About The Bowers & Wilkins Pi8 Active Noise-Cancelling True Wireless Earbuds
B&W's Pi8 earbuds combine supreme fit and comfort, outstanding sound quality, excellent noise cancellation and premium aesthetics. The Pi8 supports aptX™ Adaptive at 24-bit/96kHz for high-resolution sound quality along with aptX Lossless.
The flagship Pi8 also sports upgraded DAC, DSP and amplifier components plus Carbon Cone drive unit technology, first developed for the multi-award-winning Px8 over-ear headphones. An innovative Smartcase retransmission function for Pi8 supports high-quality audio for USB and 3.5mm connected music sources.
With their all-new industrial design and completely revised mechanical, electronic and acoustic engineering, Pi8 are undoubtedly the most comfortable, fully featured and best sounding earbuds the brand has ever made.
Utilising Qualcomm wireless transmission technology and equipped with state-of-the-art active noise cancellation, Pi8 include all the key features and technologies demanded by today's discerning consumer. For Bowers & Wilkins, the aim is clear: to deliver the same category-defining success in earbuds that the brand has already achieved in premium over-ear headphones.
Pi8 – Reference-Quality Redefined: The flagship Pi8 reaches even greater heights of performance. Its 12mm drive units feature proprietary Carbon Cone technology, as used in the multi-award-winning Px8 over-ear headphones. To ensure the best possible results from this formidable drive unit technology, Pi8 adds support for both aptX Adaptive at 24-bit/96kHz and aptX Lossless, the current state-of the-art in wireless headphone transmission technology. This exceptional platform is supported by a dedicated DSP, DAC and amplification from ADI, ensuring the maximum possible resolution and accuracy whatever you're listening to.
All-New Premium Design: Pi8 has been carefully developed to feature elegant design flourishes, premium materials and a high-quality, durable feel, including IP54-rated protection for the earbuds. Every aspect of the design of the new Pi8 has been engineered with purpose. The overall shape of the Pi8 was inspired by an extensive Bowers & Wilkins research project into the variation in human ear form across both gender and ethnicity. Bowers & Wilkins' industrial design team used the results of this study to create an all-new earbud form that delivers exceptional comfort and fit plus outstanding noise cancellation for the broadest possible range of listeners.
Improved User Experience: Pi8 also benefits from comprehensive improvements to set up and user experience. Multipoint Bluetooth pairing uses upgraded antennae and offers simpler connectivity from audio devices to the earbuds; for example, users can now quickly pair a second device to their Pi8s without having to remove the buds from their ears. Made for iPhone (MFI) support ensures seamless integration with iOS devices and effortless onboarding into the Bowers & Wilkins Music app – and Google Fast Pair (GFP) support will follow shortly after launch.
Once configured, Pi8 owners can also access a user-adjustable Bowers & Wilkins five-band Advanced EQ function to fine-tune the sound of the earbuds to their personal taste. For listeners who prefer the True Sound of Bowers & Wilkins, this can be easily bypassed at the touch of a button.
Sleek and Seamless Control: These improvements to setup and usability are partnered by significant revisions to the user interface. The top of each earbud represents a large capacitive touch surface with more advanced sensors that improve the responsiveness and reliability of touch-based interactions. The new industrial design also repositions all antenna and microphones within the earbud to avoid the possibility of accidental blockage of wireless or audio signals, while a new IR proximity sensor provides more reliable and responsive wear sensing.
Alongside the extensive design work put into the form factor of the Pi8 earbuds, they also benefit from a comprehensive rethink of the accompanying charging case, which has been reshaped to make it slimmer and easier to slip into a pocket – and at the same time, look and feel more premium.
The Smartest Earbud Case? In addition, the Smartcase supplied with the flagship Pi8 retains support for both wireless charging and its innovative Wireless Audio Retransmission technology. First introduced to the market in the ground-breaking Pi7, this allows listeners to retransmit audio to their earbuds wirelessly from connected analogue or digital sources, such as in-flight entertainment systems, home computers or even the latest generation of USB-C-enabled iPhones. Pi8's Smartcase can retransmit in aptX Adaptive at up to 24-bit/96kHz quality, delivering a valuable performance upgrade over the older Pi7 S2.
