Customer Ratings & Reviews

Wireless earbuds a dime a dozen nowadays, but when it comes to actual sound quality in headphones you can always look to Bowers & Wilkins. That is no different here as the sound quality is most definitely what sets these earbuds apart from competitors. First, right out of the box though these headphones have a very minimalistic yet premium look and feel which is much appreciated as they provide a very discreet look in your ears. When putting these in you do have to use a slight twist which helps provide a better seal for the noise cancelation which I will discuss later. As with most earbuds today there are multiple ear tip sizes included to ensure the appropriate fit for you. Once getting them in they are extremely comfortable as due to the plastic design they are very lightweight which allows for longer sessions of listening. This plastic design does not hinder the premium look and feel of the earbuds though as Bowers & Wilkins have done a great job combining aesthetics with function here. The other thing to mention is the setup process and the use of the app. This was a great experience as, yes everyone/everything has an app nowadays, but Bowers & Wilkins has done a great job keeping the app simple and easy to use. The app first walks you through the setup process where you can sync the earbuds to multiple devices and customize the touch gestures for each earbud. Also while mentioning the app it is good to note here that within the app it allows you to control the active noise cancellation and your various EQ settings to which I will say the EQ settings are great as it solely focuses on the bass and treble to keep things as simple as possible for users. Additionally within the app it does show the battery life and allows you to control your music. Onto the actual performance though as that is where these earbuds really standout! Again, this is definitely where Bowers & Wilkins put their focus as the sound is extremely rich in detail and very well balanced! The detail you hear with the mids to the clarity of the highs paired with a full bass really sets the stage for perfect sounding earbuds. Everything I threw at these earbuds from acoustic tracks to edm they passed with flying colors to which one of the most prominent things was the fact that there was no distortion at all. Also when it comes to performance all high end earbuds have active noise cancellation and here Bowers & Wilkins has definitely checked that box. Where they stand out is actually in the transparency mode as it feels extremely natural and not as forced as some other earbuds, which is difficult to describe without actually hearing it for yourself. In addition to these two features I will say that the call quality is right on par with what you would expect as I didn`t have any issues on my end and when I asked those on the other side they said everything sounded great and there was very little background noise if any in all the calls I took with them. So that just leaves the battery life which the 8 hour battery life seemed about on par with the 16 hours of charging available from the case to bring it to 24 hours that was fairly close to what I have experienced so again there are no issues in this respect either. Overall, when it comes to earbuds for me I`m most concerned with appearance and sound quality to which Bowers & Wilkins is at the top of the mountain here in those two respects. With the elegance in their appearance to the superb sound quality there is nothing further you could ask for in a pair of earbuds. The various features check all the boxes as compared to other earbuds, but again from an aesthetic and audio quality standpoint I would highly recommend this pair of earbuds.

I’ve enjoyed several pairs of top quality earbuds in recent years, but these Pi8’s are in a league of their own. From the moment I popped them effortlessly into my ears & selected my favorite “testing music”, I was stunned. I’m amazed that 2 little earbuds are able to put out the high sound quality that you would only expect from full over-the-ear superior headphones. Out of the box, I topped them off with a 30 minute charge. I downloaded the Bowers & Wilkins Music App. It requires that you create an account using your email (Most Apps don’t require this, so it’s an extra burden to add yet another code to my password manager). Pairing was fast & easy with my Android phone and I’ve had no connectivity issues. - Comfortable fit. The out-of-the-box eartips were the perfect size, but 3 additional sizes (L, S, XS) are included if those are not a good fit. They look very sleek, sit almost flush with the ear & barely stick out. The new design of the Pi8’s is a major improvement over the Pi7’s. They’re very comfortable & I never have to adjust them or push them in like some of my others. I also don’t have to twist or screw them in to get a better fit. - Sound quality is off the charts rich, full, balanced & clean! I feel fully immersed in the music with these buds unlike any other. I can hear strings with clarity that I’m never able to detect on my other high-end buds. And finally, these Pi8’s put out the warm full bass that I’ve been looking for, for years. - B&W App - Although the App is not mandatory, I would definitely recommend downloading & creating an account to use it. It’s not full of features, but it gives you the needed basics to truly enjoy your buds like: Battery charge %, Noise Cancellation options, touch control customization & most importantly…the equalizer. Overall, I would definitely recommend these Pi8’s for true music enjoyment. They offer the best sound quality of any buds I’ve ever owned.

