Pi8 True Wireless Noise Cancelling Earbuds with Bluetooth aptX, 24-bit Wireless Connection, Audio Retransmission, and 6 Built-in Microphones - Anthracite Black

Simply incredible sound. It’s so rich and deep. I had B&O Beoplay EX and thought they were great, but returned them due to the terrible noise when wearing outside - even a gentle breeze caused considerable interference even with the wind guard feature activated. These, on the other hand and despite not having a ‘wind guard’ feature, have little to no interference in comparative external environmental conditions. I’m really impressed with the depth of sound and immersive acoustics - pricy but defo worth the money. They are lightweight and really comfortable even if worn for extensive periods of time. The ANC is also pretty good in my view (and better than B&O). The ability for the case to tether them to devices is a cool feature, e.g. TVs and other audio devices or laptops. Downside: one earbud seems to lose Bluetooth link every now and again and needs to be re-paired. Whilst annoying, I can live with it because the immersive sound quality is so outrageously good. [Update: a later software update cleared this issue]. I’m not sure the McLaren edition ones are worth the large additional cost just for the superficial difference - unless you are a massive McLaren fan with deep pockets. However, it’s worth bearing in mind that you’re getting the Bowers and Wilkins research and development (R&D) packed into these little nuggets. Other iconic products include their Zeppelin, and Nautilus, of which a pair of the latter will set you back £90k! So, there is a rich history of sound engineering, R&D, and expertise getting squeezed into the Pi8. Expensive but worth the investment. If you’re not an audiophile you soon will be!

So this might be a long review. The tl;dr is these are unbelievable sounding headphones. Every few years I become obsessed with buying some form of high-end audio equipment. My last headphone mania was a few years ago with the original P5 and P7, then the wireless version of those headphones. And I have long been a fan of the Bowers and Wilkins sound having come from the DM601 s2s. I wasn’t even in the market for earbuds. I have a pair of AirPods Pro and have never found the sound particularly good, nor have I ever felt entirely comfortable with the feel of the earbuds experience. I was fully looking for a great pair of over ear headphones. After a lot of research, visually dismissing the Sony’s as too plasticky, and the AirPods Max as too showy, I knew B&W would be the brand again to deliver the looks, but more importantly the sound. Sound is incredibly important to me. I have studio monitors as my HiFi system in my lounge. I can be prone to relentlessly A/B testing new equipment until my brain can’t take it any more. I originally was set on the Px7 s3, but then noticed I could get the s2 for less than half the price on sale and so thought I’d get both to test. The s2 absolutely fit like a glove, so comfortable. But the sound, whilst decent, just didn’t have the detail and separation I was after. The s3 initially sounded phenomenal, so detailed, spacious, and confidently tuned. Definitely V-shaped tuning, different to the usual house sound. But there was something a bit fatiguing to the highs, certain cymbals and hi hats felt over-hyped to the point of being uncomfortable. Plus the clamping of the headband itself I felt was so tight it became unpleasant after not too long. And my ears were a sweaty mess. I was stuck with the s2 it seemed, and sent the s3 back. But damn, once you’ve heard that kind of sound, and you know there’s detail that you’re missing, I ended up not even listening to the s2. I started researching the Px8, could its carbon cone offer s3 sound but with more comfort? The more I looked into that model though, the more I started seeing issues with the headband peeling apart and didn’t want to take my chances with something of such high value. But in this search I noticed Pi8. I looked into it and saw they were earbuds. The reviews were glowing (from review sites, I have no idea how these aren’t rated higher here) and so I ordered a pair just to try out. MY. GOD. I had no idea that earbuds could sound like this. The detail, soundstage, instrument separation and accuracy across all the frequencies was just jaw dropping. I literally could not believe I didn’t have over-ear headphones on. For a week I was in utter bliss, listening to all my old albums, hunting for new music, revelling in the exquisiteness of these earbuds. Then my brain kicked in. These can’t possibly be this good. There must be something they are missing… On the Max Cooper track ‘Order from Chaos’, I became convinced that in the intro there was a sub-bass extension that just wasn’t being reproduced by the Pi8. There it is I thought. I can’t be happy with headphones if I know they are missing something. In order to prove it to myself I reordered the s3. (I can’t listen to my monitors in my new flat due to neighbours, hence needing headphones). The s3s arrived and eagerly I put them on, put the track on, and waited for that sub-bass extension… Except it didn’t exist. My brain had made it up. But then came the truly astounding part…I A/B tested the Px7 s3 to the Pi8, and to my ears, the Pi8 actually sound BETTER. All that glorious detail and separation and soundstage is there. But where the s3 hypes the treble somewhat, the Pi8 delivers it perfectly. And also delivers the most gorgeous bass. Everything is there. So yes. If you’ve made it this far you’re probably as crazy as me. And in that case you are going to absolutely love these headphones. Extremely comfortable, app is decent, connectivity is great, ANC is easily good enough…but that sound… Truly astonishing.

