantially quieter listening - at least on my S23 Ultra. This is unfortunate because Bluetooth seems not to be the way to get the best fidelity. You get decent quality from this connection type, but the experience is let down by software which DEFINITELY could have been better. The details will be spoken about next, in ***SOFTWARE:*** 1.) For starters, the available settings here are WAYY outgunned by far cheaper kit. A brand like this should give you what you desire as a respecter of the finer things, but it doesn't. "Bass" and "treble" are the only "EQ" settings. They might as well be called"high" and "low", since you get no indication of frequency, curve, or decibel raise. This isn't good, as ultra-low frequency sound is too quiet when you get these. "Bass" in the app appears to adjust something like 100 hz - and that's not good enough for most recordings. "Treble" is okay, but seems to sound best when close to max, and that increases harsh 12k+ sounds too much in order to get 4-8k right. 2.) The app only let's you fiddle when it notices the PX8s, and that isn't consistent. I was listening to them once when it couldn't find them. An app kill and restart corrected it, but still. 3.) When you actually can fiddle, you get a choice to turn off the standby mode, so that's nice (like for falling asleep with music playing. They _didn't_ automatically connect most of the times I came back to them, however (like, when leaving the set on and walking away). 4.) Only ONE button is customizable - ONE - and that's only to select ANC mode or voice assistant. Nothing else. Fail, B&W. ***FIRMWARE:*** Another EXCELLENT feature is that the PX8s remember which ANC (active noise canceling) setting you last used. The ANC, by the way, is no-contest the best I've used... when it works right. Unfortunately, something about those "2 external microphones" doesn't. Driving in the car? Turn your head the wrong way and INTERFERENCE. Sitting in an air-conditioned space? Volume difference equals INTERFERENCE. A bit of wind on one side? Interference. For some reason, these things are HYPER sensitive to pressure changes and give you static (in only ONE ear - whichever is most affected) FAR too frequently. It's actually a tragedy. I'm not joking. These would be exquisite otherwise (even with the lacking sound adjustment). ***AFFILIATIONS:*** The one very interesting thing B&W gives you is a free trial to "Quobuz" to listen to very high quality audio from an extensive collection. The selection algorithm is terrible, though. Really, it's only good for your own manual selections. ***CONCLUSION:*** Something this expensive really needs to be "The Cadillac" of headphones. It isn't. ANC which can't handle pressure variations is Active Noise Creation, not Cancellation. Connection needs to be FLAWLESS - it isn't. Settings need to be ABUNDANT - they aren't.

The Bowers & Wilkins Pi6 ear buds are what you would expect from B&W. A small package with great sound. Comfortable and long lasting. They come in a case with a built-in battery that is small and easy to fit into a pocket or carrying bag. The are a small size and fit in your ears fine. The earbuds have up to 8 hours of life with ANC on, and you can get two additional charges from the case. A full charge takes 2 hours, or 15 minutes will give you 2 hours. IP54 water resistance so you can sweat in them with no issue. It comes with extra small to Large ear tips, and a USB-C charging cable. The tips are comfortable and fit snugly and can be worn for hours with no issues or fatigue. The earbuds are Bluetooth 5.4 and use 24 bit audio connection. In operations tapping the earbuds lets you pause, advance, or go back for tracks. You can pick up and hang up on calls by tapping too. The B&W app lets you customize some controls. The case has an LED that gives you an estimate on the remaining charge of the battery case. Sound! These earbuds have great sound. Earbuds have limitations due to their physical size, but these reproduce good bass, and mids and highs don’t sound tinny. The default setting is decent, but using the newer B&W music app (these will not work with the old B&O app), let’s you adjust the Bass and Treble. Not as much EQ options as other apps, but it’s impact can be felt. The sound is clear and not muffled or distorted at higher volumes. ANC works well, no air pressure when activated. Background noise fades away. The pass-through modes let you hear what it going on around your if wanted. The earbuds responded to touch reliably and the taps were responded to immediately. Whether rock, classical, hip-hop, or voice, the sound was superb. For calls and items like discord, my voice was heard clearly with no issues. The are easy to pair with a phone and use the B&W to customize. Connecting to a PC was not an issue either. The app does allow you to change some preset tap commands. You can also get any firmware updates there. The headphones sound great which is the main point. The amount of customization and not seeing the case charge state are things other earbuds offer. But, these are minor issues overall and can be improved. The earbuds sound fantastic and the ANC in a space package is impressive. Overall these are as good and better than my other earbuds that are a little older. The price is comparable to other earbuds with these features. If you want great sound in a small package give these a try.

