Here are the new Bowers and Wilkins flagship noise-cancelling earbuds. They're called the Pi8. P I stands for personal in-ear. 

I will pre-empt all your questions about the Bowers & Wilkins Pi8 in this video. I hope you find this more valuable than just a usual review if you're considering picking them up or upgrading your current buds.

And before we begin. I just want you to know I have tested the sound quality,  ANC and ambient mode versus my current top 6 earbuds and if you stick around. I'll tell you how they stacked up. Also, it's worth noting that the Pi8 does have a trick-up their sleeve that only a few earbuds can compete with. 

How much?

So the first most obvious question is how much they cost. They go on sale August 28th 2024, at £349 in the UK, 399 dollars, 399 Euros. Yes, It is a premium price tag & you'll see why this is the launch day price if you stick around. There will be a link in the description, so keep an eye on that because you never know when they'll go on sale.

What colours?

So, of course, stating the obvious, they are available in black. Just touching on the design, even though they're not quite as flashy as the Pi7 were. They have a very classy, premium look. 

And I particularly like the two-tone colours & the glass-like surface over the subtle branding here. If you are familiar with Pi7 from 2021 when you look closely, you'll notice that Bowers & Wilkins has made some subtle but significant upgrades to the mic placements and overall ergonomics of the buds. We'll come back to that.

Anyway, as I was saying. There are 4 colours: anthracite black, dove white, and Jade green & the best-selling colour for Bowers & Wilkins headphones the midnight blue.

How many size tips?

Now, this is an important one. Especially if you have very small or particularly large ears. You should know what size ear tips you get with them. In the box as standard, you get the medium size already attached. And large and small & an Extra small. The silicon tips also have an integrated mesh to protect the speaker grills.

The shape is circular, so you can find tips from third parties earlier that would fit. With the diameter below the lip being just over 4mm.

How comfortable?

So, while we are on the topic. One of the most important questions regarding wearables is how comfortable they are. Do they fit securely?

Well, everyone's ears are different. B&W has done their research to make sure that anyone will be able to wear them comfortably. During the in-person briefing with B&W, I was told that this was an area they focused on. And my personal opinion, having used them a lot over the past few weeks, is that They've done an excellent job. I've never worried about them falling out whilst on the move and even riding over the cobblestones in Paris on an electric bike.

And it's really thanks to two factors. The silicone ear tips sit pretty deep into the ear canal, which locks them in nicely, but also, there's a rubberised lip that creates a nice grip that reduces any slipping in your ears. 

So it's top marks in that area for me personally. This makes them a suitable option for the gym.

Are they waterproof?

A follow-up question is whether they are waterproof. The answer is yes, within reason. Swimming is out of the question.

But if you get caught in the rain. The buds have an official dust and water resistance rating of IP54. Put simply, rain & sweat is no problem. Also, they can withstand some sand and dust.

Battery Life

Ok, now let's talk about power. You get 6.5hrs playback in the buds with ANC on, obviously more when ANC is off, and. a total of 22 hrs with ANC on when including the case

Charging Time

Naturally, the next question is about charging times. When the buds run out, 15 minutes in the case can give you 2 hours of playback. It takes just under an hour to fully recharge the buds. The case itself recharges to 100% in 2hrs.

Do they support wireless charging?

Yes, Qi wireless charging is supported. This means if your phone supports reverse wireless charging, that is an option. And, of course, your regular wireless chargers.

Is the case pocketable?

The case is a good size & weighs just 48 grams. It may be slightly larger than some but still perfectly pocketable, and yes, it does pass the cowboy pocket watch test. It’s also worth noting the LED indicator light, which gives you an idea of the battery status & also Google Fast Pair is supported 

Codecs & BT version

Alright, now the important stuff that a lot of people might overlook. The BT version and codecs. This is important if you care about audio quality. The BT version is the latest 5.4. so this means stability will be as good as it gets & multipoint pairing is possible. They also have the official made-for-iPhone certification, which means they will work with the best Apple codecs.

But the game changer here is they support Qualcomm AptX adaptive & AptX lossless. So you can get a 24bit 96kHz signal to them when paired with a compatible device. But listen here real quick. Even if you don't have an AptX device, there's good news!. Here's that trick that the PI8 has up its sleeve. 

Even if you don’t have any devices that support AptX, the case itself does, and it can be used to broadcast an AptX adaptive signal to the buds via the case from any device it's plugged into. And Bowers & Wilkins do provide the USB C to 3.5m Aux cable in the box.

You can use it with an airplane infotainment system, old iPods, or anything with an auxiliary port. This is a killer feature, in my opinion.

