Customer Ratings & Reviews

In the box: • Pi8 earphones • 3.5mm single-ended (SE) to USB-C cable (32-inch) • USB-C to C cable (24-inch) • Charging case • L, M (installed), S, XS ear tips Setup: Initial pairing with Windows 11 laptop was straightforward without the B&W Music app. Multi-point pairing was clunky. Pairing with a second device resulted in frequent unexpected beeps when the first device was nearby. The first device had to be unpaired for the beeping to stop. Firmware updates require pairing to a device with the B&W Music app installed. A firmware update was required before first use. Design: The earphones and case are well made from molded plastic. The rounded sides on all but the front and back of the case prevent it from standing vertically. The earphones are small and the medium tips provided a good seal and comfortable fit for me. I wouldn’t wear them while jogging but they feel relatively secure. The 3.5mm SE to USB-C and USB-C to USB-C cables allow the case to serve as the Bluetooth transmitter (a nice feature for connecting DAPs without Bluetooth capabilities). I paired with a digital audio player (DAP) with Bluetooth and 3.5mm output. After testing the Bluetooth connectivity, I switched to the 3.5mm connection. I had to open and close the case once before the 3.5mm connection to the Pi8 case worked properly. However, I had to perform a factory reset on the Pi8 before Bluetooth worked properly again. Operation: B&W Music app includes some advanced controls: • Noise cancellation: On, Pass Through, and Off (Note: turning ANC off can only be done with the app.) • 5-band equalizer. +6 to -6 in increments of 0.5 • “True Sound™”. Temporarily disables EQ settings (if applied). • Paired devices. Allows pairing of new devices and removal of previously paired (and disconnected) devices. • Touch controls. Switches tap & hold interactions between ANC/Voice Assistant and Volume Control. The app does not permit assignment of functions to specific actions. • Wear sensor. When enabled, playback is paused when either earbud is removed. Touch Controls: Touch controls work the same on either earbud. Playback can be controlled with single (play/pause or answer incoming call), double (next track), or triple (previous track) taps on either earbud. Two short + 1 long tap disconnects a call in progress. Touch and hold functionality depends on the setting selected in the B&W Music app. Telephony: Phone calls were excellent on both ends. The Pi8 is a great choice for teleconferences and video-conferences. Audio Quality: Frequency response and sound stage were assessed with a Hi-Res DAP with aptX codec, flat equalization, and sharp roll-off filter (on the DAP). B&W literature contains no reference to the frequency response range except to note that response in the high frequencies is improved over earlier models. This is my first pair of B&W earbuds so I can only speak to their performance. It is excellent! Bass notes were balanced but a bit extended despite the sharp roll-off filter (featured tracks 1, 2, 7, 11, 15, & 21). Mid-range and vocals are clear and only slightly overshadowed by the bass (featured tracks 3, 4, 5, 6, & 14). Hi-hats and cymbal brushes were well represented and easy to hear (featured tracks 11, 12, 13, 15, & 18). The Pi8 is a solid performer without equalization. I prefer a flat frequency response without thumping bass or sibilant highs. The Pi8 delivers for me but may not suit users with a preference for a bass-forward sound signature. The sound stage was very good. Binaural recordings, jazz, and orchestral recordings were well-presented and spacious with good instrument separation (featured tracks 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 22, 23, & 24). Battery: Battery life is good given the inherent demands of noise canceling and Bluetooth. Two and a half hours of play with ANC took the battery from 98% to 60%, perfectly tracking with the stated 6.5h battery life. Overall: For their comfort, excellent telephony, and sound quality over a wide dynamic range, the Pi8 will be in my short list for wireless ANC earbuds. I have used other TWS earbuds with better ANC performance but few with the staging, sound quality, and excellent telephony of the Pi8. Featured tracks: 1. Laurence Juber: Guitar Noir: Blues De Luxe 2. Miles Davis: Kind of Blue: Flamenco Sketches 3. Nora Jones: Come Away with Me: Don’t Know Why I Didn’t Come 4. Hoff Ensemble: Quiet Winter Night: Dronning Fjellrose 5. Hoff Ensemble: Quiet Winter Night: Ville fjellgutt 6. Bonnie Raitt: Road Tested: Matters of the Heart 7. Joe Satriani, Surfing with the Alien: Echo 8. Julian Webber: Elgar Cello Concerto - Saint-Saens Cello Concerto No.1: Adagio Moderato 9. Vladimir Horowitz: Rachmaninov Piano Concerto #3: Finale: Alla breve 10. 2L Test Suite: Concerto Fantastico: Allegro Affetuoso 11. Antoine Dufour: Back & Forth (Side B): Air Ground (electronic) 12. Bill Evans: Everybody Digs Bill Evans: Minority 13. Miles Davis: Kind of Blue: Freddie Freeloader 14. Tori Amos: Crucify: Smells Like Teen Spirit 15. Dr. Chesky: Dr. Chesky’s Sensational, Fantastic, and Simply Amazing Binaural Sound Show!: Westside Blues 16. Dr. Chesky: Dr. Chesky’s Sensational, Fantastic, and Simply Amazing Binaural Sound Show!: Dancing Flute & Drum 17. Oslo String Quartet: The Shubert Connection: Schubert String Quartet No. 14 in D minor D810: III Scherzo. Allegro molto 18. Miles Davis: Kind of Blue: All Blues 19. Yoyo Ma: Elgar Cello Concerto, Op. 85; I. Adagio – Moderato (Elgar) 20. Yoyo Ma: A Gathering of Friends: John Williams Cello Concerto: Theme & Cadenza 21. Stevie Ray Vaughan: Couldn’t Stand the Weather: Tin Pan Alley 22. Yoyo Ma: The Goat Rodeo Sessions: Attaboy 23. Los Angeles Guitar Quartet: Spin: Turn to the Sea 24. Los Angeles Guitar Quartet: Spin: Night Furniture Suite

