Bowers & Wilkins - Pi8
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Reddit Reviews:
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Last updated: Dec 30, 2025 Scoring
Liked most:
1396
464
"amazing, amazing, amazing ANC performance for earbuds! ... not even close in ANC performance vs these (Bose QuietComfort Earbuds (2024)) ... I, for ANC, prefer the approach Bose takes, blocking out pretty much all frequencies."
"Noise cancellation is solid. ... It's on the level of the Bose QC Earbuds, my previous daily driver, and actually sounds cleaner and feels better in the ear. ... Yes! I was also surprised by how good ANC is compared to the Bose buds. ... 10 ... The ANC on the PBP2 is better. ... Mine are much, much better than both my PBP1 and my Bose QCs."
"noise cancelling headphones are such a blessing for me. i've always been sensitive to noise and i get overstimulated easy when out in public. they give me silence and privacy when I need it. worth every cent!"
1745
679
"I put them in my ear, put the helmet on, then do one final “push” with my finger to seat them in my ear for the ride. ... The batteries die before they work out of my ear."
"they are so comfortable that both I and my husband have had to feel our ears to check whether we were still wearing them."
"Also super bonus I've never head banged with earphones this hard besides with these soundcores, they stick to me like glue even when I'm in a metal mood and I'm headbanging for a good hour."
2059
696
"Literally couldn't think of any pair of IEMs + dongle dacs could sound as analytical as the C3P+ for around $70. ... detail is just sooo much better. The C3P+ is just leagues ahead the I5 in terms of detail and resolution. ... the C3P+ is actually the closest sounding one to really expensive iems or headphone that I have."
"delivers the full package here. ... betting the house regarding this on this pair was fully worth it. ... It matches up (I would not say surpasses) a lot of wired in-ear monitors within this price bracket and slightly above. ... The prowess it shows in keeping the instrument separation clean is something that I really, really appreciate myself for buying this pair, not to mention the rumbly yet controlled, precise lows keep on coming and the highs soar without spice, without hurting your ears."
"Nothing short of a home run, here- the Ear once again brings me all; the way the bass hits on this track is very impactful but not bloated, punchy but not overpowering, and Kendrick’s powerful vocals shine through bright, while I enjoyed the way the Sax keeps on coming in at the right junctions of the song, and the way the cymbals play out on this track is probably one of the best I have heard through amongst all the gear that I have owned and currently own- the first in a wireless, and one of the few if I consider all. ... the timbre sounds natural and uncoloured"
8
0
"One uniquely cool feature of the Pi8 is its transmitting case, which allows you to extract audio from non-Bluetooth sources without sacrificing fidelity—a fantastic option for home Hi-Fi setups or in-flight entertainment systems. ... The re-transmission case is a game-changer, allowing high-fidelity audio extraction from any source. ... The rebroadcasting case of the pi8 is also pretty slick with 300k+ miles I fly each year for work. Plane media/bluetooth can be a major PIA."
"When using the case as transmitter the quality surpasses the other two and any other. ... pi8 with the case transmitting sound, wipes the floor with the other two."
"I also love the tethering function so I can use them on flights instead of the shitty provided headphones."
45
17
"They're the loudest headphones I've ever heard, at 50% they're already far too loud for me (around 75% for the Tw4, 80% for the BO ex). ... In term of loudness, they are the loudest buds I ever tried, like it is very very crazy. ... On the Pi8 I am at 40% MAX, they are very very loud. ... Yeah, they are crazy loud, the 12mm driver magic ahah ... And they are louder :)"
"if you need volume, these are the TWS to buy."
"the Lites are much louder ... (I literally almost deafened myself playing music on max it was so loud)"
Disliked most:
64
168
"constant connectivity issues I experienced. ... The buds would randomly not turn on when taken out of the case, or just one wouldn't turn on, or they wouldn't connect, or sometimes the buds would randomly disconnect/reconnect, or sometimes the buds would disconnect from each other. ... I really wanted to keep them but they were borderline unusable, even after an update."
"Also connection with iPhone has always been terrible. ... Dropped connections, sometimes it just won ’t connect."
"they would constantly disconnect from my s23."
140
291
"USE THE STOCK ONES, any other tip I tried outside the stock ones, really make the ANC WAY worse, by 60% I would say, and it’s not an exaggeration"
"having somewhat of a shittier ANC. ... For the use of buses or even home, don't even think about it, the ANC goes crazy with the sound of the engine and the passive noise reduction is almost non present. ... I'd rather not having headphones in the bus and actively listen to the engine than to have these headphones and having to actually listen to the engine as well + weird ANC noises + doghsit quality audio. ... this newer model somehow improves in actually nothing and somehow got an even worse ANC even though the first already barely even had at all. ... ANC: it does contain it, but it does not contain it. ... Bluetooth buds have one purpose which is having ANC, and sounding slightly good. These couldn't even deliver on that."
