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Review: Bowers & Wilkins PI7 (wireless headphones)

Table of contents

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Introduction

I've been using the Bowers & Wilkins PI7 wireless headphones for a couple of weeks and here's what I have to say about them.

I've used headphones software version 1.0.9 and case software version 1.0.18. I note this because later software updates might improve the bad stuff that I detail below.

Firstly, it must be said: I'm not an audiophile. I love music. I love music. I do not take the word 'love' lightly. I have gone some distance to listen to music in hi-fi quality by using wonderful equipment: for myself, it's worth the money, although I've not broken my bank. I could probably hit several more devoted audiophiles if I threw a stone in the right direction.

Expect no detailed comparisons, spectral analyses, nor inventory here. You can find all of that in professional reviews. Instead, expect an in-depth and personal review that has not been delivered for money or anything else.

I'm not looking for The Ultimate Audio Setup because I do not believe it exists: some of my best musical experiences have been listening to shitty music through a phone receiver, if that can provide you with some understanding of where I'm coming from. This is not a What Hi-Fi review, nor am I an audio expert.

Note: I also firmly believe that nobody can tell you what the best equipment is. This is something that must be decided by yourself.

Secondly, my main love is closed over-ear headphones. I love to shut everything but the music out. I hate hearing traffic, kids, nature, etc.: I only want to hear audio from my headphones, and I don't want people around me to be tormented by my sound, which is why I don't use open headphones: mine are closed and they keep the music in my ears.

I've owned a pair of Sony WH-1000XM3 headphones for a couple of years and I am very happy with them. I either dig listening to files that I have purchased from HIGHRESAUDIO or Bandcamp, or I stream music from Tidal where I can put the LDAC codec to good use - or I use a wired connection between the Sonys and my FiiO music player.

I've shunned in-ear headphones for a long time, but when the Bowers & Wilkins PI7 came along, my ears pricked up:

This list is impressive.

The initial reviews all pushed for their incredible sound: the crisp treble, hard-kicking bass, and clear midrange, all topped off with the light sound that Bowers & Wilkins are known for.

I'll dig into what I think of that, but first, a little from the past.

My headphone history

It must be said, I've owned some in-ear and on-ear headphones in the past and did not like them.

I owned one of the early on-ear Beats by Dre headphones which was a mistake: the bass overtook everything, and very little thought had been put into the rest of the music; there was no frequency balance, and by that, I mean the bass took over everything.

From that, I owned a pair of $150 USD Sennheiser headphones that made me realise what I had been missing in the Beats headphones: midranges that were effective while

I owned a couple of wired in-ear headphones that I paid about $100 USD for; I can't remember the brand, even, so they were forgettable. I remember how some special synthetic foam ear-plugs came with them and filled out my earholes. Sure, I heard sound, mainly bass, but everything was limited.

All of that happened at a time when I was DJing a lot: I mainly played indie rock and techno/industrial/dancey electronic music, which works fairly well on low-fi equipment.

I'm not a snob, but I'll say this: listening to well-recorded music requires well-rounded equipment in a number of ways.

Before going with my Sony WH-1000XM3s, I owned a pair of Sennheiser Momentum 2 over-ear wireless headphones, which really killed it: they provided far more space, breadth of sound, sheer quality, and comfort, than I've ever felt before.

The Sony WH-1000XM3 came, and I quickly forgot about my Momentum 2s. The Sonys were more modern, supported the LDAC codec, and their excellent noise-cancelling features were beyond impressive: that still is the case.

Bowers & Wilkins: why bother?

What made me go with in-ear headphones all of a sudden?

Firstly, I thought I'd give it a try; there are some reasons for this, and I'll detail these points in this review later.

On paper, some of this lured me in.

I was eager to try something different than the Sony sound. There is only so far you can go with one pair of headphones, and I was keen on trying something new.

The facts

The box

The headphones come in a small and square box that contains:

The printed material

This is their quick-start guide (and legal materials). It gets you started quick and easy. If you want a complete guide to how they work you must download it from the Bowers & Wilkins site as it is not included with the package.