The performance of these headphones are outstanding.

Bowers & Wilkins is a renowned company among audiophiles that built its reputation on making excellent loudspeakers, so when I saw it made high end headphones I was excited to listen to my music in the best way possible. These PX8 Over-Ear Wireless Noise Cancelling Headphones in the exquisite Royal Burgundy color have been a true delight to use and have shown me what I have been missing all these years listening to my music just through the wired earbuds included with one of my old iPhones. The first thing that struck me was the stunning Royal Burgundy finish – a perfect blend of sophistication and style. I have not seen this color on competitors’ headphones when I observe people at the gym (where so many people wear headphones these days) so this color really stands out. The headphones exude a premium feel, with a combination of high-quality leather and impeccable craftsmanship. The ear cups are plush and comfortable, providing an immersive listening experience without causing fatigue during extended use. However, one drawback is that the earpads are not removable. So, it remains to be seen how well they hold up with years of use. Bowers & Wilkins have truly outdone themselves in the audio department. The PX8 headphones deliver a rich, detailed sound with a well-balanced audio profile. The bass is deep and resonant, mids are clear, and the highs are crisp without being harsh. Whether you're into classical, pop, or bass-heavy EDM, these headphones handle every genre with finesse. The noise-canceling technology is impressive, immersing you in your music by effectively blocking out ambient noise without compromising audio quality. However, I would not say it is best in class in this department. I have used my friend’s Apple Airpods Max before and I would say those are slightly better. Those were near perfect in cancelling out noise, a 10/10. I would say these are more of an 8.5 rating. The wireless connectivity of the PX8 is seamless, providing a stable and reliable connection. Bluetooth pairing is quick and hassle-free, and I experienced no noticeable latency while watching videos or playing games. I felt like I was on the soundstage with the musical artist when I was listening to music on these headphones! When I was playing Call of Duty on my PC these headphones were able to give such an immersive soundfield that I heard all the subtle sounds and was also able to know exactly where the sound from the other players was coming from, which gave me an edge when playing. The battery life is commendable, easily offering hours of uninterrupted playback on a single charge. The product is rated for 30 hours of playback on a single charge, and I found that to be accurate. The inclusion of a USB-C port for charging adds to the convenience. There is also a wired adapter cable included so you can have a wired connection if you are using an older device without Bluetooth. I liked the fact there are still physical buttons to control all the main functions. In the past I have tried headphones that have no physical buttons and rely completely on gestures which actually made things more confusing having to remember all the gestures. The inclusion of smart sensors that pause playback when you take the headphones off and resume when you put them back on adds a thoughtful touch to the user experience. The smartphone app helps with connectivity, treble and bass adjustment, firmware updates, and in general is very easy to use. In the realm of premium over-ear headphones, the Bowers & Wilkins PX8 stands out as a true masterpiece. With a perfect blend of style, comfort, and unparalleled audio quality, these headphones offer a luxurious listening experience. If you want the absolute best headphones to listen to your music, then these are the way to go.

