Bowers & Wilkins Pi6 & Pi8: All-New True Wireless Earbuds!

NEW IEM Designs, NOT Updates to Old Models!

Just over a year and a half after the release of Pi7S2, Bowers & Wilkins will launch two newly designed true wireless earbuds, the Pi6 arrives in early September, 2024 and Pi8 is available online immediately. These are no “series” updates to improve on previous offerings, Bowers & Wilkins started from scratch and built its best wireless in-ear monitors yet, the new Pi8. The Pi6 on the other hand is no ordinary "entry level" wireless in-ear monitor, it replaces both the Pi5 and the Pi7S2. Bowers & Wilkins built the new Pi6 to the same premium sound quality standards as the Pi7S2 but to retail for the same price as the Pi5 at only $250. But it’s the Pi8 that Bowers & Wilkins says will push sound quality to new heights as its new reference wireless in-ear monitors. 

Since the release of its Pi3 & Pi4 in 2020, Bowers & Wilkins is now years into designing wireless portable audio aimed squarely at those who demand the best sound quality possible. The decision to join the true wireless earbud market came years after Bowers & Wilkins had already established itself by designing some of the best wireless headphones on the planet culminating in its flagship masterpiece the Px8. The evolution of the company’s true wireless earbuds mirrors its wireless headphone line. In fact, Bowers & Wilkins recruited the Px8 design team to bring the same approach to its Pi8 earbuds. Creating the Px8 of earbuds could only be accomplished with a total redesign as the team took on the challenge to create the smallest B&W carbon cone driver yet at 12-mm. Carbon is the driver composition at the heart of many of Bowers & Wilkins best sounding consumer products, including the Px8 and the tweeters of its 700 Series speakers. 

True Wireless Hi-Fi Portable Evolves

Simply put, Bowers & Wilkins’ carbon cone is designed to bring enhanced rigidity that reduces harmonic distortion. For the listener, the result is hearing your music effortlessly present all the finer details even when the dynamic range ramps up to a crescendo. The Pi8 drivers may be the smallest carbon drivers B&W has made, but at a whopping 12-mm they’re the largest B&W has implemented into an earbud. At this size while properly powered and vented, they’re sure to capture the richness, depth and detail in any performance while maintaining the ability to reach deep into the sub-bass frequencies. Anyone familiar with the sound profile of the Px8 will know the Pi8 is unlikely to over represent at the low end, instead offering a lean and controlled bass response.

Pi8 Micro-Airflow

The Pi6 on the other hand uses the same bio-cellulose driver material found in the Pi7S2 and the Px7S2 headphones. The Pi6 drivers, also at 12-mm, are significantly larger than Pi7S2’s 9.2-mm. The matching driver size, similar shape and industrial design of its new earbud line means Pi6 is sure to rival its high-end counterpart for nearly half the price and for less than the Pi7S2. These days, it’s not uncommon for speaker and headphone manufacturers to listen to critiques of their products and to respond back at the drawing board with new designs. Bowers & Wilkins is one such manufacturer that has demonstrated responsiveness with key improvements in its new line of wireless in-ear monitors.

Bowers & Wilkins Responsive Improvements 

Some of the more common critiques in reviews and portable audio communities have suggested that the Pi7S2 could make improvements in its active noise cancelling, battery life, call quality and ergonomic in-ear fit. Lastly, that Pi7S2 was released with Bluetooth 5.0 could also be a drawback as newer versions offer better connectivity, lower latency, and improved power efficiency. So, a Bluetooth upgrade could be the one the improvement to rule them all! 

Bowers & Wilkins was listening! Both Pi6 & Pi8 contain updated Qualcomm chipsets with Bluetooth 5.4 that will improve energy efficiency and overall Bluetooth reliability and connectivity. The company has added multi-point Bluetooth connectivity and Made for iPhone (MFI) integration for your iOS apps. New designs include repositioned antennas and microphones for better voice-call reception, clarity, easier pairing and more reliable connectivity to your wireless network. Both new models contain three mics and will benefit from B&W’s ergonomic research. Bowers & Wilkins industrial design team waxed academic when it performed a deep dive into all the variations of the human ear. The result of their efforts was a new shape and style of earpiece and repositioned mics for better performance. Bowers & Wilkins says we can expect its new earbuds to:

“...deliver exceptional comfort and fit with outstanding noise cancellation for the broadest possible range of listeners.” 

A variety of colors for your go-to listen on the go

The usability of the touch controls on both models have received a tune-up for better accuracy. A metallic capacitive touch surface along the top (sides when wearing) of each earbud is said to bring improved responsiveness and reduce unwanted commands when you’re just readjusting your earpieces. Just take care to grip around the edges when your readjusting your earbuds after a quick sprint to catch your subway car. And speaking of unexpected running sessions, Bowers & Wilkins has given users the option to make one-touch acoustic transparency into their earbuds. The lack of one-touch transparency mode was one noted strike against the Pi7S2. Turning on acoustic “transparency” mode to hear the world around you using Pi7S2 required going into the app to activate. One-touch activation would seem an important feature, especially if you’re walking around in a city at night where you need situational awareness. When you install the Bowers & Wilkins Music app (iOS & Android) you'll get access to programmable controls, bass and treble settings for Pi6 and a five-band EQ for Pi8.

