Review of the Bowers & Wilkins Pi6

Best prices today: Bowers & Wilkins Pi6

We were really impressed with the Pi8 earbuds (read our review) that Bowers & Wilkins launched earlier in 2024, but the Pi8 is the company's flagship model, with a higher price than Apple's AirPods Pro and an innovative smart case that also doubles as an earpiece. aptX transmitter. If you want the high-quality sound associated with B&W at a more competitive price, you can opt for the new Pi6, which the company says are “the most affordable headphones ever.”

Priced at $249/£219 and available in a variety of colors, the Pi6 is about the same price as Apple's AirPods Pro (read our review). The headphones look a lot like the Pi8, with both models housing relatively large 12mm drivers based on the same driver design used in B&W's over-ear headphones that are very much aimed at audiophile users. They look a little chunky, but – like the Pi8 – the headphones are sleeker than previous models, and we found that they fit well and are comfortable to wear for long periods of time.

Find out how the Pi6 and Pi8 compare to other headphones in our roundup of the best wireless headphones for iPhone.

The headphones are IP54 rated for water and dust resistance, so you can wear them outside or while sweating at the gym. Four sizes of tips are included for a good fit, and a molded rubber ring on the body of the earbuds fits into your outer ear and helps hold them firmly in place.

Like the Pi8, the Pi6 uses the latest energy-efficient Bluetooth 5.4, with support for Apple's AAC codec for wireless audio (it also supports aptX Adaptive, although this will be more useful for users of 'Android). By default, you can turn noise cancellation on and off by quickly tapping the left earbud or using the Music app. However, the app also lets you change the controls so that the earphone buttons adjust the volume instead. It also lets you pair the headphones with two devices and switch between them as needed, and provides bass and treble controls for adjusting the sound (although it's a shame there's no controls or full EQ presets).

The headphones certainly sound good when I run the lossless hi-res version of Sturgill Simpson Sing with you on Apple Music. The track is a noisy mix of grinding rock guitar and EDM keyboards, but the Pi6 balances the sound very well. It lays a gritty sonic foundation with Simpson's fuzz-drenched guitar, while keyboards fizz in the air like fireworks. It brings out the crisp, ticking percussion that holds the song together, and the bass towards the end wouldn't be out of place on a dance floor at a New Year's Eve party. The bass also works very well on Leonard Cohen You want it to be darkercapturing the smooth, rhythmic bass riff and even deeper growl of Cohen's own voice.

However, some compromises are necessary to keep the price low. The Pi6 does without the smart case included with the Pi8, opting for a more conventional case that uses USB-C for charging (without support for Qi wireless charging either). Battery life is good though, lasting eight hours using noise cancellation – compared to six hours for the AirPods Pro – while the case lets you charge twice more for a total of 24 hours listening.

The B&W team also points out that neither the Pi6 nor the Pi8 support spatial audio, although this is because they don't think the technology adds much to sound quality rather than a attempt to reduce costs. They acknowledge, however, that the noise cancellation of the Pi6 is not as effective as that of the Pi8. The headphones block low-frequency sounds well, like the roar of an airplane engine, but they let through a fair amount of voices and high-frequency sounds in our second test which simulates the noise of a busy airport .

Should you buy the B&W Pi6?

If noise cancellation is your top priority, there are other earbuds and headsets that have the edge on this. However, the Pi6 earbuds offer high sound quality and respectable battery life at a price that can compete with competitors such as the AirPods Pro.