- Px8 Over-Ear Headphones Wireless Bluetooth Noise Cancelling, Luxurious Materials, 30-Hour Battery Life, 15-Min Quick Charging, Black

It’s nearly 1:00 a.m. and I’m hurriedly skipping from song to song to see how great these cans sound. And here’s the thing: I’m using a flat signal. No equalization. No treble. No bass. Just the music as the artist and producer intended. It’s bliss. I’ll warn perspective buyers that it wasn’t always this way. These headphones definitely required a break in period of about seventy five hours, during which time I had the treble and bass at + 6 db and I played pink noise through them. When listening to music I had the bass at -2.5 db and the treble at +3.5 db because they were so base-heavy and muddy-sounding. Then it happened. I put them on and they sounded over-equalized, so I tried a flat signal and BAM! I guess I should tell you that my journey to find perfect sound was a long one, during which I bought the Bose QuietComfort and QuietComfort Ultra, the Sony XM5 and the new XM6, the Sonos Ace, the AirPods Max, etc. you get the picture. The PX8 simply sound better. Even after extensive break in, they’re still on the warmer side, which you’ll probably appreciate if you’re bothered by sibilance. Warm or not, these are still the most accurate-sounding headphones I own. But are they comfortable? YES! I find them more comfortable than my Bose. It’s the Napa leather and their gentle grip. You don’t put them on, you sort of slip into them and become one with them. I honestly forget I’m wearing headphones. I’ve worn them for hours without feeling warm or fatigued. You may occasionally hear a hissing coming from one of the drivers. There is nothing wrong with your headphones. If/when this happens, it’s because you don’t have a proper seal. Simply adjust that ear cup until this hissing stops. The leather is VERY soft and supple, so I could see the potential for issues, especially if you don’t handle them properly. There are many reviews with pictures showing the headband coming apart. For that reason, I don’t even store these on a stand, they are the only pair that I own that immediately go back into their case when not being used. Also, in order to exert less pressure on the headband, I adjust the ear cups PRIOR to putting on the headphones, as opposed to putting them on and pulling down on the ear cups. I then take them off and then retract the ear cups. Also, I never handle them by the headband. So far (knock on wood), I’ve not had a problem with the headband coming apart. They are a beautiful work of art, the aluminum accents, the Napa leather, they are gorgeous. It’s the only pair of headphones that when I took them out of the box, I felt that I purchased something substantial. Handle them accordingly and you shouldn’t have a problem. ANC: if these headphones come up short, then this is where. The ANC is acceptable. It’s actually good. It’s just not great. You will not get the same level of sound cancellation as the aforementioned headphones. I’d say they’re on par with the Bose QuietComfort 45, which is certainly respectable, but it’s not on par with the cutting edge tech in ANC. it’s definitely not a deal breaker for me. The pass-through mode is again acceptable, but nothing to write home about. Battery Life: While breaking in the headphones, I left noise cancelling on and ran them at about 80% volume, and I was definitely getting thirty hours out of a full charge. So far I’m very pleased with the battery. It also seems to charge quicker than some of my other headphones, which was a pleasant surprise. I hope I’ve helped you make a decision. If I have, then please click the “helpful” button so that I know I’m on the right track with the info I’m providing. Thank you. I’m going to get back to my music. Happy listening! Update: in the interest of full disclosure, after extensive listening to many genres of music, I’ve settled on -1.0 db bass and +1.0 decibel treble. They were just a smidge too warm with a completely flat signal (also, my iOS phone is set to “rock.”) This could all be because of presbycusis due to my age (53). All things considered, they are the best-sounding and still require the least equalization of anything I’ve owned. Update 07/07/25: I’ve since purchased the Bang and Olufsen Beoplay H95s. I got them on sale for an incredible $649 (my Px8 were only $408), and my opinion (with new information) has changed. While I still think the Px8 sound great and provide a very enjoyable listening experience, they do lack the detail and resolution of the H95. I’m dating myself here, but it’s very similar to comparing the old Bose 901 speakers to a pair of Vandersteen model 2CE. While the 901’s provided a great listening experience, they lacked the detail and resolution of a pair of Vandersteen speakers. Like a pair of Vandersteen, the H95 are far more neutral and balanced than the Px8. For more info the H95, see my review on the Amazon product page. I still love my Px8s, but I do think a true audiophile would prefer the H95.

