Bowers & Wilkins are positioning the Pi8 earphones in opposition to AirPods Professional 3. Ought to they be?
I’ve at all times seen Bowers & Wilkins as a excessive finish client headphone model, so I used to be excited to take a look at their true wi-fi competitor to the AirPods Professional. Why am I calling it an AirPods Professional competitor fairly than merely classifying it as a real wi-fi headset? As a result of the corporate appears to be encouraging the comparability. There’s a “Made for iPhone” discover on the field, and the packaging appears about as near Apple’s because it might get with out crossing a line. Even the packaging is surprisingly much like Apple’s.
With that framing in thoughts, listed below are my preliminary ideas after spending time with the Pi8s subsequent to the AirPods Professional 3.
What the Pi8 does higher
The largest win is sound high quality, and it’s not shut, particularly for music. It’s clear that the drivers are stronger, and extra EQ taste has been added to the sound, which supplies music a richness the AirPods don’t match. In case you take heed to music greater than the rest, that is the very first thing you’ll discover, and it might be the one factor you must know. The transmitter function can be attention-grabbing and could possibly be helpful at instances.
The place the AirPods Professional 3 win
The primary situation is value. The Pi8s value meaningfully extra, so the sound high quality benefit has to justify that hole for you.
The case can be bigger and bulkier than Apple’s, which issues if you happen to carry your earbuds in a pocket daily. Connectivity is just not as quick because the AirPods, and you don’t get the speedy connection together with your different units that Apple customers have come to anticipate (extra on that under). The form of the earbud is of course a bit much less comfy than Apple’s, and you can not summon Siri by voice.
Each of the modes that matter most in day by day use additionally fall in need of Apple’s. In transparency mode, I hear much less of my environment than I do with the AirPods. In ANC mode, I hear barely extra of the surface world. Neither mode is dangerous, however each are a step behind.
Controls and lacking options
The B&W earbuds lack quantity management on the system itself, however they do supply different controls. You’ll be able to pause and begin playback, activate and deactivate noise cancellation, and advance to the subsequent observe, which is one thing the AirPods lack.
Additionally they appear to lack some superior options, together with listening to safety and enhancement. I admire these options, for the reason that AirPods have develop into my favourite possibility in loud environments, and my listening to definitely won’t enhance as I proceed to age. For me, that could be a actual hole.
The underside line
If sound high quality is your precedence, the Pi8s ship one thing the AirPods Professional 3 can’t. In case you worth comfort, seamless system switching, and the perfect transparency and noise cancellation, Apple nonetheless has the sting.
Disclosure: I used to be despatched a free pair of Pi8s for evaluation functions, however I used to be not compensated for penning this. I don’t care if you happen to purchase one or not. Nobody from the model was allowed to see this evaluation or present enter on the content material. If you want your product reviewed, ship an electronic mail to noah@digitalmusicnews.com. Whether it is one thing I discover attention-grabbing, I’ll evaluation it.
