Bowers & Wilkins Px8 McLaren Wireless Headphones, Noise Cancelling Over-Ear Bluetooth Headphones with High-Resolution Audio, 6-Mic ANC, Fast-Charge, 30-Hour Battery Life

The moment I opened the case for these headphones I knew they were pure quality, the burgundy and gold colour is amazing, the design and build quality is second to none, I put them on and found them extremely comfortable and light, but not too light, you know that you have something special on your head. I like rock music but I have been listening to a range of different types, after I set the app up, set the headphones to how I like them I put guns n roses on and I have to say I actually felt my jaw drop and the hairs go up on the back of my neck, the anc is good (not perfect), but the sound is incredible, the bass is deep but well controlled, the mids are sublime and the highs are tingling without sounding harsh, I have tried a lot of headphones and the px8's performance is levels above anything I have tried previously ( and I've tried budget to high performance). Even though they're expensive, though I got them at a good price thanks to amazon, even at their original price are worth every penny, in my humble opinion there is not anything up to £1000 (or probably beyond) that can touch the looks, build, comfort or performance of these most amazing headphones. Thank you bowers and wilkins, I finally have found my perfect headphones.

The best headphones I have ever bought. Expensive but worth the money if you enjoy your music. The sound quality is excellent and the battery life is great.

Okay, so these are loud. I've had flagship Sonys, Bose and the previous Bowers and Wilkins. None of them compare. The Sony option, has lots of great features, what the Bowers lack. The Bose are comfortable with great sound. But, the Bowers have something I have been looking for since I first started buying headphones. They drown out the world around you completely, without sacrificing your ears in the process. I can have these at half the volume, still have loud enough great sounding audio, whilst not hearing the outside world. This is something I've never experienced before. Even with the world class ANC on the Sonys. They also look and feel fantastic. No cheap plastic here, just quality materials. My Sonys snapped at the joints, and my Bose started shedding. These however are going to last. Much better than they're previous attempt! Buy on sale like I did, they often come down.

This headphone sound crisp and clean with heavy bass, the mid and vocal blends well together. They also look and feels great. The built quality is premium with soft leather. The app is simple to use with easy adjustment of the bass and treble. Noise cancellation works well, the headphones pause when removed and continue as soon as you put them back on. They are quite expensive but worth it if you can afford them. Simply one of the best pair of headphones as they are well made with premium materials.

To preface all of the following - I wear glasses and have an odd shaped head. You'll see why this matters in a moment. I've been out of the audiophile game for a few years but after a recent windfall I fancied a nice set of ANC headphones and after a bit of lusting settled on the PX8. The sound this headset produce is genuinely impressive, the sound stage is broader than I expected though not airy. The bass and treble is very articulate and have genuinely revealed more to me in music I have listened to for years, including with my old DAC and Sennies I've used since my last thrust into Audiophilia. Using the B&W app I've dropped the Bass by -2dB and found this really brings the mids forward and balances the signature out to my ear. The 3D imaging is shocking at times, I have genuinely jumped thinking something is happening near me when something zips past in a song. In short - the audio is excellent, and I am very happy. So what's with the intro? Well, here's the thing. The sound stage shifts, to my ear. Odd statement, but sometimes it sounds like instead of the band being directly in-front they are playing off to the left or right, or the Treble and Bass are balanced but all the mids are subdued to one side so it sounds like a guitarist is sat way off to the side on a stool while all the other musicians are still ahead. It took me a while to figure this out. I initially thought it was an imbalance in the drivers, then I thought it was ear wax, maybe inconsistent voltage from the battery, dodgy amp in the headset?? Nope, compression of the ear cups. Whichever side sounds thin, I tighten the headband and push the cup up against the ear and it goes away. I'd read before purchase that clamp was decent on these, and they feel solid on my head and sealed around my glasses, so I don't really understand what's going on here, but I found my fix and the issue is resolved. Having a weird head isnt cause for a loss of a star though, so what's that about? The ANC. I knew going in that this would not be market leading, I'd seen the reviews and knew there were better options for this, and while ANC was a prerequisite it was not the main priority - I just wanted a lovely sound with less of the crowd noise. That said, the ANC has some incredible blind spots, literally areas around me where it simply cancels nothing. If I stood in a crowd or a supermarket with my eyes closed I could not tell you what's going on to the front or to either side of me. Behind me, or at specific degrees to the forward left or right though, I can hear everything. It's really disappointing, and I've not heard anyone mention this before. This specific problem is the reason I've dropped a star. It's a jarring and intrusive fault. Any other problems? The app options are a bit basic, mentioned in reviews. The subdued and refined looks I feel are entirely ruined by the big silver branding on the cups, aware of before purchase and growing on me. Terrified of losing them? Predictable. 4 Stars then. Thanks for reading.