I tested the Px7 S2e ’s and the Px8 ’s side by side. The pricing was excellent on both—$240 for the 7’s and $450 for the 8’s, from the third-party seller GRAMOPHONE, whom I assume are the Amazon presence of Sky by Gramophone. So my review will be colored by the excellent pricing I received. [Update & TL;DR: after writing this review I went in to the kitchen to see about dinner, and a song came on and I did one more side by side test. This song really changed my mind about potentially keeping both the 7’s and 8’s, and gave me resolve to be content only with the 8’s: These Are The Days - Lauren Daigle. I compared the final minute of that song on both, and I have to say with the 8’s that song sounded alive, but on the 7’s the song sounded the way a flat carbonated beverage tastes. It was when the word “alive” popped in to my head that I was struck. It’s almost like those moments in the movies where someone will drop a needle on a record or hit play on a tape deck, and then the music starts playing in the diegetic world—on set, through microphones—and then as the scene closes the music transitions out of the movie world into the full-fidelity sound of the theater. So if you can, strive for the 8’s if you’re a music lover and not just after active noise canceling headphones for general purposes. Remember, this sounds like a slam on the 7’s but it’s not—it’s exaggerating a mild difference between two fine products for comparison’s sake.] After all is said and done, what I found was that when I was testing back and forth between the two, when I had on the 8’s, I tended to get lost in the music and just kept listening and looking for the next song, rather than remembering that I was supposed to be switching back and forth to test. So the 8’s were more immersive and engaging. And I found it happened again while typing this review; the 8’s just lower the barrier between you and the recording. And this could happen at a slightly lower volume on the 8’s than on the 7’s. And it could go without saying, but I’ll say it… these both blow the Sony XM4’s out of the water. Airpods Max sound great in their own way, but these are both more refined. (Sony and Apple comparisons are from memory, I no longer own those.) I noticed a couple of phenomena specifically with the 8’s—one that I have not noticed with any other headphones or speakers is that as I settled in with them, I tended to want to turn the volume DOWN. I do not recall any other pair of headphones or speakers where that has been the case—I feel like with everything else, if I’m really into the music, I want to turn it up for more… whatever, engagement, detail, but after settling in with the 8’s for a few songs, I find that I’m fully immersed and settled in, and the volume wants reducing with no loss of experience. Really unusual—but I think that’s a good thing for delicate ears. The second is that really lousy 60’s stereo ends up being much more pleasant than with other headphones and speakers… what I mean is those mixes where one instrument comes completely out of one speaker and another instrument might come entirely out of another. That overwhelming unbalance often sounds terrible to me on a lot of equipment—but with the 8’s it’s not so unpleasant. I double checked it against the 7’s and the 8’s really do make it less unpleasant. (Example songs: No Sugar Tonight / New Mother Nature by The Guess Who and Only You Know And I Know by Dave Mason. When the first instrument comes in 100% on one side, there’s just more pressure against your one ear with most headphones, but for some reason with the 8’s, that imbalance is less profound and exerts less pressure.) Between the 7’s and the 8’s, I feel like the 7’s were more veiled and more muddy. The 8’s had greater clarity and resolution. I’m fully aware that those are all the words that audiophiles say you aren’t supposed to use. But for normal people, those are really representative of the feeling. There is a big difference when you are switching back and forth. Other metaphors might be like 720p