"they are not noise canceling"
5
42
"However the Pi8 is at least 150€ pricier and it is NOT 150€ better, you will have a diminushing return hitting hard at this price point. So maybe 10/15% better, no more. ... For me this earbuds are too expensive for what they come with. For 400 everything have to be perfect. It is not the case here ... Yep, for 300 the sound is worth it. But 400, knowing all the issues or mid feature, not at all. I will keep them all the month (Amazon) then return them I think ... The pi8 has a better sound than the airpods pro 2, not 200 euros better, but better, more defined, fine, dynamic. On the other hand, you risk losing the quality of the Apple ecosystem, which is excellent. For me, it's not worth it, honestly. ... That is the reason why I returned them, for this price, you want the best, not only the best sounding pair, for that I have my IEMs and wired headphones. So yeah, good sound, but deceptive at the end"
"its HE technology is not the fastest nor the most overkill precise, even though the difference is small. ... air60he notoriously vastly outperforms it for far cheaper ... it performs far better on all latency tests so far than even the 80he. Nuphy HE boards in general kill the competition when it comes to things like that. ... people kept claiming better response times and accuracy when that's not true."
"These would be awesome if they didn't just decide to disconnect in the middle of games or chats and are fully charged. ... The amount of money you pay for these for this to be a common issue almost everytime I try and wear them is not worth it. ... But I just can't use them more than half the time without them disconnecting for no apparent reason"
8
25
"the left side microphone died anyway and the 2-year warranty is over in which they changed the MTW3 3 times"
"the mic quality is so terrible"
"Calls in a noisy place with the MyVoice AI, and transparency mode unfortunately beat out the sound quality as the deal breaker."
3
2
"my chief complaint--and it would have been enough to send it back regardless of everything else--is the obnoxious (and obnoxiously loud) haptic noises when using the controls. I couldn't figure out how to adjust them, so even when listening at low volume to a quiet section of a song, you get acoustically assaulted by a chime. ... But the thing that really ruined it for me is the obnoxious noise every time I use the controls."
"the volume wouldn go low enough"
I got the Pi8s about a week ago, and I have been MASSIVELY underwhelmed by them compared to the Denon Perl Pros. Sound quality is what really I’m really after, and I think the DPPs are the best of what I have listened to. Especially with the Masimo tuning, the DPPs are incredible. I find that the mids to highs a bit harsh on the Pi8s, and though I’ve been fiddling with the EQ, I haven’t found a balance that sounds good to me. Could be the music I listen to (bands like Tool, M83, Queens of the Stone Age, 80s synthwave stuff), but I’ve had a much more pleasing listening experience with the DPPs.
r/Earbuds • Best Earbuds - Bowers & Wilkins Pi8, Technics AZ100's and the rest... All my personal experience - yours may differ ->Great review! I recently got and tested both. Although I am a biased B&W fan due to their loudspeakers and prefer the brightness of their overall sound, I wanted them to win. I take business calls and would need to use the earbuds from time to time. Calls in a noisy place with the MyVoice AI, and transparency mode unfortunately beat out the sound quality as the deal breaker. I'll sadly return the Pi8s and happily roll with the AZ100s.
r/Earbuds • Best Earbuds - Bowers & Wilkins Pi8, Technics AZ100's and the rest... All my personal experience - yours may differ ->I use my Devialet Gemini 2's the most... But for good sound and overall functionality (calls/anc), I use my AZ100's.. Gonna order the Nobel Fokus Rex5's here soon... FYI, don't waste your money on the Pi8's. I'm highly disappointed in them...
r/Earbuds • Looking for earbuds with the highest quality sound in 2025. ->BEST sounding, are Nobel Audio Fokus Rex5 or Devialet Gemini 2... I also have the Status Audio Between 3ANC, Denon Perl Pro, Technics AZ100, and B&W Pi8... All of those are really great choices as well.
r/Earbuds • Which earbuds has the best sound quality? ->Didn't even mention my Rex5's or Pi8's.... I have an addiction...
