Bowers & Wilkins has launched its new flagship wireless headphones. The new Px8 model sets a new reference standard for sound, build and finish in the active noise cancelling wireless headphones category. The heart of the Px8 is the same active noise cancelling wireless platform found in the Px7 S2, but in the Px8, that performance is taken to even greater heights of detail, resolution and spaciousness thanks to all-new new 40mm Carbon Cone drivers.
Inspired by the Carbon Dome driver units used in Bowers & Wilkins 700 Series loudspeaker range, the Px8’s new Carbon Cones deliver a combination of ultra-fast response and low distortion throughout the frequency range. The result is improved resolution, detail and timing that surpasses the high bar set by the Px7 S2, ensuring an even more engaging and natural musical performance.
The Carbon Cone drivers in the Px8 are carefully angled inside each earcup to ensure a consistent distance relative to the listener’s ear from every point across the surface of each driver, to produce a more immersive and highly accurate soundstage. The result is "the best sound quality Bowers & Wilkins has ever delivered from a pair of wireless headphones," as the British premium audio brand details.
Among the platform updates, the Px8 uses Qualcomm's latest aptX Adaptive wireless technology to ensure the best possible sound quality from compatible phones, tablets and computers. USB-C and 3.5mm analog cable connections are also supported, with both cable types included in the carry case that accompanies the product.
Whether using wireless or wired connections, the Px8 headphones combine its the high performance of the new drivers with powerful Bowers & Wilkins-developed DSP to deliver true 24-bit high-resolution sound quality from leading streaming services. And when it comes to active noise cancellation, the Px8 uses the Bowers & Wilkins-optimized noise cancellation technology to effectively shut out unwanted noise – crucially, without harming musicality in the process.
Six high-performance microphones work together to measure the output of each drive unit, two reacting to ambient noise from the outside world and two providing voice clarity with enhanced noise suppression. As with the Px7 S2, the performance of the system has been further improved by moving the two external microphones closer together, adjusting the angling of each microphone to improve voice capture and changing the position of the second mic to reduce wind noise interference.
Excitingly, the launch of the new Px8 headphones see a major upgrade for the Bowers & Wilkins Music App. From launch, the Music App will allow Px8 users to stream their chosen music directly from their mobile device to their headphones using the best available codec, with Deezer, Qobuz and TIDAL all supported. The same functionality will roll out to owners of Px7 S2 on the day Px8 launches. As just one example of the benefits of this feature, users can now easily switch between listening at home – for example, via a Bowers & Wilkins Zeppelin – and listening on the move via a mobile device with a pair of Px8 or Px7 S2 headphones.
As before, the Music App also simplifies connection of the Px8 to a mobile device, supports fine-tuning of the sound through adjustable EQ, and allows owners to configure their preferred noise-cancelling mode, all while monitoring the headphone’s charge levels. Physical controls on each earcup are also included, ensuring full control even without the Music App, while users can also use the headphones to seamlessly launch their phone’s Voice Assistant at the touch of a button. With 30 hours of battery life, the Px8 can play all day long – and more – on just one charge, while a 15-minute quick recharge is sufficient to provide up to seven hours of additional listening time.
The premium design and class-leading sound quality of the new Px8 headphones is priced at US $699.
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