When it comes to legendary audio companies, few are as accomplished as Bowers & Wilkins. For decades, the company has been an industry leader, offering some of the best and most luxurious loudspeakers money can buy. Since 2017, it has broken into wireless headphones in a big way, and since 2021, the true wireless market.
Today, the company has unveiled its latest flagship, the Bowers & Wilkins Pi8. Coming in at $399, they’re luxurious and feature-rich. Featuring the same carbon-cone driver technology found in the over-ear Px8, they offer even better sound, improved ANC, a revamped shape for enhanced comfort, and the popular wireless re-transmission case that transforms wired audio sources into high-res wireless. Last generation’s Pi7’s were good, but with the Pi8, Bowers & Wilkins stakes its claim on the high-end TWS market.
Specifications
- Current Price: $399 (Bowers & Wilkins, Best Buy)
- Wearing Style: In-Ear Noise-Cancelling True Wireless Earbuds
- Technical Features
- High-performance DSP with dedicated DSP and amplifier/DAC
- True 24-bit audio connection
- 5-band customisable EQ + TrueSound™ mode
- Bluetooth 5.4 with aptX™ Lossless technology
- Multipoint connectivity
- Active Noise Cancellation (ANC)
- Audio retransmission from charging case (aptX™ Adaptive)
- Wireless and USB-C charging
- Fast charging support
- Apple MFi Made for iPhone support
- Finishes: Anthracite Black, Dove White, Jade Green, Midnight Blue
- Bluetooth Codecs
- aptX™ Lossless
- aptX™ Adaptive
- aptX™ Classic
- AAC
- SBC
- Drive Units: 12 mm Carbon Cone
- Microphones: 3 per earbud for telephony and ANC
- Battery Type: Rechargeable Lithium-ion (earbuds and charging case)
- Battery Life & Charging
- Up to 6.5 hours for earbuds (with ANC on)
- Additional 13.5 hours from charging case
- Charge time = 2 hours
- 15-minute charge = 2 hours playback
- Wireless Charging Support: Yes
- Water Resistance: IP54 (earbuds)
- Audio Inputs
- Earbuds: Bluetooth
- Charging case: USB-C & 3.5 mm analogue jack (wireless audio retransmission via charging case)
- Accessories
- Extra Small / Small / Medium / Large ear tips
- 60 cm USB-C to USB-C charging cable
- 80 cm 3.5 mm jack to USB-C audio cable
- Weight
- Earbuds: 7g (each)
- Charging case: 46g
- Dimensions (Charging Case): 65 mm (w) x 29 mm (d) x 52 mm (h)
Bowers & Wilkins Pi8 - Design and Highlights
The Pi8 is a significant step forward for Bowers & Wilkins’ true wireless offerings in just about every way. Right from the get-go, it’s clear that the company and its designers have been listening to feedback. The case is smaller and more refined. The buds are smaller and come with an extra size (XS) silicone ear tip to accommodate more users. The design, while more similar to competitors like the Sony WF1000-XM5, maintains the elegant Bowers & Wilkins design language.
In a briefing ahead of this review, the company explained to me that virtually every part of this new design is in response to feedback it received on the original. The smaller size allows it to nestle better and fit more securely in a wider range of ears and the extra-small pair of ears tips ensures even narrow-eared listeners will be able to listen comfortably. The microphone and sensors are now positioned along the rim, just behind the faceplate, free potential obstructions which impacted the original.
Inside the shells, the Pi8 now uses a 12mm carbon cone driver, the same type as used in the popular Px8 we, like many critics, reviewed and loved in late 2022. In fact, the company was keen to point out that the same team that designed the Px8 and its remarkable sound designed the Pi8. The sound difference is immediately noticeable, so it’s safe to say that this was a wise decision.
As a set with audiophiles squarely in its sights, sound quality, and all the bells and whistles that support it, matter a great deal. In the world of Bluetooth, the wireless codec being use has a significant impact on the quality of the sound you’re going to receive. Traditional Bluetooth is highly compressed. But, if you’re spending $400 on a pair of earbuds, you want to hear your music in the highest fidelity possible, so that’s just not going to cut it.
To overcome that limitation, the Pi8 supports three flavors of aptX, including aptX Lossless(the highest quality), aptX Adaptive, and standard aptX. Each of these increases the bandwidth so you can enjoy full-resolution sound up to 24-bit, 192kHz. Your device will need to support one of these codecs (Android supports standard aptX by default), but if you find yourself lacking, AAC and SBC fill in the gaps for all other devices. I would have liked to have seen LDAC support at this price but, as of now, it lacks it.
Like the OnePlus Buds Pro 3 we looked at yesterday, the Pi8 also supports its own dedicated DAC chip that’s separate from the one included on its Bluetooth chipset. There’s DSP — that’s Digital Sound Processing — to fine-tune the sound beyond any physical tuning B&W has done.