I was filled with anticipation as I began to unbox the Bowers & Wilkins Px8 headphones. I had heard so many people singing such high praises for them that I couldn’t hardly wait to finally get them and around my ears. As I unpacked its box, I was met by a beautifully crafted case. I have the Royal Burgundy edition, and the case is of course burgundy. The case is extremely well-made of semi-hard material, and the zipper has a real leather pull strap. Across the front of the case is an elegant Bowers & Wilkins logo in raised lettering. But the best was still yet to come. As I opened the case, I was greeted by the sight of the equally elegant Bowers & Wilkins headphones. The golden cast aluminum structure with golden cast aluminum logo plates is clothed in well-dressed burgundy cloth and leather. The logo plates are accented with a polished (golden) aluminum Bowers & Wilkins logo. Turning the headphones causes the logo and polished edges to glimmer, as if they are lit from within. The headphones are nestled in a form-fitting interior, and within the center of the headphones there is a magnetic door that houses a USB-C to USB-C charging cable which is approximately 4’ in length, and a USB-C to 3.5mm analog cable that is also approximately 4’ in length, for plugging into a source player if Bluetooth is not preferred. I can’t finish my overall description of these majestic headphones without mentioning the memory-foam earpieces upholstered in unbelievably soft Nappa leather. I know I have used the word elegant several times already, but it is almost impossible to speak of the design of these beautiful headphones without using “elegant” to describe each of its many features. But we’re not really here to focus on the Bowers & Wilkins aesthetic value, so let’s get down to the meat of this review. Incorporated into the elegant design is also the determined goal of simplicity. There are four physical buttons located on the right side…the On/Off & Bluetooth slider button, the Up & Down Volume buttons, and a Multi-Function button to control Play/Pause, Forward/Reverse, and Answer/End/Reject Calls. Also located on the right side (below the controls, is the USB charging port. On the left side is located a physical button for controlling the ANC or VA options. These are changed via the app. After all the admiration, I was excited about actually listening to the B&W Px8s. I downloaded the Bowers & Wilkins app, and in about a minute and a half, I was ready to start listening. Seriously, setting up is as easy as it gets. There are several music/podcast/radio services available to link the app with, but in all honesty, I had only ever heard of one of them. Instead, I chose a music streaming service I already subscribed to. I wrote a list of about 6 songs that represented a wide range of music styles and began to listen. What happened next was magical. There are so many features of these headphones that complement and intermingle with each other to create a sound experience unlike any other. Inside of each cup is an angled, ultra-high resolution 40mm carbon cone driver unit. I am no expert when it comes to such things as this, but what I am an expert in is sound experience, and the cumulative effect of the B&W design and construction is ethereal. I truly felt as if I was sitting in the very same room with the vocalists and musicians. The ANC feature was the finishing touch as it somehow created an environment unlike any I have ever experienced before with over the ear headphones. For the first time in a very long time, I absolutely did not want any of the songs I was listening to to stop. And even the silence between songs was a pleasant and unique experience. To me, it was as if I was actually surrounded by the warmth of sound, submerged in it, bathed. I simply look forward to every opportunity I have to put these headphones on and surround myself once more with the otherworldly depth and richness of the Px8 So, are they perfect? I for one certainly think so. These are some of the very best over-the-ear headphones I have ever had the privilege to listen to. They make music so much more than something I simply listen to. Like I said, they allow you to experience music. With all the praise I have heaped upon the headphones, I do want to mention. The Bowers & Wilkins app…it is almost pointless. Like I mentioned earlier, it offers the ability to link with different services, and you can control on the app everything you can control with the buttons on the headphones, but that is just about it. There is the ability to adjust the bass and treble, and that is it. There is the profound absence of the ability to choose from any equalizer presets, and there is no ability to adjust any other settings. I’m not sure why they chose to do this, but to me it is a huge letdown. Other than that, everything about the Bowers & Wilkins Px8 Headphones is spectacular. For those who are longing for much more when it comes to listening to music, podcasts or what-have-you, the Px8s are the answer. Once you put them over your ears and begin the B&W Px8 experience, you will know that you have found what you have been longing for.

I am quite taken aback by the B&W Pi8 buds. While the case features an ordinary shape, it is small and easy to carry around -even in the watch pocket of my jeans. What is not ordinary is that the case is also a DAC. This means that I can connect it to a source and that will transmit to the buds. The buds also have a smaller footprint than their predecessors. I think the overall buds’ design is sleek, with a glossy touchpad with subtle branding. They just look great in the ear. They are also very comfortable and stay on while exercising. I wore them for a full charge -about 6 hours with ANC on, and I never felt fatigued. The battery features quick charge and wireless charging which is very convenient to me. Featuring Bluetooth 5.4 with multipoint compatibility, they paired easily with my phone and laptop. I did not experience any lag or sync issues and kept a connection at a distance. The touchpads are responsive albeit a bit sensitive, and they control almost everything (one must choose what to do with the long press). The call quality is good enough. I was told I sounded a bit far and they heard some ambient noise. The noise cancellation is also good enough. It certainly helped during my subway commute. The ambient mode amplifies the sound as if I had superhuman hearing. What really floored me was the audio experience. Listening to 24bit/96kHz Ultra HD audio streaming with the aptX Lossless codec, the 12mm carbon cone drivers produce a sound quality that must be experienced. The bass was impactful, fast, and precise. There was plenty of sub-bass when called for. The midrange brought out a lot of what can rarely be heard with oher buds. The treble soared without being harsh or sibilant. The audio is super clear. The soundstage and imaging make it feel like the sound is outside of my head, without needing 360 software. No matter what genre I listened to, I was very satisfied. Even podcasts, games, and movies became more exciting. The case also produced amazing sound quality as it has its own amp and DAC, which converts analog signal into digital format. The companion app is very basic, but at least it allows for EQ customization, to which the buds respond well. It also allows for certain Hi-Res audio streaming services to be played there. Do they have a premium price? Sure. But I think once the sound quality and comfort are experienced, especially if you are a music enthusiast, that will not be an issue whatsoever.

