Bowers & Wilkins Px8 Review: luxury headphones with top-tier sound and a few quirks

I’ve been using the Bowers & Wilkins Px8 in Royal Burgundy for a few weeks now, mostly at my desk, on the sofa, and on a couple of train trips. I’m not an audio engineer, just someone who’s burned too much money on headphones over the years (Sony XM series, Bose QC, AirPods Max, B&O, etc.). So I went into these expecting very high sound quality and decent noise cancelling, especially at this price point.

First impression when I opened the case: these don’t look or feel like the usual plastic travel headphones. They feel like a piece of gear you’re supposed to keep for years, not something you throw in a backpack and forget. The Royal Burgundy with the metal accents has a bit of a "fancy watch" vibe. If you like low-key black plastic, this is not that. If you like something that looks a bit more premium without being too flashy, it’s in that zone, aside from the big logo.

In daily use, the headline for me is simple: sound quality is the main reason to buy these. If you’re mainly chasing the strongest noise cancelling on the market, or loads of smart features, there are better choices. If you care more about how your music actually sounds and you don’t mind paying for it, then they start to make sense, especially if you catch them on sale like I did.

Overall, after living with them, I’d say they’re very strong on sound and build, pretty solid on comfort and battery, and just "fine" on ANC and app features. For the price, some of the weaknesses are a bit annoying, but I still reach for them first when I actually want to enjoy music and not just block noise.

Let’s be honest: these are expensive. At full price, they sit above Sony and Bose, and right up in that "luxury wireless" space with B&O and others. I bought them discounted, which made the pill easier to swallow. At sale prices, I think they make more sense. At full RRP, you really have to care about sound quality and materials to justify them.

If your main goal is the strongest ANC and a bunch of smart features for commuting and flights, Sony XM5 are cheaper and do noise cancelling better. If you want maximum comfort and lightweight plastic you don’t worry about, Bose QC45 or QC Ultra are easier recommendations. Where the Px8 start to pay off is if you sit down and actually listen to music, not just use them as noise blockers. For that use case, the combination of sound, build quality, and decent ANC feels more justifiable.

The other angle is longevity. Because of the materials and overall construction, I can see these lasting several years if you look after them. The fact you can replace the ear pads also helps. If you’re the type who changes headphones every year anyway, then you’re probably wasting money here. But if you buy one good pair and keep them, the cost spread over time is less painful.

So in terms of value, I’d say: good value if you get them on sale and you really care about sound and build, average value at full price, especially if you mainly need ANC. There are better pure noise cancelling deals out there. These are more like a "treat yourself" purchase for people who listen a lot and notice sound differences, not a rational choice for everyone.

The design is definitely on the "luxury" side. The Royal Burgundy color with the bright metal detailing looks more like a fashion accessory than a piece of office gear. If you wear them in public, people will notice them. Personally, I like that they look different from the usual black/grey, but they are not exactly discreet. The big "Bowers & Wilkins" logo on each cup is a bit much for me. It kind of ruins the otherwise clean look. I wish they had gone smaller or more subtle with the branding.

The shape is classic over‑ear: oval cups, a padded headband, and fairly low‑profile arms that don’t stick out too far. When they’re on your head, they don’t look cartoonishly big, which I appreciate. The adjustment sliders on the sides feel solid, not wobbly. I adjusted them once and they pretty much stayed where I left them. No constant re‑adjustment like with some cheaper models.

In terms of layout, all the physical buttons are on the right cup, which is both good and bad. Good because everything is in one place so you quickly learn where to press. Bad because at the beginning you will fumble a bit until you remember which button does what. After a few days, muscle memory kicks in. There are no touch gestures for volume or track skipping, which some people might miss, but I honestly prefer real buttons. They work even with gloves and they don’t misfire when you adjust the headphones.

