Bowers & Wilkins Px8 Wireless Over-Ear Noise-Canceling Headphones, Royal Burgundy Edition Review

The Bowers & Wilkins Px8 Royal Burgundy wireless headphones are simply gorgeous. Usually, when given a choice of colors for audio gear, I choose black. Especially for headphones. I want what I wear to disappear; I’m not interested in accessorizing my outfits with audio bling. So, when I was offered an opportunity to audition the new Px8 in burgundy Nappa leather and diamond cut, gold-toned aluminum, I didn’t expect to be wowed.

I’ve always been a fan of anything Bowers & Wilkins (three of my surround speakers and computer speakers are Bowers &Wilkins, as are the various models of my wired headphones), so I was looking forward to the chance to spend time with their Px8. I just wasn’t sure about that burgundy and gold business; it just isn’t me… well, when they arrived and I opened the box, I was humbled. They are beautiful and classy. It’s Bowers & Wilkins, after all, I should have known they knew how to make beautiful gear. After spending enough time with them to really test what they offer, I can also say they sound as lovely as they look.

Bowers & Wilkins (never B&W as I learned when referring to “B&W” when I asked the Bowers & Wilkins engineers several questions about the Px8. In their very polite and British way, they said they would appreciate it if I would refer to Bowers & Wilkins by their proper name when possible) is a name that needs little introduction, but here is a brief history that I found fascinating. They began as a radio and electronics shop in Worthing, West Sussex, England after WW2. The company was founded by John Bowers and Roy Wilkins, both of whom worked for the Secret Intelligence Service (MI6). They worked in radio and were tasked with maintaining clandestine radio contact with British agents and resistance fighters in Europe. After VE day, they decided to go into business together and opened a small shop in August 1946 to serve amateur radio operators. This led to offering other components like amplifiers and speakers. They even rented out televisions when those came along. In addition to sales, they also set up a repair shop and a public address service for local schools and churches. John Bowers was not happy with the sound of the loudspeakers available at that time, especially when playing classical music, especially piano, and recordings of live performances. So, he set about modifying the existing designs and started a small production line in the back of his shop.

His quest to refine and design speakers took a leap in 1966 when a local, wealthy opera singer left John Bowers £10,000 in her will. This allowed him to leave the shop to his partner Roy Wilkins and devote himself to speaker design. He kept the name of his friend Roy Wilkins in the name of his new speaker company, which was called B&W. From humble beginnings rose one of the most prestigious names in speakers.

All but one of my small collection of wired headphones are Bowers & Wilkins, and I was delighted to have the chance to spend some time with the newest update to their flagship headphone. I also own a pair of Apple AirPods Max, which are wireless, over-ear, ANC closed-back Bluetooth headphones, and with which I have the most experience for wireless listening.

The original Px8 over-ear noise-canceling headphones, which come in black leather or tan & grey leather, were a successful follow-up to the very popular wireless, noise-cancelling Px7. The drivers for the Px7 and newer Px7 S2e are Biocellulose. The engineers wanted to create a wireless noise-canceling Bluetooth headphone that could use some of the technology of their 700 Series loudspeakers. The Carbon Dome tweeter of the 700 Series was their inspiration for creating the angled Carbon Cone driver in the Px8 and is the first time Bowers & Wilkins has used Carbon in their headphones. Using Carbon ensured superior stiffness and lower weight, which, as their engineers told me, “Result in more pistonic behavior, i.e., better accuracy throughout the frequency range and, in particular, at the upper registers. This is because the cone is better able to resist unwanted bending and flexing. At the same time, reducing the weight of the cone made it more responsive to individual dynamic impulses (for example, a roll of drums). It also delivered a “bigger” sound from the same size cone as is used in the Px7 S2e, which is a 40mm drive unit”.

After the release of the Px7 S2e headphone, which has DSP improvements over the original Px7, the engineers realized they could add value to the Px8. The Px8 already had a very developed high-resolution 24-bit DSP, however, working on the Px7 S2e, they came across a few new approaches they felt could benefit the Px8, including lowering distortion and thereby delivering improved resolution, throughout the frequency range, including bass response. This new tuning was made available through an over-the-air firmware update last August for all Px8 headphones.

The Bowers & Wilkins Px8 arrived in a sturdy white box with simple black lettering and a full-color photo of the headphones; very understated and refined. So British…

Inside the box was a very sturdy cloth-covered zippered case, in the same burgundy color as the headphones and a folded cardboard envelope that held the quick-start guide, warranty card, etc. (kudos for printing all the materials on easy-to-read, sturdy cardboard stock).

The first instructions are to download the Bowers & Wilkins Music app, where all functions can be accessed as well as the EQ and the music streaming links: for example, I can access Qobuz from within the Music app, which I found very convenient. The app is available for Apple iOS 12+ and Android 6.0+.

The interior of the case is lined with a suede cloth and the headphones are nestled around a magnetic hinged compartment that contains all the cables.

As substantially built as the Px8 are, they feel light. Apart from the solid aluminum arms and the beveled, diamond-cut outer housing that holds the mics, everything else is covered in soft Nappa leather. The earpads are leather-wrapped memory foam and have a firm, yet comfortable clamping force. These look and feel luxurious, as one would expect from a flagship headphone from Bowers & Wilkins.