Edit 8 months in: I still love these so much. I prefer listening over USB-C at home, in quiet environments you can hear the difference vs Bluetooth (even aptX HD/Adaptive). ANC is solid and does a pretty good job, not market leading but it's still very good. Sound is the main thing though, still exquisite. Quite some years ago I had a pair of B&W PX and they were the most uncomfortable headphones I've ever worn, and I've avoided B&W since. That was a mistake; these are incredible. I've had a lot of wireless noise cancelling headphones (every B&O flagship model except the H100, a couple of Bose models, a couple of Sony ones, and a set of Master & Dynamics) and these are the best sounding of this style of headphone I've ever owned. I listen to a lot of metal and bluetooth noise cancelling headphones always struggle with delivering both loud/complex instrumentals and vocals. Except these. Every track I throw at them has the separation I've been dreaming of, and I can't believe I waited this long from launch to try them (which would have saved me buying a far more expensive pair of B&O H95 a year ago that I've have been nothing but disappointment on every front!). To sumarise, these: sound unbelievably good, feel like a cloud on my head (and still have a good seal with with glasses), have solid ANC (I prefer my AirPods Pro 2's ANC, but the Px8 are like 95% there).

Amazing headphones for the one charge I got out of these. Lightweight, look amazingly good, noise cancellation on point and the sound is just incredible. However, the battery on my set was useless - and an issue which is more common than it should be for £600. Charged fine the first time unwrapped from the box and when they hit 30% or so I sat them in a dock and plugged them in. The charging indicator worked for 3 minutes - if that - before turning solid green and the B&W app showing the headphones were at 100%. Neat - or so I thought. I turned them on, listened to about an hour of music before they switched off. I tried to turn back on but no luck. Plugging them in and watching the battery indicator in the app showed there was <1%. The charging indicator blinked for 3 minutes again, the app showed 100% battery but as soon as I unplugged from the power, the app showed <1% again. I have not been able to charge these again and looking around the internet, this is an issue which comes up too often. I have had no problems returning these so the customer service has been brilliant but for £600 I expected perfect and got something far from it. Returned for full refund and will opt for Bathys or Bang & Olufsen for a premium set of headphones.

Excellent headphones, sound quality is great, I love their sound quality. The build of materials, comfort and ease of use are great. These are truly premium headphones. I am a private consumer and my review is based on my private daily use - I just here music... Very comfortable to wear, easily connect to my iphone 15. The ANC is good - sufficient for me (they do not compete with bose) but if the sound quality and build of materials are more important to you than the ANC (which again - is fine and does its job) - I would defiantly recommend the PX8

Premium build quality and perfect for an audiophile enthusiast! Balanced and vividly captivating imaging.👌👌👌

I have a Sony WH1000-xm4 as well, but because sound quality is most important to me because I listen to music a lot, I decided to buy the PX8 based on the good reviews. In short, the PX8 indeed has got a nicer, more natural sound than the Sony. I don't think it's bass heavy at all like a lot of people are saying about the PX8, actually the Sony is the one with the heavier bass. The PX8's bass is really tight and controlled, but the mids and highs is where it really shines. Regarding ANC and app, the Sony is the clear winner in my opinion. The Sony's are a lot more silent, and it handles surrounding noise much better. 5 band EQ on the Sony is nice, but I leave the PX8 treble/bass sliders neutral anyway because it just sounds so good in this setting. I tried it in an airplane as well, but sometimes it looked like the PX8's ANC struggled to neutralize the surrounding noise. My wife used the Sony and after a short swap, I clearly noticed that it was quite a bit better in the airplane. On the other hand, the PX8 was still very usable and a joy to listen to in the plane. The build quality is heaps better than the Sony's, the PX8 make the Sony's look and feel cheap, which is to be expected because the MSRP is twice as high. I had a good deal on Amazon, but I never would have paid full price for the PX8, this also goes for other brands. Paying 700 euros for a wearable is just ridiculous in my opinion. All in all, the PX8 gets my recommendation for somebody who is looking for pure sound quality. However if you are looking for an allround, general use ANC headphone, you should definitely try the Sony WH1000-xm4. It just is the better overall performer for general use in my opinion. I'm glad to have them both😊

Got this at Prime Days, and was it a great deal! Best ANC set of 'phones I had before this was the Sennheiser Momentum 4. That one is pretty good, but this one takes details and soundstage to a different level. Went through my usual favourites, and heard details and trinkets I've only ever heard on my stereo (Kef R3 Meta's driven by a nice amp). So yes, if you can get it at a good price (mine was US$380), no brainer.

Bra ljud. Sköna att ha på sig. Snygga. Kopplar upp bra mot bluetooth. Kostar en hel del. Men du får vad du betalar för.

Fast delivery from Germany but the cardboard box was badly dented, luckily no damage to the headphone. This audiophile headphone sounds great and well made. Recommended.