Bowers & Wilkins PI7 review: Top-end true wireless earbuds

(Pocket-lint) - Bowers & Wilkins is simply a long-established, highly respected audio brand, that has catered to audiophiles globally for galore years. Because of this, it is not precisely the fastest retired of the blocks erstwhile it comes to caller technologies.

Every caller merchandise class that emerges successful the audio-sphere is dealt with a considered approach, alternatively than rushed retired to get thing onto the marketplace speedy arsenic possible. After all, a estimation is lone arsenic bully arsenic the past product.

• Best wireless earbuds: The wire-free Bluetooth audio experts

Such is the lawsuit with existent wireless headphones. In galore respects, Bowers & Wilkins is precocious to the party. But, successful the PI7 earbuds, it has brought the audio equivalent of a fine, matured vessel of wine.

That's due to the fact that the PI7 is simply a merchandise of hindsight. The shaper has seen - or, much to the point, heard - what its contention has delivered successful the past mates of years and crafted a brace of wireless in-ears that tin vie astatine the precise apical end, portion adding a fewer bells and whistles of their own.

Unboxing

• Case dimensions: 60 x 28 x 57mm / Weight: 61g
• Small, medium, ample eartips included
• Audio retransmission function

That starts with the charging case. The PI7 earbuds travel successful a beautifully designed yet elemental case. It's not the smallest we've seen, but volition easy gaffe into a pouch and has a fewer surprises up its sleeve to warrant immoderate other girth.

It comes with some a wired larboard (USB-C) and enactment for Qi wireless charging too. There is besides a ample Bluetooth fastener connected the lawsuit itself, to alteration pairing without the request to instrumentality the 'buds retired first.

As good arsenic store a decent magnitude of complaint - a claimed 16 hours, capable to recharge the buds 4 times - the lawsuit tin treble arsenic a Bluetooth transmitter. Using an included adapter, you tin link the lawsuit to an audio output, specified arsenic a 3.5mm larboard connected a level seat, and truthful get wireless dependable from a wired source. This is simply a nifty instrumentality and 1 that fewer peers person offered successful the past. We've had to usage a abstracted adapter successful the past, specified arsenic the RHA Wireless Flight Adapter. The relation volition besides enactment with different Bowers & Wilkins wireless headphones, such arsenic the PX7, truthful you tin watercourse usually wired-only connections to them too.

Design and fit

• Touch controls
• Weight: 7g (per earbud)
• Finishes: White, Charcoal
• IP54 dust- and water-resistant

The PI7 in-ears are precise good designed - sleek and light, with creaseless integrative utilized for the 'buds and brushed metallic metallic elements connected the outer tips. In each honesty, portion supposedly gold, the metallic segments look much similar gunmetal successful astir lighting.

As good arsenic the achromatic mentation we tested, you tin get them successful charcoal - black, really. Either way, these are premium-looking existent wireless earbuds that aren't rather arsenic tiny arsenic Apple's AirPods, but much tidy than different rivals we could mention.

The eartips are silicone, with other sizes included successful the container - tiny and ample - that travel the mean ones already successful place. It's important you find the close acceptable as, connected each earbud, determination are capacitive sensors that tin archer erstwhile you are wearing them oregon not.

This enables automatic play and intermission functionality and, we found, a escaped acceptable tin effect successful euphony pausing and replaying erstwhile you are walking. It's annoying, though a amended acceptable does destruct that contented and, adjacent if not, you tin crook disconnected the diagnostic successful the Bowers & Wilkins Headphones app. There are besides interaction controls connected the earbuds, for intermission and play.

The last plan diagnostic is h2o and particulate proofing. It's lone IP54 - akin to Apple's AirPods - truthful not suitable for submerging, but good for a workout, say. In each honesty, it's improbable you'll spell for a tally with these 'buds successful arsenic they aren't arsenic unchangeable successful the receptor arsenic dedicated fittingness earbuds.

Set-up and artillery life

• Bowers & Wilkins Headphones app
• Fast-charging and wireless charging support
• Battery life: 4 hours per charge, 16 further hours from case

Setting up the Bowers & Wilkins PI7 in-ears is simply a doddle. For iPhone users, you conscionable request to caput to your Bluetooth settings surface and property the fastener wrong the lawsuit for a mates of seconds. The headphones should past look successful your database for connection.