I find myself shocked at how comfortable these Bauer and Wilkins earbuds are with the exception on their size and shape. I thought they were going to be uncomfortable and hard to keep in place in my ears, and I'm shocked how well they fit and how comfortable they can be. I like that the case and the earbuds can charge wirelessly without having to plug them in using a cable I just set them on my phone charger and they start charging immediately. The sound quality is great with these I use them with both my phone as well as my tablet My phone is a Google Pixel 9XL and my tablet is a Samsung Galaxy tab S9 ultra. I already had the Bowers & Wilkins app on both devices as I have there over the ear PX8 headphones these paired with the app immediately as well as my phone and tablet without issue. The noise canceling option on these are great at blocking out outside sounds if you want to be able to enjoy your music or audio while watching videos on your device without being bothered by others. I find the battery life to be great on these they've lasted me so far with 3 days of heavy use without having to recharge the batteries. These don't feel very heavy while wearing my only complaint is their larger so you can't use these while laying on a pillow in bed or on the couch. Audio during phone calls is good He's also work well with Google Assistant on my phone and tablet I found no issues yet while using them with Google Assistant. These are easily transported in their plastic carrying case I just wish the lid to the case had a stronger spring as they seem to flip open very easily while reaching in my pocket to grab my keys or ChapStick. I would definitely recommend these to anyone in the market for quality noise canceling earbuds by a quality manufacturer.

I have several ear buds and head phones that claim they are "noise canceling". All allow quite a bit of noise to get through. When I saw these at Best Buy, I figured they would be like the rest. Boy, was I wrong! These do really keep the noise out. The app really lets you customize your sound. You can boost bass or treble. It says you can customize the tap and hold interactions, but I could not figure out how to do that in the app. You can also use the app to set the buds for noise canceling or pass through (or by tapping the left ear bud). These are also comfortable to wear for a long time without hurting your ears. I did change the rubber piece to a smaller size (included with the buds). The app tells me how much power the buds have (not the case, just the buds). So far they have lasted a while with just the case to charge them. One downside is the design of the case- It does not stand up on its end. The case lays on what I consider the back. Small downside but an odd design to me. They also link some streaming services that apparently give you "superior sound and personalized recommendations". I don't subscribe to any that they link to (I've never heard of most of them). They do offer a 2 month free trial to qobuz so I will try that and still listen to my Spotify. Overall, I think these are my new favorite ear buds. They help completely block out the world.

Bowers & Wilkins made a name for themselves by building high end loudspeakers, so the Pi6 earbuds come to me with some high expectations. It sits about mid-level in their earbud line up and features the aptX bluetooth codec and 24-bit processing for a high fidelity connection. The earbuds are marketed to last 8 hours on a charge, which seems accurate so far. I can’t confirm the 24 hours of total battery life with the case, but that sounds reasonable. The case is compact and should fit in most pockets well. It charges quickly with USB-C, but I was surprised it doesn’t wirelessly charge, which almost seems standard at this product level in 2024. And this kind of foreshadows my general experience with the Pi6 earbuds. A mix of ups and downs. SOUND If you’re looking into Bowers & Wilkins earbuds you likely put an emphasis on sound quality. I wanted to like the Pi6 more, because the tone and response are well balanced, but I couldn’t get over how cramped the soundstage felt. It’s like I’m standing next to a speaker vs facing a stage, there’s no sense of air in-between. The vocals are smooth but they’re not crisp. I almost want to say they’re a little warm, but I’m not sure if that’s it. Out of the box, they sounded flat and I had to turn the bass up a good amount just to get it near where I like. The bass response is good from a sound quality standpoint, but it doesn’t kick. It’s musical enough for you to hear the details though. It’s the first time I’ve felt that earbuds needed to be broken in, because they sound better now after playing them for many hours than when I first put them on. What could probably help make them sound better is having more than only a bass and treble adjustment for the EQ, but I’ll get to the app shortcomings later. Overall, the Pi6 earbuds are well balanced and sound good, but not great. My biggest issue is how compact the soundstage feels, but some people might like that. And as with all earbuds, the ear tip fit will make or break the sound. I tried the larger ones to see if it would seal tighter and improve the bass, but it somehow reduced it. NOISE REDUCTION / CALL QUALITY Excellent on both fronts. The Pi6 features adaptive noise reduction that won’t completely drown out the background noise, but will turn them down to a whisper. The Pass-Through mode allows you to hear background noise without removing the earbuds and works well while wearing both or even just one earbud. It would be nice to be able to adjust the ANC or Pass-Through audio levels, but as of now you can only turn them on or off. Call quality sounds excellent with a natural tone. No complaints there. APP / CONTROLS The app is a big letdown. It’s the most disappointing part of the Pi6 experience and I sincerely hope Bowers & Wilkins gets it updated quickly. There are only 2 audio adjustments available in the EQ (bass and treble), there is no adjustment for the ANC or Pass-Through sound levels, the customizable touch controls only allow you to choose between 2 presets (ANC/Voice Assistant control or volume control), and the battery charge level doesn’t show the case charge level or individual earbuds either. Just one percentage for the whole thing, which became really confusing when my right earbud died but the app said it still had 13% charge. I also kept placing the earbuds in the case thinking it was charging them and it took me a while to realize the case was dead and the app didn’t even show the charge level for it. The app has a lot of room to grow and a software/firmware update could probably do a lot to make the Pi6 really shine. OVERALL The Bowers & Wilkins Pi6 earbuds sound good, but not great. It’s tonally balanced, but the bass lacks kick and the soundstage feels cramped. The app has very few customization options and the touch control buttons are not always responsive. I’ve tried many times to skip a song only for it to stop. But after all of the trouble, the more I listen to them, the more I like them. There’s potential here and I would love to see how a firmware and app update could improve them. PROS - Sounds good with correct size ear tips and eq tuning - Good adaptive noise canceling - Excellent call quality - aptX codec - 24-bit audio - Stays in ears well - Sounds better the more I listen (breaking in?) - Comfortable for long use - Good battery life - Compact charging case - Good pass-through mode - Stylish - Excellent range - Comes with 4 sizes of ear tips - Charges quickly - IP54 water and dust protection - 8 hours of earbud battery life - Supposed 24 hour battery life with case CONS - Vocals not crisp - Soundstage feels compact - Sounds flat out of the box - Bass lacks kick - Ear tip fit greatly affects sound quality - User EQ only has Bass and Treble adjustments - Only 2 options for touch control customization (ANC or volume) - Cannot adjust noise canceling or pass-through sound levels - Taps on touch controls do not always register - Random static sound - Limited app functionality - Does not show charging case charge level or individual earbud charge level - Case does not wirelessly charge - Apple Music not listed as Direct Streaming app - Expect a more polished product from Bowers & Wilkins

