Name: Bowers & Wilkins Pi8 McLaren
Brand: Bowers & Wilkins
SKU: 963647
Price: 496 EUR
Availability: InStock
Rating: 9 (9 reviews)

Review is 9,0 out of 10, based on 9 reviews.
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Bowes & Wilkins earbuds

Bowers & Wilkins Pi8 McLaren visual supplier

Bowers & Wilkins Pi8:

Gray

Color: Gray

Charger not included

496,-

Delivered tomorrow for free

Ordered before 23:59, delivered tomorrow for free

You'll get a 2 year warranty on your product

Free exchange within 30 days

Customer rating 9,2/10

Product information
Accessories
Reviews
Insurance
Specifications

Product information

Pros and cons

According to our earbuds expert

Thanks to high performance DSP, and amplifier, and Hi-Res audio, instruments sound more lifelike and you can enjoy high-quality music.
You hear less of your environment thanks to noise canceling.
With the Bowers & Wilkins app, you can adjust the sound reproduction via an equalizer.
The noise canceling of earbuds is less strong than that of headphones.

Description

With the Bowers & Wilkins Pi8 McLaren earbuds, you choose immersive sound. Hi-Res audio, a high performance DSP, and an amplifier ensure the instruments sound lifelike. This way, you can enjoy a detailed sound reproduction. You can also play larger files than MP3, so the music sounds realistic. Thanks to noise canceling, you hear less of your environment. This technology reduces ambient noise so you can immerse yourself in your favorite music even more. With noise canceling, you can also focus on your work better in a busy office. You can adjust the sound preferences to your liking in the Bowers & Wilkins app. For example, you can adjust the sound reproduction with a 5-band equalizer to adjust the bass, mid, treble, and everything in between. You can also determine how much ambient noise you want to hear.

Tips for using this product

Included by default

Manual(0.70 MB)
4 sizes of earbud tips
Charging cable

Key specs

	Type of ear cushions	In-ear
	Noise canceling
	Average battery life	6,5 hours
	Sound quality according to customers	Standard
	Carrying comfort according to customers	Excellent
	Bluetooth
	Built-in microphone
	Water resistance	Splash proof

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Reviews

Rating

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Most helpful reviews

Our expert review

Go for immersive sound

Rock-solid noise cancelling
Detailed sound
User-friendly app
Earbuds have short battery life

These Bowers & Wilkins earbuds have strong noise cancelling and immersive sound. Unfortunately, I often have to charge the earbuds due to the short battery life.

Sound quality The earbuds have a balanced sound profile. This allows me to hear all three high, mid and low tones clearly. I can hear even the smallest details in music clearly. Think of a bass line in rock music or a background choir in rap. This makes my favourite playlist on Spotify not only sound balanced, but also detailed. In the Bowers & Wilkins Music app, I adjust the sound preferences. I think this app works simply. For example, when I listen to house music, I emphasise the bass, which makes this music style sound more intense and I can fully immerse myself in it.

Noise cancelling Thanks to the in-ear design, I already hear less of my surroundings. I enhance this by turning on noise cancelling. This means that, for example, in a busy office, I hear less of the colleagues talking around me. I like this because it allows me to focus better on my work. Do I want to hear my colleagues? Then I switch on the transparency mode. In this mode I hear ambient noise as if I don't have earphones in. I can also hear my music clearly. This is nice when I'm walking in the city and want to hear the traffic, for example.

Design At 7 grams, these earphones are heavier than those of competitors, but I don't notice this when I use them. They sit firmly in my ears. This is also due to the in-ear design that goes completely into my ears. This allows me to listen to music for a long time without them being annoying. Unfortunately, the battery life of these earphones is short. I often have to charge the earphones in the charging case in between.

Maurits. Audio specialist
7 January 2025
Automatically translated from Dutch

Review is 8,0 out of 10.

