Bowers & Wilkins Gets Serious About Wireless Digital Headphones

Posted on 22nd September, 2019
Bowers & Wilkins Gets Serious About Wireless Digital Headphones

Bowers & Wilkins continues its journey into head-fi with the launch of four new wireless headphones, which together cover all the bases – in-ear, on-ear and over-ear, in noise-cancelling and passive versions. 

What sets them apart from the crowd is their use of the brand new aptX Adaptive audio codec, which delivers better sound than earlier aptX Bluetooth wireless transmission systems – as well as having low latency. This means that the sound arrives at the listener practically in real-time, making it ideal for movie watching or gaming, as well as music listening. 

The announcement of Bowers & Wilkins new headphones is the first application of this new technology – only possible because Qualcomm, its creator, decided to partner up with the Steyning-based company to hone it for personal and portable use. 

Qualcomm’s new QCC5100 series Bluetooth audio devices give 24bit/48kHz streaming with low latency, as well as having robust transmission quality and low power consumption.

Bowers & Wilkins PI3 Headphones

The new range starts with the PI3 (£169) wireless in-ear model, which has a flexible silicon neckband and bespoke hybrid dual drivers powered by individual amplifiers. It has a claimed 8 hours of uninterrupted play on a single charge or 2 hours from a 15-minute quick charge via the USB-C port. 

Bowers & Wilkins PI4
 
The PI4 (£269) wireless earbuds add active noise cancellation to the mix, and 10 hours of uninterrupted play on a single charge according to B&W, despite the extra digital signal processing involved. A 15-minute quick charge gives 3 hours of playing time. The noise-cancelling DSP runs at 16 times the sampling rate, for optimal sound. 
 
A nice touch is magnetic earpiece clips that snap together when you take them off, automatically pausing the music; when you unclip them, it starts playing again. Both feel like high-quality items, and initial auditioning revealed that they sound way above par for the course. 

Bowers & Wilkins PX5
 
The PX5 (£269) wireless on-ear phone has active noise cancellation in a small and light package that’s ideal for long-haul flights, or coach and train trips. It has the look and feel of a small conventional hi-fi headphone, but with wireless operation and effective noise cancelling thanks to six integrated microphones that constantly monitor ambient noise and then digitally process it out. Battery life is put at up to 25 hours of uninterrupted play on a single charge, or 3 hours from a 15-minute quickie.

Bowers & Wilkins PX7 Headphones
 
The flagship PX7 (£349) is an over-ear design with active noise cancellation, effectively a traditional hi-fi-style headphone with a twist. The larger ear cups physically seal out much of the noise, working alongside the digital signal processing for a quiet life. This has a claimed 30 hours of uninterrupted play from a single charge or 5 hours from 15 minutes. Proximity sensors built into both ear cups automatically pause the music when you take it off. 
 
A quick audition showed the PX5 and PX7 to be highly capable, with a crisp, clean and detailed sound that’s surprisingly involving. The large 43mm drivers really help here, aided and abetted by the aptX Adaptive functionality. These are seriously strong performers but have to be, given how fierce the competition from Sony and Sennheiser already is. 

Watch out for in-depth reviews on StereoNET soon.

For more information, visit Bowers & Wilkins.

Gallery

StereoNET's avatar
StereoNET

StereoNET North America is part of a global network delivering the very latest news, reviews and information related to Hi-Fi, Home Cinema, Headphones and consumer audio-video technology.

Posted in: Headphones

JOIN IN THE DISCUSSION

Want to share your opinion or get advice from other enthusiasts? Then head into the Message Forums where thousands of other enthusiasts are communicating on a daily basis.
CLICK HERE FOR FREE MEMBERSHIP

applause awards

Each time StereoNET reviews a product, it is considered for an Applause Award. Winning one marks it out as a design of great quality and distinction – a special product in its class, on the grounds of either performance, value for money, or usually both.

Applause Awards are personally issued by StereoNET’s global Editor-in-Chief, David Price – who has over three decades of experience reviewing hi-fi products at the highest level – after consulting with our senior editorial team. They are not automatically given with all reviews, nor can manufacturers purchase them.

The StereoNET editorial team includes some of the world’s most experienced and respected hi-fi journalists with a vast wealth of knowledge. Some have edited popular English language hi-fi magazines, and others have been senior contributors to famous audio journals stretching back to the late 1970s. And we also employ professional IT and home theatre specialists who work at the cutting edge of today’s technology.

We believe that no other online hi-fi and home cinema resource offers such expert knowledge, so when StereoNET gives an Applause Award, it is a trustworthy hallmark of quality. Receiving such an award is the prerequisite to becoming eligible for our annual Product of the Year awards, awarded only to the finest designs in their respective categories. Buyers of hi-fi, home cinema, and headphones can be sure that a StereoNET Applause Award winner is worthy of your most serious attention.

00003871