In my extensive experience evaluating audio equipment, I can confidently assert that the Bowers and Wilkins PX8 headphones stand out as an exceptional product. The build quality is truly remarkable, exuding a sense of luxury and durability. The sound quality is simply superb, delivering an immersive and refined listening experience. The use of high-quality leather and the gleaming golden finish add to the overall aesthetic appeal. When handling the headphones, one can immediately perceive the superior craftsmanship and attention to detail. The noise cancellation feature is highly effective, providing an unparalleled level of isolation from external noise. The comfort level is exceptional, allowing for extended listening sessions without any discomfort. The battery life is commendable, ensuring uninterrupted usage for an extended period. Overall, the Bowers and Wilkins PX8 headphones represent a pinnacle of audio engineering and design, offering an unparalleled listening experience.

Bowers & Wilkins Pi8 In-Ear Headphones Review The Bowers & Wilkins Pi8 in-ear headphones are a premium audio experience that deliver exceptional sound quality, luxurious design, and advanced features that make them stand out in the crowded market of wireless earbuds. Sound Quality: The Pi8 truly shines in the sound department. The audio is rich, detailed, and well-balanced across the frequency spectrum. The bass is deep and punchy without overwhelming the mids and highs, which remain clear and crisp. The dual hybrid driver technology ensures that every note is delivered with precision, making them ideal for audiophiles who crave high-fidelity sound. Design and Comfort: These headphones are as stylish as they are functional. The sleek design is complemented by premium materials that give them a luxurious feel. They fit comfortably in the ear, with several ear tip options included to ensure a snug fit for different ear sizes. Even during extended listening sessions, the Pi8 remains comfortable, with no noticeable ear fatigue. Noise Cancellation: The active noise cancellation (ANC) on the Pi8 is impressive, effectively blocking out ambient noise without affecting the audio quality. Whether you’re on a noisy commute or working in a busy environment, the ANC feature helps you stay focused on your music or calls. Battery Life: With up to 5 hours of playback time on a single charge and an additional 19 hours from the charging case, the Pi8 offers more than enough battery life for a full day of listening. The fast-charging feature is also a plus, providing quick top-ups when you’re in a hurry. Connectivity and Features: The Pi8 supports high-quality wireless codecs like aptX Adaptive, ensuring a stable connection and superior sound quality over Bluetooth. The touch controls are intuitive and responsive, allowing you to manage your music, calls, and voice assistant with ease. Additionally, the Pi8 comes with a companion app that lets you customize the sound profile and control the ANC settings. Price: As expected from a brand like Bowers & Wilkins, the Pi8 is priced at the premium end of the market. While they are not the most budget-friendly option, the quality and features they offer justify the price for those who prioritize excellent sound and build quality. Final Verdict: The Bowers & Wilkins Pi8 in-ear headphones are an outstanding choice for anyone looking for top-tier sound quality, sophisticated design, and robust features in a wireless earbud. If you’re willing to invest in a premium audio experience, the Pi8 will not disappoint.

