[AnnR]

Hi All...

New Member here.

After purchasing a set of PX8s due to advice from Peter Tyson (previously had mark levisons) I can honestly say I'm disappointed. This is the second pair I've had on warranty and am awaiting pickup from Peter Tyson tomorrow.

For such a premium and expensive product the headband failure, is simply a design flaw, or production/QC flaw.

I'm really happy with the sound, over my XM3's they're worlds apart in terms of sound quality. ANC is another story, but I wear these daily for hours (I work from home) and maybe that's why they've failed. Had this pair 3 months in total and needless to say I won't be having another pair, I'll be requesting a refund. If I'm given a new pair, I'll list on eBay. Such a frustration.

However, all is not lost, I've just purchased Dali io 12's and while they might not be as good for EDM (primarily listening to this Genre) they should hold up with the 50mm Driver.

Anyway, thought I would share my frustrations and thought's on the PX8. Headband issue aside, best headphones I've heard so far, even over the 5509. Didn't like the sound profile of those, and they lacked punch.

Welcome to the multiple failure club.

 

[jockos]

Wow, so weird that you guys are having multiple failures when the most trustworthy source on the Internets™ - Amazon reviews - says the problem is non existent!

 

[jockos]

But my point was we don’t even know who and where those repairs were conducted. Was it B&W in Worthing or a third party?

I left mine at the B&W authorized retailer in my country, Hi-fi klubben, where it went after that only god knows.

 

[AnnR]

Wow, so weird that you guys are having multiple failures when the most trustworthy source on the Internets™ - Amazon reviews - says the problem is non existent!

You trust Amazon?

 

[Gavin R]

Wow, so weird that you guys are having multiple failures when the most trustworthy source on the Internets™ - Amazon reviews - says the problem is non existent!

Would you like some pictures of the failed headband? I mean I'm not making this up here, I spent £599 on these headphones and didn't expect failures of this type with them so soon after purchase.

Believe me, the headband issue is real. I've experienced it with both my pairs.

 

[mainguy]

Found this quite interesting, some pretty vast differences in sound based on clamp force of the Focal Bathys. I've got rather a small head, so experience little clamping with it. It made me wonder, as the opinions on PX8 and Bathys are so disparate and varied, how much is head size a factor? I've seen people who think Bathys sounds no better than an Airpods Max and others who prefer it to Celestee. Same extremes with PX8.

Also makes you wonder about DSP and clamp, and if that introduces some unpredictable factors, a comment on Reddit I saw mentioned this and it made me wonder.

 

[jthomp72]

Found this quite interesting, some pretty vast differences in sound based on clamp force of the Focal Bathys. I've got rather a small head, so experience little clamping with it. It made me wonder, as the opinions on PX8 and Bathys are so disparate and varied, how much is head size a factor? I've seen people who think Bathys sounds no better than an Airpods Max and others who prefer it to Celestee. Same extremes with PX8.

Also makes you wonder about DSP and clamp, and if that introduces some unpredictable factors, a comment on Reddit I saw mentioned this and it made me wonder.

Anecdotally, I had slightly better sound quality and better clamp when I got glasses with a smaller set of arms. There was just less mass interfering with that clamp.

 

[peterinvan]

Limited "Up Volume" on PX8

FiiO M11Pro (Android7) > AptXHD > PX8.

I thought the "Up Volume" button was faulty as it wouldn't raise the volume to my desired level.

I found that the "Up Volume" button cannot raise the volume higher than the volume set on the DAP scroll wheel. Fixed my problem

"Down Volume" works fine.

EDIT: I don't have this issue with my iPhone6 playing Tidal. Up and Down button function on the PX8 as expected.

 

[peterinvan]

Found this quite interesting, some pretty vast differences in sound based on clamp force of the Focal Bathys. I've got rather a small head, so experience little clamping with it. It made me wonder, as the opinions on PX8 and Bathys are so disparate and varied, how much is head size a factor? I've seen people who think Bathys sounds no better than an Airpods Max and others who prefer it to Celestee. Same extremes with PX8.

Also makes you wonder about DSP and clamp, and if that introduces some unpredictable factors, a comment on Reddit I saw mentioned this and it made me wonder.

Interesting...

I recently changed the headband on my Elegias (see post in Elegia thread). The extra clamp force made them much darker. I was not expecting this.

 

[vincenz]

Found this quite interesting, some pretty vast differences in sound based on clamp force of the Focal Bathys. I've got rather a small head, so experience little clamping with it. It made me wonder, as the opinions on PX8 and Bathys are so disparate and varied, how much is head size a factor? I've seen people who think Bathys sounds no better than an Airpods Max and others who prefer it to Celestee. Same extremes with PX8.

Also makes you wonder about DSP and clamp, and if that introduces some unpredictable factors, a comment on Reddit I saw mentioned this and it made me wonder.

Anecdotally, I had slightly better sound quality and better clamp when I got glasses with a smaller set of arms. There was just less mass interfering with that clamp.

I am not surprised at all with these findings and I've always thought anatomy would make a difference on sound impressions, along with how each person subjectively perceives sound differently. With some headphones, you can have noticeable changes when simply adjusting the position fore/aft/up/down over your ears, or even pushing the drivers closer or further from your ears to simulate different clamp pressures. Not to mention there is also a difference once pads break in over time. This hobby is a complete black hole of variables and personal preferences.

Glasses make a huge difference also, especially with bass response on closed-back headphones because of the seal. I could put on different glasses and there would be a noticeable change in bass depending on how thick the arms of the glasses are. To get maximum enjoyment with over ear headphones, I find I have to take my glasses off, which works out anyway because I can zone out with just the music without any other distraction. I have a pair of B&W on-ears that are more consistent with glasses, though they can be painful after an hour or two depending on how thick my glasses arms are. And in-ears avoid all this, but they don't hold a candle to larger headphones for full musical enjoyment, imo.

I've not followed along the Px8 thread as much after selling them, but I do miss them from time to time as I had hundreds of hours of enjoyment with them. All my headphone time is with my P9 these days though. Been also considering a pair of Px7 S2e for more convenient wireless listening, especially at a great price refurb from B&W for only $200, but then I think back on why I sold off the Px8 to begin with because wired is still king for sound quality. The new Sennheiser HD 620S have been calling to me in fact.. everything good in the 600 series along with more bass, might just have to go for it. Though the Px8 in tan is always nice too. Decisions