The headphones

The look, weight, and fit

They feel lighter to hold than they seem. I mean, they look both well-made and qualitative to me. They look metallic more than plastic, and they feel more metallic, as well. They feel sturdy enough to hold, and I'm not afraid they'll skip out of, say, a jacket pocket if I would keep them there for some reason (although keeping them in their case would be a better way to keep them: more about this later), as they don't feel as skimpy and light as they probably would if they were entirely made out of plastic.

I was afraid that they would be too heavy for my ears, which now sounds ludicrous. Part of why I have not liked in-ear headphones a lot in the past is the lack of comfort: I've worn them, walked around, and felt discomfort, which made me remove them. Either that, or they've just felt tinny and provided low audio quality, enough to make me stop using them.

These headphones look big for being in-ear headphones. Some reviews actually note that people with 'small ears' can't use these. That's terrible and I hope Bowers & Wilkins somehow make that work for people with smallish ears. They do, on the other hand, work very well in my ears, and I say mine are mid-sized.

Over-ear headphones just don't weigh on your ears in any way. I can feel a bit weighed-down by my over-ear Sonys after a few hours of use, but I just move the headband a bit, and that usually solves it.

Rubber plugs and pain

The Bowers & Wilkins PI7s fit my ears like a very well-made glove. You insert their rubber plugs into your ear canals, and two other pairs come with the package: in total, you get three pairs with the square package that the headphones come in: small, middle, and big sizes.

I tried switching to the smallest size and they didn't work: I surmise I'm either a big-holed person - a term I never thought I'd use, and here we are - or a freak of nature. Either way, the default and mid-sized buds work for me.

I must add that the headphones caused a bit of pain for me during the first week, but after that, they feel perfect; I don't know if this is due to my inserting them badly or just a matter of me getting used to them, but today I'm very happy with them. See the Insertion section below for more details on physical fit. No problem at all. And there's no weight issue; I can move my head around quite happily without fearing that they'll pop out and get wrecked.

Insertion

Inserting the headphones did not come entirely easy for me: I got it wrong a few times before I got the hang of it (which is something that happens to very few people, but here I am).

The headphones can be divided into three sections:

Here's my method; I've not seen anybody mention how they do this, which is why I'm doing it here

  1. Hold one headphone.
  2. Lift it so that the longer side of the middle part sticks up.
  3. Insert the rubber plug into your ear canal.
  4. Twist the headphone so that the longer side of the middle part travels towards the back of your head.

This will make the longer side of the middle part go under a part of your ear so that the headphones won't accidentally pop out while you are moving about.

Once they're in-place, they're in-place: I'm a fast walker and I have experienced no fear of them popping out. I've also travelled on my fast electric scooter without any fear there.

Fair warning: don't go exercising with these headphones. They're not made for any fast movement. I'd not go jogging or do sideways situps in these.

Touch

The gold part of the headphones can be touched once in use; one tap pauses what you're playing, another continues playing. Tap a headphone twice to go to the next track, thrice to go back a track. If someone calls you, tap once to answer, two to reject the call. Tap and hold a headphone for a second to disable noise cancelling. All of this is nice.

Wear sensors

As you wear the headphones, some golden sensors come in contact with your skin. These are wear sensors. Enabled by default, you can switch this off through the Bowers & Wilkins Headphones app.

I have them enabled at all times. If you play music and remove them from your ears, the music is paused; once you reinsert them, music resumes. I like that.

Noise-cancelling and ambient sound

Noise-cancelling can be enabled via the headphones, which is good. On the other hand, you can only tweak noise-cancelling via the app.

The ambient-sound option can only be enabled via the app, which is bad.

My Sonys are over-ear headphones and provide the best noise-cancelling results that I've ever heard from a pair of headphones. I love this functionality in them.

When using an electric scooter to go down a hill at 40 km/h, the Sonys make a lot of sound: they're big and catch wind easily, which generates noise. I must turn my head aside to make them stop making noise due to wind (but I won't because going down a hill that fast and swerve my head just to avoid noise is insane, especially if I'm just listening to Merzbow. Sorry.).

The PI7s don't make as much noise. I have no idea how, but I can ride down a hill while being able to hear what I'm listening to fairly easily.

