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Bowers & Wilkins Px8 McLaren Edition

The new Bowers & Wilkins Px8 McLaren Edition has been specifically designed to combine the unique design of McLaren's supercars with Bowers & Wilkins' world-class audio quality, according to Sound United LLC.

Story Highlights
  • As a tribute to Bowers & Wilkins' long-standing relationship with McLaren, Bowers & Wilkins now presents the Bowers & Wilkins Px8 McLaren Edition.

A long-standing partnership between Bowers & Wilkins and McLaren Automotive Ltd. is being honoured with the new Bowers & Wilkins Px8 McLaren Edition, says Sound United LLC. about the latest product in the personal audio devices range. The exclusive headphones will be unveiled in conjunction with the McLaren Artura, McLaren Automotive’s first production high-performance hybrid supercar.

Partnership between Bowers & Wilkins and McLaren Automotive dates back to 2015

British loudspeaker specialist Bowers & Wilkins has been working with McLaren Automotive for many years, since 2015 in fact, developing bespoke audio systems for McLaren’s supercars and hypercars on a wide range of exceptional vehicles, including Bowers & Wilkins system integrations on the McLaren Speedtail, McLaren GT and, most recently, the McLaren Artura.

Bowers & Wilkins audio system in new McLaren Artura

Once again, Bowers & Wilkins has worked closely with McLaren Automotive’s design and engineering teams to develop and optimise the audio system in the McLaren Artura. As with all previous joint projects between Bowers & Wilkins and McLaren Automotive, the McLaren Artura features Bowers & Wilkins’ latest loudspeaker technologies. They were developed in Southwater, where the Bowers & Wilkins research and development team has been based since 2019. This puts it just 30 miles from McLaren’s Surrey headquarters, where the Super and Hyper sports cars are hand-built.

Bowers & Wilkins sees itself as one of the world’s most respected audio brands, with a particular strength in pushing the performance boundaries of loudspeakers. The aim is to reproduce original recordings as faithfully as possible without altering or distorting them. This striving for perfection, which was already internalised by the founder John Bowers, is of course still noticeable today.

Bowers & Wilkins Px8 McLaren Edition

The new Bowers & Wilkins Px8 McLaren Edition is an expression of McLaren Automotive’s obsession with engineering and performance-driven aesthetics, as well as the premium wireless sound quality for which Bowers & Wilkins is renowned, the two partners promise of the jointly developed Bluetooth headphones.

“We are very proud of our long-standing relationship with McLaren Automotive, which is based on a shared desire for excellence. The Px8 McLaren Edition celebrates that partnership and extends the appeal of our industry-leading performance in sound and McLaren DNA outside the car.”

Dan Shepherd, Vice President, Licensing & Partnerships, Bowers & Wilkins

At the heart of the Bowers & Wilkins Px8 McLaren Edition are 40mm carbon cone driver units inspired by the technology used in Bowers & Wilkins’ reference loudspeakers.

The Bowers & Wilkins Px8 McLaren Edition’s carbon cone drivers are carefully angled in each earcup to ensure an even distance to the listener’s ears from any point on the driver’s surface. This creates a more intense and precise sound image. The result is the best sound quality Bowers & Wilkins has ever achieved in a wireless headphone.

High-resolution sound and active noise cancellation

The Bowers & Wilkins Px8 McLaren Edition uses Qualcomm Inc.’s aptX Adaptive Wireless technology to deliver the best possible sound quality from compatible smartphones, tablets and computers. USB-C and analogue 3.5mm cable connections are also supported. Both cable types are included in the specially designed carrying case that comes with the headphones.

Whether the Bowers & Wilkins Px8 McLaren Edition is used with or without a cable, the headphones combine their extremely powerful drive configuration with Bowers & Wilkins’ proprietary digital signal processing (DSP). This ensures superb, high-resolution 24-bit sound quality from leading streaming services.

The Bowers & Wilkins Px8 McLaren Edition also uses Bowers & Wilkins optimised noise cancellation technology to effectively block out unwanted noise without compromising music quality.

Furthermore, six high-performance microphones work together to deliver the best results. Two of the microphones measure the output of each driver unit, two respond to ambient noise from the outside world and two provide superior voice quality with enhanced noise cancellation.

Ultimate convenience with Bowers & Wilkins Music App

The Bowers & Wilkins Px8 McLaren Edition use the recently updated Bowers & Wilkins Music App. This allows users of the Bluetooth headphones to stream their chosen music directly from their mobile device to their headphones. Music services supported include Deezer, Qobuz and TIDAL.

In addition, the Bowers & Wilkins Music App also simplifies connecting the Bowers & Wilkins Px8 McLaren Edition to a mobile device, helps fine-tune the sound with an adjustable EQ, and allows owners to configure their preferred noise-cancellation mode while monitoring the headphones’ charge level.

“We are delighted to introduce the Px8 McLaren Edition, which builds on the award-winning and long-standing collaboration between McLaren and Bowers & Wilkins. The shared goal of pushing boundaries and innovation, as well as the pursuit of perfection, is evident in all the products the two brands have collaborated on to date. With the new headphones, the immersive sound experience we deliver in our supercars can now be transferred to the road.”

George Biggs, Chief Sales and Marketing Officer, McLaren Automotive

Prices and availability

The Px8 McLaren Edition is finished in Galvanic Grey and Papaya Orange. The latter is inspired by the famous Papaya Orange originally seen on company founder Bruce McLaren’s early racing cars. The recommended retail price is listed at € 799,-.

Getting to the point

The new Bowers & Wilkins Px8 McLaren Edition is, of course, based on the current Bowers & Wilkins Px8, which Sound United LLC. already calls the Bowers & Wilkins brand’s premium wireless over-ear headphone. The special Bowers & Wilkins Px8 McLaren Edition version, of course, uses the classic elements of McLaren Automotive to deliver a particularly refined version of these Bluetooth headphones with active noise cancellation.

PRODUCTBOWERS & WILKINS PX8 MCLAREN EDITION
Price€ 799,-
BRANDBOWERS & WILKINS
ManufacturerMasimo Consumer
DistributionBowers & Wilkins
D&M Germany GmbH
A division of Sound United
More about this manufacturer at HiFi BLOG
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Michael Holzinger

Michael Holzinger, founder and editor-in-chief of HiFi BLOG and sempre-audio.at, has been working for years as a journalist in the fields of IT, photography, telecommunications and consumer electronics.

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