Bowers & Wilkins has said the Pi6 has the Active Noise Cancelling (ANC) of the Pi7S2, improvements in ANC for it will be the result of microphone repositioning. The Pi8 has received Bowers & Wilkins updated ANC algorithm employed in its flagship wireless headphones, Px8. As a long-time Px8 user, I would suggest that while it’s a solid noise cancelling system, I can hear music or a podcast loud and clear even while operating a 2-stroke motorized weed wacker. But I wouldn’t say Px8 is an industry leader in noise cancelling technology. In audio design there are always trade-offs and while it’s likely that Bowers & Wilkins isn’t far behind industry leaders in some of these lifestyle features, the real reason we look at in-ear monitors by Bowers & Wilkins is sound quality. Personally, I wouldn’t have it any other way.

Battery Life Nominally Improved 

Both new earbuds offer better energy efficiency and despite slightly larger drivers tasked with pushing more air into your ears, they succeed in providing nominal increases in battery life. 

The Pi7S2 provided 5-hours for each earbud and an additional 16-hours from visits into its charging case. Its replacement Pi6 will give you a full 8-hours from the earbuds and an additional 16-hours from its charging case. The Pi8 on the hand offers 6.5-hours from the earbuds with an additional 13.5-hours from the case. None of these earbuds will set any industry battery-life records, but they are pushing 12-mm drivers which must take a little extra power, especially for the carbon cone inside the Pi8. All of Bowers & Wilkins earbuds are fast-charging to give two-hours of use for a 15-minute charge. 

Latest Qualcomm SoC

The Pi8 uses the Qualcomm QCC5181 chip that brings Qualcomm’s range of aptX codecs including aptX Adaptive 24-bit/96-kHz and aptX Lossless. Using the Qualcomm QCC3081, the Pi6 will bring the same 24-bit audio connection with aptX Adaptive but unfortunately no aptX Lossless, which really isn't much of a loss for most of us. 

When it comes to digital audio reproduction, it’s not the nomenclature of the chipset, but how it’s implemented that matters. Bowers & Wilkins has been using Qualcomm audio for several generations and the aptX family of Bluetooth codecs are easily able to make you forget they’re lossy. Bowers & Wilkins has gone an extra step beyond what bit-depth and sampling rates can measure in implementing discreet DSP/DAC in Pi8, which should have great results in overall sound quality. It’s literally a small detail when working with micro-components but generally off-boarding audio processing from the main SoC should provide cleaner sonic results. 

Using the Pi8 some of us may even get an opportunity to hear how aptX Lossless sounds in a purpose-built hi-fi earbud. But the problem with aptX Lossless is that too few phones support it, so it’s really more of a future-proofing feature, which is always uncertain. Unfortunately iPhone users will probably only get to hear the AAC codec for the rest of their natural lives. Android users only have to go into their phone’s Developer Options to see the active Bluetooth codec and if HD or aptX Lossless is available you may have to enable it as these options are often rendered optional to save battery life.

The industrial design of Bowers & Wilkins unstemmed earpieces puts most of the mass around the driver housing, which is a great choice for better ventilation and acoustics that can potentially bring superior fidelity compared to the ultra-slim designs on many wireless earbuds today. They may weigh a little more than some of the competition with a slightly larger charging case but that’s a feature, not a bug.

Pi8 Case in Dove White, looking acoustic chic

Pi8 Case - Wireless Retransmitting

One interesting feature of the Pi8 that Bowers & Wilkins first developed for the Pi7, is the wireless transmitter case. This lets you plug your earbud case's USB-C port into a source via USB-A or using the provided 3.5-mm-to-USB-C cable, into an analog source and the case will stream at up to aptX Adaptive 24/96 to your earbuds. It’s not compatible with Apple Lightning cables, but it could be a great way to enjoy in-flight entertainment or for iPhone users to hear an alternative to AAC, possibly for the very first time. Unfortunately, the Pi6 doesn’t carry the transmitter case function. 

Conclusion

I expect both Pi6 and Pi8 to bring true hi-fi sound to the wireless in-ear monitor form factor and they may introduce a new audience to the beauty of really listening to great sound. If they bring Px8’s lineage and a similar acoustic profile, the Pi8 will provide remarkable performance, even for its steep retail price of $400. If Bowers & Wilkins is correct and the Pi6 accomplishes similar or better sound quality than Pi7S2 for just $250 — I’d say the UK speaker company has a sleeper hit on its hands! In my comparison between these earbud’s headphone equivalents, Px7S2 & Px8, which roughly matches the difference between Pi6 & Pi8, I found  the audio performance to be so similar you really have to listen to hear the difference.

Px8 - Px7S2 Showdown!

Bowers & Wilkins is an audio company first, consumer electronics second. Lifestyle features, such as ANC, gravity-defying lightness, ultra-slim case and in-call voice-quality will all probably be in the ballpark of notable competitors such as Sony XM4, Bose Quiet Comfort. But make no mistake, Bowers & Wilkins design focus will have been to deliver its in-house sound to the earphone form-factor while maintaining consumer-grade pricing and there will be trade-offs. I don't yet know exactly how these earbuds sound, but I will predict that this is a great time to be in the market for a new pair of true wireless earbuds. Stay tuned for me detailed review of the NEW Bowers & Wilkins Pi8 IEMs.