vs. 1080p for the 7’s vs. the 8’s. One example would be Rock Steady by Aretha Franklin—the percussion with the cowbell and güira and the plucks of the bass strings are all more crisp and well defined on the 8’s than on the 7’s. Both have punchy bass—as punchy as you want them to be. The 7’s have punchier bass overall. But I settled in with a -2.0 to -2.5 db cut to the bass in the app on both, and on the 8’s, which are less punchy anyways, the kick drum on Midnight Rider by The Allman Brothers Band and Sweet Love by Anita Baker was still too punchy for my taste, whereas the punchiness of Talkin’ Tennessee by Morgan Wallen was spot-on for me (I didn’t switch over the 7’s for those tracks)—and cutting the bass to -3.0 db from -2.0 was not a solution as it brought down the overall experience of the rest of the bass a bit too much. A note about the clarity and resolution of the 8’s though—I don’t want to imply that it’s an overly trebly quality nor what audiophiles might call overly analytical—they are not—they still have a great deal of intimacy. Both allow you to get intimate with the music, but the 8’s moreso—an example track would be the conclusion of Gratitude by Brandon Lake; I’d characterize the intimacy as deeper with the 8’s but still present with the 7’s—it’s a matter of intensity. Like the 7’s make you say “great” but the 8’s make you say “wow.” The 8’s literally made me stop what I was doing to pay attention and not miss the moment at the conclusion of that song. (Kinda like that way that old Gap A’ Go-Go TV commercial for khakis would make households stop, rapt, to watch, because it was shot in one continuous take.) It’ll be interesting to see what happens after burn-in, how and in what ways these headphones will mellow out. A word about vocals. I feel like both are competent with vocals, but nothing to write home about. However, there is one peculiarity—on one particular song, Rise Up (Lazarus) by Cain, the vocals seem to get buried on the 8’s. They’re acceptable on the 7’s. But I listened quite a number of times to figure out what was going on, and I’m not sure—perhaps it’s because it’s a highly-produced, high-complexity song; but I did source it from a CD ripped to ALAC downsampled to 256k AAC, and also tried it with the “Very High” quality through Spotify as well, and same results. But on the 8’s, the vocals are really obscured. The only thing I can think is that there’s some processing going on somewhere—the lead vocals, backing vocals, the three-part harmonies, are just distant. I pulled out some “normal” Airpods Pro 2nd Gen, and the vocals were more normal sounding, and this song always sounds great in my car (Harman Kardon). I compared to a song like Bell-Bottomed Tear by The Beautiful South, with both male and female vocals, and that song sounds normal. So I don’t know what’s going on here but, you know, nothing’s perfect. This might also be revealing a fault in the recording. All of that being said, if you don’t have them side by side, after a while, you’ll be used to whichever ones you have and either pair is a blessing. So budget is the largest factor in that respect and there’s no reason to strain for the 8’s if the 7’s are more appropriate for your pocketbook. I think one use case difference might be the following: if you’re going to be walking around listening to books on tape a lot, the 7’s are probably the way to go, since they’re more comfortable, and if you’re in a city, the noise and the world will be distracting—what would the 8’s be doing for you in those situations? Ditto for the 7’s if you’re going to be concentrating on work and not the music. If you’re going to be sitting at home, immobile, focused on music, that’s the main use case that shouts out that the 8’s are most appropriate. Albeit, as I’m typing these words, and multitasking, I’m listening to the 8’s and I’m probably happier with the 8’s—so am I a hypocrite? Both the 7’s and the 8’s are: * The least fatiguing wearables I’ve experienced, in the sonic sense. (For me the Airpods Max were