The Bowers & Wilkins Px8 Wireless are the highest-end model of this manufacturer's over-ear lineup. Although they have a similar look to their lower-priced sibling, the Bowers & Wilkins Px7 S2 Wireless, a couple of design changes help the Px8 stand out as a premium product. They have an aluminum and Nappa leather frame with 40-mm Carbon Cone dynamic drivers, which the manufacturer advertises to lower distortion and improve clarity. Additionally, they're packed with features like noise cancelling (ANC), multi-device pairing, and aptX Adaptive support for streaming high-quality audio with low latency.
Our Verdict
The Bowers & Wilkins Px8 are good for sports and fitness. They're over-ear headphones, and while they have a stable fit, they can still fall off your head with moderate head movements, which can be an issue if you're doing tough workouts. They also lack an IP rating for water resistance, which is to be expected from over-ears. On the upside, their wireless design means that you don't have to worry about something snagging and pulling them off your head. Plus, they have ANC to isolate you from other gym goers.
- Good overall noise isolation performance.
- Comfortable and premium build.
- Prone to inconsistencies in audio delivery.
The Bowers & Wilkins Px8 are good for commuting and travel. Although bulky, these over-ears have a comfortable, premium build quality and come with a carrying case to help protect them when you're on the go. They also have an ANC system, and although they aren't the best at blocking out rumbly bus and plane engines, they do a better job of reducing ambient chatter. They also last over 30 hours continuously, which will get you from point A to B with ease
- Good overall noise isolation performance.
- Two-band EQ.
- Comfortable and premium build.
- Prone to inconsistencies in audio delivery.
The Bowers & Wilkins Px8 are good for office use. These comfortable over-ears have over 30 hours of playback time to last through long days at your desk. Their ANC can also help block out some background noise, like chatty coworkers and the hum of A/C units. They even support multi-device pairing so you can stay connected to your PC and smartphone simultaneously.
- Good overall noise isolation performance.
- Supports multi-device pairing.
- Comfortable and premium build.
- Prone to inconsistencies in audio delivery.
The Bowers & Wilkins Px8 are Bluetooth headphones, but if you use aptX Adaptive, you can achieve low enough latency for gaming. They have a bass-heavy sound to help emphasize sound effects in gameplay, and their over 30-hour continuous playback time will last through long gaming marathons without an issue.
The Bowers & Wilkins Px8 are decent for wired gaming. They come with a USB-C-to-USB-C and analog-to-USB-C cable, but neither connection offers mic support, so although you'll hear your gameplay, you can't chat with others. If you don't mind this limitation, their bassy sound can help bring out sound effects like footsteps in your games. That said, the headphones are prone to inconsistencies in bass and treble, so you'll need to take the time to adjust their fit to ensure a more consistent sound.
- Good overall noise isolation performance.
- Two-band EQ.
- Prone to inconsistencies in audio delivery.
- No mic support when wired.
The Bowers & Wilkins Px8 are good for audio reproduction accuracy. They have a warm sound profile that tones down the treble range in favor of an exaggerated bass range. The frequency response largely follows this trend, and the L/R drivers are generally well-matched, though there's some frequency and phase mismatch that can slightly shift vocals and lead instruments to the right. Harmonic distortion levels are very low, though, resulting in no unwanted timbral coloration.
- Prone to inconsistencies in audio delivery.
The Bowers & Wilkins Px8 have good noise isolation. While they're effective at attenuating higher-pitched sounds, like cars zooming by, they struggle a bit more with lower frequency sounds, like engine airplane rumble. They don't leak very much audio though, so you're unlikely to bother those around you, even if you're blasting your tunes.
- Prone to inconsistencies in audio delivery.
The Bowers & Wilkins Px8 have a decent mic performance. It captures your voice in a clear and natural way, though it can sound a little thin at times. It also does a solid job of separating your voice from its background, particularly when background noises are more constant in their nature. In the face of intermittent background noises, like stomping upstairs neighbors, your voice can be temporarily drowned out.
- Prone to inconsistencies in audio delivery.
The Bowers & Wilkins Px8 have passable frequency response consistency. While they're mostly able to deliver audio consistently across different reseats, those who wear glasses might experience a drop-off in bass as their glasses' frames will obstruct these headphones' over-ear fit.
- Prone to inconsistencies in audio delivery.
