Products
Bowers & Wilkins Px8 Wireless
Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones Wireless
Tested using Methodology v2.0
Updated Nov 14, 2025 05:20 PM
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Tested using Methodology v2.0
Updated Oct 30, 2025 03:15 PM
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TypeOver-ear
Noise CancellingYes
EnclosureClosed-Back
Bass Amount
Very Emphasized (5 dB)
WirelessYes
TransducerDynamic
Treble Amount
Slightly Underemphasized (-2 dB)
MicYes
Sound Signature
Warm
TypeOver-ear
Noise CancellingYes
EnclosureClosed-Back
Bass Amount
Slightly Emphasized (2 dB)
WirelessYes
TransducerDynamic
Treble Amount
Balanced (-1 dB)
MicYes
Sound Signature
Warm
Our Verdict
Bowers & Wilkins Px8 Wireless
Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones Wireless
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.
Variants
- Px8 (Black)
- Px8 (Dark Forest)
- Px8 (Tan)
- QuietComfort Ultra Headphones (Black)
- QuietComfort Ultra Headphones (Deep Plum)
- QuietComfort Ultra Headphones (Diamond 60th Edition)
- QuietComfort Ultra Headphones (Lunar Blue)
- QuietComfort Ultra Headphones (Sandstone)
- QuietComfort Ultra Headphones (White Smoke)
Check Price
Black
Px8
SEE PRICE
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Black
QuietComfort Ultra Headphones
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
Dark Forest
Px8
SEE PRICE
BestBuy.com
Deep Plum
QuietComfort Ultra Headphones
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
Tan
Px8
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
Diamond 60th Edition
QuietComfort Ultra Headphones
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
Lunar Blue
QuietComfort Ultra Headphones
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
Sandstone
QuietComfort Ultra Headphones
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Amazon.com
White Smoke
QuietComfort Ultra Headphones
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
Main Differences for
Sports And Fitness
Sports And Fitness
Threshold
Sports And Fitness
7.4
7.4
Stability
7.5
7.0
Comfort
8.0
8.5
Full Comparison
Sound
Sound Profile
Sound Profile
Normalization Frequency
950 Hz
950 Hz
Bass Amount
Very Emphasized (5 dB)
Slightly Emphasized (2 dB)
Treble Amount
Slightly Underemphasized (-2 dB)
Balanced (-1 dB)
Sound Signature
Warm
Warm
Frequency Response Consistency
6.0
7.0
Consistency L
Consistency R
Std. Deviation
1.29 dB
1.09 dB
Bass Profile: Target Compliance
7.8
8.9
Bass Profile: Target Compliance
RMS Deviation From Target
4.9 dB
3.1 dB
Low-Frequency Extension
20 Hz
20 Hz
Low Bass
3.63 dB
3.49 dB
Mid Bass
5.59 dB
3.7 dB
High Bass
5.65 dB
-0.13 dB
Mid-Range Profile: Target Compliance
7.8
9.4
Mid-Range Profile: Target Compliance
RMS Deviation From Target
3.13 dB
1.03 dB
Low Mid
2.23 dB
0.45 dB
Mid-Mid
1.14 dB
0.66 dB
High Mid
-4.36 dB
-1.05 dB
Treble Profile: Target Compliance
8.4
9.8
Treble Profile: Target Compliance
RMS Deviation From Target
3 dB
1.59 dB
Low Treble
-2.21 dB
-0.52 dB
Mid Treble
-2.62 dB
-1.4 dB
High Treble
-6.49 dB
-6 dB
Peaks/Dips
7.5
8.1
Peaks/Dips Graph
Peaks
1.44 dB
1.13 dB
Dips
1.7 dB
1.29 dB
Stereo Mismatch
8.0
6.9
Frequency Response Mismatch
Phase Response Mismatch
Weighted Amplitude Mismatch
0.36 dB
0.58 dB
Weighted Frequency Response Mismatch
1.45 dB
1.41 dB
Weighted Phase Mismatch
1.2°
2.6°
Cumulative Spectral Decay
CSD
PRTF
5.5
5.3
PRTF
PRTF Accuracy (RMS Deviation)
5.04 dB
6.19 dB
PRTF Size (Avg.)
