The biggest improvement to the Pi8 is the sound quality. Larger 12mm carbon cones drive the sound, a change from the Pi7 S2’s 9.2mm dynamic drivers. Bowers & Wilkins has also opted for 32-bit digital signal processing (DSP), compared to 24-bit on the previous model. These headphones also support aptX Lossless, while the previous version used aptX Adaptive. The company claims that all these changes. Especially the new drivers. Reduce distortion. Provide better high-frequency detail.
I have found these statements to be true.. The Pi8 has improved detail compared to the Pi7 S2, which is quite an achievement given that these headphones already offered excellent clarity. Instruments like guitars stand out on albums like I Without You’s Emo/Post-Hardcore Catch foxes for us. On this album, the two guitars speak or interact on most songs and are clearly heard in their role. The guitars seem to float above the kick drum and the bass lines are powerful and beautiful. Aaron Weiss’ most talked about vocals permeate the mix with all the emotion. Metaphors he loads it with.
Base performance is also improved on the Pi8.. It’s never intrusive, but you get rock and metal kick drum sounds that propel the songs forward rather than drowning out everything else. No Cure’s thrash metal album I hope to die here is a good example of this. The drums drive the big guitar riffs through heavy bangs and funkier verses, but everything remains nuanced and distinct. Even if all the voices are shouting. You can easily make out each word without it getting lost in the mix.
Bowers & Wilkins extended the Pi8’s battery life to 6.5 hours with ANC enabled.. That’s 90 minutes longer than the Pi7 S2. That figure is also inches closer to Sony’s WF-1000XM5, which offers eight hours of listening with noise reduction. Bowers & Wilkins has once again integrated wireless streaming into the charging case. So you can use the Pi8 even when a Bluetooth streaming source isn’t an option. Such as for in-flight entertainment.. This tool is not new to the company’s products as others, such as JBL, have also integrated it. However. Wireless transmission is not yet widespread enough to be readily available elsewhere.
What is wrong with the Pi8?
The biggest downside to the Pi8 is its price: $399.. Sony’s WF-1000XM5 cost $300 at launch, though they normally cost around $200, and have since topped our list of best headphones. The Bowers & Wilkins teams have always had a higher profile than Sony and the others, and that’s exactly what’s happening here. While the Pi8 offers more nuanced. Detailed sound than the M5. Sony. Others offer advanced features to make your life easier.
For example. Sony’s flagship model can automatically pause the sound when it detects that you are talking.. Additionally, audio settings can be automatically adjusted based on your location to optimize your day. These tools can be very helpful in increasing the reach of the Pi8. The basics are well covered in the latest set from Bowers & Wilkins. But in terms of features. There are no extras here. Making the cost a major drawback.
This also applies to the limited adjustments of the Pi8.. There is a 5-band equalizer in the company’s app to adjust the sound profile and you can change the action with a long press. However, you can only choose between ANC/surround sound (left) and voice assistant (right) or volume control (top right, bottom left). Giving up the ability to switch between noise reduction and transparency modes to get built-in volume adjustments is a big sacrifice. Both actions are common. It would be nice if you didn’t have to pick up the phone to perform either.
Active noise reduction is another area where the Pi8 falls short of its competitors.. I’d call it enhanced noise reduction because the technology here handles constant distractions like fans and white noise machines. Like many headphones, this model also has problems with human voices, although these are less annoying around 50% of the volume. The Pi7 S2’s ANC performance was also quite good.
So this is still an area where the company can make improvements to further close the gap with the Bose.
The final verdict on the Pi8
Bowers & Wilkins continues to amaze me with the quality of sound they produce.. The company’s Px7 S2e headphones are my pick for the best overall sound quality, and I’ll probably give the Pi8 the same credit as a pair of headphones. Simply put, few companies create sound profiles with the level of detail, nuance and depth that Bowers & Wilkins consistently delivers. The sound performance is definitely the main reason to consider buying these headphones.
But ANC headphones have other very important things to do.. You have to trust them to block out a lot of noise, and the Pi8 isn’t very good at this. I think advanced features like voice recognition, adaptive noise reduction and other automated tools will remain important well into 2025.
Also add to this list the ability to highly customize the controls and settings. These are missing on the Pi8 and I can understand why some people probably don’t care. But in my opinion, $400 headphones should include everything Almost spotless. The Pi8 shows that this company is on the right track. But also that it still has a long way to go.