On the other hand, I'm currently writing this section from a café, and I can hear café noise - people talking, coffee beans being ground - more loudly than through my Sonys. This is to be expected. Anybody who expects the same kind of noise-cancelling in these completely-different products also probably believes that tennis professionals can, without qualm, switch to use a table-tennis racket in lieu of their regular one: the PI7s are small. They are in-ear. My Sonys are big, closed, and shield the entire ear with a couple of centimeters of blockage.

In my opinion, the PI7s do a fine job at hiding from the world what they sonically pronounce best: treble. While out walking, wind doesn't really irritate me. I hear children shouting from a nearby school, a slightly-muffled motorcycle engine as it starts up a few meters away, but I can't hear the upper trebles from chinks of porcelain at my local café, nor am I irritated by the sound of children playing at the café (which I would be if I didn't wear noise-cancelling headphones).

The noise-cancelling feature in the app enable you to use an 'Auto' button. This button can be enabled or disabled. When enabled, it continuously adjusts noise-cancelling according to surrounding audio, which is interesting. I haven't experimented any around this, but I keep it enabled.

The ambient-sound function can, as I wrote, only be switched on or off via the app. You can use a slider to control the amount of ambient sound that you prefer. I find this function very useful: it prevents me from having to pop out my headphones when I speak with people which is very handy when picking up parcels or paying for my shopping, perhaps especially from a health perspective during the COVID-19 pandemic. The levels of ambient sound are very well implemented: I can choose to hear my surroundings a little more than if this feature were switched off, or I can hear them very well, even amplified a little; the microphones of the PI7s are very good.

Connection

Firstly, The headphones can only be connected to one bluetooth device at a time. This is a shame, but for myself, the workaround is to connect them to my computer via the case and to my mobile phone via bluetooth. My Sonys can not be connected to more than one bluetooth source and Sony fixed that with their WH-1000XM4 headphones (but I think they broke something in removing aptX support with the new version). Speaking of codecs:

Secondly, I use a mobile phone that supports aptX HD, which means they transfer 24-bit sound to these headphones.

These headphones support aptX Low Latency, which means low latency; this is aptX HD but with an extra feature: sound is more in sync with what's happening on-screen, if you're watching something.

My phone doesn't support aptX Low Latency, but that's not important to me: I most often don't have an image sync to care about.

I have, on the other hand, played video through three different sources, and couldn't see any notable sync issue that would irritate me: TV, mobile phone, and computer (both Manjaro Linux and macOS). No qualms whatsoever.

Range

The range of these headphones differs notably from that of my Sonys. This is expected: the Sonys are big. Their cups work as an antennae of sorts, a more powerful receiver than the B&W PI7s.

I can take five steps away from my mobile phone or my MacBook Pro until sound starts cutting up. Forget about having a divider between the headphones and the sound source: the audio starts sputtering at once. Anything that separates your headphones from having a direct line to the transmitter will cause sound stutter.

If I'm outdoors, I can rarely put my mobile in my back pocket because the sound stutters too much. If the phone is in a jacket pocket and farther than ten centimeters from the headphones, the sound stutters at times.

This occurs regardless whether I'm using aptX HD or not, if I'm using high-resolution audio or not, regardless of codec.

It's irritating, but I can buy it. I either hold my phone in one of my hands or put it in a jacket pocket. This is surprising.

Battery

The headphones

The battery strength is probably what I enjoy the least with these headphones. On the other hand, it's a luxury problem.

What do I mean with that?

I rarely listen to music for more than four hours straight, which is when they usually die.

I don't know for how long the headphones would last if noise-cancelling would be switched off.

If I want to listen to more, I just pop these headphones into:

The case

The case lets you charge your headphones for fifteen minutes to enjoy two hours of listening; at least, this is the marketing spiel from Bowers & Wilkins, which may be true. I've managed to get them through the day by listening from early morning to lunch, pop them into the case, and then listen on for the rest of the day.

Bowers & Wilkins claim that the case can charge the headphones four times until they need to be charged. I haven't tried this, but it sounds like it could be true.

Weirdness

One thing miffs me: the headphones are fully charged, both used equally, and yet the Android app reports that one has used almost twenty percent more battery. Bizarre.

