The companion app is easy to use, and the buds have strong ANC.
But the Pi8s claim to fame absolutely lives in its reference-grade sound quality.
No matter what youre listening to, it will sound fantastic even podcasts.
Shot of Bowers & Wilkins Pi8 earbuds with charging case and box©Charles Anthony Davis/DreamSmith LLC
The highs, mids, and lows are well-balanced with a spacious soundstage.
The earbuds are a must-have for the audiophile in your life.
Thats not to say that the Pi8 is without its flaws.
©Photo: Sherri L. Smith/DreamSmith LLC
The call quality could be better, and the battery life isnt as long as that of its competitors.
It ends with one of the smallest silicone ear tips Ive seen.
Bowers & Wilkins packages three additional tips to ensure a proper fit.
©Photo: Charles Anthony Davis/DreamSmith LLC
And for fans of white gadgets, the earbuds are also available in Dove White.
And by water, I mean light sprays or maybe some sweat.
Dont go dunking these in water; youll be sad and $400 poorer.
©Photo: Charles Anthony Davis/DreamSmith LLC
The Pi8 is more durable than the XM5, which is only rated IP4 (light water sprays).
The Pi8 ships with the extra small ear tips on default.
They were too small, forcing me to shift to the small tips.
©Photo: Bowers & Wilkins
From there, I was golden.
The seal was secure enough that I tackled the beast, my elliptical machine, and they stayed put.
I ended up comfortably wearing the Pi8 for six hours straight.
©Photo: Bowers & Wilkins
it’s crucial that you press and hold the right bud to pull up the voice assistant.
To switch between Passthrough and ANC, press and hold the left bud.
My only gripe is that you must use the app for the initial pairing.
©Photo: Bowers & Wilkins
Once the free Music|Bowers & Wilkins app is installed, you oughta hold either bud for three seconds.
But as far as companion apps go, this isnt a bad one.
The interface is clean, with an adjustable equalizer with a Passthrough and active noise-cancelling modes.
©Photo: Sherri L. Smith/DreamSmith LLC
you’re able to also get a two-month free trial of Qobuz.
Bowers & Wilkins Pi8: ANC
Bowers & Wilkins integrated three microphones into each earbud.
I walked around my neighborhood with ANC enabled.
©Photo: Sherri L. Smith/DreamSmith LLC
I could hear most of the conversations around me without any music playing, just at a muted volume.
And when the train passed overhead, I heard every crick, crack, and bump.
Turning on the music immediately drowned out any outside NYC din.
Back home, the Pi8s ANC could only drown out my television if the volume was set to four.
Compare that to the XM5 (volume 6) and the QC Ultra (volume 7).
However, there are very few earbuds that can claim that feat.
The Pi8 has a passthrough mode for letting the outside world in.
This is handy when exercising outdoors or when you want to stay ahead of your surroundings.
Bowers & Wilkins Pi8 Review: Performance
Reference earbuds?
Whew, Bowers & Wilkins, thats a big claim.
However, these earbuds bring the most accurate performance Bowers & Wilkins can squeeze from a wireless gadget.
That means fans of enhanced bass and treble need not apply.
I prefer a flat tuning as it lends itself better to skipping genres at will.
And since I keep my playlists on shuffle, these earbuds were seemingly made for me.
So, how does Bowers & Wilkins do it?
The answer lies in the cone drivers.
The company has created mini versions of its carbon cone drivers, typically in loudspeakers or headphones.
As with all my testing, I used Tidal with Hi-Fi and Master quality tracks.
These are easily one of the best wireless earbuds Ive listened to this year.
I called several people with the buds and even participated in a few video conferences.
However, out of three calls and two video conferences, only one produced good results.
My callers quickly remarked that I sounded muffled in all the other calls and conferences.
It was my major complaint, as I sometimes had to strain to hear people clearly.
However, after a software update, I got better results, but not much.
The company doesnt list an estimate for using the earbuds sans ANC.
However, I hit 8 hours without noise canceling.
But the Pi8 has few rivals with its reference-grade drivers for stellar musical audio quality.
Its up to the other flagships to make me put them down.
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Here’s how to accessing the features as well as some troubleshooting tips, and what the results mean.