Call Quality and Noise Cancellation: Pi8 features carefully positioned microphones designed to reject unwanted external noises during voice calls. Pi8 is built around the same noise-rejection platform used in the flagship Px8 over-ear headphones. This is teamed with new noise cancellation, including a proprietary ANC algorithm developed by Bowers & Wilkins to deliver the best possible results in Pi8. The design intent is consistent with the approach developed by Bowers & Wilkins for its over-ear Px7 S2 and Px8 headphones: to cancel as much unwanted noise as possible without impacting the musicality of the performance. With you all day, Pi8 offers more battery life than ever. Pi8, with its upgraded DSP/DAC, offers 6.5 hours of outstanding sound quality from the earbuds and a further 13.5 hours from the Smartcase, for 20 hours of total use. As before, all these figures are quoted with ANC on and Pi8 can also be rapidly recharged, with just 15 minutes of charge providing enough energy for two more hours of use.
With four finishes to suit every taste Pi8 is available in the most extensive range of finishes yet offered by Bowers & Wilkins, reflecting the recent success the brand has enjoyed in expanding its colour palette of headphone and earbud models. Pi8 is offered in Anthracite Black, Dove White, Jade Green and Midnight Blue.
Commenting on the launch, Giles Pocock, Vice-President of Brand Marketing, said "I'm thrilled that the Bowers & Wilkins team has once again been able to raise the bar for premium design, performance and quality in the headphone category. Our new Pi6 and Pi8 earbuds are truly special – I'm certain they will be just as successful as our Px7 S2e and Px8 headphones have been."
Our Take
The Bowers & Wilkins Pi8 Active Noise-Cancelling True Wireless Earbuds set a new benchmark for premium audio with their advanced design, cutting-edge features, and supreme comfort. Equipped with 12mm Carbon Cone drive units, as seen in the Px8 over-ear headphones, and supporting aptX Adaptive at 24-bit/96kHz and aptX Lossless, the Pi8 ensures unmatched sound quality. The earbuds feature upgraded DAC, DSP, and amplifier components, delivering precise audio reproduction. A standout feature is the Smartcase, which supports wireless charging and innovative Wireless Audio Retransmission, making it ideal for various audio sources. With excellent active noise cancellation and an ergonomic design inspired by extensive research into ear shapes, the Pi8 combines premium aesthetics, exceptional performance, and user-friendly features like multipoint Bluetooth pairing and improved touch controls. Another winner from Bowers & Wilkins.
Main Features & Specifications
- Design: Active Noise-Cancelling True Wireless Earbuds with aptX™ Adaptive 24/96 and aptX™ Lossless
- Earbuds combine supreme fit and comfort, outstanding sound quality, excellent noise cancellation and premium aesthetics
- Featuring new Carbon Cone drive units with discrete DSP/DAC for superior sound
- Bowers & Wilkins Music App provides set-up and control
- 5 hours battery life from earbuds with a further 13.5 hours available from smartcase, plus audio retransmission from case in aptX Adaptive quality.
- High-performance DSP with dedicated DSP and amplifier/DAC
- True 24-bit audio connection
- 5-band customisable EQ + TrueSound™
- Bluetooth 5.4 with aptX" Lossless technology
- Multipoint connectivity
- Active Noise Cancellation (ANC)
- Wireless & USB-C charging
- Fast charging support
- Apple® MFi Made For iPhone® support
- Bluetooth Codecs
- aptX Lossless
- aptX Adaptive
- aptX Classic
- AAC
- SBC
- Microphones: 3 per earbud for telephony and ANC
- Drive Units: 12mm Carbon Cone
- Battery Type: Rechargeable Lithium lon (earbuds and charging case)
- Battery Life & Charging
- Up to 6.5 hours for earbuds (with ANC on)
- Additional 13.5 hours from charging case
- Charge time = 2 hours
- 15-minute charge = 2 hours playback
- Water Resistance: IP54 (earbuds)
- Audio Inputs
- Earbuds: Bluetooth
- Charging Case: USB-C & 3.5mm analogue jack (wireless audio retransmission via charging case)
- Included Accessories: Extra Small / Small / Medium / Large Ear Tips, 600 mm USB-C to USB-C Charging Cable, 800 mm 3.5mm Jack to USB-C Audio Cable
- Available Finishes: Anthracite Black, Dove White, Jade Green, Midnight Blue
- Charging Case Dimensions (WxHxD): 65 x 52 x 29mm
- Earbuds Weight: 7 g (each)
- Charging Case Weight: 46 g
- Manufacturer's Warranty: 2 Years
Note: Features & Specifications Subject To Change Without Notice. E&OE.