the good: construction - These definitely look and feel like a premium set of headphones. Supple leather, satin metal finishes, solid construction with no creaks or squeaks. The design itself may not be for everyone, but they are certainly upper level quality. comfort - *Significantly* more comfortable than previous editions of this same headphone. The clamping force, the padded headband and the leather quality feel much better, especially over longer listening sessions. You won’t necessarily forget that you’re wearing them, but previous versions of this model were very close to unusable because of comfort issues. They’ve made massive improvements in this area. tactile buttons - So many wireless headphones use capacitive touch buttons, which are clumsy at best. The Px8 has tactile buttons, which are significantly easier to find and use, especially when not looking at them. sound quality - I’m including sound quality in both good and bad for this review. To elaborate, the sound quality isn’t necessarily bad, it’s just not a very good mix. Highs are substantially rolled off, low end is slightly on the boomy side, and sound stage is essentially missing…but otherwise these carbon cone drivers deliver really nice clarity. With the right tuning, these could really sound fantastic which, sadly, isn’t necessarily all that easy to do. There’s no app EQ, other than a *very* basic bass and treble slider. You can certainly hear the quality, but there’s just no excitement to the sound...no crispness or dynamic softs and louds. To some, this will be appealing. Those who prefer a much warmer sound may enjoy these immensely. They’re not fatiguing in any way, very easy to listen to over long periods. battery - Battery life has been outstanding, going beyond the 30 hours of usage in my testing. The quick charge is a nice tough as well. connectivity - So many wireless headphones are limited to one device at a time. These connected to both my laptop and my phone, and could transfer back and forth seamlessly. The aptX codec is a nice touch as well. ANC - Solid noise cancelling, though transparency was not great in my opinion. A bit of the dreaded ANC high pitched noise was still present. the bad: price - Significantly more expensive than most of their competitors. sound quality - See above…both good and bad, depending on your musical tastes. call quality - Call quality was just ok. Others I spoke to said it sounded almost like they were on speaker phone. app - The app isn’t quite ready for prime time yet. It is ok, but with headphones of this quality, an onboard EQ should be a no brainer, especially with the current tuning being so warm. misc: design - Some may find the “premium” design a bit over the top. overall: Overall these are *so* close to being 5 stars. With a proper EQ in the app I think they could be, even if things like sound stage can’t exactly be fixed, the sound signature certainly could be tweaked to take advantage of the quality and caliber of cones these actually possess. For that and the price point alone, unfortunately I have to go with 4.

Bowers & Wilkins has really stepped it up with the new Pi8 earbuds. The design of the earbuds is extremely attractive. They are now smaller than the previous generation and are much more comfortable to wear. The Pi8’s have longer battery life and the sound quality is fantastic. The earbuds come well packaged and include the earbuds, case, 3.5mm headphone cable, charging cable and additional ear tips as well as a manual. I had no problem connecting them Bluetooth to my Android phone, BT turntable, laptop or TV. You can pair multiple devices which is a very convenient feature. I already had the B&W app as I also have the over the ear headphones from Bowers & Wilkins. The app allows you to EQ the earbuds, however there are no sound presets. You can also adjust active noise cancellation and adjust the touch controls. Once I adjusted the EQ to my liking, I found the sound of the earbuds amazing. The sound is smooth and not harsh or overly bright. There is a good amount of bass. The soundstage is very open, and music sounds fantastic. I have several name brand earbuds and headphones, and these are the best I have so far. They are hard to tell the difference between the B&W headphones as far as sound quality and performance. They fall a little short on the ANC front compared to the headphones, but I expected that. Bowers & Wilkins have priced these earbuds according to their performance and have done a fantastic job with them. If you are looking for a top tier earbud you really need to experience these new Pi8’s.

So I got the previous version of the Pi7 earbuds, and I thought those were great. However, these Pi8 earbuds take it to another level. First I'm start with build quality. The body of these are different from the older models, and they feel more modern. Less weight, and have a different touch when handling them. The materials used are simply better, and I think that if you have both versions you'll understand more of what I speak of. Next is the controls. Since these are built more like today's traditional earbuds, there's more room for the touch controls. While I'm not a fan of touch controls, these are easy to use in many situations. The application. Get nice upgrade from what it was before, and this makes it easy to setup your earbuds when first get them out of the box. Simply open the lid on the earbuds, and follow the instructions. You'll be setup in minutes. Fun and useful feature is the ability to use them with wireless transmitter functions. If you are wanting to use them with a 3.5mm headphone jack, just plug them in with the included cable. Boom, all set. Lastly is the sound quality! Wow oh wow, I mean sooo much better with the new carbon cups inside, that's all I can say. Strong bass, great minds, and very solid highs. These are a win! Only con is price, they are up there. But you get high end quality with that higher price.

