The Bowers & Wilkins Pi8 are an audiophiles dream earbuds

I have been fairly outspoken earlier than concerning the construct and audio high quality you may anticipate from Bowers & Wilkins. The English audio firm has been producing prime quality audio system since 1966, later coming into the headphone market in 2010 with the P5s. Since then, Bowers & Wilkins has launched quite a few over-ear and in-ear headphones, with the most recent being the Pi8 noise-cancelling in-ear wi-fi earbuds.

As a self-ascribed audiophile, I used to be thrilled to check out the Pi8 and see what Bowers & Wilkins have dropped at the desk because the Pi7 in 2020.

Editor’s Alternative

Bowers & Wilkins Pi8

Bowers & Wilkins’ up to date Pi8 in-ear earbuds are probably the most sonically spectacular earbuds I’ve ever examined. The Pi8 is what occurs when probably the most revered audiophile manufacturers on the planet units their sights on noise-cancelling, travel-friendly, and fantastically engineered high-fidelity in-ear wi-fi earbuds.

Execs

• Impeccable sound high quality
• Excellect noise cancellation
• Snug match

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Worth, availability, and specs

The Bowers & Wilkins Pi8 can be found from Amazon, Finest Purchase, and instantly from Bowers & Wilkins on-line. They retail for the hefty worth of $400, and to this point I’ve not come throughout any gross sales.

What I favored concerning the Bowers & Wilkins Pi8

Thoughts-blowing sound high quality for earbuds

I am going to admit I got here into testing these with pretty excessive expectations. I am fairly acquainted with Bowers & Wilkins on their speaker aspect, and so they have not disenchanted me but. As I began setting them up, which featured a reasonably easy pairing course of, I discovered myself pondering, “How good might they actualy be?” and pondering how greatest to extract the very best sound from such small drivers. Properly, regardless of the secret sauce is, Bowers & Wilkins have it.

I opened up Tidal and began listening to Rush’s 1981 traditional, Crimson Barchetta. Instantly, the slowly constructing guitar opening had wormed its manner into my ears, and because the track crescendoed and Neil Peart’s drums began filling the area, I used to be met with a full and wealthy soundstage. Whereas the Bowers & Wilkins app has an equalizer for personalization, it was utterly pointless. The sound was balanced, the instrument separation was glorious, and the lows, mids, and highs all had correct illustration, which is difficult to tug off in earbuds.

As I went about my day listening to all kinds of ’80s rock and pop, I turned more and more impressed by the Pi8’s active noise cancellation. The heavy synths and drum beats on Phil Collins’ album No Jacket Required mixed with the Pi8’s built-in noise cancellation completely shielded me from the hum of passing automobiles on a stroll and the fixed chatter and buzz of a busy Costco.

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Whereas testing and exploring the Pi8 earbuds, it wasn’t misplaced on me that these had been a $400 pair of buds. So, retaining that in thoughts, I actually appreciated a few of the extra-mile touches that Bowers & Wilkins included right here, like the truth that the Pi8 case helps wi-fi charging and that the sunshine on the case modifications colours to point battery standing and Bluetooth connectivity. I am fairly choosy about earbud match, so I used to be blissful to see the Pi8 included 4 completely different sizes of earbud ideas, making it more likely for customers to seek out the right match.

There are numerous different little particulars, like put on sensors that pause your music whenever you take away an earbud, contact controls on the earbuds for simpler management over your media, and an ambient pass-through mode to raised hear the world round you whereas nonetheless having fun with no matter it’s you are listening to.

What I did not like concerning the Bowers & Wilkins Pi8

Paying a premium for the identify

The sound high quality and general efficiency of the Pi8 are plain, however at $400, its worth level is a troublesome capsule to swallow for a set of headphones. Whereas the Pi8’s constancy and acoustic efficiency are far superior to a $130 pair of Apple AirPods, whether or not it performs greater than 3 times as effectively is debatable. Briefly, the one factor I do not like concerning the Pi8 earbuds is their worth. A few of this is because of Bowers & Wilkins’ glorious fame for luxurious, high-quality audio gear, and a few of it’s maybe that $400 simply is not what it was.

Earbuds nowadays are available all sizes and shapes, and the Pi8 are considerably blocky and enormous. They don’t seem to be in any respect cumbersome or uncomfortable when worn on the workplace, on public transportation, or whereas strolling at a traditional tempo when out and about, however their bigger footprint would not lend itself to train or very heavy exercise.

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Verdict: Must you purchase the Bowers & Wilkins Pi8?

Look, I strive my greatest to steer clear of overly broad or gushing platitudes when reviewing tech merchandise. I put a variety of time, thought, and background into evaluations for our readers, and I take it fairly severely. However on this case, I really do imply that these are the best-sounding earbuds I’ve ever used. If the Pi8 are comfortably inside your funds, and audio high quality is vital to you when having fun with your tunes, then I would encourage you to select up a pair and provides them a hear.

In case you are searching for earbuds for train or extra energetic use, or just are usually not serious about dropping this sort of dough, then there are many different choices in the marketplace right this moment, simply none that I am conscious of that sound fairly nearly as good.

Editor’s Alternative

Bowers & Wilkins Pi8

Battery Life

As much as 6.5 hours with ANC, Extra 13.5 hours from Charging Case

Charging Case Included?

Sure

Microphones

3 per earbud

Model

Bowers & Wilkins

Supported codecs

aptX Lossless/Adaptive/Basic, AAC, SBC

Bluetooth

Bluetooth 5.4 with aptX Lossless

IP Score

IP54

Driver Dimension

12 mm Carbon Cone

Charging sort

Wi-fi and USB-C Charging

Case battery

Li-Ion

Charging Port

USB-C

Noise Cancellation

Energetic Noise Cancellation

Earbud weight

7g

Charging case weight

46g

Most play time (general)

20 hours

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