Bowers & Wilkins Pi6 review

Price When Reviewed

$249

Best Prices Today: Bowers & Wilkins Pi6

$249

We had been actually impressed by the Pi8 earbuds (read our review) that Bowers & Wilkins launched earlier in 2024, however the Pi8 is the corporate’s flagship mannequin, with the next worth than Apple’s AirPods Pro and an modern smart-case that doubles up as an aptX transmitter. If you need the high-quality sound related to B&W at a extra aggressive worth then you might go for the brand new Pi6 as a substitute, which the corporate says are its “most reasonably priced earbuds ever”.

Priced at $249/£219 and accessible in a wide range of colors, the Pi6 is about the identical worth as Apple’s AirPods Pro (read our review). The earbuds look similar to the Pi8, with each fashions housing comparatively giant 12mm drivers which can be primarily based on the identical driver design utilized in B&W’s over-ear headphones which can be very a lot geared toward audiophile customers. They do look slightly chunky, however – just like the Pi8 – the earbuds are extra streamlined than earlier fashions, and we discovered that they match nicely and are snug to put on for lengthy intervals of time.

See how the Pi6 and Pi8 evaluate to different earbuds in our spherical up of the best wireless earbuds for iPhone.

The earbuds are rated IP54 for water and dust-resistance, so you possibly can put on them outside or when working up a sweat on the health club. There are 4 sizes of ear-tips included to offer an excellent match, and there’s additionally a rubber ring moulded onto the physique of the earpieces that matches into your outer ear and helps to carry them firmly in place.

Like the Pi8, the Pi6 makes use of the most recent energy-efficient Bluetooth 5.4, with help for Apple’s AAC codec for wi-fi audio (it additionally helps aptX Adaptive, though that might be extra helpful for Android customers). By default, you possibly can flip noise-cancellation on and off with a fast faucet on the left earbud, or through the use of the Music app. However, the app additionally allows you to change the controls in order that the buttons on the earbuds regulate the quantity as a substitute. It additionally allows you to pair the earbuds with two units and swap between them as required, and supplies bass and treble controls for adjusting the sound (though it’s a disgrace that there’s no full EQ controls or presets).

The earbuds definitely sound good as I fireplace up the Hi-Res Lossless model of Sturgill Simpson’s Sing Along on Apple Music. The monitor is a loud mashup of grinding rock guitar and EDM keyboards, however the Pi6 balances the sound rather well. It lays down a gritty bedrock of sound with Simpson’s fuzz-drenched guitar, whereas the keyboards go fizzing via the air like fireworks. It pulls out the crisp, ticking percussion that holds the track collectively, and the bass drop in the direction of the tip wouldn’t be misplaced on a dancefloor at a New Year’s Eve celebration. The bass additionally works rather well on Leonard Cohen’s You Want It Darker, capturing the graceful, rhythmic bass riff and the even deeper rumble of Cohen’s personal voice.

There are some compromises wanted to maintain the value down, although. The Pi6 does with out the smart-case that’s included with the Pi8, choosing a extra typical case that makes use of USB-C for charging (with no help for Qi wi-fi charging, both). Battery life is sweet, although, lasting for eight hours when utilizing noise-cancellation – in comparison with six hours for the AirPods Pro – whereas the case allows you to recharge two extra instances for a complete of 24 hours of listening time.

The group at B&W additionally level out that neither the Pi6 or Pi8 helps spatial audio, though that’s as a result of they don’t really feel that the expertise provides very a lot to the sound high quality quite than any try at cost-cutting. They do acknowledge, although, that the noise-cancellation on the Pi6 isn’t fairly as efficient as that of the Pi8. The earbuds do an excellent job of blocking out low frequency sounds, such because the rumble of an plane engine, however they let in fairly a little bit of the voices and better frequency sounds in our second check that simulates the noise of a busy airport.

Should you purchase the B&W Pi6?

If noise-cancellation is your prime precedence then there are different earbuds and headphones which have the sting on that rating. However, the Pi6 earbuds do present sturdy sound high quality and respectable battery life at a worth that may compete with rivals such because the AirPods Pro.