It’s possible the speaker would sound great, if only you could get anything to play through them. Airplay dosnt work 99 % of the time, the app alternates between saying there are no speakers and there are. There’s an update avaible, and then well no, they’re already updated. No way to control the volume or adjust the sound once they were set up. Can’t get them to play through Roon. I have the Formation audio and connected the tv through the optical, and just sounds like a hug amount of reverb has been added, so sounds horrible, but at least I could get sound to come out. Read about airplay complaints from the initial unveiling of the product, you’d think they’d have that fixed by now, and apparently how bad it is varies by person. This was meant for people who wanted easy to set up and use, they’ve missed the mark. Too bad I will have to be returning these. Useless as speakers until they fix all the connection and software problems.

Horrible, spending 5K on a piece of xxx. every time that I need to use the spackers need to (restart) unplug and plug back the speakers so I can use them, my network sees it but it just doesn't play.

Loud but the noise canceling leave a lot to be desired

Great sound however poor battery quality that doesn’t last for more then 2hrs

Though the sound is really good, it may be more about the materials and the craftsmanship with these headphones. There's just something intangible about a really well made piece of gear, and these headphones have that something. At a certain level, even an audiophile isn't going to be able to tell much difference between high-end speakers, but these headphones just feel better. I was skeptical about the purple color at first, but it's a subtle shade of purple, and it's set off well by the gold metal. These also feel quite substantial. They're mush heavier than your standard pair of plastic headphones, and the swivels on the earpieces make them fit just right. Unlike most over-ear models, the cups go completely around my ears and fit securely against my head. They are a bit snug, but not so snug that they become uncomfortable. I miss having touch controls a bit, but at least you don't have to worry about accidentally activating something when you brush up against them. I also don't find myself having to readjust these much at all. The sound quality is as good as you would expect from high-end headphones, and the noise cancelling works well too. A couple of minor quibbles: When you turn them on and they pair, the chimes that indicate both of those things are too loud, and there doesn't appear to be any way to turn that volume down. The app is also pretty limited from a customization/equalization standpoint. Other brands give you more ability to tailor the sound exactly to your liking.

They are nice good sound but definitely not as great as advertised for the money. Was looking for better performance.