These headphones are amazing and easily the best headphones I've ever used! To start with the audio quality is amazing, I've tested them using a range of devices with multiple codecs, AAC, AptX HD and AptX Adaptive. Now for the best quality possible, your going to want to use AptX Adaptive. If your devices don't support it you can buy a Bluetooth dongle with support for the codec on Amazon (such as the Sennheiser BT 600). I've had no issues with the Sennheiser after updating the firmware, and there is a substantial jump in quality so I'd say the extra £30 is well worth it! (Compatible with Mac, PC, iPhone, Android) Also a little tip if you get the Sennheiser do make sure to update the firmware using the utility on there website, I had some artifacts prior to doing so. And you can also store the dongle by plugging into the PX8's USB C port :). That being said the headphones still sound amazing even using basic AAC, the audio clarity is amazing and you can make out each individual instrument with the wide soundstage. It really seems Bowers and Wilkins put a lot of effort into the design of these headphones, from the moment you pick them up they scream quality. From the soft nappa leather, to the smooth action of the hinges and the way the drivers are angled to more closely fit your ears natural shape, no stone was left unturned during the design of these. They are what I'd say is the perfect weight. Not too lightweight to the point they feel flimsy and could be easily broken, but definitely not heavy to the point where wearing them for extended periods could cause pain. The battery life sits at an impressive 30 hours, with 15 minute quick charging via USB PD. They are very easy to use with a switch to power them on and they then automatically connect to your saved devices. (You can also connect them to multiple devices at once which is a plus) The active noise cancellation functions beautifully and really blocks out external sounds so you can focus in on your music or work. And the transparency mode is amazing for if your out and about and want to be aware of your surroundings. I can't really recommend these headphones enough if your in the market for a new pair. With the frequent sales on Amazon they really are a bargain for this level of quality, functionality, ease of use, and audio quality.

I spent quite some time researching what Bluetooth earbuds to buy, and having listened to the over-ear offerings from B&W these were near the top of my list. I couldn’t find anywhere to try these in store, but I felt confident going in to purchase these knowing the brand and the quality of other products. I was disappointed to find that even after trying the different tips, the comfort of the fit wasn’t fantastic. They felt quite heavy for something supported by such thin silicone eartips. I found hat after just a few minutes, I found myself reaching up to readjust because they were getting itchy. In terms of sound quality, they were fairly good. I compared them to the offerings from B&O, Sony, Apple and Bose. I found these to be comparable to the Sony in terms of sound quality, but these are £100 more expensive. Also, of the 4 brands, these and the B&O were the quietest. Where I would be at around 80% on the others for the same perceived volume on these at full, meaning I would run them at full volume all the time. When it came to noise cancellation, again this was in the bottom two. The transparency mode sounded quite artificial and the quiet mode didn’t do a fantastic job. They paired up very easily and reconnected quickly every time I got them out the case.

Okay, so these are loud. I've had flagship Sonys, Bose and the previous Bowers and Wilkins. None of them compare. The Sony option, has lots of great features, what the Bowers lack. The Bose are comfortable with great sound. But, the Bowers have something I have been looking for since I first started buying headphones. They drown out the world around you completely, without sacrificing your ears in the process. I can have these at half the volume, still have loud enough great sounding audio, whilst not hearing the outside world. This is something I've never experienced before. Even with the world class ANC on the Sonys. They also look and feel fantastic. No cheap plastic here, just quality materials. My Sonys snapped at the joints, and my Bose started shedding. These however are going to last. Much better than they're previous attempt! Buy on sale like I did, they often come down.

I've got numerous noise cancelling headphones and have to say that these are the cream of the crop. The fit is great and cancels some ambient noise in itself. The noise cancelling is ok but not the eerie silence you may get with other current makes. That said, if you have the noise cancelling on and music playing, you will pretty much cancel out the surroundings/ambient noise. The leather is extremely comfortable on the ear pads and they look and feel luxurious. The sound is what did it for me - amazing. I have heard parts of familiar music that I didn't know existed, IMO and at this price, they are superbly balanced. They connect easily and seamlessly to whatever you want and the app is adequate but could do with updating. The only draw back is the battery life which for this sort of price should be double the current 30hrs. It's a P.I.T.A. to have to keep re- charging. That however, and the steep price, are the only drawbacks. Favourite go to headphones bar none.

I almost returned these headphones, and now I'm really glad I didn't. When I first listened to the headphones, I actually hated them - I thought they were too flat and clinical sounding because I was used to my sony earbuds which had a lot of added bass. The default tuning does not do every song justice because it can lack the physical punch that I want - but when I switched the EQ setting to be U-curved using Wavelet it suddenly added so much powerful and clean bass with the physical punch that you can actually feel the texture of, without it being muddy (like my sony's could be). Once I realised that I can make the headphones sound how I want them too, I stopped thinking about what I thought they were missing - and I've been turning the EQ off for a lot of songs because the default tuning is perfect for those. I hear so many things in songs I never realised they were there, and theres so much detail and texture. This is why I think they're versatile: if you want a physical punch for songs that need that, you can achieve that and it sounds incredible and much better than my Sony's. But I can just switch that off and use the default tuning which is neutral and has more clarity. They are also solid aluminium and leather with physical tactile buttons, unlike my Sony's, and has nice chimes when you switch it on and off etc (again, unlike my Sony's). Overall I love these headphones, but I also got then for 50% off which is probably adding to my excitement for them...

These earphones offer an unrivalled audio quality 10/10, truly superb and are very comfortable to wear However, the batteries only lasted about 4.5 hours with ANC on, not as much as advertised 3/10. The ANC was adequate, 8/10 in my opinion and the app functionality was a little lacking, the Soundcores these were to replace offered extensively programmable gesture functions, but the Pi8's only had a few set options, 5/10 I returned them because the right earbud kept disconnecting, I saw others have had this same issue so no point in replacing them if it is a fundamental issue 1/10 A true shame as the quality of the audio really was the best I have found by any in-ears. The retransmission feature worked well 10/10 The case and bud shape and design look superb 10/10 Conclusion, 6/10 if not for the connectivity issue and the poor battery life, I would have kept them. The app really needs to be better with more choice of programmable gesture functions, the constant audio mutes, disconnects and battery life make it non viable