One thing I noticed over time: the design is more suited to desk / home / office use than to rough travel. The metal and leather combo looks nice, but it also makes you more careful. I’m less inclined to just toss these into a crowded bag. If you want something you can treat like a beater pair, these are not it. But if you want something that looks good on a stand next to your setup and still works fine on flights and trains, they fit that role well.

The Px8 are rated for about 30 hours of battery life, and in practice that’s roughly what I’ve seen with ANC on and volume around 50–60%. I tend to listen a few hours a day and charge every 5–6 days without worrying. So for normal home/office use, the battery is basically something you forget about. You’re more likely to charge them out of habit than because they actually died on you.

Fast charging works as advertised: around 15 minutes on the charger gives you several hours of playback. This saved me once when I forgot to charge them before a train trip. I plugged them in while I packed my bag and by the time I left I had enough juice for the whole journey. Full charge from empty is around 2 hours, which is standard for this kind of headset.

The headphones charge via USB‑C, so no weird proprietary cables. You can also listen while charging over USB‑C from a laptop, which is nice if you’re at your desk and don’t want to think about battery at all. The app gives a percentage readout, not just a vague icon, so you can see exactly how much is left.

So on battery, there’s not much drama to report. It’s solid, predictable, and good enough for long trips. You can easily fly long‑haul or do a couple of days of commuting without charging. There are cheaper headphones that also hit 30+ hours, so it’s not a unique selling point, but at least here B&W isn’t lagging behind. The battery performance matches the price bracket and doesn’t get in the way.

At 320 g, these sit in the middle: heavier than Bose, lighter than AirPods Max. On my head, they’re comfortable for 2–3 hour stretches without any real pressure points. The clamping force is moderate. They grip enough that they don’t slide around when I move, but they’re not squeezing my skull. If you’re used to very loose, super light headphones, you’ll notice the extra weight at first, but I got used to it after a couple of days.

I wear glasses, and this is always where headphones annoy me. With the Px8, the seal around the glasses is actually pretty decent. I don’t get that sharp pressure on the arms of my glasses that some tighter headphones cause. After about 2 hours, I do start to feel a bit of heat build‑up around the ears. The leather and memory foam are comfortable, but they don’t breathe much. So in a warm room or on a train, your ears will get warm. Not unbearable, but you will want to take them off for a few minutes here and there.

One quirk I did notice, and it lines up with one of the Amazon reviews: if the cups aren’t seated perfectly, the sound balance can shift slightly left or right. On my head, if I loosen the band too much and the cups sit lower, it feels like the soundstage leans to one side. If I tighten the band a notch and reposition the cups higher and more snug, it evens out. So positioning matters more here than on some other models. If you have an unusual head shape or very thick glasses arms, you might have to experiment a bit.

Overall, I’d call the comfort pretty solid but not the softest on the market. Bose is still easier to wear all day, in my opinion, but the Px8 are not far behind. If you mainly use them at a desk or on flights with some breaks in between, you’ll probably be fine. If you want something you can wear 8–10 hours straight every single day, you might find the weight and warmth a bit tiring over time.

The materials are one of the main reasons you’d pick the Px8 over cheaper options. The headband and ear pads use Nappa leather, and the arms are cast aluminium. There’s still some plastic in the structure, but it doesn’t feel like a plastic toy the way some other high‑end headphones do. When you twist them a bit (gently), there’s no worrying creak or flex noise. They feel like they can handle normal daily use without falling apart in a year.

The ear pads use memory foam under the leather, and they feel soft to the touch, not stiff. After a few weeks, I don’t see any weird wrinkles or peeling on the pads, which is usually what starts to show on cheaper faux leather. Obviously, long‑term (1–2 years) is the real test, but based on other B&W gear I’ve handled, the materials tend to age better than the usual budget stuff. You can also replace the ear cushions, which is important at this price, so you’re not stuck when they eventually wear out.

The metal arms and hinges are the part that makes them feel more serious than something like the Sony XM4/XM5, which are mostly plastic. That said, metal plus leather also means you’re not throwing these around. You will feel a bit protective of them. On the upside, they don’t squeak when you move your head or adjust your glasses, which is something that annoys me on cheaper headsets with cheaper plastics.