For music lovers and audiophiles, sound quality is often at the forefront of our purchasing decisions; in most instances, budgets will be a bit higher than what most would want to spend. Nevertheless, audio quality, specifically lossless quality support, should be an absolute priority regardless of the device. However, we must recognize that quality will undoubtedly mean something different from person to person. For me personally, over the last decade I have dedicated myself to the joys of extensively collecting physical music and analyzing the technical intricacies of lossless audio; quality for me is controlling the listening experience at every possible variable from the source file, the main device, and the end speaker. Naturally, for some this may sound like quite an undertaking, but life would be incomplete without hearing music as it was intended. Thus, I was extremely excited to test the latest high end wireless headphones from Bowers and Wilkins: the reference Pi8! For most people, the Pi8 setup should be very familiar as it is essentially the same with every other wireless earbuds. As typical of every manufacturer, the first step would be to download their specific application; unfortunately an account is required to use the application, a seemingly recent trend that I am not fond of at all. On the one hand, the good news is that at least they will still work and pair without the application. However, once you get your device paired with the Pi8’s, and you are signed in, you will then be able to access the various settings such as the tap behavior, noise cancelling, and the 5 band EQ setting (there are no sound presets). In addition, you can also see the battery levels of the case and the earbuds. For accessories, the Pi8 comes with a USB Type C charging cable and also a USB Type C to 3.5mm cable so you can connect another device via the 3.5mm to the charging case and transmit audio wirelessly to the earbuds. In addition, the other USB Type C cable will also let you transmit audio to the charging case for wireless transmission. On my Xperia 5 III, both the 3.5mm and USB connection worked flawlessly, but obviously Bluetooth should be disabled first. I was quite pleased with this feature as you don’t usually see that on wireless earbuds. Lastly, the Pi8s come with a set of ear tips; medium sized ones are pre-installed. I would also like to recommend you take a look at the full manual found on the website, as it goes into more detail with respect to the color LED statuses found on the charging case as well as paring information. Before I discuss the sound quality, I first would like to mention the noise cancelling as I was honestly surprised at the implementation. With noisy environments, the Pi8s did a fabulous job in sealing in the sound. In my living room with the TV volume set 25, I could not hear anything coming from the TV. With my music paused, I was quite surprised at how good of a seal these provided; perhaps even more surprising was that even with the noise cancelling off, outside noise was still relatively muffled! Even walking outside at a shopping center next to a busy intersection, with noise cancelling on, I could barely hear the traffic. Simply put, I was quite impressed with the Pi8s and its sound insulation. Furthermore, they are quite comfortable; long listening sessions never caused any discomfort. As for call quality, I was also quite impressed with the sound. Voices were nice and clear and there was a noticeable difference from the cheaper earbuds that these replaced. Most should be please with regards to the noise cancelling perspective. As with sound quality, I first want to mention a couple of preliminary points before I discuss my observations; most importantly the Bluetooth protocols. As most are probably aware, the Pi8s support the newest APTX lossless protocol (or Snapdragon Sound with APX Lossless). Unfortunately, depending on your device, the implementation of codecs may or may not be supported. Initially, I was under the impression that my Sony Xperia 5 III would be new enough to support the latest codec, but unfortunately it wasn’t added until the next generation (aside from the fact that my phone on Qualcomm’s website is listed as Snapdragon Sound compatible but not lossless). Upon opening the developer options, my only choices was SBC, AAC, APTX (presumably APTX Classic as listed on the Pi8 spec sheet), and APTX adaptive audio. Now keep in mind that APTX adaptive audio is listed as 276 kbps to 420 kbps and it will shift depending on the connection environment so unfortunately this is limiting the Pi8’s in that regard. It is also a shame that the Pi8’s do not support LDAC as that would have at least allowed an increase in the transfer rate up to 990kbps on my device, though the bit rate on some of my FLAC files do exceed over 1,000 Kbps. Undoubtedly, this naturally raises the question can you fully have lossless quality over Bluetooth? Personally, with such a question I have always tried to argue that it is best to assume the worst and say no. Given the nature of wireless transmission (packet loss), even if the smallest fraction of a byte is lost during its transfer at any point regardless if its audible or not, the end result cannot be called not lossless. As such, perception is not the same thing as reality. In that regard, it is why I have always preferred wired connections with any audio device, stereo, or home theater system. However, I certainly do not want to diminish the Pi8’s and their fairly high quality sound; it is merely difficult to minimize the technical context that accompanies such products and audio in general. As noted earlier, my lossless collection has blossomed over that past decade; currently, my library consists of 3,573 songs with my FLAC backup at around 265 GB across over 13 genres. As such, the majority of my songs are 44.1 KHz/16 Bit sourced from my physical CDs. All songs were ripped by EAC 1.3 using the secure rip feature and are encoded to FLAC 1.30. I have also personally scanned each file and analyzed every single song using a spectrogram (Spek 0.8.5) to make sure it is of proper quality (just because it’s on CD doesn’t guarantee someone knew what they were doing; music sourced from lossy sources have made it on to official CDs which will also make it on to streaming platforms and digital stores. I do not stream for this reason nor do I own the music). All songs were played from my Sony Xperia 5 III over APTX adaptive audio. As for sound quality, the quality of the Pi8’s is quite exceptional given their size. It is a clear upgrade over my old Bose Soundsport headphones. Starting with my metal and rock genres, I was quite surprised here as I noticed instrument separation was quite good. A couple of standout tracks worth noting was on Crypta's "Stronghold" starting at 5:16 the guitar solo has some really good separation from the low end. On "Lullaby For The Forsaken" the bass at 0:50 is extremely clear. On Trivium's "Torn Between Scylla And Charybdis" the bass line intro comes in perfectly. Shockingly, you can hear the whole thing; for comparison, most laptops I own can barely replicate this part. Next on Epica's "Victims Of Contingency" from 0:45-1:20 the drastic vocal changes were handled quite well; towards the end of the song, I heard more choir and background vocals than on my other earbuds. Lastly I was quite pleased with Elysion's "What Lies Beneath" and "Break Free" as vocals were nice and centered. Next, I wanted to test a few other genres, specifically with a focus on more instrumental tracks. On Fat Jon's "Risk It All" there is a bass line that starts at 0:43 that runs on top of smaller bass notches; the Pi8 held its own here and completely produced the line throughout. On "Your Purpose" at 0:39, the middle tapping sound is centered perfectly over the bass line along with the ambient string like sound that plays throughout. Lastly, on "How You Feel" is an absolute joy to listen to; the tapping and bass line are just perfect. Next, I moved on to Septicflesh's "Dogma Of Prometheus (Orchestra Version)" one in which has a good balance of choir and orchestra. At 2:10, the brass sections really come alive; at 4:09 there is a nice clap with choir vocals over it. The Pi8 is quite the performer. Next, I moved on to Si-Sé's "Mariposa En Havana" in which the crisp middle frequency percussion taps and viola at 0:20 are quite delightful with distinct separation. As for the low end, there is a slight occasional rumble but nothing too crazy. On "Slip Away" there is a nice bass line that picks up at around 2:00 mark, and the song finishes with a nice piano arrangement at the end; when it merges with the low end, the Pi8 really shines here. Lastly on "Steppin' Out" the intro bass line is quite low; to even produce a fraction of this rumble is quite extraordinary. At around 1:04, the higher chime like notes are crystal clear. Lastly, on Nujabes "The Space Between Two World" is just pure gold. Every section of the song from lows to middles are rendered perfectly clear. Overall, the Pi8's is perfectly natural across all genres and most should be completely satisfied. In conclusion, the Pi8s are perhaps the best wireless headphones I have personally used; even more impressive was given their relatively small size and weight, they were still able to replicate parts of my music that I wasn't expecting. In addition, the noise cancelling is spectacular and I was able to drown out most of all the external noise during my testing. Furthermore, they are extremely comfortable. Aside from the codec situation, the Pi8s are still worth a strong look as they do sound that good; understand that the lossless claim should be taken with a grain of salt and that your device will also determine if you can use the proper codec. Despite this, if the budget allows, the Pi8's still come highly recommended.