Battery life has also seen a substantial improvement, bumping to six-and-a-half hours from four hours on the Pi7 and five hours on the Pi7 S2. The case stores enough for two recharges, lending you around 20 hours of total listening time between recharges. These figures are with active noise cancellation on, too, because, to paraphrase the company, if you’re paying for a flagship earphone with noise cancellation, it’s reasonable to expect people will want to use it more often than not. The buds support fast charging too, so if you do happen to run low on battery, popping them in the case for 15 minutes will restore around two hours of listening.
Speaking of ANC, this noise canceling is also improved. To my ear, it cuts out more noise than the former Pi7 by a significant margin. It’s still not as powerful as Sony or Bose’s flagships, or the more recent OnePlus Buds Pro 3. The focus is still on lower frequencies to quiet down your commute or HVAC system, but there’s more removal within the middle frequencies as well, similar to the Px8.
Call quality is also clearer in my test recordings and by reports callers I’ve asked. The earbuds use a three-mic array to isolate your voice from background noise and do a good job overall. They did struggle a bit in simulated strong wind but it’s a pretty unrealistic scenario for taking a phone call. In most conditions, you’ll come through crisp and clear.
The Pi8’s most unique feature is a returning one: its audio re-transmission case. The earbuds come with a USB-C to 3.5mm adapter cable, so devices that don’t natively support Bluetooth can be enjoyed wirelessly in high-resolution. It’s perfect for PCs with spotty Bluetooth or plugging into your Switch. Or if you’re a traveler, you can connect it to your airplane’s audio-out and enjoy the in-flight entertainment wirelessly. To do this, the buds connect directly to the case instead of your smartphone, so whatever it “hears,” you’ll hear.
Bowers & Wilkins Pi8 - Listening and Daily Use Impressions
Bowers and Wilkins went back to the drawing board with the sound of the Pi8s. I enjoyed the Pi7s, but with the team developing its sound shifting to that of the Px8, it was inevitable that there would be some changes made. Thankfully, I think the sound improved and all-around more engrossing.
The Pi8 has warmth and life to its signature. Bass notes sounded full and provided a solid foundation to tracks like Anxiety by Eminus. The ethereal opening to Pearl of the Stars by Coheed and Cambria with the low thrum in the background had texture and breadth.
At the same time, the higher frequencies have been tuned to pop out. There’s a sparkle to the listening experience from elements like hi-hats, cymbals, and atmospherics. The attack and timbre of electric guitar strings in songs like Dopamine by Angel Vivaldi or The Trooper by Iron Maiden were lifelike and engaging. Vocals were smooth and forward, perhaps slightly warmed, but no worse for it. This isn’t a set claiming to be neutral. It’s a set claiming to sound good and it does.
If you’d like to change the sound, you can do that through the Bowers & Wilkins Music app. There are no presets but you can adjust your own five-band equalizer to tailor the music to your taste. I was a bit surprised to find that no presets were provided in the app and you’re not able to save more than the curve you’re currently using. It would be good to see the ability to save multiple presets added in the future for different genres and types of content.
The app in general is pretty limited. Having used a number of B&W products over the years, the company has been leaning into simplicity for some time. It makes the app more approachable, yes, but for listeners that may have more experience with music apps, it feels a bit barebones. For example, the active noise cancellation can only be set to Off or On with nothing in between. You can turn on a Transparency mode but it too is unadjustable.
Controlling the earbuds is intuitive and reliable. Touch controls can be hit or miss, but the Pi8 falls on the former. You navigate tracks and calls with a mix of taps and holds, not unlike many other TWS earphones on the market today. While it’s possible to misclick, this didn’t happen often enough to be a problem.
And here’s a surprise: they’re actually pretty good for gaming! Using the audio retransmission case, the wireless latency is low enough that I was able to play games without noticing any lag. The soundstage is decent and gets better when you enable Windows Sonic or Dolby Atmos, which means that these earbuds really can be an all-in-one solution for home and on the go.
Final Thoughts
The biggest challenge facing the Bowers & Wilkins Pi8 is their price. At $399, they’re firmly targeting audiophiles in the luxury category, well exceeding popular recommendations like the Sony WF1000-XM5 and Apple AirPods Pro. In comparison, these buds are clearly aiming for a higher caliber of audio product in everything from design, to construction, to features, and ultimately, sound quality.
If they are out of reach, good news: the company also launched the Pi6. At only $249, it offers many similar features and benefits and provides a good alternative if you like what you see here but don’t need all the luxuries, like the retransmission case.
Because sound is so subjective, it’s fair to say that, at this price, they’re not for everybody. It’s also fair to say that they’re great and the best earbuds Bowers & Wilkins have released to date. If you crave the finer things and have a taste for refined audio, the Pi8 is right up your alley.
The product described in this article was provided by the manufacturer for evaluation purposes.
