FIRST TESTS
Bowers & Wilkins PI7
B&W’s first attempt at true wireless headphones boasts impressive sound quality, but is that enough to justify the hefty price tag?
Wireless in-ear headphones | £349 View offers whf.cm/Pi7 |
Bowers & Wilkins’ first pair of true wireless in-ears has been a long time in the making, so we’re looking forward to hearing exactly what the B&W PI7 can do. They are the firm’s flagship offering in a two-model range and are ambitiously priced, well above the level of the most obvious rivals from the likes of Sony, Sennheiser and Bose. So the pressure is certainly on B&W to justify that hefty £350 price tag.
At this sort of price for a pair of true wireless earbuds, we’d expect sonic prowess, effective noise-cancelling, high levels of comfort and battery life, a fully fledged app, portability and possibly even a few extras thrown in for good measure. So, has the British firm succeeded at the first time of asking?
Considering the size of the buds, Bowers & Wilkins has done well to make the PI7’s charging case small enough to fit in your pocket. With the slender case shut, you might imagine it contains an AirPods-type ‘toothbrush head’ design, but the elliptical buds are nestled inside.
B&W has done well to fit the PI7 buds inside the slender carry case
The buds themselves are on the larger side, similar in shape to the Sennheiser Momentum True Wireless 2, but more capsule-shaped rather than teardrop – and not quite so ergonomic or comfortable. Beautifully finished with brushed gold accents on the mics and on the circular capacitive control pad above the driver housing, they look more premium than the Sennheisers.