would not maintain reliable connection for more than 5 minutes. sometimes would not connect at all.

The Px8 is the very best wireless headphone Bowers and Wilkins has on offer, and it delivers. After using these for almost a month now, I’ve come to realize why, while being quite expensive, are worth having and why these have become my daily driver. Starting from the build quality and fit/finish, immediately these feel well made and luxurious. The aluminum body/frame is rigid yet light, and not so stiff as to put extra pressure on my head. And to add more comfort, the extra supple Nappa leather that clads the earcups and the top headband is just heavenly. The form factor is also non too obtrusive - like a lot of the other high-end over the ear headphones out there these do not feel too large and obnoxious. However, this particular color trim, the “royal burgundy” adds quite a bit of flair which can be a hit or miss based on individual taste profile - the burgundy cladding and the eye-catching golden frame will stand out in the crowd. For people who like low-key, maybe the black color option will lend a more subtlety. As mentioned, the Nappa leather and the aluminum construction make these extremely comfortable. Even though this is not the lightest one out there, the weight distribution is spot-on, and helped me get into extra long sessions with music listening. Overall feature set is as expected - nothing standing out. LDAC is not supported and the best Bluetooth codec support is limited to aptX HD, which is adequate for most people. For iPhone users, as usual, AAC is the highest it can achieve. Pairing is easy, especially with the Bowers & Wilkins Music App, which I believe is optional. It supports Google Fast Pair, so when I turned it on, a notification popped up immediately. Also this supports multi-point (read “dual”) connectivity, so I could connect to both my phone and my laptop, and switch between without much issue. When I was moving between 2 phones, the switchover was a bit more “graceful”, whereas between Android and PC it sometimes took a number of tries. As for the app I used mostly to control the active noise canceling. There are very few settings that can be changed in the app, and the EQ is very very basic - just bass and treble. I typically use other EQ apps to get things done, so for me personally it didn’t matter. But with all these, the question comes, how do these perform the job at hand i.e. how do these sound. Now audio is a very subjective matter, and I am no pro audio enthusiast. I do enjoy listening to a wide range of music and have a bunch of headphones, IEMs, and am still inclined towards a wired setup with a decent amp when I get the chance. But when I started using the Px8, it immediately felt good. It is by no means a neutral or transparent pair of headphones. However, it is well balanced. Nothing screams out in the low or high end - it’s bassy, not overboosted or muddy. The sub-bass felt a bit recessed than some other similarly priced headphones, but not muted. The mids were good and well pronounced without being overpowering. And the high notes are well produced - clear yet not jarring. I have a few other headphones that do these better than the Px8, but not all at the same time as this pair. Out of the box, I spent less time EQing, and more time enjoying music which always scores high points for me. So, in essence, it’s not for technical listening like a studio monitor or a reference set, and nor is it for bass-heads. I felt the music to be intimate, closer to me without having a very narrow soundstage. At least for me, it hit just the right spots, and felt well rounded. As for call quality, it is not the best in terms of outside noise pickup. It did a decent job while I was on a call in a moderately busy street, and though the other person mentioned my voice is clear, some car noise was also transmitted. In terms of active noise cancellation, all I can say is that it is in the upper tier, but not the best. I felt the ANC augmented by music listening experience, rather than being the central feature. It is usable in most of the environments I typically venture to (sidewalks, cafes), and the environment pass-through feature works equally well. Unfortunately I was not able to use it in an airplane. In summary, I am extremely happy with the Px8. It demands a hefty price tag, but at least for my use case, it delivers.