The right earcup holds most of the controls. At the top is the sliding on/off switch that doubles as Bluetooth pairing when pressed upward and held for 5 seconds. Bluetooth syncing is quick and finds devices easily. Once a device is synced up, the Px8 remembers the device and will automatically pair. There is a chime, as well as a lovely British-accented female voice to alert when various modes are activated. Next is the battery status light. Below that are three buttons: the first is volume up followed by the telephony answer/disconnect mode and below that is the volume down. At the bottom of the right earcup is the USB-C connection for charging and listening in wired mode. I used this feature when listening to music from my laptop to test how the wired audio sounded compared to the wireless. The ANC selection button is located at the bottom of the left cup.

After installing the downloaded Bowers & Wilkins Music app to both my iPhone and iPad, I explored the app. It is simple in its layout, and very logical. I appreciate that Bowers & Wilkins has designed this app to be no more complex than it needs to be, unlike some apps I’ve used. At first, I found the equalizer controls a bit basic, as there are only bass and treble sliders. I asked the Bowers & Wilkins engineers if they had plans to give more sliders to the equalizer and mentioned that I thought it was a bit basic for such a high-end headphone. I received a quick response, and I appreciate their candor, and I quote:

“Respectfully, we disagree. Our brand is built on our long-standing relationship with world-class recording studios and on our promise that whenever possible we will try to deliver the authentic sound of the recording, true to the artist’s original intent. We call this True Sound. We do recognize that customers have individual preferences, and we feel that the tone control adjustment we provide allows the user the opportunity to tailor the sound to their taste without, at the same time, significantly changing the authenticity of the delivery.”

The Px8 arrived partially charged so I charged them using the included 1.2mm USB-C to USB-C cable. After a bit of listening, my first impression was that the Px8 was fairly closed-in and dense-sounding. The bass was dominant and heavier than I prefer. When the noise canceling is active, the bass seems to be boosted as well. I found that adjusting the bass slider to minus 5 and increasing the treble to plus 2.5 brought the sound in line with my preferences. I think 50+ hours of playing various genres of music really make a difference in the sound signature. I found that the soundstage and clarity opened up, as well as the detail and separation of instruments and voices.

I tested the ANC and phone calling features. Phone calls were clear, and it was reported to me that I was heard clearly, though a tiny bit “bright”. The noise canceling worked well enough, though not at the level of my AirPods Max, which are the best I’ve used. The headphones work fine with passive noise canceling since they are closed-back, and I seldom felt the need to activate the ANC. The pass-through sound feature worked well. I was able to limit noise while still being connected to sounds around me.

The Bluetooth worked great. In fact, I left my iPhone by the back door, and I walked about 100 feet back and 15 feet down to the woods behind our house. The music played flawlessly. Bluetooth has matured a great deal from the early days. I also used the included USB-C to 3.5mm stereo jack audio cable with my MacBook Pro. Even though wired instead of Bluetooth, the Px8 can’t be used as passive, wired headphones. They use the DSP that operates in the digital domain to utilize Dynamic EQ. This is how the Px8 can produce deep bass extension from a 40mm driver. The volume controls on the headphones also become disabled and need to be controlled at the source, and the battery needs to be charged. Still, it was a good way to test the difference between wired and Bluetooth. I feel there was slightly more punch when wired, but not enough to feel the need to use the headphones wired. Again, Bluetooth is closing the gap between wired and wireless.

The Px8 headphones play all genres well. Jazz vocals were a delight, both male and female singers glowed with warmth and intimacy.

Unless otherwise noted, Qobuz was the music source.

Piano is one of those instruments that the timbre can be difficult to capture when played back, whether through headphones, or speakers. The Px8 absolutely shines in how lusciously and accurately the piano is reproduced in the piece “Ode to Joy”. David Chesky’s solo piano starts out stately and slow; the notes are allowed to decay naturally, again a test for reproduction as harmonics build as the notes slowly fade and can become dissonant if poorly reproduced. One minute into the stately piano solo the music transitions from classic to jazz as the drums and double bass take the piece into a bluesy, swinging landscape that is an effortless Ode to Joy. These musicians are considered by some to be the finest jazz musicians on the scene today. All I know is this recording will show the strengths and weaknesses of a headphone, and the Px8 reveal the detail and finesse I would expect from Bowers & Wilkins.

At $699.00 U.S. there are a lot of less expensive noise-cancelling Bluetooth headphones. There are also several more expensive audiophile-level, wireless headphones. These flagship Bowers & Wilkins headphones, in my opinion, are sitting in the sweet spot when adding up all the various strengths the Px8 has to offer.

I’ve not heard of a better-sounding and beautiful Bluetooth headphone. The Bowers & Wilkins Px8 are compact and easily adjustable for various head sizes. I would not hesitate to take these on a 12-hour flight. The battery life and supreme comfort make them the perfect travel headphones without giving up any audiophile sound. They are so well made I wouldn’t worry about their durability even if packed without their protective case.