[gustavhedberg]

I think if you might be "double DACing" in that scenario as there is a DAC in the lightning plug I believe. I might be wrong though. USB-C to USB-C on the PX-8 is straight through for sure though.

So by that I'm definitely "double DACing" when I connect them to my audio interface, what's the result of double DACing? It still plays audio when i do this

 

[BooleanBones]

So by that I'm definitely "double DACing" when I connect them to my audio interface, what's the result of double DACing? It still plays audio when i do this

yeah, it will still play fine, just not sure you will be getting your best audio experience. you may not even notice without a/b testing the two methods. you are just possibly converting the audio twice rather than just going straight though to the DAC in the PX8s.

 

[Maukey]

Another comparison video review:

Oh wow. This reviewer is the first one I've heard say that the strength of the Bathys is the Mids and Vocals, and that the PX8 "has a more energetic Treble, and Bass with more texture". I hear the opposite. Better/more treble, and a more linear yet still full and textured bass response on the Bathys. I hear a more forward midrange on the PX8 with fuller vocals. I also disagree that the 5909 has a larger soundstage than the Bathys. Yet more proof that each individual needs to hear a headphone for themselves.

 

[Denkmal]

Hello! I just started my journey down the deep rabbit hole of hifi and have spent many hours geeking out and learning a lot since I bought my pair of Px8s. Now I have some questions for the more experienced audiophile. I recently found out that they support 24bit/48kHz with their internal DAC. Now I wonder, if I connect it to an external DAC supporting 24/192 would the signal bypass the internal DAC since it's already converted?

Also, I'm an iPhone user, would the Lightning to USB-C (male) cable be able to transfer digital audio signals to the Px8 internal DAC? Or would I have to go for the lightning to USB-C (female) that is needed for the Creative BT-W4 and such?

Thank you for helping a noob out

No point in using external DAC as the internal cannot be bypassed.

Also, you will not be able to connect via USB directly from your iPhone as the Px8 draws too much power. From an iPad works swell though.

 

[gustavhedberg]

Also, you will not be able to connect via USB directly from your iPhone as the Px8 draws too much power. From an iPad works swell though.

That sucks.. And all the lightning to aux have crappy DACs in them. Would the camera adapter method possibly work?

Is the battery life of your headphones improved when listening from the iPad then? Or is the power consumption simply from data transfer?

 

[gustavhedberg]

And all the lightning to aux have crappy DACs in them.

The affordable ones that is

 

[Denkmal]

That sucks.. And all the lightning to aux have crappy DACs in them. Would the camera adapter method possibly work?

Is the battery life of your headphones improved when listening from the iPad then? Or is the power consumption simply from data transfer?

What is your purpose of using a cable in the first place?
If I am mobile I use my phone and prefer no cables. If I am stationary I have the choice of plugging directly to my iPad or laptop with USB-C. Sounds better, but not by much. The Px8 actually has a really good AAC implementation and sounds excellent over Bluetooth. It is only when I really want to focus on really good masters that I hear a difference big enough to justify the cable.
And that is with lossless sources, if youre streaming Spotify ofc dont even bother with the cable. My advice - try plug it directly to an USB source first and see if youre able to tell the difference in a blind a b test.

When plugged in via USB the Px8 will charge until full, like it or not. So it will draw power from your laptop or iPad but it is not really that noticeable.

 

[gustavhedberg]

What is your purpose of using a cable in the first place?
If I am mobile I use my phone and prefer no cables. If I am stationary I have the choice of plugging directly to my iPad or laptop with USB-C. Sounds better, but not by much. The Px8 actually has a really good AAC implementation and sounds excellent over Bluetooth. It is only when I really want to focus on really good masters that I hear a difference big enough to justify the cable.
And that is with lossless sources, if youre streaming Spotify ofc dont even bother with the cable. My advice - try plug it directly to an USB source first and see if youre able to tell the difference in a blind a b test.

When plugged in via USB the Px8 will charge until full, like it or not. So it will draw power from your laptop or iPad but it is not really that noticeable.

I definitely bought them with the intention of wireless listening. Since I haven’t gotten into hifi before I’m just stunned with how good they sound and how I can hear things in my favorite songs that I’ve never heard before, over Bluetooth with AAC from my iPhone. And then I tried listening to lossless tracks and was stunned again. But yes you have a good point, I won’t really hear any difference when on the bus or walking in the wind. But it would be cool to have the option to listen to lossless from my phone when I’m not near my gaming laptop that’s borderline stationary. That said, I’ll definitely be doing some a/b testing. Thank you for your answers, they’ve been helpful!

 

[ryanmatic]

You can drive the Px8 via the camera connection kit, you just also need to plug in your iPhone to a charger. That said, second the notion that the difference is not night and day compared to wireless, which is already very very good.

 

[audio dilettante]

You can drive the Px8 via the camera connection kit, you just also need to plug in your iPhone to a charger. That said, second the notion that the difference is not night and day compared to wireless, which is already very very good.

Exactly what I found - the difference between wireless and USB C is negligible/non-existent.

 

[tiagopinto]

I think it should always be about if you personally feel that you get enough personal value/enjoyment/satisfaction out of the money you spend and the product you receive. It's not so much about whether product XY is worth the money alone. For example, I personally think my 2700€ MacBook Pro gives me exactly that value, that productivity and enjoyment while using it even though many people will probably say that it is a vastly overpriced laptop. It's all relative. In my specific case, I just meant that I had the feeling to get a better experience and more overall (again personal) value with the M4 in comparison to the three times more expensive Px8 - that's all. That does not mean that the Px8 are noth worth the price for others of course. And nothing wrong with that if that's the case

Exactly my thoughts. “Personal value/enjoyment/satisfaction” is key for me. The 15” MacBook Pro I bought in 2007 cost me 3000€. It’s internal clock battery has recently perished but, boy, did I enjoy that computer. My current 13” one is from 2011. No power use out of it anymore but still going.