It's adjacent easier connected Android devices with Google Fast Pair enabled. Just spot the lawsuit adjacent and unfastened the lawsuit lid. Then travel the instructions connected your phone.

You besides request to download the Bowers & Wilkins Headphones app to power a mates of the features and/or update the earbuds oregon their case. Once paired via Bluetooth, you tin hunt for your in-ears done the app - this volition bring up a dedicated settings section.

The app volition besides amusement you the artillery presumption of each earbud and the case. It gives you power implicit the adaptive noise-cancellation (ANC) - switching it connected oregon off, oregon choosing whether to person it automatically set depending connected your surroundings. You tin besides alteration the spot of immoderate ambient sound you'd similar to admit via a transparency slider.

Battery beingness is claimed to beryllium up to 4 hours of playback for each 'bud, with a further 16 hours from the case. In each our tests, including commutes and wide travel, we recovered it to beryllium determination oregon thereabouts. With the wireless charging capableness of the case, it's bully to conscionable spot it connected a Qi charging mat erstwhile you get location anyway.

Those looking astatine assorted competitors volition enactment this artillery beingness is alternatively debased by existent wireless earbuds standards though.

Performance

• 9.2mm dynamic thrust portion with balanced armature thrust unit
• Frequency response: 10Hz - 20,000Hz
• Active Noise Cancellation (ANC)
• Bluetooth 5.0 (aptX Adaptive)
• True 24-bit connectivity

There are 2 factors to see erstwhile it comes to show - audio and ANC.

We cannot responsibility the former. Bowers & Wilkins is simply a institution founded connected providing audiophile modular products and frankincense has applied each its expertise here. These are conscionable earbuds, truthful are restricted by their size and purpose, but by Jiminy are they bully ones.

We've been treated to immoderate fantabulous existent wireless 'buds successful caller times - not slightest the Sony WF-1000XM4 - however, the PI7s are close up determination successful presumption of musicality. All the boxes are ticked for spacing, bass effect and clarity, portion the dependable signature is truthful neutral and earthy that they suit immoderate benignant of track.

That's astir wholly acknowledgment to each receptor containing a 9.2mm dynamic, balanced armature driver. It's considerably ample for specified tiny buds, truthful tin displacement much air. The extremity effect is measurement and crispness.

We tested them crossed aggregate euphony genres and video playback - determination was thing they couldn't grip with aplomb. And, with aptX Adaptive support, including low-latency and aptX HD, they connection adjacent lossless playback capabilities erstwhile streamed to from a compatible Android device.

We bash emotion to usage the Bond taxable No Time to Die by Billie Eilish arsenic a trial way and her breathy transportation was rendered precisely by the PI7s.

Led Zeppelin's Bring it connected Home (remastered) sounded deep, involving, and with fantabulous separation. As excessively did The Kink's Shangri-La. While it is weird penning astir the imperfections successful a recording, they are often what makes a definite mentation truthful good, and each squeaky guitar descent is picked retired by these headphones.

Low frequencies are large excessively - with the whomping bass lines of Leftfield's Afro Left giving immoderate Beats in-ears a tally for their money.

Let's look it though, these Bowers & Wilkins 'buds volition beryllium utilized for much than conscionable euphony playback, truthful it's important to enactment they are arsenic susceptible for video viewing. Netflix's Altered Carbon has a superb soundmix crossed its 2 seasons and you get a existent consciousness of breadth.

When it comes to sound cancellation, it indispensable beryllium remembered that Bowers & Wilkins is comparatively caller to the game, truthful don't expect the aforesaid prime of ANC you mightiness find elsewhere. Like its already starting to beryllium with its over-ears, it needs clip to get it right, but there's inactive a more-than decent blockage of ambient sounds without overly impacting the audio presentation.

In fact, we tested the PI7s portion mowing the tract - a considerably noisy pursuit astatine the champion of times - and felt our philharmonic accompaniment continued to beryllium involving and comparatively unobstructed. You astir apt won't privation to deterioration them connected a agelong haul flight, but the ANC is good for a abbreviated hop, autobus thrust oregon bid travel.

Writing by Rik Henderson. Editing by Mike Lowe. Originally published connected 22 April 2021.