Wonderful sound comes at a excessive value

There are plenty of components to think about when purchasing for wi-fi earbuds. Some folks need the very best energetic noise cancellation (ANC) efficiency whereas others are extra fascinated about options that allow all-day sporting. Some people need a seamless interplay with their cellphone and a few are looking for the very best sound high quality. When you fall into that final class, the Bowers & Wilkins Pi8 ($399) is value contemplating.

The corporate has persistently produced a few of the finest audio efficiency you’ll discover in over-ear headphones. However its wi-fi earbuds weren’t fairly on the identical degree. They delivered nice readability and ample consideration of refined particulars in songs. Nonetheless, although, there was work to be executed to assemble a fuller, extra immersive soundstage. With the Pi8, the corporate has overhauled its sound platform, including new, bigger drivers for much more nuance and enhanced low-end tone. Sadly, although, there are nonetheless some areas the place Bowers & Wilkins wants to enhance in an effort to actually rival the very best.

What’s good concerning the Pi8?

Bowers & Wilkins launched an all-new design on the Pi8, providing a totally completely different form than the Pi7 S2. This mannequin has a extra uniform, oval shell, which I feel lends a refined look in comparison with its predecessor. The corporate additionally selected to make use of fascinating particulars, like a microphone grill that spans the width of the earbuds, to cover parts which have traditionally been prominently displayed. Sure, that outer space nonetheless accepts faucets and lengthy presses for calls and audio playback, and people actions garner fast responses.

The most important replace to the Pi8 is sound high quality. Bigger 12mm carbon cone drivers energy the audio, which is a change from the 9.2mm dynamic drivers contained in the Pi7 S2. Bowers & Wilkins additionally opted for 32-bit digital sign processing (DSP), up from 24-bit on the earlier mannequin. These earbuds additionally help aptX Lossless, whereas the sooner model used aptX Adaptive. The corporate says all of those adjustments, notably the brand new drivers, scale back distortion and supply higher high-frequency element.

I discovered these claims to carry true. The Pi8 has enhanced element in comparison with the Pi7 S2, which is a feat as a result of these earbuds already supplied glorious readability. Devices like guitars stand out on albums like mewithoutYou’s emo/post-hardcore Catch for Us the Foxes. On that file, the 2 guitars have a dialog or interaction occurring throughout many of the songs, and you may clearly hear each enjoying their elements. The guitars additionally appear to drift above the booming kick drum and grooving, droning bass strains. Aaron Weiss’ principally spoken-word vocals additionally minimize via the combination with all of the emotion and metaphor he masses them with.

Bass efficiency has additionally improved on the Pi8. It’s by no means overpowering, however you get chunky kick drum sounds for rock and steel that drive the songs somewhat than drowning every thing else out. No Treatment’s thrashing steel album I Hope I Die Right here is a wonderful instance of this. Drums are there to information the thick guitar riffs via the heavy breakouts and groovier verses, however every thing stays nuanced and distinct. Regardless of the vocals being totally screamed, you may simply select each phrase as a substitute of them fading into the combination.

Bowers & Wilkins prolonged the battery life on the Pi8 to six.5 hours with ANC on. That’s 90 minutes longer than the Pi7 S2. That determine additionally inches nearer to the likes of Sony’s WF-1000XM5 which stands at eight hours of noise-canceling listening. Bowers & Wilkins has as soon as once more included wi-fi transmission within the charging case, permitting you to make use of the Pi8 at instances when a Bluetooth streaming supply isn’t an possibility — like in-flight leisure. This instrument isn’t novel to the corporate’s merchandise as others, like JBL, have baked it in as properly. Nevertheless, wi-fi transmission nonetheless isn’t so widespread that I’d say it’s available elsewhere.

What’s not so good concerning the Pi8?

The most important draw back to the Pi8 is the value: $399. Sony’s WF-1000XM5 had been $300 at launch, though they’re normally obtainable for round $200, and so they’ve been on the high of our finest earbuds record since then. Bowers & Wilkins gear has at all times commanded a premium over Sony and others, and that’s precisely what’s taking place right here. Whereas the Pi8 does have extra nuanced and detailed sound than the M5s, Sony and others supply superior options that make your life simpler.

For instance, Sony’s flagship mannequin can robotically pause audio when it detects that you simply’re talking. It could actually additionally robotically modify sound settings based mostly in your location to assist streamline your day. A lot of these instruments may go an extended technique to increasing the vary of the Pi8. The fundamentals are all properly lined on Bowers & Wilkins’ newest set, however there’s nothing extra right here feature-wise, which makes its value change into a major drawback.

This extends to the restricted customization on the Pi8. There’s a 5-band EQ within the firm’s app for fine-tuning the sound profile, and you may change what an extended press does. Nevertheless, you may solely choose between ANC/ambient sound (left) and voice assistant (proper) or quantity controls (up on the best, down on the left). Having to forgo the flexibility to cycle between noise cancellation and transparency mode in an effort to get on-board quantity changes is a major sacrifice. Each of these actions are incessantly used, and it might be good to not attain for my cellphone to do them each.

Lively noise cancellation is one other space the Pi8 lags behind its rivals. I’d describe it extra as noise discount, because the expertise right here struggles with fixed distractions like followers and white noise machines. Like plenty of earbuds, this mannequin additionally has points with human voices, however these are much less of a priority at round 50 p.c quantity. ANC efficiency was simply okay on the Pi7 S2 as properly, so it’s nonetheless an space the corporate may enhance to additional shut the hole to the likes of Bose.

The ultimate verdict on the Pi8

Bowers & Wilkins continues to impress me with the sound high quality it produces. The corporate’s Px7 S2e headphones are my decide for finest total sound high quality and I’ll doubtless bestow the identical honor for earbuds to the Pi8. Merely put, few firms are creating sound profiles with the quantity of element, nuance and depth that Bowers & Wilkins persistently delivers. Audio efficiency is unquestionably the primary cause to think about shopping for these earbuds.

However there are different essential issues that ANC earbuds have to do. You must be capable of rely on them to dam plenty of noise, and the Pi8 isn’t nice at that. I feel superior options like speech detection, adaptive noise management and different automated instruments are essential as we head into 2025 as properly. Add the flexibility to customise controls and settings to a excessive diploma to that record too. These are lacking on the Pi8, and I can admire that some folks most likely received’t care. However in my view, $400 earbuds needs to be all-inclusive and almost flawless. The Pi8 exhibits this firm is properly on its means, but additionally that it nonetheless has work to do.