I characterized the Bowers & Wilkins Px7 S2 noise-cancelling headphone released earlier this year as “less sizzle, more steak” because its audio performance was phenomenal, but competitors such as the Sony WH-1000XM5delivered more whiz-bang features. With its step-up Px8 noise-cancelling headphone, B&W delivers an awesome-sounding luxury audio product chockful of high-tech features.
Luxury comes in the form of the Px8’s materials as well as its build quality. Where the Px7 S2 is constructed primarily from plastic, the Px8 features diecast aluminum arms and diamond-cut metal detailing. The earcups, memory-foam earcups, and both sides of the headband are wrapped in exquisitely soft Nappa leather.
While those elements add a bit of weight to the headphone—the Px8 weighs 11.3 ounces compared to the Px7’s 10.8—I found the Px8 to be even more comfortable to wear for long listening). The B&W provides just the right amount of clamping pressure to stay in place, and the earcups provide excellent passive noise isolation even before you bring technology into play (more on that later, of course). The standard-setting—at least in terms of noise cancellation—Sony WH-1000XM5 tips the scales at just 9 ounces, but sounds relatively inferior compared to all three of the other models discussed here.