I was excited to get these Bowers and Wilkins earbuds as I have had a couple of over-the-ear headsets in the past that I really enjoyed due to the superior build and sound. With these Pi6 True Wireless Noise Cancelling In-Ear, I was expecting the same. Sadly, this was not the case. I received these about a week ago and spent the past week listening to them both as my daily work earbuds for zoom meetings as well as phone calls, music and audiobooks. Again my expectations were really high but was frustrated with them. The Good: These are really nice looking earbuds. The shape contours with my ears well. I feel that they are solidly built. The top surface is really responsive to my finger touch for the various controls. When listening to the various calls on zoom/phone, the people's voices comes out nice and clear and crisp. The microphones on these also pick up my voice well and the clarity is amazing. When listening to music and audiobooks, the sound is just very impressive. Sounds and music is very precise, and the noise cancelling is just amazing. It is able to lower the surrounding noise well that also adjusts to the environment around me. With other competitors anc, these don't give me that suctioning feeling and I can still hear what is around me but very muted. The case is also nicely built and charges quickly. In just a 15 minute charge, I am able to get about an hour's worth of battery life. On a full charge, these buds last about 8 hours of use (the most I've gone listening was on a long 1.5 hour drive with lot of batter life left). The Bad: They are not the most easy to connect earbuds. As I mentioned earlier, I already had a pair of over the ear headsets so I have the app already. When you initially set this up, there is no button on the case. It is very bare of anything except the one indicator light. I was struggling trying to connect this with my bluetooth. It took a few times of closing my app and opening again before it was able to pick it up and connect. This was a frustrating process which I felt it could've been lessened had there already been a power button. Also, these are ergonomically designed which I value tremendously. They contour my ear shape well. The problem is the material they use on these, they are very slippery in my ear. There are different silicone ear piece sizes but the standard medium-sized ones that are already installed are the best fit. There are no wingtips on these so with some sudden movement, they feel like they are being dislodged. I did several motions that required my head to have some movement: running, pushups, sit-ups, looking left and right. With these movements, they feel like they are about to fall out. So this was very disappointing as I would have liked maybe a stem design or probably wingtips. Overall, these are very good in-ear earbuds with noise cancelling. They are of solid build with amazing sound quality. I was just a little disappointed with the fit and connectivity of them. Once they were connected I feel that these are good for my office calls or when driving, but for me, not when I am exercising or doing strenuous activities.

