When Bowers & Wilkins announced its Px7 S2 headphones last year, the company made it clear that it already had a Premium offer almost ready for prime time. Three months after, the Px8 arrived. While the Px8 has a similar look to its predecessor, Bowers & Wilkins has made this headset with more luxurious materials and has managed to improve the already excellent sound quality. However, the upgrades come at a high price: the 699 Px8 is 300 more than the Px7 S2.

Design

At a glance, the Px8 looks almost identical to the Px7 S2 presented by Bowers & Wilkins last year. However, after careful consideration, the differences become obvious. The Px8 has a slightly more refined aesthetic, with the soft leather replacing the weaving on the outside of the headband and ear cups. The outermost plates of the earcups, on which the company’s wordmark is located, are now made of metal instead of plastic. And the arms and the headband slider are made of cast aluminum, which further complements the superior quality Design.

The Px8 weighs 13 grams more than the Px7 S2, which is probably due (at least in part) to the change in material. The memory foam ear pads keep things comfortable, but you can feel the extra tension when you do a side-by-side comparison. That’s why I give the S2 a slight advantage if you need something to wear for several hours. After a flight from Vegas to Atlanta this month, I felt the extra weight-and the rings around the ear cups too.

The on-board controls are still body catch’s on the Px8, and they are located in exactly the same places as the Px7 S2. On the right side there is a power/pairing slider above a Trio of catch’s for volume, playback and calls. On the left side, a single catch switches in the middle active noise cancellation (ANC), transparency mode and both. Although some companies have omitted catch’s in favor of touch screens, these are not always reliable, but what Bowers & Wilkins offers here certainly gets the job done.

Software

The Bowers & Wilkins Music app gives you access to all the parameters of the Px8, just like the company’s previous headphones. The main screen displays the current battery status with the noise mode selection just below (ANC, Pass-Through and off). You can also manage the connections here, as the Px8 supports Multipoint Bluetooth with two devices. Finally, the company has placed multimedia controls (if you link compatible services), sound settings, a quick start guide and product support directly on this first panel.

Once you dig deeper into the settings pane, the percentage of battery life and the noise mode (or environmental control, as the company calls it) appear clearly again. Treble and bass controls are also present, which allows very simple EQ settings. The company has not provided any presets here, so you will need to adjust these two variabOnce you dig deeper into the settings pane, the percentage of battery life and the noise mode (or environmental control, as the company calls it) appear clearly again. Treble and bass controls are also present, which allows very simple EQ settings. The company has not provided any presets here, so you will need to adjust these two variables. The possibility of managing connections is also repeated here, just above the Option to reassign the quick action catch on the left earcup. By default, it switches in the middle sound modes. However, if you prefer, you can have him call a voice assistant.

Sound quality

A key area in which the Px8 differs from the Px7 S2 is the sound quality. While the latter is packed in a pair of 40 mm Biocellulosic loudspeakers, the former is equipped with two carbon units of equal size. I admit that I don’A key area in which the Px8 differs from the Px7 S2 is the sound quality. While the latter is packed in a pair of 40 mm Biocellulosic loudspeakers, trmer is equipped with two carbon units of equal size. I admit that I don’t know enough about the construction of the helmet to tell you if one is technically superior than the other, but I know that the Px8 looks awesome. The Px7 S2 already had excellent audio quality, but Bowers & Wilkins somehow manages to go one step further with this model.