Expert’s Rating
Pros
Cons
Our Verdict
B&W ’s Pi6 earbuds put up high - end sound at a mid - range Mary Leontyne Price .
Leontyne Price When Reviewed
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Best Prices Today: Bowers & Wilkins Pi6
We were really impressed by thePi8 earbuds ( read our review)that Bowers & Wilkins launched earlier in 2024 , but thePi8is the company ’s flagship model , with a higher cost than Apple ’s AirPods Pro and an advanced bright - display case that doubles up as an aptX sender . If you want the high - quality speech sound link with B&W at a more competitive price then you could choose for the new Pi6 instead , which the company allege are its “ most affordable earbuds ever ” .
Priced at $ 249/£219 and available in a salmagundi of colours , the Pi6 is about the same price asApple ’s AirPods Pro ( understand our review ) . The earbuds look very like to the Pi8 , with both models put up relatively large 12 mm driver that are base on the same driver design used in B&W ’s over - ear headphones that are very much aimed at audiophile exploiter . They do look a small chunky , but – like the Pi8 – the earbuds are more streamlined than old models , and we found that they fit well and are prosperous to wear out for foresightful periods of time .
See how the Pi6 and Pi8 compare to other earbuds in our round up of thebest wireless earbuds for iPhone .
The earbuds are rated IP54 for water and dust - resistance , so you could wear down them outside or when work up a lather at the gym . There are four sizes of spike - tips included to give a good scene , and there ’s also a condom ring forge onto the consistency of the earpieces that correspond into your proscribed ear and serve to harbor them firmly in place .
Like the Pi8 , the Pi6 uses the latest zip - effective Bluetooth 5.4 , with support for Apple ’s AAC codec for wireless sound ( it also defend aptX Adaptive , although that will be more useful for Android users ) . By nonpayment , you’re able to turn racket - cancellation on and off with a quick pat on the left earbud , or by using the Music app . However , the app also lets you change the ascendence so that the buttons on the earbuds adapt the volume alternatively . It also lets you pair the earbuds with two gadget and switch between them as require , and provide bass and treble controls for set the speech sound ( although it ’s a disgrace that there ’s no full EQ controls or presets ) .
The earbuds sure voice in force as I elicit up the Hi - Res Lossless adaptation of Sturgill Simpson’sSing Alongon Apple Music . The track is a noisy mashup of grind careen guitar and EDM keyboards , but the Pi6 equilibrate the sound really well . It lay down a gritty bedrock of sound with Simpson ’s fuzz - drenched guitar , while the keyboards go fizzing through the air like fireworks . It pull out the crisp , ticking percussion that hold the song together , and the bass drop towards the end would n’t be out of position on a dancefloor at a New Year ’s Eve company . The freshwater bass also forge really well on Leonard Cohen’sYou Want It Darker , capturing the smooth , rhythmical sea bass riff and the even deeply gang fight of Cohen ’s own vocalization .
There are some compromises ask to keep the cost down , though . The Pi6 does without the voguish - sheath that is included with the Pi8 , prefer for a more established pillow slip that practice USB - C for point ( with no backup for Qi wireless charging , either ) . Battery life is practiced , though , last for eight hours when using randomness - cancellation – compared to six hours for the AirPods Pro – while the vitrine lets you recharge two more times for a sum of 24 minute of listening time .
The squad at B&W also point out that neither the Pi6 or Pi8 supports spatial audio , although that ’s because they do n’t feel that the technology adds very much to the wakeless quality rather than any attempt at cost - press clipping . They do recognize , though , that the noise - cancellation on the Pi6 is n’t quite as effective as that of the Pi8 . The earbuds do a good job of block up out low frequence sounds , such as the rumble of an aircraft engine , but they let in quite a morsel of the voice and higher absolute frequency sound in our 2nd run that simulates the noise of a busy airdrome .
Should you buy the B&W Pi6?
If noise - cancellation is your top priority then there are other earbuds and headphones that have the edge on that score . However , the Pi6 earbuds do provide strong effectual quality and respectable electric battery life at a price that can compete with rivals such as the AirPods Pro .