I want to love the Pi6 earbuds and for the most part I do. They sound great, they have long battery life, they’re pretty comfortable, and the noise canceling/transparency modes are good. But there’s some minor bugs with audio and the controls that keep me from recommending them wholeheartedly. The box includes the earbuds, charging case, a USB-C charging cable, and a set of 3 silicone earbuds in addition to the medium size that is already on the buds. The medium tips were just a little too small for my ears, so I opted for the large and those have been working well. The buds themselves are a touch larger and heavier than others I’ve used, but I wouldn’t class them as bulky. They’ve got a shiny plastic finish and a subtle wingtip built into them to help them stay in your ears more securely. In general they have been pretty comfortable. Pairing the Pi6’s to my phone, I didn’t get the fast pairing notification on my Pixel 8 Pro and ended up having to go to my Bluetooth settings to find them. It’s not a huge deal, but it's disappointing not to see it here because I know I’ve seen it on other Bower and Wilkins headphones. Once paired they can be further set up and managed through the Bowers and Wilkins music app. The app is good and I already used it for my Px7 S2e headphones. For the Pi6 there aren’t a ton of features - you can swap between noise cancellation and transparency modes, there’s a very basic EQ with only treble and bass sliders, the touch controls can be customized, and the wear detection sensor can be turned off and on. It doesn't necessarily leave me wanting for more, but I did expect a little bit more functionality. The Pi6’s are controlled via touch on either earbud. The controls are responsive, but sensitive. I found myself often triggering a play/pause or a change in the ANC/transparency just trying to bring them in and out of my ears. Audio can even be played out of them while they are placed in the charging case, which I’ve never seen happen before. This only happens when the lid is open though and playback is stopped and they’re disconnected when it is closed. I also found that the audio cut out occasionally, especially while adjusting the buds in my ear. The sound quality itself is excellent. Music is detailed and balanced; there aren’t any parts of the tracks that I listened to that overpowered the rest. Bass response is also really good for earbuds. They also get quite loud and I didn’t even come close to pushing them to their max. Sound quality is where Bowers and Wilkins has always shined historically and it’s no different here. I listened to these using my Pixel 8 Pro. The Pi6 supports AptX Adaptive, AptX Classic, AAC, and SBC. There’s no LDAC or LE Audio, which is okay with me. The bigger disappointment for me is that they don’t support AptX HD since the Pixel 8 supports that but not AptX Adaptive. AptX Classic does sound good; I just know that I’m missing out on a higher quality experience. My wife did point out that these earbuds leak quite a bit of sound at high volume. At about 60-70% volume she could pretty clearly hear the song I was listening to. It’s something to keep in mind if you plan on listening to these in quiet environments near other people. The noise canceling and transparency modes built-in both sound good, but neither are especially strong compared to other earbuds I’ve used. The noise canceling does a good job of blocking out lower frequency sounds like fans and humming appliances, but other sounds do filter through pretty easily without any music playing and there isn’t a lot of passive noise isolation. The transparency mode works well and it’s easy to wear them and still hold a conversation or have a general awareness of your environment, but it doesn’t sound as natural as other transparency modes I’ve heard. The battery life is rated at 8 hours for the buds themselves, with noise canceling on no less. That’s pretty fantastic, so if you are looking for wireless earbuds that last these are one of them. The case charges via USB-C, but does not have wireless charging, which for $250 feels like a glaring omission. I understand they’re probably trying to build a little differentiation between this and the higher-end Pi8, but I think almost any other earbud you’d buy at that price point would have wireless charging. Microphone quality overall was good. I took a few calls and everyone I talked to said I sounded very clear with no background noise. Overall I’m pretty happy with the Pi6’s, but the issues with the controls and the occasional audio cutouts spoil the experience just a little bit. I’m hoping that maybe this can be fixed with a firmware update, but to my knowledge none of the Bowers and Wilkins headphones I’ve owned in the past have ever received firmware updates, so I’m not holding out a lot of hope. I think Bowers and Wilkins are always a great choice where sound quality is a concern and the Pi6’s don’t disappoint there.

I think for $4000 I could have fine tuned the whole stack and gone with a much better sounding system, but I saw the simplicity of the Formation series and decided to give it a try. The setup was dead simple; downloaded the app and setup the speakers in under 5 minutes. The only problem I ran into was the mounting the stands, since both the speakers and the stands are very heavy and I was scared to drop the speakers, I ended up mounting them on my sofa lying both down. It was by no means a bad experience, just me being paranoid to not damage the $4000! speakers. The sound was fantastic to my ears. Spacious sound with great imaging, sound stage with width and depth, put on some live recording and it sounds like the band was playing in front of me, and the crowd was around me. Since this is my first high-end pair of loudspeakers, passive or active, I really don't have anything to analytically compare it to, I felt the speakers output enough bass to not be too lean to my taste, especially since I listen at lower volume most the time. I added to the system the Formation Bass (Great looking unit btw) to provide more low end. The result was phenomenal. Listening to drum heavy tracks with high dynamic range, when the bass kicks in, I feel the bass impact, but not the boominess. Powerful, clean, tight bass. Mid-range sounds sweet, I don't have any complaints; treble could sound a bit more exciting, but I haven't played with the Treble setting in the Formation app to see if anything could be improved. Overall I'm quite happy with the sound as is. I use Roon + Tidal for most of my streaming. It's unfortunate all my DSD files get converted to match the Formation Duo, so I could be missing out on sound quality here. Flac and Tidal streaming for the most part are bit-to-bit. My wife streams over content using AirPlay 2 which is very convenient. Overall, these speakers do cost a ton, 5K w/ the Bass. So far I'm loving the sound, and the all-in-one design, robust wireless playback, and Roon Readiness are the major selling point for me.