I have a set of B&W Pi7 that don't get as much use as I'd like to have given them. The angle of the fit causes discomfort after a few hours so I ended keeping them as back ups to another pair. Yet I love the sound quality, but wish they fit better for me ears. The Pi8's fix the biggest issue I had with the Pi7's and I had no problems wearing them for three hours doing yard work. But setup didn't go without issue. First I had to go through multiple attempts to get them paired to my Fold 5. The next issue was that my left bud didn't seem to cancel as much noise as might. Pair, repair, on/off, etc... nothing would work. So I tested to make sure each bud was actually cancelling noise. Pulled one bud on the case and toggled NC. Put that one back in, check the other and toggled. Both did fine and this time the left started cancelling equally to the right bud. Success! The noise cancelling isn't it's strongest suit but it does a good job of reducing the amount of outside noise interrupting your session. The sound was terrific. The lows are well pronounced without being muddy and the highs didn't pierce - this is with a flat EQ on both the app and my phone's setting. The only thing I did do was to profile the headphones to my ears with Samsung's calibration. Without the profile the soundstage seemed a bit narrow and too bright. Post calibration it was near perfect. One feature that turns the Pi8's into a set of gaming buds is the case itself. It acts like a dongle or transmitter. If you've ever gamed using BT headsets on a PC you'd notice the lag, even with low latency it would drive me crazy. Having a dedicated dongle eliminates the delay and makes the Pi8's a terrific choice for gaming. Echolocation is a bit off, but most buds I've tried aren't as good at mimicking location as open backed headphones are. But buds do a good job of isolating sound and not wearing your neck down (I have pinched nerve in my neck that aggravates from wearing a headphone for too long). The only negative I have is the app. You have to submit personal details and make an account just to be able to tweak the EQ and have limited options to "customize" your touch inputs - there are only two options. It's basically a worthless app and not on my phone any more. Most headphone apps are ridiculously unnecessary. To sum it up - darn good audio quality with an bonus of being a great set of gaming buds. No need to for the app, so don't bother installing it.

The price is a bit steep but are totally worth it! Great battery compared to the previous models, you can connect to the tv on the airplane on flights so you dont have to carry a wired headset! The sound is incredible, i have samsung buds 3, airpod pro 2 usb c, sony xm5, b&o ex,google pixel buds 3 and these are 1 of my favorites! The deep bass and its loud I have the jade ones and enjoy them!

Normally when I buy earbuds I spend a couple hundred and just buy whatever matches my cellphone brand. I do lots of walking and outdoor activities so things like sound quality and ANC are very important. Now I have never even considered spending more thinking earbuds are earbuds but Flossy Carter said on YouTube these are the best. I wasn’t even sure how to do this review as I wanted to be honest and I fully expected to say they were overpriced and average like any others. Wow was I wrong. The sound quality, volume level and fullness is so far ahead it’s hard to describe because it’s so superior. It’s literally an experience searching through music to hear different bass notes and highs. The equalizer is also great for fine tuning the sound to your liking. I wore these now for almost the entire day a couple times and never did they get uncomfortable. The fit for me anyway is great and they hold well. The little extra lip makes all the difference. ANC worked as good as others and calls sounded great. If I had one complaint the tap feature needs a bit of an adjustment. Many times I wanted to skip to the next track and it would pause instead even when I was focused and trying to get it right. Hopefully they can adjust that slightly with a software update. Wireless charging would have been nice also but again it’s all about the sound. The are expensive high end earbuds and they do lack some of the extra features of others but thes make up for it times ten in sound and that’s the main goal anyway. They are well worth the price of admission.

