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Bowers & Wilkins Pi8
When the Bowers & Wilkins Pi7 launched a few years ago, I commended the product for its relatively novel transmitter case functionality, even though the earbuds were lacking in pure performance. Today, there are a plethora of earbuds with transmitter functionality, so the new flagship Bowers & Wilkins earbuds need to perform across the board to justify their extremely high price tag.
In our Bowers & Wilkins Pi8 review, we put these pricey buds to the test to determine if they deserve a spot atop the Mount Rushmore of wireless earbuds.
Editor’s note: this is the first version of the article. Updates will follow as the market changes.
The Bowers & Wilkins Pi8 are for those seeking luxury wireless earbuds. You have to pay a pretty penny, but you get earbuds with excellent design and features.
What’s it like to use the Bowers & Wilkins Pi8?
Just like their headphone sibling the Bowers & Wilkins PX8, the Bowers & Wilkins Pi8 have a luxurious design. You can get the earbuds in a variety of colors. Minimalists will prefer the unobtrusive Anthracite Black color option. For a more interesting look, you can go for Dove White, Jade Green, or Midnight Blue, all of which feature gold accents.
While the build quality and craftsmanship of the earbuds feels very high, it is worth noting that these are hefty earbuds at 7g each. While that is a few grams heavier than most earbuds, the extra weight hasn’t caused me any comfort issues. Bowers & Wilkins said they conducted an extensive study to determine the ideal shape of earbuds, and these certainly fit my ears well. If they don’t fit you well out of the box, you can try out the four different sizes of silicon ear tips.
The earbuds have an IP54 water and dust resistance rating. Combined with the secure fit, I found the Pi8 work well as a gym companion. On the other hand, the charging does not have water resistance, and I found it is prone to scratching. After placing the Bowers & Wilkins Pi8 in the same pocket as my keys, the outside of the charging case got all scraped up and is now covered in scratches. It’s also a fingerprint magnet. Not a good look for a product this expensive.
The earbuds have tap controls, which I found very responsive. There’s no way to disable the single tap function, which is a bit annoying as every time you adjust the fit of the earbuds in your ears it may pause your music. The earbuds also have an optional wear detection mode that will pause your music when you remove the earbuds from your ears. Below are the default controls, with the only option to adjust the tap and hold function.
| Input | Left earbud | Right earbud |
|---|---|---|
| Input Single tap | Left earbud Play/pause, answer call | Right earbud Play/pause, answer call |
| Input Double tap | Left earbud Next track | Right earbud Next track |
| Input Triple tap | Left earbud Previous track | Right earbud Previous track |
| Input Tap and hold | Left earbud Toggle ANC or decrease volume | Right earbud Activate Voice Assistant or increase volume |
| Input Double tap and hold | Left earbud End call | Right earbud End call |
Should you use the Bowers & Wilkins Music app for the Bowers & Wilkins Pi8?
You should install the Bowers & Wilkins Music app when you are first setting up the Pi8 earbuds. The app is critical for installing the latest firmware updates, plus you can tweak the controls and EQ settings to your liking.
That said, your options are rather limited. For controls, you can only change what a tap-and-hold interaction does but not any of the other controls. The equalizer has five bands of control, but it doesn’t tell you exactly what frequency each band is adjusting, which will annoy some audiophiles. There are also no EQ presets, which is a bummer for those who don’t know how to equalize their earbuds. In short, these earbuds don’t really accommodate beginners or experts in the world of audio, and just play the middle ground instead.
How do the Bowers & Wilkins Pi8 connect?
The top selling point of the Bowers & Wilkins Pi8 is its connectivity tech. Over a regular wireless connection, you get the latest Bluetooth 5.4 with support for aptX Lossless streaming, if you have a recent Android phone to support it. If not, the earbuds also support legacy codecs including SBC and AAC. The Pi8 also support Bluetooth Multipoint to connect to multiple devices at the same time, and I didn’t experience any connection stutters while using the earbuds with my iPhone and Macbook.
Where the real magic happens though is when you use the charging case to transmit audio from other source devices to the earbuds. The charging case transmits over aptX Adaptive, making this one of the first products that allows you to stream from an iPhone to wireless earbuds over aptX. You can also use the 3.5mm cable to transmit from devices that don’t support Bluetooth such as a CD player, TV, or airplane seat.
To manually pair the Bowers & Wilkins Pi8, follow these steps:
- Ensure the earbuds are charged.
- Tap and hold both earbuds at the same time for 3 seconds.
- Select the Bowers & Wilkins Pi8 from within the Bluetooth settings on your device.
You can use the included USB-C to USB-C and USB-C to 3.5mm cables to transmit audio from any source to the earbuds using the charging case. Follow these steps:
- Take the earbuds out of the case and close the lid.
- Plug the included 3.5mm or USB-C cable into the case and your audio source.
- Start playback on the connected device.
- The Pi8 case will automatically transmit audio to your earbuds.
How long does the Bowers & Wilkins Pi8 battery last?
In our battery testing, the Bowers & Wilkins Pi8 lasted 5 hours and 10 minutes on a single charge with ANC enabled. This is less than the 6.5 hours on a single charge that Bowers & Wilkins promises. The charging case supports both fast charging over USB-C and wireless charging via a Qi charging mat.