Headphones have been a hobby of mine for the last 15 or so years. I began with "expensive" cans costing $300, but over the years, I've developed an obsession that will cost me much more later in life. I have yet to surpass the $1200 mark on a pair, though I know some are priced beyond that. I have gathered quite a collection of medium to high-end headphones. One could say I'm an "audiophile," but that term gets thrown around a lot, so I'll say I'm an experienced user instead. Throughout this experience, I've learned that each set of cans has a different sound. No two headphones are alike. This is especially true when you throw Noise cancellation in the mix. Sound is subjective in any case. And that's very true for those of us who use a variety of headphones. We can tell what sounds good to us because we have our favorite and not-so-favorite ones to compare and contrast. That doesn't mean our least favorite pairs sound bad. It just means we prefer a different sound. Keep that in mind when I describe the sound of these Bowers & Wilkins PX8s. The most crucial aspect of any headphones to me is the sound. Bowers & Wilkins have a reputation for dialing in their sound well. They've been in the high-end audio game since 1966. I've owned a few variations of their earbuds, a few medium-tier over-the-ear headphones, and three versions of the PX7s, one of my favorite-sounding cans. I chase a balanced sound with a rich, expansive soundstage that gives me the atmospheric feeling of being in the studio with the artist as they record. Gone are the days when I craved heavy bass. I want to hear clarity. I listen to all genres, so even though I still love hip-hop, I don't want the heavy bass sound to damper the other, more instrument-driven genres I love to listen to. Bowers & Wilkins are known for their balance, and I expected these to have a similar sound to the PX7s. They do live up to the balanced reputation. However, compared to my $1000 pair of Mark Levinson 5909s, the clarity and punch of those sound better to my ears. On the PX8s, there is decent soundstage, but they're a tad hallow compared to the Levinson's. But keep in mind that I'm comparing my current favorite set, I, which costs $1000, to these PX8s, which cost $600. And there lies the problem with always chasing a better sound. I'm spoiled. I know these sound good, and they would be an excellent choice for the "normal" consumer looking to get into expensive headphones. Part of the issue with these ANC headphones is that they only work when turned on. Most don't possess a wired passthrough mode, which allows you to listen wired without a battery or ANC on/off. The PX8s suffer from this trend, which can affect the sound because they are "on," if that makes sense. Even with ANC off, sometimes it can affect it. The only way to get to the authentic sound is by having them off, which my Mark Levinson 5909s do. If you feel like you'll use something other than the ANC, then go with a model that doesn't have the feature for the most accurate sound. On the other hand, if you use it (which most of us do), these are still a tremendous-sounding choice for $600. For $600, you get excellent build quality. These are premium. You can feel it when you take them out of the case. They pack a heft to them without being too heavy and uncomfortable. The earpads are soft and airy, though they have a great clamp that holds the sound in. Bowers & Wilkins knocked it out of the park with the build quality. Even the color is gorgeous. I think these are reasonable due to their pristine quality. The associated app is barebones, but it's worked well for me. I had no issues setting it up or connecting each time I opened the app. I've downloaded the Android version on my phone and the Apple version on my wife's, and both were very easy to set up. I love how easy setting up the Bluetooth connections is because I remember when that was the most frustrating aspect of Bluetooth headphones. The beauty of headphones at this price point is the build quality, and the sound is above average. The best thing to do is to go to a Best Buy with a Magnolia center in it and hope they have these to try out. Or, purchase them, try them out yourself, and utilize the return period. As wasteful as that may seem, if you're paying this much for headphones, please ensure you love them because there are choices out there. Try getting one pair of headphones; if you like them, stick with them. Avoid comparing and contrasting because that will only make you spend money and go crazy chasing a better sound. Trust me. I know.

There are 4 main qualities I look for when choosing new noise-cancelling in-ear earbuds: 1. Fit 2. Sound quality 3. Ability to block outside noise 4. Connection reliability The Pi6 Wireless Noise-Cancelling In-Ear Earbuds excel in 3 out of these 4 qualities and fall short in one key area. Fortunately, I believe this issue can be resolved with future software updates. All extra features are bonuses in my opinion. 1. Fit - The fit of these in-ear earbuds is among the best I've ever experienced. They create a great seal, and I can wear them for 4+ hours with zero discomfort. The default tips that came with the earbuds were perfect and I didn’t need to make any adjustments. Also, the way you insert them with a subtle twist is oddly satisfying—almost like locking a deadbolt—and you forget they’re there until they remind you to charge the battery. 2. Sound Quality - I can’t overstate how great the sound is across all music genres. There’s nothing I appreciate more than putting these in and not having to constantly tweak settings to achieve the ideal sound stage. In my opinion, this should be the industry standard. Earbuds should just work and sound great. The less time I spend adjusting settings, the more time I have to be productive and enjoy my day. 3. Noise Cancellation - While the Pi6 isn’t the best I've used in this category, they do a solid job filtering out white noise and subtle, consistent sounds in the environment. I work in a fairly open office space, with everything from AC noise to casual conversations happening throughout the day. The Pi6 earbuds from Bowers & Wilkins easily drown out these background noises. However, they struggle with sporadic sounds. Other earbuds I've owned have handled these better, but they didn’t sound as good as the Pi6 and I'm okay with that. 4. Connection Reliability - This is where I had to deduct one star. The Pi6 earbuds I received suffer from occasional connection issues, which can be incredibly frustrating. While infrequent, in 2024, there's no reason earbuds in this price range should experience sound cutting in and out, as if they’re dealing with interference. I've used many earbuds, and this is the first set in years where I’ve encountered what sounds like my old CD player skipping back in 1998. This happens to me at least once a day, and I haven’t been able to identify the cause. It mostly occurs within the first 60 seconds of putting them in. I hope this is something that can be fixed with future updates. While it doesn't happen all the time, it’s simply unacceptable for earbuds in this price range. I also want to mention that these earbuds have a passthrough feature that allows ambient noise, so you can hear conversations and your surroundings when you’re not using noise cancellation. I’d rate this feature as “good enough.” I sometimes struggle to hear softer conversations and often have to take the earbuds out to fully engage with someone. This can be annoying but isn’t a dealbreaker. The tap features on the earbuds are also hit or miss. I would recommend these to anyone who prioritizes sound quality and comfort above all other features.