So on materials alone, I’d say they justify a good chunk of the price. If you care about how your gear feels in the hand and on the head, these are clearly a step up from mid‑range models. If you’re the type who just wants something light and doesn’t care about metal vs plastic, then this part will matter less to you, and you might prefer something cheaper and lighter.

Let’s split this into two parts: sound and noise cancelling, because they’re not on the same level. On sound, these are honestly one of the best wireless pairs I’ve used so far. The 40 mm carbon drivers and 24‑bit DSP are not just buzzwords; you can actually hear the detail. Bass is strong but not boomy, mids are clear, and highs have good bite without turning harsh. I listen to a lot of rock and metal, plus some electronic and hip‑hop, and these handle busy tracks well. Guitars, drums, and vocals all have their own space instead of turning into a mush.

Compared to Sony XM5, the Px8 sound more controlled and less “processed”. Sony feels more boosted in the low end by default, while the Px8 feel more balanced. Compared to Bose QC45, it’s not even close: Bose are fine for casual listening, but the Px8 give you more detail and separation. Over USB‑C, in a quiet room, I do hear a bit more clarity than over Bluetooth, especially in the high frequencies and in reverb tails. It’s not night and day, but if you’re picky and you listen at home, it’s a nice bonus.

On the ANC side, they’re good but not leading the pack. They easily cut constant low noise like train rumble, air conditioning, and office hum. Where they struggle more is with voices and random sounds. Also, as one Amazon review mentioned, there are some "blind spots" in the noise cancelling. Sounds from certain angles (especially behind you or at odd angles) sometimes come through more than you’d expect. It’s not useless at all, but if you’ve tried AirPods Pro 2 or Sony XM5, you’ll notice they block voices and general chaos a bit better.

Call quality is fine. The 6‑mic setup picks up my voice clearly for video calls, and people didn’t complain about background noise. It’s not magic – if you’re in a really noisy environment, some noise will still leak through, but for normal calls at home or in the office, it does the job. Overall, performance is clearly skewed toward great sound first, decent ANC second. If that’s your priority order, you’ll be happy. If you mainly want a portable noise wall, Sony or Bose might suit you better.

Out of the box, you get the headphones, a hard case, a USB‑C cable, and an analog cable. Nothing fancy in terms of extras, but everything you need is there. The case is fairly rigid, not ultra slim, so it’s better for backpacks than tiny shoulder bags. It’s around 230 x 190 x 60 mm and roughly 150 g for the case alone, so this isn’t a super compact travel solution. It’s more like a proper storage box than a soft pouch.

The headphones themselves feel solid in the hand. At around 320 g they’re not featherlight, but they don’t feel like a brick either. Compared to something like Bose QC45, they’re heavier. Compared to AirPods Max, they feel lighter and more manageable. When you pick them up, the first thing that stands out is the metal arms and the leather. There’s no creaky plastic feeling, no loose hinges. Every movement of the cups and headband feels tight but smooth, like they’ve actually thought about long‑term use.

In terms of controls and connections, you’ve got Bluetooth 5.0 with the usual 10 m range, USB‑C for charging and digital audio, and a 3.5 mm jack for wired listening. On the cups, the physical buttons are straightforward: power / pairing, volume controls, and a button for ANC / transparency. No silly gesture gymnastics like some brands try to push. The Bowers & Wilkins Music app lets you tweak EQ (simple bass/treble sliders), switch ANC modes, and update firmware. It’s functional but pretty bare‑bones compared to Sony’s app, for example.

So in terms of presentation and first contact, it’s very clear: you’re paying for materials and sound, not for a packed feature list. If you want lots of smart tricks, multipoint wizardry, and deep app control, you’ll probably find these a bit basic. If you just want something that connects quickly and sounds good with minimal fiddling, they do the job well.