Deal.ai Canada. Prices in Canada, in Canadian dollars (CAD), from stores that sell in Canada. Shopping in the US? See US prices
The Bowers & Wilkins Px8 is a flagship wireless over-ear headphone with active noise cancellation, 40 mm angled carbon-cone drivers and a 24-bit DSP, wrapped in Nappa leather and memory foam. It is built for comfort and premium materials, with Bluetooth 5.2, USB-C charging and audio, and a 1.2 m USB-C to 3.5 mm cable for wired listening. Battery life runs up to 30 hours, and a 15-minute charge gives about 7 hours of playback. It competes with lighter flagship headphones on sound and materials rather than on portability.
In stock
In stockMade for another market
In stock
In stock
In stockShips from abroad · duties may apply
Availability unknown
Availability unknown
Out of stock
Out of stock
Out of stock
Out of stock
Lowest price we've seen: CA$655.39 on Nov 10 at eBay. Tracked across 8 stores since Nov 10.
Owners and reviewers praise the Px8 for its striking build, comfortable fit and detailed, vocal-forward sound. Noise cancellation is rated among the best in its class. The main complaint is weight compared with rival over-ears.
Company & Product Overview
Bowers & Wilkins, the iconic high-end speaker manufacturer from England just released another new, redesigned flagship model for their P Series of wireless noise-canceling headphones—the Bowers & Wilkins Px8.
The previous Px7 S2 Wireless Noise-Canceling Headphone took us by surprise—but it has quickly become one of our Best-Selling Wireless Headphones at Audio Advice since its debut.
Every year, the luxury Px series constantly tops our list of Must-Have Audio Gear for Remote Workers, so we were excited to be the first—again—to receive the new flagship model from Bowers & Wilkins, and review the Px8 ahead of its official release.
The B&W Px7 S2 was completely redesigned inside and out—but this flagship model is taking the series to the next level. Like the S2, Px8 continues B&W trend of drawing inspiration from the really gorgeous designs of high-end luxury sports cars—but Px8 is all about living, lavishly.
We will talk about the Px8 throughout this review—but bear in mind that the build quality and performance is not the same as the Px7 S2 that was released prior to this model. Px8 is the new flagship headphone that offers a brand-new drive unit technology from Bowers and Wilkins—plus the engineers have doubled down on the use of premium materials for this model.
The software and electronics are the same as the Px7 S2, so if you are considering one of the new P Series of wireless headphones with noise-canceling from B&W, then this review is for you.
Keep in mind that when you buy from Audio Advice, not only do you get free shipping, lifetime support, and price guarantee, but you’ll also receive our exclusive Tips & Tricks setup guide to get you up and running with your new B&W Px headphones in no time.
Packaging, Design & Build Quality
In our review on the Px7 S2, we told you how much we loved the swiveling ear cups, so we are very happy to find this same design in the flagship model. This allows your headphones to lay flat on a desk whenever you don’t have a headphone stand close by. It’s a smart design that makes a lot of sense for travel-friendly headphones—and we continue to see this trend in the latest noise-canceling headphones from even the most popular brands this year.
Similar to the Px7 S2, Bowers & Wilkins bundles a nice headphone case that will protect your investment while you are on-the-go. Similar to the travel case that comes with the Px7 S2, there is some extra room inside that accommodates the Px8’s larger ear cups—and we like how the deep central pouch magnetically shuts to stow all of the accessories with your headphones. One difference we should mention about the travel case that comes with the Px8 is that the zipper tab is made with Nappa leather, another nice luxury touch. Inside the pouch, there is a very long 4-foot USB-C to 3.5mm headphone cable and another generous 4-foot USB-C charging cable just like Px7 S2.
In terms of looks, the engineers at Bowers & Wilkins have really doubled down with their use of premium materials for Px8. Similar to the Px7 S2, the headphones have a modern, high-end style—however, instead of just cloth & aluminum for materials—the Px8 features fine Nappa leather detailing and a diecast aluminum construction, which really helps these headphones create a special feeling as you wear them.
Bowers & Wilkins were not conversative in their use of premium materials, either. For their flagship model, the engineers covered almost the entire surface with soft Nappa leather, which you will find on the headband and the exteriors of the earcups, too.
The smooth-surfaced aluminum frame and yoke were produced as a single cast aluminium arm structure using a special metal-forming process called “diecasting.” This pressurizes hot, molten metals into accurately defined, incredibly smooth surfaced metal parts. One of the most significant benefits of aluminum diecasting for travel-friendly headphones is that it helps create lighter parts with more surface finishing options that will also resist corrosion.
The Px8 is available in two colors—including dark black and a light tan leather finish. Both color options feature the lightweight cast aluminum frame that is available in either dark or light metal finishes.
Unique to Px8 are its shiny diamond-cut edges that surround the matching Bowers & Wilkins logos on the exterior plates of the ear cups. The style and craftsmanship reminds us of their P5 headphone design—and this distinctive contrast creates a crisp “pop” of high-end “sheen” against its fine leather and single cast aluminum finishes.
From a user experience point of view, everything electronically about the design is the same as the Px7 S2. On the left ear cup, there is a multifunction button that you can customize to activate the Active Noise Canceling and Ambient Aware transparency modes—or, this can be set to automatically activate your phone's built-in voice assistant.
On the right ear cup, there is a toggle switch that powers the headphones on/off and this also activates the Bluetooth pairing modes. There is also an indicator LED that flashes or illuminates a solid white light to let you know the status of the Bluetooth connection and the battery. Next, there is an easy-to-find ribbed button for controlling playback in between dedicated buttons for raising and lowering the volume and these all function exactly like the Px7 S2.
Finally, there is a USB-C port for charging the headphones, and the indicator LED that will glow amber to show you that it is time for a charge. It’s important to note, Bowers & Wilkins is one of the few who make their USB-C port capable of both charging and passing hi-res audio through the wired connection. Exactly like the Px7 S2, we see the USB-C audio cable as an added bonus for those wanting the best audio quality from their laptops.
Comfort
The redesigned form and shape for the new Px series took many months of r
