When I got to test the Px7 S2, I had no doubts that this is a new favorite in the all-important price range around NOK 4,000. Here you have to contend with giants like Sony and Bose, and where B&W may not quite match the level of noise cancellation, it has much better sound quality. The noise cancellation is however so good that the sound quality of the music becomes more important.
The buttery midrange combined with the powerful and rich bass and generally high fidelity really seduced.
Px8 is the new flagship model of Bowers & Wilkins among wireless headphones. Photo: B&W
Px8 with improved materials
It was always communicated that there would be a model at the top. Px8, with even more exclusive materials and better speaker elements (drivers).
Inside the earcups we find specially designed and angled drivers with carbon fiber membranes, which are supposed to provide less distortion and even higher sound quality.
There’s even more attention to detail, for example the B&W logo on the cups is diamond cut, and both the memory foam ear cushions and headband are covered in supple leather.
Noise cancellation
The noise cancellation itself is similar to that found in its little brother the Px7 S2, which has been improved from the 2019 edition of the PX7. Among other things with a brand new digital processor developed by B&W itself.
There are a total of six microphones, with two being used for speech and four for noise cancellation.
A microphone is located inside each cup, which headphones listen to. One outside each cup listens to the outside world, and the sum of these is interpreted by the DSP, which produces the signal in antiphase to the noise – and cancels it out as best it can.
Great sound from B&W
The Px7 S2 is simply a great sounding pair of headphones, which also have noise cancellation.
The voice microphones and external noise-cancelling microphones have been positioned at a different angle since 2019, to better pick up voice and cancel ambient noise during calls.
Noise cancellation can also be reversed, to let noise in instead. The so-called ambient sound, or transparency. A separate noise management button is located on the left ear cup and each function can only be turned on or off: there are no transitions between zero and maximum power.
Nice comfort
The Px8 has the same shape as the Px7 S2 and the same comfortable lining in the cushions and headband. I really like the fit, and especially if you have a small head, these watches will fit you better than many competitors. Even my son, who is just five years old, can wear them, with almost no problems with the fit.
Passive noise reduction is good and better than the flagship models from Sony and Bose. But since testing the Px7 S2, I’ve also gotten to know the likes of Focal bathys And Mark Levinson #5909and I must say that they hit the mark even better than black and white in terms of passive noise reduction.
But black and white is probably a little more comfortable for eyeglass wearers.
There is also a special limited edition “James Bond” version, namely the 007 Edition. Photo: B&W
The best pilots
Bowers & Wilkins have put a lot of work into their drivers and the Px8 has been at its best so far. The size is the same as the Px7 S2, i.e. 40mm. But where the membranes are in biocellulose (think of the artificial leather and the masks) and resin in the Px7 S2, the choice fell on carbon fiber in the Px8. It’s the same material used for the treble in the sumptuous 700 Series loudspeaker, making the diaphragm both stiff and lightweight. The result should be an almost perfect shape of the piston, as the diaphragm is pushed back and forth by the magnetic system.
Get the best possible sound over Bluetooth with the aptX Adaptive codec. Only Android users benefit while Apple users have to settle for AAC. Which is even better than the standard codec for Bluetooth (SBC).
In addition to Bluetooth, the headphones can be connected with an analog 3.5mm to USB-C cable and also digitally from a PC or Mac with USB. The maximum resolution is therefore 24 bit / 48 kHz.
App management
With the Bowers & Wilkins Music app, you can call up voice assistant and also set pitch control. This is just bass and treble, not a multiband equalizer. Better than nothing, but I personally prefer more EQ options.
New since I tested the Px7 S2 is that you can now play music from streaming services via the Music app. This works quite well, but when, for example, I play from my list of favorite songs in Tidal, playback stops after each song and I have to manually start the next one.
The sound of Bowers & Wilkins Px8
If you like the sound of the Px7 S2, then you’ll love the Px8! The sound signature is very similar, meaning a rich, creamy midrange, with a warm, massaging bass that evokes the gold of music. Whether you listen to the bass beats of Tiësto or your music reaches its peak from classical music, the bass foundation in the Px8 is absolutely raw!
Singing voices are full without being overblown, and the level of detail in the tonal range is even slightly better than the already excellent Px7 S2. The sound signature itself is very similar, but you feel there’s even better sound quality on the Px8. But is the difference big enough?
With the digital cable connected directly to the PC, the sound is even better and the difference between Px7 S2 and Px8 increases slightly. You can better appreciate the best elements of the speakers, when the sound image grows a little and details emerge more easily.
You don’t have to go back more than a couple of years, before there were almost no wireless noise-cancelling headphones in this price range. I’ve long since lost adequate hi-fi alternatives, so you can argue how much you want Bluetooth to still be compressed sound and it still doesn’t turn out to be real hi-fi. But it’s about making the best of it, and so it wouldn’t be wrong to make the best quality headphones possible anyway.
Competitors
Fortunately, some alternatives have hit the market recently. First B&O Beoplay H95then Apple AirPod Max. Which in turn inspired many others. The Px8 is therefore not without competition in this price range.
Px8 has better dynamics than H95 and sounds more inviting than AirPods Max to my ears.
I mentioned the Focal Bathys earlier, which actually cost even a little more than the Px8. These have quite different sound reproduction. Where B&W has its rich, creamy sound, Bathys is playfully light, with lightning-fast transient reproduction. These are even more airy in the midrange and with the possibility of even more natural treble reproduction (if you make a small adjustment in the EQ). Many will likely fall in love with the Px8’s warmer sound, but the “clear starry sky” that Bathys paints is truly something in itself. But then Bathys also cost a penny more than Px8.
Speech quality
The voice quality in mobile calls and video conferencing is the same on the Px8 as on the Px7 S2. Works well. My voice rings clearly through the receiver, although the noise reduction creates a few artifacts here and there. The sound of the user’s voice is a bit lower than other headphones and both Sony WH-1000XM5 And BoseNCH700 sounds better on calls. In other words, it’s the music playback that pays off here.
Conclusion
The Bowers & Wilkins Px8 are a very well made pair of headphones. They play very well and the buttery warm midrange and juicy lows are particularly seductive. The music takes on a glow like few others.
Noise canceling is good, although there are ones that do the job better. In terms of comfort, however, not many people turn them on and the fact that they work even for people with smaller heads is by no means an understatement. Eyeglass wearers will also be able to use them without problems for longer periods at a time.
The Px8 has several competitors in its price range, but the fiercest is perhaps its little brother Px7 S2. Which, at a 40% lower price, does everything but sound quality just as well. And who is not far behind there either.
