Bowers & Wilkins PI7-CH True Wireless Noise Cancelling In Ear Headphones - Charcoal

The B&W I& headphones arrived this morning and have been in my ears ever since. I'm just in from my evening state mandated exercise and despite getting warm in the May sun. They are IP54 rated so you can get a bit of rain or sweat on them. They remained unmolested in my hears unlike AirPods Pro which need reseating all the time when im exercising...The PI7s have the B&W detailed punchy exciting sound. Its not quite flat but it really is fun. Unlike the AirPods Pro or the Bose version (With the silly long name) these come with bass; its bass forward - not like beats overload - because the rest of the music is bright but there is a bit more bass and it is punchy too. The detail of your music isnt lost though; the soundstage is definitely mostly inside my head but oh the detail. The ominous bass pad sounds in the Expanse theme tune are much more crisp than the Bose headphones I ran it against. My favourite headphone test the Girl from Byakkoya thanks to its brittle harps and dense overlaid sound is very impressive. The best thing about new headphones is going through old favourites and I really like how these sound; after months of hearing them the same way the change makes things feel new.After the sound its worth noting that when I ordered them I was slightly concerned about the fit. B&W have chosen to use the solid silicone style tips; which in the past I have found cause a pressure problem. The PI7's tips are soft and the medium size tip sized perfectly. The good fit adds some passive sound isolation; and helps the ANC which isn't as good as the Bose version. Though unlike any other ANC I have tried it doesn't seem to make a noticeable difference to the playback and there is no hiss.The metal tips of the earbuds let you use gesture controls to skip tracks, answer the phone or summon your assistant. They don't do volume which is a shame.There is an app; and the PI7 are the first headphones in a while that didn't immediately apply an update. The app lets you listen to some calming sounds and that is about it.Callers found the microphones to be a bit quiet. They could hear me and they reportedly did a good job removing the sound of people around me.Bluetooth pairing on an apple at least is a manual affair - the range is pretty good. I was able to walk 10m from my phone and still hear my music without interruptions.The battery life is similar to the AirPods; it lasted 3 hours out of the box and charged up quickly in its (very) plastic charging case. The charging case has a lovely trick for users. You can connect computers or analog auto to it and it will transmit it to your earbuds. The USB cable connected to my Mac and I could stream lossless audio by clicking the button on the caes. Its being sold as a feature for travelling as you can connect it to your seat and relay in the plane audio. Ear buds are better for flying - especially if you are in Business or first as you can sleep with them more easily than a big headset. For flying they didn't include the 2 pin adaptor - that is less an issue on newer planes. The case charges with the USB-C Socket or over QI charging.The design of the headphones is really nice; and it is carried through to the case. Though the case doesn't feel anywhere near as nice as the Bose or Apple versions.For me its about the sound; and I love it. The case's party trick of being a Dac/ transmitter is a really thoughtful design. If the price doesn't put you off these really are excellent.

After years of searching going through many different premium earbuds and returning them all.. I can honestly say these are absolute killers! The sound is just what I wanted from the price I got them for. £160 as they should be as I’ve paid over £200+ for earbuds that don’t even come close to these bad boys!The comfort is a standout as I couldn’t last half an hour with any Sony or Sennheiser’s in my ears but these provide the comfort and the sound that makes the music more exciting than ever! I love all genres and the killer drivers inside provide you with that crystal clear highs and mids.Noise cancelling is brilliant but what should you expect for the price.. easy touch sensors to switch between the outside world and just you and your music so I do recommend although the app has limited features with noise options.It’s hard to find a flaw with these.. QI wireless charging, excellent noise cancelling, sound is top notch and the comfort is just as comfy as my AirPod Pro’s.One major nitpick is the app. Very limited features and not much leeway to play around with the sound so you have to rely on an equaliser in most music apps to control your sound but you wouldn’t need to do that as these sound amazing without any altering.Honestly can’t recommend these enough. Ignore the reviews about disconnecting and sound cutting out as I’ve never encountered any of these issues and seems to be a lot of Bowers haters out there but happily support Sonys and Senn which imo products are filled with flaws.

Everything people have written about these earphones is probably true, even the brilliant sound stage and presentation. For the price the quality seems hit and miss. I had to send a white and a charcoal pair back because on one the left earphone kept dropping out and popping continually, while the other suffered a faulty USB C port 6 months later, but when they worked the sound was great.Prepared to give them a third chance I am being sent another charcoal/dark grey coloured one. These too became faulty with the left earbud getting interference randomly. I have been completely refunded and bought the B&O EQ’s - I would rather have a quality long lasting product that’s reliable. B&W have admitted they get “pallet loads of returns on this product” - their words.I have had a working pair and they're obviously very very good. But, as with most wearers the fit with the cheap silicone tips was rubbish and they frequently fell out and I tried other tips too which worked with other earphones. I was happy with none until I bought the Comply TW-400-C Premium Tips. Now I have the comfort and seal required. Moreover the sound is twice as good - how come? Detailed highs and lovely warm punchy bass. These are the best in-ear phones I have ever owned for sound quality.I have had Bose, B&O E8's and Anker SoundCore Pro 2 (similar internal physical architecture). Now these beat all of these utilising my iphone12. There is a lovely balance.The sooner B&W modernise their app to include hearing analysis and sound profiling preferences the better. Bowers & Wilkins you can do better, but for now these may be a piece of hardware that already are very competitive and could remain so for a long time to come if features are added to the software.The storage box as a bluetooth transmitter is a complete show stopper, but has not got the most reliable usb C port either as it failed on my second unit. I have resurrected my old iPod and was shocked by the quality of the sound output. This feature utilising the 3.5mm jack to USB C connector or USB C to USB C is sheer brilliance. It will connect to your TV even, in fact any music device.I have found my go to sound listening earphones. Nothing else has this functionality, and quality of sound output to boot. But seriously Bowers & Wilkins why didn't they come with Comply Tips as standard for that price they should?!!! I have aural heaven now. I should also add that I am in my late 50's so my hearing cannot possibly be at the top of its game, but this makes my music come alive again for me.