The Bowers & Wilkins (B&W) Px8 is, in additional methods than one, a premium pair of wi-fi headphones that is aware of the place its place on the totem pole of the non-public audio market. It debuted early this 12 months and is technically a greater and costlier improve to the Px7 S2.
What Am I Trying At?
The Px8 is a pair of wi-fi headphones that exudes the standard and renown that its guardian firm, B&W, is thought for. It sports activities the asymmetrical yoke design that’s synonymous with the model’s product portfolio, and just about each a part of the headphone is precision milled. Hell, even the branding on the again of each earcups is purposely made to face out, I can really feel them every time I maintain them in my palms or put them on.
B&W didn’t spare any expense on the consolation of the Px8. Each the scarf and earpads are wrapped in Napa leather-based for that further consolation throughout lengthy hours of use. On a aspect be aware, even the trim on the again of every earcup is wrapped in that very same Napa leather-based, including once more to the general luxurious. For that matter, your entire body is comprised of aluminium and stable, however not so taut that it squeezes your head like a vice.
For controls, all of the buttons are constructed into the rear of the edges of the earcups of the Px8. The left earcup hosts the button that lets you change between its ANC, Passthrough, and switch them off solely. On the opposite, you get the ability slider, the quantity rocker and performance button, and the USB-C that acts as each the headphone’s charging port and wired connectivity.
Regarding the latter, the carrying case of the Px8 additionally comes with two units of cables: one USB-C to USB-C, and a USB-C to three.5mm.
What’s Good About It?
If ever there’s proof of B&W’s dedication to its craft, it will be the way it does away with any touch-based management sensors, making the Px8 all buttons. I fairly actually favor the flexibility to manage my playback with this setup, because it implies that I now not activate options like Communicate-to-Chat on Sony’s WH Collection headphones, or by accident pause the monitor I’m listening to.
Different premium options of the Px8 embody the 40mm carbon cones, and enchancment over the bio-cellulose drivers used within the Px7 S2, and they’re now angled to higher drive the sound into your ears. After all, that brings us to the audio high quality of those headphones.
As one would count on of a pair of RM3,299 headphones, the audio high quality on the Px8 is nothing in need of spectacular. Each the excessive and mids, in addition to vocals are inclined to take centre stage, with sound staging being completely correct. This turns into evident everytime you hearken to tracks like Yoko Kanno and the Seatbelt’s Digging My Potato the place the harmonica actually sings, and even Carla Bruni’s L’Amour, the place you’ll be able to actually hear that attractive, raspiness in her voice ever so clearly.
That doesn’t imply the lows of the Px8 are sidelined. They nonetheless ship that back-of-the-skull rattle that I search for in all private audio units and heavens above, it’s elegant. Utilizing Digging My Potato as one of many baselines, the bass percussions within the background aren’t banging on my eardrums and easily reverberate throughout. The identical goes for Austin Wintory’s whole rating of Journey, Nina Simone’s Feeling Good, and Stacey Kent’s Venus de Milo. The latter is essentially the most elegant for me, as you’ll be able to really hear the bass strings being individually plucked.
One other plus level to the standard of the Px8 is its battery life. On a full cost, these headphones can final almost 30 hours with ANC turned on. I discovered myself utilizing these headphones for at the least two working days on and off, and solely recharging them on the third day. Lastly, these headphones have a simple-to-use equaliser that you would be able to entry through the devoted B&W app.
What’s The Catch?
If I wasn’t already clear within the final two segments of this lightning evaluation, I’ll make it clear right here. The Px8 is a premium pair of wi-fi headphones, made by a premium audio model famend for offering a number of world-class studios, together with Abbey Highway Studios, with its {hardware}. Due to this, the model sells these headphones at a really steep price ticket of RM3,299.
And that’s not even the costliest pair of Px8 headphones. Should you really feel obliged and also you occur to have disposable revenue, you’ll be able to go for one among two restricted version fashions, the McLaren Version or the 007 Version. Each fashions value RM4,299 respectively, making them RM1,000 costlier than the usual version.
One other gripe that I’ve with the Px8 is with its personal ambient sound operate, or Passthrough mode. Whereas it’s a default possibility for the headphones, it’s actually not fairly as robust as I would really like it to be. To that finish, Sony’s WH-1000XM5 takes the crown on this operate.
Then there’s the clever playback operate and extra particularly, the time it takes for the Px8 to renew playback. To be clear, I’m not bothered by the delay these headphones take when they’re off my head, so so long as they cease. Once I put them again on, although, it takes a very good few seconds earlier than the playback resumes. Worst, it typically fails to renew the playback, having detected inactivity for simply 5 minutes.
Ought to I Get This?
The B&W Px8 are usually not the form of headphones that I can simply advocate to the overall client, on the lookout for simply any pair of audio merchandise. With an RM3,299 asking worth, it’s not fallacious that I count on such a pair of headphones to offer a close to life-changing expertise and to be truthful, these really do.
Should you’re a real blue audiophile, you hearken to your music both on Tidal or Apple Music since you completely insist on listening to your tracks within the Grasp or lossless audio format, and you don’t have any qualms spending that form of cash, then the Px8 is for you. Nevertheless, if this price ticket is simply too wealthy in your palette and also you’re on the lookout for another, the Sony WH-1000XM5 retails for barely greater than half the value however has confirmed to be an honest all-rounder.
Comply with us on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter or Telegram for extra updates and breaking information.