I’ve had my fair share of earbuds over the years, and I love my over the ear headphones by Bowers & Wilkins, so I had pretty high expectations for the Pi6. While I was skeptical of the design (the immediately invoked 'Frankenstein Bolt' vibes) I got over that pretty quick once I used them for a week. They're already my favorite new earbuds. The sound quality is of course amazing. As soon as I popped these in and hit play on my favorite Jayhawks album, I was instantly transported back to 2017, listening to Gary Louris’s smooth vocals like I was hearing them live again. The clarity and depth are what does it for me. Other earbuds tend to muddle the sound by introducing a bunch of bass, and I guess if that's your preference that's cool, but I need to be able to pick out individual voices as they harmonize or the random instruments as they make their entrance. Now, I don’t usually need noise cancelation since I work from home, but I did have a guy recently cleaning out my dryer vent as I had to listen to a important work call, so I connected these to my MacBook, flipped the noise cancelation on, and boom—the compressed air hose noise disappeared. I haven't had a chance yet to use them in a crowded environment yet, but initial impressions were great. The touch controls are super reliable too. With some earbuds, tapping the controls can be hit or miss, but the Pi6 nails it. I guess that's a benefit of the large, flat 'Frankenstein Bolt' surface - it makes it easy to tap, and everything responds smoothly. Another plus of the flat surface is that they're really comfortable when wearing them in bed, which is a rarity for me because most earbuds poke at your ears when you’re lying down, but not these. My wife has to fall asleep to the same movie every night, so I put on an audiobook or a Calm sleep story, and these so far are the only earbuds that I haven't woken up in the morning with a sore ear canal. If I had to nitpick, the “Made for iPhone” label still feels a bit like a marketing ploy. Don’t get me wrong, they work great with my iPhone, but the seamless connection you’d expect isn’t quite there with no handoff and no iCloud pairing. You still have to go through the regular Bluetooth settings to pair each device you own. There’s also no SharePlay, which is a feature that I always enjoy when flying on a plane with my wife so we can watch and listen together. Also, for the price, I was a little bummed that wireless charging isn’t included. I can’t count how many times I’ve dropped them on my wireless charger next to my phone only to realize I had to plug in the USB-C cable. At the end of the day I can live with the trade-offs. I do have other earbuds if I need SharePlay or want something that doesn't seal my ears, but 8 times out of 10 I'm reaching for these Pi6 over everything right now.

Luxury around ear headphones are typically used for one thing - listening to music in the best possible quality. Everything else is secondary. These Bowers & Wilkins headphones have some expected conveniences, but first and foremost- they excel at audio perfection. Plus, they look really swanky! Of the built-in extras, the Active Noise Cancelation (ANC) is better than most and the Transparency mode is also good. Calls are nice and clear, and the battery life ensures that you’ll be set for marathon listening sessions. Highlights: * Built-in 24-bit DsP for exceptional sound quality. * aptX Adaptive and Bluetooth 5.2 for great audio over Bluetooth. * Supports the new BLE GATT audio profile for future compatibility. * Supports Multi-point Bluetooth pairing. * Better than average ANC with 4 microphones. * Clear calls with 2 microphones. * Good ambient passthrough (Transparency) mode. * Can listen over Bluetooth or USB-C while charging. * Easy to find and use buttons for local control. * Long battery life of 30 hrs on a full charge with ANC on (15 min quick charge for 7 hrs of listening). * Fold flat and store in case with room for included charging and analog audio cables. Room for Improvement: * Power light is not easy to see while being charged if folded flat. * Cannot toggle between ANC and Transparent only. * Have to choose between shortcut button toggling audio mode OR being able to trigger phone’s assistant. * Ear pads are not removable or replaceable. Setup: Setup was about as easy as you can get. As always, plug ‘em in to ensure a full charge first using the provided USB-C cord and your choice of USB adapter. Charging takes up to 2 hrs and the LED turns solid green when done. By the way, the battery status LED is on the left edge of the right ear cup which when folded flat, is hidden so it’s not easy to see the LED light. Install the Bowers & Wilkins Music App on your Android or iPhone and sign in with your free account. Turn on the headphones and slide the power switch to “pairing” until you hear the friendly lady say that pairing is enabled. The app should then quickly find and pair to your headphones. There are a few basic settings you can change in the app, but nothing is required. Settings include things like what the shortcut button on the left ear cup does and the bass and treble boost (no EQ curves, though). Once setup, you basically just turn it on and it reconnects to the last two devices you paired to (or used). There’s also audio confirmations for which sound mode you’re in, whether the battery needs recharging, etc.. The reset is just listening to whatever source you like. Usage: As with most around-the-ear headphones, the position of ear-cups is adjustable to fit your particular head. The storage case only fits the headphones when the cups are fully retracted, so unless you use them is this position, you have to adjust them for use each time you take them out of the case and adjust them back down to fit them in the case. Of course, if you don’t put the headphones back in the case after each use (or always use them in the most retracted state), then this doesn’t matter. On the right ear cup is a power button that s slightly non-standard in that it its a physical toggle rather than a momentary tap button like usual. Slide the power button up to turn on the headphones and slide it back down to turn them off. When the switch is on, slide it up further and hold for a few seconds to put the headphones in pairing mode to pair to another device like your tablet or computer. Below the power button is a trio of buttons that includes dedicated volume up and down buttons and the typical multi-function button. The multi-function button has a nice textured surface so you can easily find it with your finger while wearing the headphones and then easily find the volume buttons from there. The only button on the left ear cup is a shortcut button that you can set up to either toggle the audio mode (ANC On, Transparency On or both Off), OR trigger your phone’s assistant (if applicable). If I had my way, I would make it so that the shortcut button does one of those options on a tap and the other on a long press, and you can choose which is the tap and which is the long press via the app. As it is, that button can do one or the other so if you choose to invoke your Assistant, you have to use the app to switch audio modes, etc.. Also, it would be nice if we could omit the “both off” option from the audio mode shortcut so that tapping that button toggles only between ANC ON and Transparency ON and skips the “both off” option. This is a nit, though. The Napa leather-wrapped ear cups are supremely comfortable for long listening sessions as is the leather-wrapped headband. The overall design is very chic and sculpted with excellent craftsmanship and attention to detail. Even the case is well-designed with a compartment with a magnetic lid that stores the provided audio and USB-C cables. All of this is the details and the fluff for headphones and is meaningless if they don’t sound good…. and these sound AMAZING! I listened to “lossless” audio of various genres via Apple Music on my iPhone 15 Pro Max as well as FLAC files on my dedicated audio player. These headphones revealed nuances in the music that I have never heard before! Overall: These headphones sound superb with all genres that I threw at them. They fit great and feel comfortable for hours of listening pleasure. The Hybrid ANC works well, the transparent mode works well, and they look fantastic. What more can you ask for in luxury wireless headphones?