The B&W Pi8 are easily some of the best sounding earbuds I have ever experienced. When it comes to earbuds at this point, the main deciding factors have become styling, comfort and sound quality. Two of those are mostly subjective and really depend on the user. For that reason, I will comment on some of those aspects, but will focus mostly on the sound quality from the earbuds as that’s what you should really be concerned about with $399.00 earbuds. As far as styling goes B&W tends to be more willing to make striking design choices with their products. In my opinion they make some of the most luxurious and imaginative designs. With the Pi8 they kind of took more of a conservative approach compared to their over the ear offerings. This might have been a design strategy or because its hard to imprint a bold design on a small product such as earbuds. The important thing is they look and feel premium. The materials don’t feel cheap, and the earbuds should last through the rigors of being your everyday buds. This includes the case which once again is very conservative in design but feels well made. Comfort is a category that will depend on you and how earbuds generally feel in your ear. Theres nothing inherently unique to these earbuds that would make them more or less comfortable to use than other premium in earbuds. However, one cool function is that the usual kind of “wing” found on buds is more of a wedge with these being built into the buds. That gives them a clean look and keeps them secured in my ears. The one button UI function is simple to use and is similar to other earbuds/headphones. The case offers wireless charging which is fantastic and makes like a little easier. Now, the important stuff, sound quality. Its incredible. It feels like every once and a while we get new earbuds that sound 10-15% better than the previous “best” sounding earbuds. That’s an incredible achievement when you consider the size and form factor of earbuds. The name of the game with the Pi8 is codec support. It supports every good codec under the sun and then some. If you can use something like Tidal for music, you will take advantage of the full technological capabilities of these earbuds. The lossless sound is incredibly clear and superbly balanced. The lows, mids, and highs are all exactly where they should be for most songs I’ve listened to. This isn’t just great tuning, its also due to the incredible hardware packed into the Pi8. B&W used larger carbon fiber cone drivers which help translate what the audio engineers envisioned with this sound tuning. Sometimes you get a product like this where the hardware and the software matched each others potential and it shows. More companies need to understand this in the planning stages of product design. So many times software is way ahead of the hardware or vice versa and it becomes evident. In conclusion, the B&W Pi8 earbuds stand out as a remarkable blend of premium design, comfort, and exceptional sound quality. While styling and comfort may vary based on personal preferences, the Pi8’s sound performance is undeniably top-tier. With robust codec support and advanced hardware like larger carbon fiber cone drivers, these earbuds deliver a balanced and clear audio experience that truly sets them apart. For those seeking high-quality sound in a sleek, well-crafted package, the Pi8 is a worthy investment.

So, just for reference, I am mostly an over the ear headphone type of guy. I have, however, some Marshall and Jabra in the ear earbuds that I really enjoy. My biggest issue with earbuds is that over prolonged periods of time, no matter what size of bud I (or my wife) use, they just become uncomfortable. The B&W come with 4 different sized bud adapters, and I tried three of them. I have smaller ear canals and I found the medium to be just right. I did have to squish them in a little. These Pi8 are fantastic. What I mean by that is that I have some of the cleanest sound I have heard from a set of headphones/earbuds. Now, I like my metal and I like a little bass and I have to say that these are almost there. Sound is rich, clean but a little lacking on the bass, even after playing with all the settings in the app. But it doesn't keep me from wanting to listen to them. Set up was painless, just an extra pairing request than normal but everything went quick, music is recognized from all your favorite sources. Even though these are "made for Iphone", I used my Samsung with no issues and everything from stored music to streaming platforms came across wonderfully. These are my new favorite earbuds, even though I prefer OTE cans. The NC was not noticeable but did an excellent job keeping almost everything quiet. Pass through worked well, controls are easy to use and these buds just work. The only down side, the battery life. They state only 6.5 hours of use with NC, with the app, etc. So far, couple hours, no issue, buuuuut, who really needs to use earbuds for more than a couple hours anyway?!?!?

I have always been a fan of Bowers and Wilkins ever since my Dad bought a pair of DM17 Speaker way back when. Of course, they have changed a lot from the heavy wood cabinets and speakers only. The Pi8 was an immediate draw to me because of this and the brand. The earbuds are a bit unusual in shape and quite thick. They come with the usual charging case and 3 sets of assorted sized rubber tips. They were a breeze to pair and set up- very straight forward. There is an app that allows customizing of the sound. I had to find the right rubber tip as they kept falling out of my ear. I think it was the shape and weight that wasn't a good fit for my ear. However, after trial and error, I got a decent fit that stayed in. The trick is to insert them then turn them sideways. They look quite stylish with the B&W name printed out the outside portion of the earbud. The sound was clear and not overly saturated with base or too much treble. If anything, this was more midrange which is great for me and excellent with vocals. Volume was decent and I liked the sound range. They are noise cancelling which I do not like too much. I prefer some background sounds.

Just amazing. Have the Px7 S2e and somehow these in ears are just as good w regards to their soundstage. And really confortable? Expensive but well worth the money.

Went from Beats Powerbeats pro to these huge upgrade in sound quality. Comfortable to wear for long stretches too.

Im gonna keep this short and sweet. My main headphones I use at my desktop are Hifiman HE1000SE’s with a Benchmark HPA4 amp and Chord Qutest DAC. I wanted a high quality pair of earbuds for travel since Im used to high quality sound at home. Let me just say how sad I was when I got these Bowers after glowing reviews. These have some of the peakiest treble ive heard from a pair of headphones and ive heard a lot. I tried all the different tips and none made a difference. I couldnt even play a single metal or edm song without the piercing treble taking over. 100% returning and sticking with my Airpods Pro. I should have known better based on Bowers speakers but these really take it to another level of piercing treble quality. Also it cant be EQ’d without destroying the rest of the sound signature.