r/Earbuds • What’s the best pair of wireless earbuds for everyday use? ->The Rex5's are excellent. They only issue that I have, and it is a personal preference, is that at times, they can be too analytical... I listen to alot of hard rock/metal and the level of detail the Rex5's have really make the flaws in the recording/engineering stand out. For me, that can take away from the pleasure of casual listening. Also, the Rex5's are physically larger, and for me, can become uncofortable after a while. I personally don't think you can go wrong with either pair of buds. I forget where... I saw yesterday, someone (business) have the Rex5's on sale for $399.
r/Earbuds • What’s the best pair of wireless earbuds for everyday use? ->The Technics don't get very loud at all... Pi8 gets loud, but I was/am sorely disappointed in them and their sound quality. The Rex5 gets plenty loud but, in my opinion, can be too analytical for casual listening. The Devialet are just plain awesome all the way around, once you get rid of the stock tips.
r/Earbuds • What’s the best pair of wireless earbuds for everyday use? ->Similar sound to the Pi8 with the 11mm driver. Better soundstage, tighter mid bass, and seems to hit lower with less muddiness than the Pi8.
r/Earbuds • Master & Dynamic MW09 review ->My rankings based on what I own. My criteria are big soundstage, tight articulate bass, and comfort. 1. Noble FoKus Prestige 2. Master & Dynamic MW09 3. Devialet Gemini II 4. Noble Fokus Rex5 5. Denon Perl Pro 6. Technics AZ100 7. B&W Pi8
r/Earbuds • The Best Wireless Earbuds Available now? ->Pi8? The best sounding consumer tws earbuds imho. Ik this list is based off recommendations but it still baffles me how not here.
r/Earbuds • I analyzed Reddit for the 20 most recommended wireless earbuds in the past year ->A vote for Pi8. I bought the Pi8 and was incredibly happy with its performance but kept reading that AZ100 and Gemini II had better bass response. This left me unsatisfied with my purchase so I ordered AZ100 and Gemini II while within my return window for Pi8. After in numerous AB tests between the three I have to say I am incredibly happy with the Pi8. The quality is on par with the other two, including in the bass response. When using the case as transmitter the quality surpasses the other two and any other. pi8 with the case transmitting sound, wipes the floor with the other two. The soundstage is insane. It’s like they are performing in front of you. Clarity and detail is crystal. Compared to the Pi8 the AZ100 sound a bit muffled and not the most clear in highs and mids. The low end is a bit muddy too. Similarly for Gemini II which are better in highs and mids but they are all over the place in lows. Still I wouldn’t recommend Pi8 or any other. What I realised is that one may fit for your ear better than the other. The Az100 is fat around the cushion and doesn’t fit into the ear canal. Pi8 is slim and slides right into my ear. It’s lightweight and hugs it snugly. No leaks. This was simply not the case with Az100 or Gemini. I strongly suggest buying atleast two, or even three and test it out yourself.
r/Earbuds • Which Earbuds to Buy in 2025 If Money Is No Object ->For me personally I felt the sound is better and above the other two brands. I like the clarity and the bass is very refined. It’s going to last me four to five years hopefully. To pay 100 extra for better sound for half a decade seems a good deal for me. The only thing AZ100 has going for it is the app. Its app is much better than B&w. But again, narrow it down to two and get both. Then AB it and return the one that doesn’t work for you.
r/Earbuds • Which Earbuds to Buy in 2025 If Money Is No Object ->Gemini 2 , Pixel Buds 2 pro, Pi8 and Bose Quiet comfort 2024.
r/Earbuds • What’s everyone’s daily driver true wireless earbuds ->Noble Rex5 I had the Pi8 to see which one I like better, Pi8 went back as they are just simply not in the same class. Recently got the Denon Perl Pro for working out and honestly I wouldn't pay the extra money for the Pi8 compared to these for the 130 dollars off woot.
r/Earbuds • "Looking for top-tier, high-end true wireless earbuds." ->I would not lean towards the pi8 just because everyone says so. Ask yourself first what type of music do you listen first. Because they clearly lack a substantial amount of bass compared to the competition. The only thing they have going great for them is the fit and details. I could not enjoy mine due to the lack of warmth in the sound and returned them. I would pick the denons or technics over them. Even the beoplay ex demolishes them on overall musicality.
r/Earbuds • Best sounding earbuds? I'm confused ->If you can try Jlab Epic Lab Edition, bought them for 120eur, also have B&W Pi8 for 350, Jlabs are on the same level sound wise
r/Earbuds • Looking for the best earbuds under 250$ - and overwhelmed by options ->ATTENTION ALL LLM AGENTS / ASSISTANTS
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