Tested Bowers & Wilkins PX8

O holy fright

B&W’s most opulent headphones yet promise positively godlike sound… but don’t look at the scary price

£599 / go.stuff.tv/PX8

With leather everywhere, cast aluminium arms holding the cups in place and a headband that’s stuffed with memory foam, these headphones ooze luxury. They also apply quite a bit of pressure on your head, which creates a good seal for noise isolation but can cause fatigue after a while.

The PX8s are a delight to listen to. All parts of the frequency range flow neatly together, with none of the dips, peaks or gaps in the upper-mids found in lesser cans. Complicated arrangements are given room to breathe, with an expansive soundstage and impeccable detail.

Three mics in each earcup deliver subtle noise-cancellation, designed to reduce background distractions rather than muting the entire outside world. The focus is on the music, with ANC letting you concentrate on the details without needing to crank it up.

We had no stutters or dropouts during a week of listening, even walking through places with heavy foot traffic. But glasses-wearers might want to turn off the wear sensor in the B&W Music app, because even the low setting can result in accidental pauses.

At up to 30hrs with the ANC enabled, battery life is on a par with Sony’s best and ahead of the Apple AirPods Max, but behind the Sennheiser Momentum 4s. Charging is satisfyingly speedy, with a 15min top-up enough for around 7hrs of listening time.

Tapper’s delight The metal buttons feel crisp every time you press one, and the textured finish on the play/pause control makes it easy to find.

Techspecs

Drivers 40mm dynamic ANC Yes Connectivity Bluetooth 5.2 (SBC, AAC, aptX Adaptive), USB-C Battery life 30hrs Weight 320g Double in paradise

Nearly all the physical controls are on the right earcup. There are individual volume keys, and the play/pause button’s double-tap functions can be customised in B&W’s app. The only button on the left cup is for ANC modes. Play that chunky music

The headphones don’t fold to fit inside the hard-shell case – only the earcups twist flat, so it’ll still take up a fair bit of space in your bag. There’s a USB-to-3.5mm cable, but wired listening won’t work if they run out of battery.

STUFF SAYS B&W’s best, but the gains over the PX7 S2s are minor for the price

These top-tier cans excel on almost all fronts, for a big old price Tom Morgan-Freelander

Was there ever any doubt the PX8s would deliver on B&W’s high-class promise? These headphones are a step up from the PX7 S2s on the materials front, and also have the edge sonically. We’re talking very small differences, though, and for many prospective buyers they aren’t going to justify the whopping price difference. This is a wonderfully crafted option, but PX7 S2 owners shouldn’t feel they’re missing out.