5.72 dB
6.67 dB
PRTF Distance
8.64 dB
9.17 dB
Harmonic Distortion
9.1
8.4
Harmonics Levels
THD Ratio
WHD @ 94 dB SPL
0.11%
0.15%
WHD @ 104 dB SPL
0.10%
0.40%
Electrical Aspects
Impedance
Sensitivity @1kHz-1V
N/A
N/A
Bluetooth Max SPL
107.4 dB
100.3 dB
Virtual Soundstage
0.0
3.3
Virtual Soundstage
Head Modeling
No
No
Speaker Modeling
No
On/Off
Room Ambience
No
No
Head Tracking
No
Adjustable
Virtual Surround
No
No
Test Settings
Firmware
1.3.1.0
1.6.7+g6ebabd2
Power
On
On
Connection
Bluetooth
Bluetooth
Codec
aptX HD, 24-bit, 48kHz
SBC, 16-bit, 44.1kHz
Test Instrument
Audio Precision APx517B
Audio Precision APx517B
EQ
No EQ
No EQ
ANC
On
Quiet
Tip/Pad
Default
Default
Microphone
Integrated
Integrated
Design
Style
Design Picture 2
Type
Over-ear
Over-ear
Enclosure
Closed-Back
Closed-Back
Wireless
Yes
Yes
Transducer
Dynamic
Dynamic
Comfort
8.0
8.5
Comfort Picture
Weight
0.7 lbs
0.56 lbs
Clamping Force
0.9 lbs
0.8 lbs
Controls
7.7
7.6
Controls Picture
OS Compatibility
Not OS specific
Not OS specific
Ease Of Use
Good
Decent
Feedback
Good
Good
Call/Music Control
Yes
Yes
Volume Control
Yes
Yes
Microphone Control
No
No
Channel Mixing
No
No
Noise Cancelling Control
On/Off
Presets
Talk-Through
On/Off
On/Off
Additional Controls
Bluetooth Sync
Voice Assistant
Portability
5.9
6.4
Portability Picture
L
8.2" (20.9 cm)
7.5" (19.0 cm)
W
6.6" (16.6 cm)
5.9" (14.9 cm)
H
2.1" (5.2 cm)
1.5" (3.8 cm)
Volume
111.21 in³ (1,822.35 cm³)
65.65 in³ (1,075.78 cm³)
Transmitter Required
No
No
Case
8.0
8.0
Case Picture
Type
Hard case
Hard case
L
9.1" (23.0 cm)
8.3" (21.1 cm)
W
7.4" (18.8 cm)
6.1" (15.4 cm)
H
2.5" (6.2 cm)
2.1" (5.4 cm)
Volume
164.43 in³ (2,694.51 cm³)
107.08 in³ (1,754.68 cm³)
Build Quality
8.5
8.0
Build Quality Picture
Stability
7.5
7.0
Stability Picture
Headshots 1
Angled Picture
Side Picture
Headshots 2
Front Picture
Rear Picture
Top
Top Picture
In The Box
In The Box Picture
Isolation
Noise Isolation - Full Range
8.1
9.5
Noise Isolation - Full Range Graph
Noise Cancelling
Yes
Yes
Overall Attenuation
-21.25 dB
-27.00 dB
Bass
-12.11 dB
-20.79 dB
Mid
-22.75 dB
-29.81 dB
Treble
-30.69 dB
-31.42 dB
Noise Isolation - Common Scenarios
7.0
9.5
Noise Isolation - Common Scenarios Graph
Airplane Noise Attenuation
-16.79 dB
-22.12 dB
Airplane Noise Isolation Audio
Office Noise Attenuation
-16.97 dB
-21.71 dB
Office Noise Isolation Audio
Street Noise Attenuation
-18.40 dB
-24.15 dB
Street Noise Isolation Audio
Noise Isolation - Voice Handling
Female Voice 1
Male Voice 1
Female Voice 2
Male Voice 2
Leakage
7.6
7.3
Leakage
Leakage Audio
Overall Leakage @ 1ft
35.86 dB
37.83 dB
Microphone
Microphone Style
Integrated
Yes
Yes
In-Line
No
No
Boom
No
No
Detachable Boom
No
No
Mic
Yes
Yes
Recording Quality
7.1
7.8
Microphone Frequency Response
Recorded Speech
LFE
151.02 Hz
281 Hz
FR Std. Dev.