What drivers do they use?

Having good signal capabilities is one thing, but it's pointless without a capable sound delivery system. Of course, I'm referring to the drivers & hardware built into the buds. And since these are the flagships from Bowers & Wilkins, of course, they have equipped them with their best drivers and have also thrown in an upgraded DSP & DAC.

And the drivers are larger than most of the competition. They are B & W's own 12mm Carbon cone drivers, like a miniaturised version of the ones used in the over-ear PX8 headphones.

How do they sound?

So, the biggest question of all is how good they actually sound. It's important to know that you can EQ these, leave them neutral or turn on the B&W trademarked True-Sound. Which is what I used to base these personal opinions on. The clarity is phenomenal, especially when listening to Hi-Res audio. The soundstage feels open, and airy. 

You get great details and excellent definitions between instruments and vocals. The high frequencies sound very crisp, and music has good power even when the track isn't bass-heavy.  The Pi8 has a clean & detailed sound, which is the best way to summarise it.

And, of course, I'm not forgetting about the bass heads. Even before playing with the EQ, those large diaphragm drivers deliver impressive bass. And yeah, you definitely will be satisfied with the bass. These are bangers, for sure. I dialled in a little EQ if you get these and want to test my hip-hop/dance EQ.

What can you do in the App?

So the next question is how good the App is. So, there's a lot to like about B&W’s App's simplicity. You get your basic battery levels and quick ANC mode toggles. Then, you've got an excellent 5-band advanced EQ, which you can adjust in 0.5 increments. 

You can't save multiple presets, but you can switch back and forth between your one personal preset and the B&W true sound, which is nice. You can also use the paired device menu to quickly swap between previously paired devices. Which is handy.

What type of controls do they have?

And when it comes to onboard controls. Each side has capacitive touch sensors. Single tap play pause, double skip forward, triple tap skip back, long push on the left for ANC modes, long push on the right for your digital assistant, and double tap and hold to hang up calls.

You do get the option to change this to volume controls instead of an AC and voice assistant. The controls are not as customisable as some of the competition, but I like how they have kept it simple here.

Now, before we move on to the next question. I'd like to give an honourable mention to the very slick streaming app integration options here. This is great because instead of switching back and forth between the B&W app and your various streaming services, you can have it all in one place. Making your browsing and listening experience Super easy, barely an inconvenience.

How good is the noise cancelling?

So, regarding noise cancelling, I have been very impressed with them. I've taken them on several trips, and they have performed well. But to find out how good they are. I put them to the test against my current top 6 ANC earbuds.

Airpods Pro, Galaxy Buds 3 Pro, Sony XM5, Technics AZ80m2, JBL Live 3, and Nothing Ear 2. And from my tests here, I'm just playing some airplane noise from my desk speakers. They performed well, the strength of the ANC is good and you never end up with that cabin pressure feeling that you can experience with some of the others here. In terms of strength of the ANC they actually placed in the middle of the pack. Joint 3rd place in my honest opinion.

They do an excellent job of blocking the lower rumbling frequencies, with some of the higher-pitched white noise still coming through a little bit. And remember how I mentioned the mic positioning upgrades? There are 3 mics on each bud, and they are now more strategically placed, so they are much less likely to be obstructed. 

So, it's not the strongest or weakest in ANC amongst my best of the best. And to be clear, this still makes them top-tier.

How good is Ambient mode?

And the next thing that you might ask is how good the pass-through, ambient, transparency mode. Well, I did a similar test against the top 6. Many people consider the Apple AirPods to be the gold standard when it comes to this, and they are very close to the Airpods in Ambient mode & definitely closely competing with the top 3 in passthrough mode, in my opinion.

Something really nice about the Pi8 is that, by default, the pass-through mode prioritises sounds in front of you and not behind. So this may be an advantage, and I say this because this makes them excellent if you're trying to converse with someone using ambient mode. It's very good.

How good are they overall?

So, while they don't have all the bells and whistles built into the case design versus the JBL and AirPods Pro, for example, & the complexity of the App isn’t quite as advanced as some of the others.

I like that B&W has kept things simple and clean with the design and the software. This approach has a lot to like, especially its ease of use. And the 3.5mm broadcast feature with the case could be a game changer if you’re constantly making lots of flights across the planet. The B&W Pi8's strength and real superpower is in its sound quality. When I tested them alongside my top 6, it’s fair to say they stood out from the crowd.

And if sound quality is the factor that carries the most weight for you. Then, you will be satisfied with the Pi8s.