Again in July, when Bowers & Wilkins unveiled its new PX7 S2 noise-canceling headphones ($400, £380, AU$650), it additionally teased its upcoming flagship PX8 headphones, saying they might price $549. Effectively, now the PX8 have hit the market, however Bowers & Wilkins says they price $699 (£599, AU$1,150) or $150 greater than Apple’s $549 AirPods Max noise-canceling headphones, which usually get discounted to $479 or much less.
Right here within the US, Crutchfield has the PX8 obtainable for preorder for $549. I am undecided if the worth will change, however in the event you had your eye on this mannequin, you could need to soar on that deal immediately in case the worth goes up (I am going to replace this publish if it does). No ship date is listed, and whereas the headphones are on Bowers & Wilkins’ website, solely the black model appears to be obtainable.
I want I might say I’ve tried the PX8, which has upgraded drivers from the PX7 S2. Bowers & Wilkins says the PX8 “units a brand new reference commonplace for sound, construct and end within the lively noise canceling wi-fi headphone class.” The headphones have all-new 40mm Carbon Cone drive items which are “impressed” by the Carbon Dome drive items used within the firm’s 700 Collection loudspeaker line. Bowers & Wilkins says these items assist ship superior decision, element and timing with much more correct sound than the PX7 S2.
I preferred the PX7 S2 — it is one of many prime new noise-canceling headphones of 2022 — however I wasn’t as blown away by its sound high quality as some reviewers have been, and I speculated that the PX8 can be at one other degree. We’ll see if that bump is price nearly $300 extra in comparison with the PX7 S2 or $150 greater than the AirPods Max. Additionally within the combine is Grasp & Dynamic’s MW75 ($600), the Sony WH-1000XM5 ($400) and Sennheiser Momentum 4 Wi-fi ($350).
The PX8 characteristic spectacular construct high quality.
Bowers & Wilkins
At 320 grams, the PX8 weigh somewhat greater than the PX7 S2 (307 grams) however have most of the identical specs, together with Bluetooth 5.2, 30 hours of battery life and help for Qualcomm’s Adaptive aptX audio codec for units that help aptX (many Android telephones do). Bowers & Wilkins says that aptX Adaptive wi-fi expertise and “highly effective digital sign processing” enable the listener to get 24-bit high-resolution sound high quality from streaming providers like Tidal and Qobuz that provide it.
When paired with an iPhone, the headphones would use the AAC audio codec. For the very best sound high quality, you’d most likely need to go wired — it’s also possible to hook up with your laptop computer or desktop pc by way of USB to get high-resolution sound.
The headphones have six microphones in complete, with two devoted to telephony. For $699, you desire a Bluetooth headphone that is top-notch on all key fronts — design, sound high quality, noise canceling and voice calling. The PX7 S2 confirmed enhancements in sound, noise canceling and voice calling, with higher voice pickup and noise discount throughout calls. For each noise canceling and voice calling, the PX8 seems to make use of the identical methods because the PX7 S2.
Bowers & Wilkins’ headphones are sturdily constructed, and the PX8 definitely have an eye catching design. Primarily based on what we bought with the PX7 S2, I count on the PX8 will likely be snug to put on regardless of being barely on the heavy facet. The considerably lighter Sony WH-1000XM5 are most likely probably the most snug of the competing headphones I discussed above, however Bowers & Wilkins did make some design enhancements to the PX7 S2, incorporating higher ear pads and trimming down the headphones barely (they’re extra snug than their predecessors).
As quickly as I get my palms on a assessment pattern of the PX8, I am going to let you know the way they sound and in the event that they actually do set a brand new reference commonplace for Bluetooth headphones. One can solely hope for the worth.