Performance Usages
Changelog
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Updated Mar 26, 2026:
This review has been updated to Test Bench 2.1, which removes the Group Delay test and rebalances scoring for the Harmonic Distortion test and Audio Reproduction Accuracy performance usage. For more details, consult our full changelog.
- Updated Mar 24, 2026: We've converted this review to Test Bench 2.1, which features minor updates to our sound tests.
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Updated Jan 20, 2026:
The Bowers & Wilkins Px7 S3 was mentioned in the Portability and PC Compatibility boxes.
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Updated Dec 08, 2025:
This review has been updated to Test Bench 2.0, which adds the following tests: Stereo Mismatch, Group Delay, Cumulative Spectral Decay, PRTF, Harmonic Distortion, and Electrical Aspects. We've added new performance usages and updated the text throughout the Sound tests and side-by-sides.
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Differences Between Sizes And Variants
The Bowers & Wilkins Px8 come in two main color variations: 'Black,' 'Royal Burgundy,' 'Dark Forest,' and 'Tan.' We tested the 'Black' variant, and you can see our model's label here. There are also two special-edition models available: 'McLaren,' which is made in collaboration with McLaren Automotives and have a dark grey design with orange accents, and '007,' which is a James Bond-themed model that's midnight blue in color with '007' etched on the ear cup and the classic gun barrel motif on the material covering the drivers.
If you come across another variant of these headphones, please let us know in the comments, and we'll update our review.
Popular Headphones Comparisons
The Bowers & Wilkins Px8 are top-of-the-line wireless headphones made from luxurious, high-grade materials like aluminum arms and Nappa leather padding, which set them apart from their competitors. Like other premium headphones on the market, like the Focal Bathys Wireless, they support aptX Adaptive for high-quality audio streaming over Bluetooth and even have ANC. However, it doesn't block out as much sound as more affordable (in comparison) options like the Bose QuietComfort 45/QC45 Wireless. Their customization features are limited, too, with just a two-band EQ.
Check out our recommendations for the best wireless Bluetooth headphones, the best noise cancelling headphones, and the best headphones for music.
Whether you should choose the Bowers & Wilkins Px8 Wireless or the Bowers & Wilkins Px7 S3, both are premium-tier headphones with solid noise isolation performance, even if neither lead the pack. The Px8 are a bit higher-end with Nappa leather padding and a slightly more even response with better stereo matching. However, they're bulkier, which isn't as handy for travel purposes. Meanwhile, the Px7 S3 are slimmer, but their frequency response consistency isn't as tight and can yield a different sound between wears. Still, their ANC is solid, and they feature a five-band EQ.
The Bowers & Wilkins Px8 Wireless are the more premium sibling of the Bowers & Wilkins Px7 S2 Wireless. Although both headphones have high-end build quality, the Px8 are made with different components like aluminum and Nappa leather in their frame as well as being equipped with a carbon diaphragm instead of a cellulose one used by the Px7 S2, which is advertised to help lower distortion. Both headphones perform similarly in this aspect, though. That said, the Px8 are more comfortable, and their sound profile is a bit more balanced, although it's still bass-heavy.
The Focal Bathys Wireless have the edge over the Bowers & Wilkins Px8 Wireless as wireless audiophile headphones. The Focal have more consistent audio delivery, and their companion app offers a more robust EQ. They also sound more balanced compared to the bassy Bowers & Wilkins (though some people may still prefer more punch and boom in their headphones), and have better overall noise isolation. Conversely, the Bowers & Wilkins are more comfortable and better built.
The Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones Wireless and the Bowers & Wilkins Px8 Wireless are premium, high-end headphones with similar specs, such as analog connectivity, high-quality aptX Bluetooth codecs with low latency, and comfortable designs. They have different strengths, and depending on your priorities, you may prefer one or the other. For a pair with better noise cancelling, choose the Bose; while the Bowers & Wilkins boasts a competent ANC system, it's not as powerful at cutting out noises in the mid-range and bass frequencies. They trade off advantages: for a longer battery life and the option of USB-C audio, the Bowers & Wilkins wins out. As for tuning, the Bowers & Wilkins frequency response is warmer with a touch more bass and low-mids, while the Bose defaults to a slightly more excited sound. The Bose also support Spatial Audio, which is more of a novelty, admittedly, but you get a three-band EQ versus the bass and treble sliders on the B&W, too.
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You can also discover how we produce recommendations like this one so that you can find the best headphones (or earbuds!) for your needs.
Test Results
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