Bowers & Wilkins Px8 over-ear headphones are a drive to be reckoned with on the planet of head-fi audio. These high-end headphones boast premium craftsmanship, with a luxurious padded Nappa leather-based headband and ear cups and ship an appropriately wealthy sonic efficiency.
A lot of their readability might be attributed to bespoke 40mm Carbon Cone drive items, which take inspiration from Bowers & Wilkins’ reference-quality loudspeakers. These supply managed, correct bass, very good vocal tonality and a veritable treasure chest of toppy treble element. Proprietary Digital Sign Processing ensures 24-bit high-resolution sound from supporting streaming providers.
The Px8 make use of Qualcomm’s aptXTM Adaptive wi-fi expertise, for hi-res streaming with low latency. In addition they have efficient energetic noise cancelling, effectively silencing intrusive ambient hubbub on the each day commute whereas battery life is spectacular, topping out 30 hours.
Learn on for a extra in-depth have a look at what you possibly can anticipate from the Bowers & Wilkins Px8.
Bowers & Wilkins Px8: Design
With their closely padded Nappa leather-based headband and ear pads and chrome trim, the Bowers & Wilkins Px8 look unapologetically premium. The match is comfortable however snug, and people earpads are smooth and alluring.
Out there in black or tan / gray color variations, the Px8 are a tad chunky however really weigh an affordable 320g. Whereas the aluminium hinge permits the pads to be laid flat, they don’t fold down, which implies they’re a little bit of a handful to handle in transit.
They ship with a discus-style carry case, a 1.2m USB-C to three.5mm stereo jack, and USB-C cable.
Bowers & Wilkins Px8: Options
Relatively than resort to the touch controls, bodily buttons are supplied on the suitable ear cup. There are Bluetooth, quantity, and transport controls, with a Customisable button on the left ear cup.
Noise cancellation is the important thing characteristic attraction and it comes with ambient move via. There’s additionally a easy put on detection sensor, whereas Bluetooth compatibility is sweet with assist for aptX, aptX Adaptive, hi-resolution aptXHD, SBC, and AAC (however not LDAC).
You’re unlikely to expire of juice when out and about with the Bowers & Wilkins Px8 as battery life is a beneficiant at 30 hours with noise cancelling engaged. In the event you’re in a rush and in want of a fast high up, then a 15-minute cost gives you a whopping seven hours of play time.
Setup for the headphones is by way of the Bowers & Wilkins Music app the place you possibly can regulate EQ or configure your most popular degree of noise-cancelling. You can even use this to hook up with music streaming providers instantly, and that features Deezer, Qobuz and TIDAL.
Bowers & Wilkins Px8: Sound
The staccato slam of Rage In opposition to the Machine’s Killing within the Identify’ is velvet edged and spacious. The monitor isn’t content material to only sit between your ears, it slam dances round your head. One factor I realised in a short time is that these headphones prefer to be performed loud, sounding ever extra dynamic as you crank the quantity. I used to be comfortable to oblige.
The staccato slam of Rage In opposition to the Machine’s’ Killing In The Identify is velvet-edged and spacious. The monitor isn’t content material to only sit between your ears, it slam dances round your head. One factor I realised in a short time is that these headphones prefer to be performed loud, sounding ever extra dynamic as you crank the quantity. I used to be comfortable to oblige.
The center and soul of the Px8 is supplied by their bespoke 40mm Carbon Cone drive items, impressed by the model’s reference-quality loudspeakers. They’re a giant improve on the paper cones utilized by the same wanting Px7. Bowers & Wilkins’ engineers have angled these carbon drive items to make sure a constant distance to your ear from each level throughout the floor of every driver. The advantages might be heard within the scale of the soundstage they create.
This uniformity of supply works effectively with the drop C riffing of Disturbed’s Down With The Illness. The monitor applies inexorable stress, but that opening animalistic, ‘ooh-wah-ah-ah-ah’ chatter sits cleanly aside. Very spectacular.
I like the easy musicality of the Px8s too. They’re as comfortable grinding out Pantera’s 2012 remaster of Strollas they’re taking part in the wistful magnificence of Steely Dan’s Residence At Final. The guitar on the latter, partnered with Gary Katz’ sublimely produced saxophone, sounds beautiful.
Can the Bowers & Wilkins Px8 maintain issues collectively when issues get sophisticated? In fact! Creeper’s Cry to Heaven is layered like filo pastry, and these headphones don’t miss a crumb.
Bass efficiency is taken into account in one of the best sense. The Px8 can definitely drop deep, however they by no means sound sluggish. Scorching Milk’s Over Your Useless Physique lands low blows like a featherweight with scant regard for the Queensbury guidelines. It’s a knockout.
Noise cancelling is up there with the easiest, successfully closing the door on intrusive ambient sounds. The headphones use six microphones, two of which react to ambient noise whereas two extra measure the output of every drive unit. The ultimate pair are assigned voice readability duties.
As an apart: if you happen to run the headphones with out noise cancelling, you’ll discover a refined uplift in treble. Strive it, you could prefer it.
For people who need to tweak, the Bowers & Wilkins app gives Environmental Management and Cross via noise cancelling settings. You can even shortly set high quality thresholds for Information and Wi-Fi streaming, or manually alter treble and bass ranges.
Bowers & Wilkins Px8: The alternate options
The Bowers & Wilkins Px8 might function on the rarefied finish of the market, however there’s no scarcity of spectacular competitors. The Shure Aonic 50 are a trendy various, with leather-padded headband and equally chunky earcups. They’re heavier at 334g and just like the Px8, don’t fold flat. Nevertheless, their sonic efficiency and noise cancelling is comparable – they usually’re additionally significantly cheaper.
Additionally incomes a tough advice from me are the JBL Tour Mk2. Extra snug than both the Px8 or the Aonic 50, they’re effectively balanced and thrilling to hearken to – and once more they undercut the Px8 by some margin.