The earbud is slick and comfortable, and I like the noise cancellation but it's flaky and keeps disconnecting from my iPhone on either side

I have been a fan of Bowers & Wilkins since I was a teenager. I have owned everything from their 600 through 800 series over the years. They have always represented well in the higher end audio community and offer a slightly brighter British sound than many of their counterparts in the market. The Px8 are the first pair of B&W headphones I have tried and not really what I was expecting from the storied brand. Immediately out of the box they check off all of the expectations one would have with headphones in this class: great aesthetics and well built. They really do feel first rate in your hands. From here though things took a bit of a turn. As soon as I put them on my head and adjusted them for fit the top of my head was irritated by the band. Yes, it is padded and made from leather so it wasn't that it was an oversight on Bowers part, but more that the band is just narrow enough that it was bothersome and would be an issue for longer use. Of course, that is on my head and it may be of no consequence to others. By comparison, my AirPods Max are definitely more comfortable for extended use. Clamping force was good and the Px8 felt secure and tight without the pressure making my eyeballs bulge. I paired the headphones to my iPhone and was off and running. I downloaded the accompanying app and went through the brief setup. Pretty standard stuff and after determining the Px8 were on the latest firmware I jumped out of the app and back to Apple Music. I listened to music for about an hour non-stop through the Px8. I tried it with noise cancelling on and off, as well as, in audio passthrough. The sound is warm and almost recessed by comparison to my AirPods Max. They don't seem as detailed which is partly due to the lack of brightness at the top end. It was an unusual experience as B&W speakers are very counter to that experience. The benefit here is that they may be less fatiguing for longer sessions. After listening to the Px8 for a bit I jumped back to my AirPods Max and was immediately struck by just how different the two sound. For my personal preference, I enjoy the AirPods over the Px8. This is an area where it really is personal preference. The bottomline is that the Px8 sound very good and are as hi-fi as one can get via bluetooth. The noise cancelling on the Px8 might be a touch better than the AirPods Max. Bowers implementation easily stands shoulder to shoulder with Bose, Sony, and Sennheiser in this department. The noise cancellation is excellent and should not be a concern. The audio passthrough I was much less impressed with. The AirPods Max are fantastic in this department and almost seem like you aren't wearing them at times. With passthrough enabled on the Px8 everything was still pretty quiet and almost muffled. While better than having everything turned off it was far from the experience it should have been. The headphones seem to have great battery life as I still haven't run them down since I got them and I have been putting several hours a day on them over the last week. The included carrying case is nice and robust and includes a small compartment for the USB-C charging cable that accompanies them. My biggest complaint is the price. Given the market they are competing in, I feel their peers are as good if not better in some areas for considerably less cost. I know when I am looking at B&W that there is an associated cost that goes with the brand, but in this case the upcharge is harder to reconcile. The AirPods Max are cheaper and equally well built, but maybe not as stylish. They are also considerably less expensive. If you are on an iPhone or in the Apple ecosystem they continue to be a no-brainers. The Px8 might suit Android users better, but Sony, Bose, and Sennheiser also have strong competition in the space. So, I can really only conclude the higher retail cost must be for the style. For me that is a tough sell, but for others may be an important factor that pushes them over the top. Overall, the Bowers & Wilkins Px8 are very nice and sound great, but the stiff competition makes them a tough sell at their asking price.

The Bowers & Wilkins earbuds are a fantastic product and I love them! For the short time that I’ve owned them, they have quickly become my go-to earbuds. I have used these buds for extended listening hours and their comfort level is fantastic. They fit well and don't cause ear-fatigue. I usually use them while cycling or walking during my exercise routines and they feel great. One awesome feature which I love is the active noise cancellation. They are really effective in canceling out extraneous noises during my listening sessions. The call quality during my conversations is clear, concise and crisp . The earbuds have clean highs, really nice bass and nice mid ranges. My music comes alive and my listening pleasure is amazing. Battery life is solid, providing 8 hours of earbud life and if stored in its charging case affords a total of 24 hours of playback on a single charge. The fast charging feature is definitely something I particularly enjoy and having 24 hours of playback time ensures you have enough juice to last through the entire day. A quick 15 minute charge gives you 2 hours of listening pleasure. Noteworthy is this product is backed by a full 2 year parts and labor warranty. In this day and age, it’s wonderful to see a manufacturer that warrants their product for more than a year! Overall, I love these earbuds! In my opinion , they are top-of-line and posses superior listening qualities which are hard to beat. Love them, buy them and enjoy pure listening pleasure