How well do the Bowers & Wilkins Pi8 cancel noise?
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The Bowers & Wilkins Pi8 have excellent noise canceling. If the earbuds fit snug in your ears, passive isolation reduces the loudness of mid-high frequency noise by a significant amount. Enabling ANC provides an additional 30dB of attenuation to low frequencies, which is helpful for blocking out the rumble of an airplane engine. If you frequently travel or use earbuds in a noisy environment, the Bowers & Wilkins Pi8 are a good option.
On the flip side, if you like to stay aware of your surroundings, you can use the Pass-Through mode, which works the same as transparency modes on other earbuds. I found the Pass-Through mode works well for holding a conversation, as it pretty accurately replicates the experience of not having the earbuds on. Notably, you can not customize the strength of the ANC or Pass-Through modes, you can only use them on their max settings.
How do the Bowers & Wilkins Pi8 sound?
Most people will enjoy the sound quality of the Bowers & Wilkins Pi8, though they might have more bass than you are expecting.
Multi-Dimensional Audio Quality Scores (MDAQS)
The chart below shows how the sound of the Bowers & Wilkins Pi8 was assessed by the Multi-Dimensional Audio Quality Score (MDAQS) algorithm from HEAD acoustics.
A simulated panel of listeners rates the sound quality of the Bowers & Wilkins Pi8 extremely high. On a scale from 1-5, the Pi8 get an overall score of 4.9. This means there is a very good chance that most listeners will enjoy the sound quality of the Bowers & Wilkins Pi8.
When using the transmitter case, the Pi8 still score very high according to MDAQS, though there is a slight drop in Immersiveness. Chances are you’ll still enjoy the sound quality through the transmitter case, even if it isn’t quite as impressive as the regular Bluetooth connection.
Timbre (MOS-T) represents how faithfully the headphones reproduce the frequency spectrum and temporal resolution (timing information).
Distortion (MOS-D) represents non-linearities and added noise: higher scores mean cleaner reproduction.
Immersiveness (MOS-I) represents perceived source width and positioning: how well virtual sound sources are defined in three-dimensional space.
See here for an explanation of MDAQS, how it works, and how it was developed.
Reviewer’s notes
Editor’s note: this review uses a hover-enabled glossary to describe sound quality based on a consensus vocabulary. You can read about it here.
Objective Measurements
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The Bowers & Wilkins Pi8 have more emphasis on bass than our headphone preference curve. This is on brand, as we’ve saw a similar frequency response from the Bowers & Wilkins Pi7 and Bowers & Wilkins PX8. Critical listeners likely won’t enjoy the overemphasis on the low-end, though they can adjust this using the custom equalizer in the app.
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Our testing shows that the Pi8 have slightly less bass emphasis when using the transmitter case. There are also slightly less highs around 5kHz. Combined, this puts more focus on the mids, where sounds such as vocals and piano are typically found.
Can you use the Bowers & Wilkins Pi8 for phone calls?
The microphones on the Bowers & Wilkins Pi8 work well for taking calls on the go. In our microphone demonstrations below, you can hear how the microphones do a great job of accurately reproducing voices.
Bowers & Wilkins Pi8 microphone demo (Ideal conditions):
How does the microphone sound to you?
Bowers & Wilkins Pi8 microphone demo (Office conditions):
Bowers & Wilkins Pi8 microphone demo (Street conditions):
Bowers & Wilkins Pi8 microphone demo (Windy conditions):
Bowers & Wilkins Pi8 microphone demo (Reverberant space):
The microphones work well in a variety of environments, though the background noise rejection isn’t exceptional. You can definitely hear some environmental noise leaking through, but at least you can still make out what each of the voices are saying.
Should you buy the Bowers & Wilkins Pi8?
The Bowers & Wilkins Pi8 score well across the board, but I still find it hard to justify the $399 USD price tag. True wireless earbuds aren’t built to last, and I can think of a lot better ways to spend that kind of cash. If you want a luxury product, you’ll appreciate the design of the Bowers & Wilkins Pi8, but if you are simply seeking the top-performing earbuds on the market, you’re better off considering one of the alternative options we’ve outlined below.
What should you get instead of the Bowers & Wilkins Pi8?
There are a lot of great alternatives to consider, all of which will cost you less money than the Bowers & Wilkins Pi8. Our go-to recommendation is the Sony WF-1000XM5 ($298 at Amazon) which offer exceptional noise canceling, sound quality, and features. Another great option is the Sennheiser MOMENTUM True Wireless 4 ($269.95 at Amazon) which have a fashionable design paired with excellent noise canceling.
If the transmitter case functionality is important to you, you should consider the Jabra Elite 10 Gen 2 ($279.99 at Amazon). On the other hand, if you have an iPhone, your best option remains the Apple AirPods Pro 2 ($189.99 at Amazon).
Frequently asked questions
Yes, I found the Bowers & Wilkins Pi8 work great with both iOS and Android devices.
Since the Bowers & Wilkins Pi8 do not have any ear fins or hooks to latch onto your ear, they are not ideal for running. You may find the Bowers & Wilkins Pi8 slide out of your ears on the treadmill.