2.84 dB
2.3 dB
HFE
7,136.96 Hz
6,088.74 Hz
Weighted THD
1.44
0.055
Gain
-12.7 dB
33.39 dB
Noise Handling
7.0
6.5
SpNR
SpNR
17.27 dB
22.71 dB
Noise Gate
Always On
No
Speech + Pink Noise Handling
7.0
6.5
Speech + Pink Noise Audio Sample
Speech + Subway Noise Handling
7.0
6.5
Speech + Subway Noise Audio Sample
Active Features
Battery
8.6
8.2
Battery Type
Rechargable
Rechargable
Continuous Battery Life
38.1 hrs
29 hrs
Additional Charges
0.0
0.0
Total Battery Life
38.1 hrs
29 hrs
Charge Time
1.7 hrs
2.3 hrs
Power-Saving Feature
Standby mode
Auto-Off Timer and Standby Mode
Audio While Charging
Yes
No
Passive Playback
No
No
Charging Port
USB-C
USB-C
App Support
7.0
8.0
App Picture
App Name
Bowers & Wilkins Music
Bose Music
iOS
Yes
Yes
Android
Yes
Yes
macOS
No
No
Windows
No
No
Equalizer
Two Band EQ
Graphic + Presets
ANC Control
On/Off
Presets
Mic Control
No
No
Room Effects
No
Yes
Playback Control
No
Yes
Button Mapping
Yes
Yes
Surround Support
No
No
Connectivity
Wired Connection
7.0
6.6
Cable Picture
Analog Audio
Yes
Yes
USB Audio
USB-C
No
Detachable
Yes
Yes
Length
3.94 ft (1.20 m)
3.28 ft (1.00 m)
Connector
USB-C
1/16" TRS
Latency - Analog
30.8 ms
35.0 ms
Latency - USB
39.4 ms
N/A
Recorded Latency
Recorded Latency Connection
USB
Analog
Bluetooth Connection
7.8
7.5
Bluetooth Version
5.2
5.3
Multi-Device Pairing
2 Devices
2 Devices
Quick Pair (Android)
Yes
No
Quick Pair (iOS)
No
No
Line Of Sight Range
228.67 ft (69.70 m)
334.65 ft (102.00 m)
Latency - SBC
273 ms
292 ms
Latency - aptX
267 ms
N/A
Latency - aptX Adaptive (High Quality)
260 ms
372 ms
Latency - aptX Adaptive (Low Latency)
54 ms
85 ms
Latency - LDAC
N/A
N/A
Recorded Latency
Recorded Latency Codec
aptX Adaptive (Low Latency)
aptX Adaptive (Low Latency)
AAC Support
Yes
Yes
Wireless Connection (Dongle)
0.0
0.0
Line Of Sight Range
N/A
N/A
Latency - Dongle
N/A
N/A
Recorded Latency
N/A
N/A
PC Compatibility
Analog
Audio Only
Audio Only
Wired USB
Audio Only
No
Non-BT Wireless
No
No
PlayStation Compatibility
PS4 Analog
Audio Only
Audio Only
PS4 Wired USB
No
No
PS4 Non-BT Wireless
No
No
PS5 Analog
Audio Only
Audio Only
PS5 Wired USB
Audio Only
No
PS5 Non-BT Wireless
No
No
Xbox Compatibility
Xbox One Analog
Audio Only
Audio Only
Xbox One Wired USB
No
No
Xbox One Non-BT Wireless
No
No
Xbox Series X|S Analog
Audio Only
Audio Only
Xbox Series X|S Wired USB
No
No
Xbox Series X|S Non-BT Wireless
No
No
Base/Dock
0.0
0.0
Type
No Base/Dock
No Base/Dock
USB Input
No
No
Line In
No
No
Line Out
No
No
Optical Input
No
No
RCA Input
No
No
Dock Charging
No
No
Power Supply
No Base/Dock
No Base/Dock
Check Price
Black
Px8
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
Black
QuietComfort Ultra Headphones
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
Dark Forest
Px8
SEE PRICE
BestBuy.com
Deep Plum
QuietComfort Ultra Headphones
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
Tan
Px8
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
Diamond 60th Edition
QuietComfort Ultra Headphones
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
Lunar Blue
QuietComfort Ultra Headphones
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
Sandstone
QuietComfort Ultra Headphones
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
White Smoke
QuietComfort Ultra Headphones
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
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Bowers & Wilkins Px8 Wireless
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Bowers & Wilkins Px8 Wireless vs Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones Wireless: Main Discussion
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