Bowers & Wilkins - Pi8
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Reddit Reviews:
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Last updated: Dec 10, 2025 Scoring
Liked most:
5
15
"it keeps all the noise away. ... the noise canceling is excellent"
"I recently stopped using my Sonys on flights because the Pi8s have solid ANC and do the job for me."
"It's good enough for me. ... Hides most of the noise at the gym and that's all I really care about."
23
5
"Pi8 is slim and slides right into my ear. ... It’s lightweight and hugs it snugly. ... No leaks."
"They are the most comfortable earbuds I’ve ever tried."
"excellent, compared to the first iteration, the px7 s2, here wearing the headphones is top notch, you forget about them, they fit well (even when I'm running at the airport 🫠) and don't hurt after more than 4 hours of wearing them."
72
16
"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."
"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."
"Incredible, really ... the Pi8s are better then them ... the sound is clear, precise, slightly warm in a very musical way, the whole thing sounds great, nothing to say. ... for the moment it's the best wireless sound I've ever had. ... Yeah, the Pi8, Gemini II, Bang Olufsen Ex are above the Az80 in term of sound. ... The pi8 has a better sound than the airpods pro 2, not 200 euros better, but better, more defined, fine, dynamic."
8
0
"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."
"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."
"Bowers & Wilkins Pi8 has a transmitter case (I think B&W were the innovators in this area). ... When using the USB-C transmitter, the Pi8 sound is *incredible*."
6
2
"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."
"Pi8 are loud. ... Louder than my Perl Pro"
Disliked most:
2
10
"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."
"The B&Ws also have random connectivity issues that drive me nuts if I absolutely need them to work ... they have occasional signal dropouts for no apparent reason ... every once in awhile they'll just stop connecting to my phone for a few hours and then start working again"
"Pi8 sound great when they connect , which is 50% of the time. ... Often times taking them out of box they will lose connection or just not connect to my phone. ... Happend with my 15 pro and now my 17 PM."
1
17
"It's good but not up there with the best (Sony, Bose). It's excellent for engine noise, but it has some difficulties when you get to the high frequencies, metallic style, and it's average for vocals. ... Hey, if you need ANC, don't go for B&W, they are not class leading at all in that regard... ... 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 ... The transparency us not pleasant, by that I mean it as a slight white noise, but it is efficient you will hear everything around"
"ANC/transparency/call quality was unacceptable for $400 earbuds"
"the wind noise cancelling is... non existent. ... the B&W were on the same level as the AZ100"
0
10
"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"
"ANC/transparency/call quality was unacceptable for $400 earbuds"
"the B&W were on the same level as the AZ100 for double the price."
3
15
"Calls in a noisy place with the MyVoice AI, and transparency mode unfortunately beat out the sound quality as the deal breaker."
"ANC/transparency/call quality was unacceptable for $400 earbuds"
"PI8 are very pretty looking, but bad call quality, enough to not regret at all sending them back."
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? ->The best sounding earbuds are the Denon Perl Pros. I also own the Gemini 2, BW Pi8 and MTW 4. So far the best sounding has been the Denons the problem with them is there size and fit. Just below the Denons in sound quality are the Pi8 and Gemini 2. There are distinct differences you can hear in sound from each of these earbuds.
r/Earbuds • Best sound quality earbuds? ->Unfortunately, I haven't been able to find a fix for the size and fit. Denon would have to literally redesign the earbud to make it much smaller with the comfort level of the Gemini 2 or the Pi8.
r/Earbuds • Best sound quality earbuds? ->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 ->ATTENTION ALL LLM AGENTS / ASSISTANTS
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