Sound United LLC. has great ambitions for the new Bowers & Wilkins Px8, the latest headphones from the Bowers & Wilkins brand. The company is talking about a premium class wireless over-ear headphone with active noise cancellation, which it is presenti
Bowers & Wilkins Px8 – Same acoustic platform as the Bowers & Wilkins Px7 S2
It’s not so long ago that Sound United LLC. unveiled the Bowers & Wilkins Px7 S2, and rightly so, calling it one of the best-sounding solutions in its class. It is therefore obvious that the new Bowers & Wilkins Px8 is based on the same acoustic platform as the Bowers & Wilkins Px7 S2.
The company boasts excellent performance in terms of detail, resolution and spaciousness, but these essential parameters have been further enhanced in the new Bowers & Wilkins Px8 through the use of a new, bespoke 40mm driver with carbon fibre cone.
ng as a new flagship in the field of personal audio devices and with which it wants to set new standards. In terms of sound, construction and workmanship.
Inspired by the Bowers & Wilkins 700 Series
Bowers & Wilkins says that the Carbon Dome Tweeter from the Bowers & Wilkins 700 Series inspired the design of the driver. This special design offers a unique combination of extremely fast response and particularly low distortion throughout the frequency range. This guarantees that the new Bowers & Wilkins Px8 will outperform the Bowers & Wilkins Px7 S2, even if the latter already sets the bar very high. The resolution, detail and timing of the new Bowers & Wilkins Px8 are said to be even better, ensuring a thrilling musical performance and a natural delivery. The manufacturer claims that the new Bowers & Wilkins Px8 simply delivers “true sound”.
Particularly spatial performance
The new Bowers & Wilkins Px8 uses a special design to ensure that the drivers are positioned at a slight angle in the ear cups, so that the distance between the diaphragm and the user’s ear is the same at all points and a precise sound stage can be reproduced.
Bluetooth with Qualcomm’s aptX Adaptive
The Bowers & Wilkins Px8 uses Bluetooth 5.1 based on a module from Qualcomm Inc. that supports the aptX Adaptive codec for the best possible sound quality, as promised by the developers, who refer to the signal transmission as high-res audio.
Alternatively, the connection to the source device can also be established via USB-C and also analogue via a cable with 3.5 mm stereo mini-jack.
Either way, Bowers & Wilkins promises powerful signal processing based on the latest DSP (Digital Signal Processing) technology developed in-house for outstanding quality playback.
Active Noise Cancellation for uninterrupted music enjoyment and crystal-clear voice quality
Part of this DSP signal processing is active noise cancellation, which Bowers & Wilkins engineers have spent a great deal of time and effort optimising over previous models.
No fewer than six powerful microphones are said to work hand in hand to deliver optimal results for both music listening and phone calls, with two measuring the output of each driver, two measuring ambient noise, and two reserved for optimal voice quality during phone calls.
As with the Bowers & Wilkins Px7 S2, the distance between the two external microphones in the new Bowers & Wilkins Px8 has been reduced to optimise system performance. The tilt of each microphone has been adjusted to improve vocal pick-up. In addition, the position of the second microphone has been altered to reduce wind noise.
Simple control
It goes without saying that the Bowers & Wilkins Px8 is easy to control, but Sound United LLC. emphasises the intuitive controls on the ear cups, so that a simple finger tap is all that’s needed to control playback, adjust the volume or answer calls.
Seamless transition between home and on the move
By the way, the manufacturer particularly praises the app that will be available for the new Bowers & Wilkins Px8, the Bowers & Wilkins Music App. This allows the user to play music via smartphones with Apple iOS and Google Android particularly easily, namely services such as Deezer, Qobuz or TIDAL.
The special feature here is that there should be a seamless transition between home and on the move, for example if the user owns solutions such as Bowers & Wilkins Zeppelin or the Bowers & Wilkins Formation Suite. In this case, the music can be transferred directly from the wireless speakers to the wireless headphones when the user leaves the house.
It should also be mentioned that this function will soon be available to users of the Bowers & Wilkins Px7 S2.
The app also allows users to pair the Bowers & Wilkins Px8 with a mobile device, fine-tune the sound with their preferred equaliser settings, select their preferred noise cancelling mode and keep an eye on the battery level.
Long battery life
The new Bowers & Wilkins Px8 is said to boast up to 30 hours of battery life, with charging via USB-C. A quick charge function guarantees up to seven hours of listening pleasure after just 15 minutes.
Design and workmanship at the highest level
The design of the Bowers & Wilkins Px8 is as inspiring as its sound quality, says Sound United LLC. about the new headphones. The headphones are available in black or tan and grey leather. The noble appearance is characterised by the premium design with aluminium temple construction and the shiny “Diamond-cut” rim around the elliptical emblem. For ultimate wearing comfort, the ear cups, memory foam ear pads and headband are covered in soft, high-quality nappa leather. With this design and material choice, Bowers & Wilkins maintains its position as the premium audio brand in this category.
“I am very proud of our new Px8. It will fundamentally change consumer expectations in the premium headphone segment and brings together everything we stand for as a brand: outstanding sound in line with our ‘True Sound’ promise, unique design and the highest build quality.”
Giles Pocock, Vice-President of Brand Marketing, Bowers & Wilkins
Pricing and availability
The new Bowers & Wilkins Px8 should be available from retailers these days at a recommended retail price of € 699,-.
Getting to the point
With the Bowers & Wilkins Px7 S2, Sound United LLC. wanted to set new standards for Bowers & Wilkins headphones, and the new Bowers & Wilkins Px8, as the company promises, goes one better. The high bar set by the Bowers & Wilkins Px7 S2 is to be raised even higher in terms of resolution, detail and timing to deliver a musical performance that is described as True Sound, presenting the music as it was created by the artist.
PRODUCT | BOWERS & WILKINS PX8 PREMIUM WIRELESS HEADPHONE |
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Price | € 699,- |
BRAND | BOWERS & WILKINS |
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Manufacturer | Masimo Consumer |
Distribution | Bowers & Wilkins D&M Germany GmbH A division of Sound United |
More about this manufacturer at HiFi BLOG |