Bowers & Wilkins latest true-wireless in-ears, the Pi8,represent a big investment. Mind you, it wouldn’t be the first time a pair of its headphones has turned out to be worth every penny. The Pi8 have an extensive feature set, with Bluetooth 5.4 for wireless connectivity. As well as the usual SBC and AAC codecs,
there’s compatibility with Qualcomm’s aptX, aptX Adaptive and aptX Lossless codecs too – which means that lossy 24bit/96kHz content and lossless 16bit/44.1kHz content can be received. So the Pi8
are ready to serve you lossless CD-standard audio quality wirelessly, just as soon as you acquire the device that can send it. Multipoint connectivity means the Pi8 can connect to two devices at once. And the charging case can also retransmit – so you can attach a source to the case’s USB-C slot using either of the USB-C or 3.5mm-to-USB-C cables provided and the case will send the content to the earbuds. You can, say, use your Pi8 to listen, wirelessly, to an in-flight entertainment system using the aptX Adaptive codec at a lossy 24bit/96kHz standard. The charging case, which is slim and compact, supports wireless
charging as well via its USB-C slot. Battery life is a reasonable 6.5 hours from the earbuds (with ANC switched on) with an additional 13.5 hours in the case, for a total of 20 hours. It’s good, but it’s not
amazing.
The earbuds themselves are ergonomic, and easy to wear for extended periods – four pairs of differently sized silicone eartips helps. There’s a capacitive touch surface on the top of each earbud, and from here it’s easy to control the broad playback and telephony functions. Voice-assistant interaction is swift and reliable. No matter which of the four available finishes you choose – Anthracite (black), Dove (white), Jade (green), or Midnight (blue) are your options – the combination of smooth design, premium
materials and impeccable build quality make for a satisfying ownership experience. At every turn, the Pi8 are a deft, informative and thoroughly entertaining listen. The DAC, amplification and DSD are all derived
from renowned specialist ADI. Sound itself is delivered via a couple of 12mm versions of the full-range Carbon Cone dynamic drivers originally developed for the high-end Px8 wireless over-ear headphones.
They’re able to organise even the most complicated recordings confidently, and lay them out on a big, coherent soundstage with plenty of breathing space for every individual element. Even if you’re
not delivering the best quality audio files, the Pi8 will always make the best of it. And their best is very good indeed.
At the opposite end they dig deep and hit hard, but have the control and insight to keep rhythmic expression convincing and offer plenty of variation to bass sounds. Noise cancellation is a hybrid system with a pass-through option, and there are three mics per earcup taking care of ANC, cVc
telephony and voice-assistant interaction. And the earbuds are IP54-rated, which means they should be perfectly fine in any realistic environment. Other earbuds feature more mics, but there’s no better call quality than the Pi8. By contrast, ‘a pretty good job’ just about covers the active noise-cancellation (ANC). Like every other pair of true wireless in-ears, the Pi8 cannot match the blanket of silence delivered by the Bose QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds, but they’re a strong second-tier performer. Great sound, thorough specification, and unexpectedly swish design make the Bowers & Wilkins Pi8 the most competitive true
wireless in-ear headphones from the brand so far.
Pricing and Availability
- ₹34,900
- bowerswilkins.com