8,0/10 ()

Only worth it for real music lovers

Sound is sublime!!!
Comfortable
Audiophile earphones
Regular interference/noise

For me, the sound is the main reason for buying these in-ears. The sound is simply unparalleled. This is of course what B&W is also known for. The B&W Signature is all over, let's say. This is the difference between hearing sound and really enjoying what you hear. I have had multiple headphones and in-ears in the same price range, but these have their own category. I only bought these because of the sound. For calling and ANC I have other in-ears. Yes, you can call and when it is quiet, but with some noise in the environment it goes wrong and the other party cannot understand you. My experience is also regular interference, such as links that suddenly do not work, or a strange glitch in between and that is something that is not acceptable in this price range. Also, the occasional and too strong peak in the high frequencies that then comes across as too shrill, are things that are a shame. Fortunately, you can set this in the app. At the moment I don't think they are worth the money, because there are still too many bugs that make even the strong points (sound) not always work well. I hope for an update, otherwise they will go back. It feels like buying a Porsche, where the engine regularly acts strangely, which gives the whole a different experience, while the potential is clearly there for top performance. On the other hand, when the bugs are fixed, these in-ears will really put a smile on your face, for those who enjoy music. These are earbuds, where I noticed that I really wanted to take the time to just enjoy music, so beautiful! I wish that for everyone. But according to B&W I would say, there is still work to be done besides the music quality. The charging box is also functionally not handy and/or premium made. I miss a high-end touch of beautiful materials as well as a flat side so that the box can stand. Now the box can only lie down, which will damage it unnecessarily and quickly. The battery life is also below average, especially in this price range. It may sound like "whining", but I am really a fan of these in-ears and enjoy the sound. But I am writing this for everyone who wants to buy them, so that you know what to expect. While writing this review, I have had 4 malfunctions.... But when they do work well.... fantastic! Bittersweet, let's say.

Stef
30 June 2025
Automatically translated from Dutch

Review is 8,8 out of 10.

8,8/10 ()

Great sound, but bluetooth really needs to be much better!

The sound is very nice, at least 'if' there is a stable connection. The Pi8 is in my opinion not inferior to e.g. the much more expensive Sennheiser ie900.
The shape doesn't immediately look like it, but the wearing comfort is quite good.
The very bad (bluetooth) connection!

The sound of these in-ears is impressively good (spacious, sufficient bass, plays loud and clear at low volume), really very good. But....the big disadvantage of these in-ears is the very bad (bluetooth) connection. The first week I was really annoyed by the bad connection. Constantly resetting, deleting the link, logging in again and that every time you want to use the in-ears, really veeeeery annoying. Strangely enough I read almost nothing about this on the internet. Now I have had several wireless in-ears in recent years, but never one with such a bad (bluetooth) connection. I did notice that when you open the smart case you should not immediately remove the in-ears, but wait until the green light comes on. The connection is often better, but unfortunately not always and also not very stable.

Wilco
23 October 2024
Automatically translated from Dutch

Insure your earbuds

No deductible
For almost all accidents
More security than standard warranty
Coolblue takes care of everything, from taking out an insurance to repairs

How do I insure my earbuds?

First, add your earbuds to your shopping cart. On the next page, choose one of the Protection Plans below. You always have a 30-day return window and pay no deductible in case of damage or theft.

2-year Protection Plan
81,-
one-time
2-year Protection Plan with theft cover
168,-
one-time
Protection Plan - Monthly cancelable
5,52
per month
Protection Plan with theft cover - Monthly cancelable
9,46
per month

Specifications

The list with properties are filtered when you type

Product

	Product number	963647
	Manufacturer code	FP45837
	Brand	Bowers & Wilkins
	Warranty	2 years
	Processing of your defect	Via Coolblue
	Old product returned for free

Physical properties

	Weight in grams	7 g
	Color	Gray
	Material	Plastic
	Built-in microphone

Resistance

	Water-resistant
	Water resistance	Splash proof
	IP certification	IP54

Connection

	True wireless earbuds
	NFC
	Compatible with applications
	Compatible with voice assistant	Google Assistant, Siri

Bluetooth

	Bluetooth
	Bluetooth version	5.4
	Multipoint pairing

Power supply

	Type of USB port	USB-C
	Power supply type	Rechargeable battery
	Average battery life	6,5 hours
	Charging case
	Battery life case	13,5 hours
	Wireless charging
	USB port

Sound

	Sound reproduction	Mono, Stereo
	Hi-Res audio
	Sound quality according to customers	Standard
	Noise canceling
	Adjustable noise canceling
	Volume limit
	Frequency range	10 - 20000 Hz

Sound according to expert

Equalizer

Casing

	Headphones wearing method	Earbud
	Type of ear cushions	In-ear
	Remote control on ear cups
	Physical buttons ear cups
	Touchpad ear cup
	Volume control ear cup
	Carrying comfort according to customers	Excellent