Top positive review
5.0 out of 5 starsIncredible sound and comfort makes them worth the high asking price
Reviewed in the United States on November 3, 2022
I have spent months (years, really) of research searching for the perfect set of no-compromise, best-at-everything bluetooth ANC headphones at any price. I've bought and ended up returning a couple sets that each disappointed in some way or another, and had essentially given up on such a headset ever existing. My priorities are (in order):
- Sound (including high-bitrate bluetooth codecs because I prefer to listen wirelessly)
- Comfort (especially over many hours on long flights)
- Active Noise Canceling (ANC)
- Call quality
- Quality-of-life features (I like buttons, though I know some prefer touch controls)
The recent wave of ultra-premium headphones (Focal Bathys, B&W PX8, M&D MW75, Mark Levinson No. 5909, B&O Beoplay H95, etc.) got my hopes up, and while I don't think any of them truly hit that "no compromise" standard, the PX8 from Bowers & Wilkins came *very* close, and for me is the best on the market at any price (as of fall 2022).
~~~Sound~~~
First and foremost, they sound incredible. My wife has the Sony WH-1000XM5's and while those sound great (significantly better than their Bose counterparts, imho), the PX8's blow them out of the water on clarity and separation. I won't try to write up a full audiophile description of the sound because there are plenty of more qualified ones online, but I will give an anecdote: without telling her which headphones or their price tag, I put these on my wife's head and played a song she loves and has heard many times (instrumental metal, if that matters). She listened quietly and said "It sounds like I'm hearing this song for the first time."
Also important to me is the fact that the sound is on the warm side and easy to listen to for extended periods. I am sensitive to high-frequency sound and often have problems with sibilance or a "sharp" quality to high end audio equipment that strives for upper range extension. These have plenty of detail in the highs, but none of that sharp quality that I personally find irritating.
~~~Comfort~~~
The other area that the B&W PX8's really shine is on comfort. I have big ears that stick out a lot, and many over-ear headphones press my ears down in a way that gets uncomfortable. My wife's Sony XM5's are a great example - because they have such stellar ANC I like to borrow them for flights, but I can only wear them for a couple hours before my ears get physically sore. The PX8's have no such problem. They have large earcups, and the angled drivers create a deep space in the back that gently cradles even my Dumbo-esque ears. I keep finding excuses to wear them, because they just feel so good.
~~~Active Noise Cancelling~~~
This is why I say they aren't truly "no compromise" headphones. The passive noise blocking is quite good, and the ANC is effective at cutting down outside sound, but it isn't class-leading. The Sony XM5's, Bose QC45's, and Apple Airpods Max all seem to do a better job of creating that total Cone of Silence I crave on long flights. This is a common trend among the most premium audiophile headphones though, and some companies have said that there are engineering trade-offs that have to be made between sound quality and ANC. I'm not sure I'm totally sold on that narrative, but if slightly weaker ANC is the price of this glorious sound quality, then that's an acceptable trade in my book.
~~~Call Quality~~~
Very good, my voice can be heard clearly. Not quite as good at blocking out background sounds as the Sony XM5's or my Jabra headset with a boom mic, but perfectly adequate for the situations I need.
~~~Features~~~
I love the well-made buttons (I live in a cold weather climate where touch controls are less than ideal), and the app is refreshingly simple. It doesn't have some bells and whistles (no adjustable ANC, limited EQ options, no voice detection or automatic situational awareness), but it has what I need and works well. The only exception here is on-ear detection, which is finicky and frequently pauses the music even on "low" so I had to turn it off. It's not a must-have feature for me but might be more bothersome for some.
Edit: another issue I have noticed after a couple weeks of use is that the "skip backward" function doesn't work very well. In theory you can skip backward with a triple-press of the multifunction button, which I do often when I want to go back a few seconds in a podcast, but 80% of the time it either skips forward or pauses instead. Not a huge deal, but annoying.
~~~Summary~~~
Best-sounding, most comfortable bluetooth ANC headphones I have ever tried. Other features aren't necessarily the best among the competition - in particular I wouldn't mind having stronger, adjustable ANC - but they are more than good enough, and all together I think the package justifies the high price.