I've owned earbuds from pretty much every brand out there but this was my first set from Bowers and Wilkins. I had not heard much about them so I was interested to see how they compared. They left me with a very positive first impression. Pros: - The earbuds were ready to go right out of the box and didn’t need a firmware update after installing the app. The set up process in the app was very quick and simple. - Sound quality is excellent! Music was especially full and rich. I also enjoyed how podcasts sounded with these. - In-ear fit was perfect for me with the default (medium) tips. Included in the box you will find 3 additional size options: large, small, and extra small. They have felt secure even with movement and I haven’t had any worries of them falling out unexpectedly. - The touch controls were pretty intuitive as I learned how to toggle ANC, play/pause/ etc with relative ease. - The app allows you to configure the touch controls to your liking. You can also toggle bass and treble as you see fit. Cons: - I dislike being forced to create a brand new account for every electronic device that I own, like I did for these earbuds. I’d love the accompanying app to have an option (like some brands do) to sign in with Google, Apple ID, etc. - Battery life was decent, but I’ve owned earbuds that last an hour or so longer. Fortunately, the case can top off the charge nice and quick. Overall these are a great option for anyone looking for great sound, noise-canceling capabilities, and a reasonable price point.

These headphones are expensive, but they are the best headphones I have ever owned. ---Packaging--- Impressive packing, red case. Heavy, and hearty. The details start with leather pull strap and canvas case. The case also has a suede lined interior to protect these headphones. It’s a little larger than most headphone cases, but I appreciated the included storage (secured with a heavy magnet) for the charge cord and aux cord which include B&W branded velcro strips for cord management. ---Headphone construction--- Again, heavy but in the best of ways. Leather ear surrounds and headband. Metal construction with B&W branding imprinted on a brushed backdrop. Nicely weighted headband adjustments and solid hinges. These headphones take me back to a time when electronics where also a show of craftsmanship. Precision engineered to wrap around your head and provide an engaging sound experience. ---Sound--- I have never heard such clear sound from a set of headphones. I listened to my favorite songs, my life ballads, some anthems and I have never experienced such pure and defined notes. For the first time, while listening to a podcast, I heard the echo from the room they were recording in. Words were crisp, base was strong, and treble was clean. The noise cancelling reduce most of the ambient noise of the house and the vehicle I was riding in while testing. The headphones brought me into the booth with the artist and producer, gave me centered orchestra pits sound, and a wonderful immersive experience. One minor disappointment is that the paired app only offers treble and bass adjustment, while I was able to find a sweet spot for me, I would have expected a bit more in terms of audio adjustments. ---Function--- In addition to music, I used the phone to speak with a few family members and they said I sounded loud and clear. There is also an option to use the headphone as a wired set (with a 4ft included cable) and they still function as a headset for calls when using them in wired mode. I like the separate power slider with spring return for Bluetooth pairing. The dedicated volume and textured play/pause buttons, make adjustments easy to figure out, and there is no remember some crazy combination of swipes like some modern headphones. There is also an additional button that can be configured to control the noise cancelling mode (on, pass-thru, and off) or activate your device’s voice assistant. I have not needed to recharge them yet, but battery life so far is great and I am actually doing a little better than the quoted spec. of 30hrs.

[PROS] Top Tier Build Quality: The construction of the Px8 is about as high-end as it gets. The nappa leather cushion feels plush and allows me to wear these headphones for an extended period (2hr+) without any irritation. The band gentle contours to my head and provides a snug fit. Usability: The B&W App is very straightforward in highlighting the controls and features of the headphones. The layout is very intuitive and not cluttered. All options are explained concisely. Effective Noise Cancellation: The Px8 does is extremely impressive in shielding out external noise. The headphones fit over the ears which provides the first layer of noise cancellation. However, the actual implementation blocks out outside sound even when my volume was well below 50%. Battery Life: Battery life is long. Unless my app is inflating the battery percentage, I've been able to heavily use these headphones daily without needing to recharge. Sound/Mic Quality: Music seems to sound more vibrant and crisper with these headphones. There seems to be some subtleties that I've managed to pick out compared to other alternatives which is a major plus. The mic is above average in its delivery, but is hampered by environmental noise. [CONS] Wear sensor instability: My experience with the intelligent playback control feature was so-so. There were times where the audio paused expectedly when I lifted my earcup. Other times, the headphones failed to trigger a pause in the audio playback. Pass Through Performance: I prioritized being able to hear external noise right below active noise cancellation (ANC). Despite the multiple mics and a lower music volume at the time, I still was unable to hear my spouse or even the television strongly as I would have preferred to. EQ Settings: The biggest drawback in this area is that the only adjustable audio settings is bass & treble. [CONCLUSION] I enjoy the Px8, and it works exceptionally well as a daily driver. It sounds great, and feels even better. It's top tier in feel and performance. I would highly recommend it.