Could be due to one of the headphones handling noise-cancelling different than the other due to my environment, but I have don't believe that to be true; I've used them in a fairly quiet room and in a fairly noisy café, and the behaviour is the same in both environments.

Microphones

The microphones are more than fine: the calls I've enjoyed are crystal clear, both indoors and outdoors.

The case

I mentioned that my mobile phone doesn't support aptX Low Latency. Nor does my computer, but that's OK.

Guess what.

The case supports aptX Low Latency.

And the case broadcasts audio from different sources to the headphones by using aptX Low Latency.

The case is, simply put, one of the main reasons for why I bought these headphones. Let me detail why.

The build

The case feels flimsy and made of plastic: I'm afraid that I'll flip the top open and then drop it, which, I believe, would ruin the case. It would, at least, risk breaking one if not both of the hinges of the box, and that would most likely require repairs.

The light/status indicator

There's a light on the case that gives information the headphones when they're inside, of the case itself when the headphones are outside, and whether pairing is successful or not. you how much power there's left in it: if it's green, it's 100%, if it's yellow... The details are found in the user guide.

The light blinks lightly if the case is connected something via the USB-C port.

The buttons

There's a button on the case that allows you to check how much power there's in it.

There's another button that is made visible when you lift the case lid; this one allows you to pair the case with the headphones (including other Bowers & Wilkins headphones).

Functionality

The case is made for three things:

The case is light. It has plastic feel to it which feels flimsy. The top flips open and reveals the headphones.

Remove the headphones from the case and they immediately try and connect to the latest hardware they were connected to. This behaviour can currently be changed by using the Bowers & Wilkins Headphones app for Android and iOS.

Connecting via the USB-C port

The box comes with two cables: one USB-C to USB-C cable and a USB-C to 3.5 millimeter audio plug.

As I said, this functionality is one of the main reasons for my getting the PI7s.

USB-C to USB-C

This cable connects to anything with a USB-C port. I've tried it with my MacBook, my mobile phone, a power charger.

A (modern) MacBook will immediately recognise the case as a sound device and allow you to send all sound to it.

Note: when connecting your Mac to the case, the microphone in the headphones can't be used. You must connect them to the computer via bluetooth to use the microphones.

I connect the case to my MacBook Pro, fire up Tidal or HRA-Streaming, and all sound is transferred to the headphones in 24-bit aptX Low Latency quality. This is excellent and slightly more superior to aptX HD which I get from my phone (even though the audio quality is the same).

3.5 millimeter audio to USB-C

This is quite heavenly to behold and mainly hear.

I connect the USB-C plug to the case and the 3.5 plug into my highly analogue vinyl player: I'm now hearing vinyl play in 24-bit aptX Low Latency quality.

This is a stunning feature. It allows me to connect anything to the case and have it stream to the headphones.

Connect your Nintendo Switch, your 40-year-old stereo, the airplane if we're flying again, your microphone...you could probably connect an electric guitar to the headphones in this way.

The sound

OK, so we get the hardware and software, but how do they sound?

I've got you.

They're undoubtedly the best in-ear headphones that I've ever heard.

They also best my Sonys in some ways.

They allow me to hear Johnny Marr's 12-string semi-acoustic guitar on The Smiths' This Charming Man: the Sonys won't do this. Sure, there are a lot of guitars in The Smiths' mix, but the Sonys drown them while the PI7s bring out treble and somehow separates the sounds better.

On the other hand, I feel that there are moments when the headphones project treble that overpowers other aspects, as in The Smiths' William, It Was Really Nothing; this is a song that has many guitars going for it, but I truly wonder whether Johnny's semi-acoustic strumming should come out just this brightly. I mean, either that, or I'm too used to the Sonys getting the better hand of my hearing: they muddle the sound more, albeit slightly. The PI7s separate the sound ranges more, and this is where high-quality music really shines.

I listened to The Smiths in 24-bit, 96-kHz quality.

I moved on to Moderat's A New Error, a track that features a shuddering arpeggio bass. The bass is both thick and enveloping. There's something to be said for the punch that the PI7s bring out in every track that has punch: it truly kicks. Go to the 03:00 mark and just drown in the pulsating bass. A wonderful addition is the claps, which just showcases how lovely the PI7s are in separating sound; nothing sounds cluttered in these headphones. Nothing.