exceptionally fatiguing.) * Lack that “vacuum packed” feeling when the noise cancellation is on. At home, it’s very hard to tell the difference between the three modes if there’s no external sound (both in terms of sound quality and the feeling in your ears and body)—I have to snap my fingers to be certain what the configuration is. With Sony XM4’s, by contrast, you can tell in your body. * Laggy to connect to the app… to look at the settings on the app, it can take 2 to 10 seconds for the app to connect even when they’re currently in use. Sometimes it takes multiple attempts. The app can show they are disconnected when in use too. This is no biggie because how often are you going to adjust the settings after you’re settled in with them? * You can adjust the settings with the app while you are listening to an audio source on a different device entirely. Px8 ’s are: * Less comfortable, less headband padding, more pressure on jaw bone (my head is already narrow—I need narrow eyeglass frames), warmer than the 7’s * Physically fatiguing near the jaw hinge for me. * Bass is pleasing and not overly punchy on most tracks. Px7 S2e ’s are: * More comfortable, have more headband padding, softer ear cups, cooler that the 8’s * Less physically fatiguing for me. * Punchier bass - a negative for me. * More “forgiving” of inferior recordings Honestly—one use case which is making me feel like I could keep both—the Px7 S2e ’s might be nice as my outdoor headphones for listening to audiobooks and a less expensive loss if I get mugged since I’m in a city, and the Px8 ’s could stay home for music and less distracted situations. I don’t know if I need two, but…I suppose only keeping one pair, the higher sound quality of the 8s would trump the greater comfort of the 7s. I’ll see how it plays out. What I’m finding, though, is because the 8’s sound so much better, I put up with the physical discomfort and don’t want to take them off and switch to the 7’s for music. For voice, lectures, audiobooks, TV, phone calls, Zoom calls, the 7’s would be the way to go. One use case to think about if you’re on the fence or don’t want to overextend your wallet… the 8’s are so good, they will really highlight the imperfections of poor quality recordings—because they are just older, pre-stereo, have tape hiss, or done on poor equipment or garage studios—I really noticed this on You Go To My Head - Dinah Washington (Dinah Jams, live, mono), or old funk recordings like Dirty Ole Man - Irene Reid; Seeds Of Life - East LA Car Pool; I Get What I Want - The Sequins. With a song like Go For Yourself - Kenny Smith & The Loveliters, the levels must be clipped on the master tapes and there is distortion, which the 7’s are more forgiving about than the 8’s. If you listen mostly to older music and have budget constraints, the 7’s might be the way to go. I have a hunch that the 8’s might be the height of what is achievable within the bounds of bluetooth today. I have compared the Focal Bathys—and I’d think they’re too analytical and fatiguing (sonically) for me, even though I love detail, a vast soundstage, and that in-the-room feeling (see my review of those too). Other representative test tracks I used: Smoke a Little Smoke - Eric Church; Driveway - Cody Johnson; You Set My Soul - The Telescopes; Can’t You See - The Marshall Tucker Band; Blown a Wish - My Bloody Valentine; the popular Gordon Lightfoot numbers; Fall For Me - Brett Eldredge; Cheap Seats - Emily Scott Robinson; Christmas Time is Here - Zach Williams; Beginnings - Chicago; This Here - The Cannonball Adderly Quintet (…in San Francisco); Desafinado - Stan Getz, João Gilberto; Little Lulu - Bill Evans Trio; Upstage Rumba - Dave Brubeck Note for the chemically sensitive—the 8’s smell worse than the 7’s on day one. (I’m writing this on day one.) The cases for both are identical and also stink worse than the headphones. However—the good news is that I’m pretty chemically sensitive and my mucus membranes don’t react to these, so hopefully that is helpful data.

Fantastisk ljud!