 

[tiagopinto]

Agree.
I think to the general population, most of us lurking around these forums are borderline insane for spending more than 100-200$ on a pair of headphones.
But to me, it is all about how much you use them. My PX8 stay on my head 4-5 hours per day, every day. So if they are ever so slightly more comfy, or with a sound signature that I ´prefer just a little bit over most others, they are worth it. In fact, if I broke or lost mine I would probably buy new ones immediately.

That said, I definitely don't tell my wife the price of my toys.

Yes. I never tell most people what I spend in gadgets. It just makes no sense to them. Other priorities I tell them... and I respect theirs. The PX8 are still on my pipeline of desires.

 

[tiagopinto]

Yes (https://www.apple.com/au/shop/product/MK0W2AM/A/lightning-to-usb-3-camera-adapter), but needs the power connected as well so isn't ideal. I've got the nura BT dongle on it's way, hoping it'll work without the need for power!

Yeah, I have the THX Onyx and it doesn’t need extra power. I have both adapters, one with with power, one without. But it tried the iFi go blue recently and it didn’t work without the power connected. Anyway, the Onyx is wonderful.

 

[tiagopinto]

Hello! I just started my journey down the deep rabbit hole of hifi and have spent many hours geeking out and learning a lot since I bought my pair of Px8s. Now I have some questions for the more experienced audiophile. I recently found out that they support 24bit/48kHz with their internal DAC. Now I wonder, if I connect it to an external DAC supporting 24/192 would the signal bypass the internal DAC since it's already converted?

Also, I'm an iPhone user, would the Lightning to USB-C (male) cable be able to transfer digital audio signals to the Px8 internal DAC? Or would I have to go for the lightning to USB-C (female) that is needed for the Creative BT-W4 and such?

Thank you for helping a noob out

The PX8 CANNOT run passive (maybe my only gripe with this headphone. My A50, although not up to par, CAN run passive). It only reproduces sound while powered on, so the internal DAC will always be running.

I think if you might be "double DACing" in that scenario as there is a DAC in the lightning plug I believe. I might be wrong though. USB-C to USB-C on the PX-8 is straight through for sure though.

If you use the simple lightning to mini jack adapter, this has a DAC in it, and also an ADC for Siri. Incredible for a 10$ thingy.

So by that I'm definitely "double DACing" when I connect them to my audio interface, what's the result of double DACing? It still plays audio when i do this

So, you’ll definitely be double DACing. No harm, but I’m not sure about signal degradation from DSP acting twice.

No point in using external DAC as the internal cannot be bypassed.

Also, you will not be able to connect via USB directly from your iPhone as the Px8 draws too much power. From an iPad works swell though.

This. Although I didn’t know it wouldn’t work directly from an iPhone. Bummer.

You can drive the Px8 via the camera connection kit, you just also need to plug in your iPhone to a charger. That said, second the notion that the difference is not night and day compared to wireless, which is already very very good.

You need this camera connection adapter. No DAC inside, just straight digital signal (which will then be processed by the Px8’s internal DAC). There are two of them. One has USB-A, the other has USB-A plus Lightning (for power, if needed, like Denkmal says).

Hope this helps.

Edit: I must add that you need another tiny USB-A male to USB-C female in order to connect the USB-C to USB-C headphone cable to the camera adapter.
Edit 2: the A50 run of the iPhone just fine, passive or not.

 

[angelom]

So, after a month of testing the Px8, I’ve decided to send them back. They’re very good headphones and they sound great while being premium and comfortable. I think they are much better than the "original" PX7 which I didn't like. However, I always thought that they’re “good” but not “699€ good”. Doesn’t make much sense to think that way maybe but listening to them side by side with my Momentum 4, I felt the Px8 sounded better but not by a huge margin. Especially not for modern music and genres. Or to put it differently, the M4 sound very good with regard to what I paid for them (234€, pretty much a third of the Px8). More than good enough for what I need in a Bluetooth ANC headphone probably. They’re also very comfortable but they’re not as stylish and not as well built obviously. ANC is very comparable, though. Call quality sounded better than on the Px8 people told me. I slightly prefer the M4's sound to the AirPods Max I had before the Px8 and which I used for 21 months.

At first, I did not have any issues with the wear sensor on the Px8 but after a while it was acting up. I did a factory reset but it still was overly sensitive no matter what I did. The wear sensor on the M4 works as it should. No issues at all. I usually prefer physical buttons on headphones, and I liked the buttons on the Px8 but I have to admit that the touch commands work very well on the M4 and even faster than using the buttons. I also think the Sennheiser app offers a better overall experience than the B&W app and has more features (+ they do provide firmware updates). Both cases are great, so no advantage there either for the Px8. Battery life on the M4 is twice as good as on the Px8. It kind of goes on like this.

It still wasn’t an easy decision as the B&W are so sexy, stylish, premium and great sounding. All very important things of course and I’m sure I will miss them. I would probably gladly pay 449€ to 499€ for them and feel happy about it. For now, only my wallet is really happy about the situation

Only now I watching Darko's very positive review of the Sennheiser Momentum 4 and he's making me very, very curious about trying this headphone.

He's saying in the video that, in his opinion, only the 5909, Bathys and M4 are giving a more close sound reproduction to the sound of speakers than so many others BT/ANC headphones he's trying before, and that he thinking the M4 is better than px7 s2, but is in the same sound quality position than px8. But he's also mentioning other very positive aspects of the M4 that many/all ANC headphones not having (battery life, phone calls, great touch controls).