When listening to rock, a bass drum like that of The Black Keys really plays in. Their Crawling Kingsnake shows off the drums in fair fashion. The guitar shines in its compression and distortion. Go to the 02:00 mark and hear the drums and slide guitar take action while you hear the steel sheen of the cymbals. The song is smack middle in the mids, monotone from the singer's standard spiel.

I listened to Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra's wondrous new recording of Zemlinsky's Die Seejungfrau: II.Sehre bewegt, rauschend, and it brings out orchestral flourishes: flutes interact well with the heavy drums while you can hear trombones and strings quite distinctly.

Huerco S.'s A Sea Of Love is an ambient track that moves through time while verving in volume: there is static throughout the track which is right up there. In my Sonys, they're played more low-key where treble is concerned. The PI7s are more dour where treble is concerned, but make no mistake, this is not due to some factory mishap. The treble is beautifully displayed and carries depth.

Leon Vynehall's modern house track Mothra mixes flowing synths with a pulsating, dampened beat while highly-resonated synths work with distorted synth carpets and a rumbling, waving bass. It's quite an experience.

Regardless of sound quality, the headphones take it.

Distorted beats, as with Mall Grab's Room Full of Rothko, handle it well. God, I miss dancing in the basement at Tresor in Berlin.

Primal Scream: I went out walking with noise-cancelling switched on together with the 'Auto' function. As I listened to the full-length version of Burning Wheel I heard voices spoken in the background; I've not heard these voices before, but now they appeared.

I also listened to their Jailbird and for the first time heard a third guitar added to the end of the track; I thought I knew that song by heart, but apparently not. The guitars all appear separated, as though I can nearly taste their Les Paul goodness. I feel there, which just brings me closer to the music, to what I've bought these for.

In total: their sound is near-incredible. I would not have believed that sound could be this good from a pair of in-ear headphones.

What reaches out to me the most: the treble. They allow me to hear the frazzled spectres of that Huerco S. track, the jagged violin of Thomas Zehetmair's supreme album Niccolò Paganini: 24 Capricci per violino solo, Op. 1, and Factory Floor's dense techno. It's all there.

Volume

Don't fear: these headphones can play loudly. They can make you deaf. I write this as some headphones treat listeners as frail beings who should not listen to audio at high volume (or they're mandated by law to keep the volume levels down).

These play loudly as hell, or barely whispering.

Weirdness

However, if you have connected the case to a computer before removing the headphones, weird things can happen:

One headphone can connect to one bluetooth source while the other connects to the case.

The only solution that I have found to this problem is to disconnect the case from the USB-C cord, put the headphones back in the case, and shut the case; disable bluetooth in whatever device you have that the headphone connected to, then repeat the process in this paragraph in reverse.

The Android app

The Android app is a source of both good and bad.

The bad is that I'd love to be able to enable and disable some of the functionality via the headphones themselves, e.g. with the ambient sound.

I'll go through what I've found in the app that I like:

Conclusion

If I were transported to a time before buying the PI7s, knowing what I know now, I would buy them again.

You could easily expect somebody who's just shelled out his own money on these headphones to say that: for a lot of people, it's difficult to admit defeat.

It could also be the excitement of the new: like I've said, I'm no audiophile nor have I tried out a lot of audio equipment. On the other hand, we don't know the ears and workings of professional audio-gizmo reviewers, either.

Having said that, it could be that I'm dazzled by how different these headphones feel.

I actually don't think I am dazzled. If I'd bought these and it'd been a mistake, I'd gladly have admitted it and laughed at myself.

Au contraire, I actually thought I'd made a mistake when I felt pain in my ear canals after a couple of days of use: as written above, this was most probably due to my inability to insert the headphones correctly into my ears. Today, I'm very happy with their level of comfort that they provide me with.

I'm also glad to own both these headphones and my Sonys. They're different beings, and sound differently; I enjoy listening to The Beatles' fairly-newly remastered Sgt Pepper using both headphones as they make me experience the music differently.

It's just different ways to enjoy the same thing.

Good

Bad