Premium build quality and perfect for an audiophile enthusiast! Balanced and vividly captivating imaging.👌👌👌

Le PX8 rappresentano l'apice dell'ingegneria audio di Bowers & Wilkins, combinando materiali di alta qualità, tecnologia avanzata e un design raffinato. Con un prezzo di listino di circa $699, queste cuffie si rivolgono a chi cerca il massimo in termini di qualità del suono e comfort. 🔊 Qualità del Suono Le PX8 sono dotate di driver in carbonio da 40 mm, progettati per offrire un suono dettagliato e preciso. La risposta in frequenza è bilanciata, con bassi controllati, medi chiari e alti brillanti. La tecnologia di cancellazione attiva del rumore (ANC) è efficace, riducendo significativamente i rumori ambientali senza compromettere la qualità audio . 🛋 Comfort e Design Il design delle PX8 è elegante e confortevole. Le cuffie presentano una struttura in alluminio pressofuso e pelle Nappa, garantendo leggerezza e resistenza. I padiglioni over-ear sono imbottiti con memory foam, offrendo un'ottima vestibilità anche durante lunghe sessioni di ascolto . 🔋 Autonomia e Connettività Le PX8 offrono fino a 30 ore di riproduzione con una singola carica di 2 ore. Inoltre, supportano una ricarica rapida che fornisce 7 ore di ascolto in soli 15 minuti. La connettività Bluetooth aptX Adaptive assicura una trasmissione audio stabile e di alta qualità, compatibile con dispositivi Android e alcuni dispositivi Windows . 📱 Funzionalità Intelligenti Le cuffie sono compatibili con l'app Bowers & Wilkins Music, che consente di personalizzare l'equalizzazione, gestire le impostazioni ANC e accedere ai controlli vocali. Tuttavia, alcune funzionalità avanzate potrebbero non essere disponibili su dispositivi iOS . 🏆 Conclusione Le Bowers & Wilkins PX8 sono cuffie wireless di lusso che offrono un'esperienza audio superiore, materiali di alta qualità e un design elegante. Se sei un audiofilo alla ricerca di cuffie premium con prestazioni eccellenti, le PX8 rappresentano una scelta eccellente.

Der Kopfhörer ist nun schon einige Wochen in Gebrauch, so daß ich eine Rezension schreiben kann. Vorweg, ich habe den Vergleich mit dem Sennheiser Momentum 4 gemacht, wobei dieser dann zu einem Geschenk wurde. Der B & W kommt schon hochwertig an, in einem stabilen und edlen Case. Auch der Kopfhörer mit echtem superweichen Lammleder und Aluminiumteilen ist einfach auch optisch und haptisch ein Genuss. Da kann der Sennheiser Momentum nicht mithalten. Der Klang ist für mich sehr klar und detailreich, das Volumen voll, doch nicht bassbetont. Ich musste an der Werkseinstellung fast nichts ändern, was man, sofern der Bedarf besteht, mithilfe der App kann. Der Momentum war klanglich auch gut, doch etwas mehr basslastig. Mit dem klug durchdachten Schaltern am rechten Kopfhörer lassen sich Verbindung, Lautstärke und Vorspulen sehr einfach bedienen. Dies ist für mich auch einer der weiteren Vorzüge gegenüber dem Momentum, der nur durch Berühren betätigt wird, was zumindest bei mir nicht immer wie gewünscht funktionierte. Die Akkudauer ist erstaunlich, mehr als angegeben bzw. ich erwartet habe und auch das erneute Aufladen geht ziemlich schnell. Ich höre querbeet, von Rock bis Klassik so ziemlich alle Genres und ich kann hier keinerlei Einbußen bei einer bestimmten Musikrichtung feststellen. Die Abschirmung von äußeren Geräuschen ist selbst ohne Noisecancelling hervorragend, was eine tiefes Eintauchen in die Musik (im Unterschied zum Hören über die Anlage) ermöglicht. Ich habe inzwischen schon einige schöne entspannte Abende mit dem Genuss meiner Musik verbracht, was ich zum Großteil diesen tollen Kopfhörern verdanke, die ihren Preis absolut wert sind. Kann ich also wirklich nur weiterempfehlen!

One of the best pair of headphones on the market right now. The difference with the PX7 S2 is clearly noticeable. The only thing is I received a refurbished pair from Amazon while it was sold as new. There is a “refurb” sticker on the box and the headphones were already pair with a Galaxy device. Raised a complaint to Amazon. Their only answer was to send them back and get a refund. Given the fact they are in mint condition and it’s a burden to send them back from UAE, I decided to keep them back. But that’s borderline fraudulent behavior. Be aware !