At a glanceExpert’s Score
Professionals
Robust sound high quality
Good battery life
Comfy design
Cons
No wi-fi charging choice
Noise-cancellation might be stronger
Our Verdict
B&W’s Pi6 earbuds present high-end sound at a mid-range value.
Worth When Reviewed
This worth will present the geolocated pricing textual content for product undefined
Greatest Pricing At present
Worth When Reviewed
$249
Greatest Costs At present: Bowers & Wilkins Pi6
$249
We had been actually impressed by the Pi8 earbuds (learn our evaluation) that Bowers & Wilkins launched earlier in 2024, however the Pi8 is the corporate’s flagship mannequin, with the next value than Apple’s AirPods Professional 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 value then you would go for the brand new Pi6 as a substitute, which the corporate says are its “most affordable earbuds ever”.
Priced at $249/£219 and accessible in a wide range of colors, the Pi6 is about the identical value as Apple’s AirPods Professional (learn our evaluation). 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 aimed toward audiophile customers. They do look a bit of chunky, however – just like the Pi8 – the earbuds are extra streamlined than earlier fashions, and we discovered that they match properly and are comfy to put on for lengthy durations of time.
See how the Pi6 and Pi8 examine to different earbuds in our spherical up of one of the best wi-fi earbuds for iPhone.
The earbuds are rated IP54 for water and dust-resistance, so you may put on them outdoor or when working up a sweat on the gymnasium. There are 4 sizes of ear-tips included to present a superb 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.
Just 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 shall be extra helpful for Android customers). By default, you may flip noise-cancellation on and off with a fast faucet on the left earbud, or through the use of the Music app. Nevertheless, the app additionally helps you to change the controls in order that the buttons on the earbuds regulate the quantity as a substitute. It additionally helps 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 actually sound good as I fireplace up the Hello-Res Lossless model of Sturgill Simpson’s Sing Alongside 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 by way of the air like fireworks. It pulls out the crisp, ticking percussion that holds the music collectively, and the bass drop in direction of the top wouldn’t be misplaced on a dancefloor at a New 12 months’s Eve social gathering. The bass additionally works rather well on Leonard Cohen’s You Need 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 worth down, although. The Pi6 does with out the smart-case that’s included with the Pi8, choosing a extra standard case that makes use of USB-C for charging (with no help for Qi wi-fi charging, both). Battery life is nice, although, lasting for eight hours when utilizing noise-cancellation – in comparison with six hours for the AirPods Professional – whereas the case helps you to recharge two extra occasions 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 know-how provides very a lot to the sound high quality somewhat 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 a superb 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 take a look at that simulates the noise of a busy airport.
Do you have to purchase the B&W Pi6?
If noise-cancellation is your high precedence then there are different earbuds and headphones which have the sting on that rating. Nevertheless, the Pi6 earbuds do present robust sound high quality and respectable battery life at a value that may compete with rivals such because the AirPods Professional.
