[audio dilettante]

I tried out the PX8 at an airport store and I was disappointed—they sounded wooly with a closed-in soundstage using wireless connection to my iPhone 14 Pro. Admittedly, it was a quick trial and it’s possible the headphones had a bad EQ profile loaded in them. The attendant said she liked increasing the bass with the headphone app which I couldn’t imagine doing to the sound I heard (and I like bass in my headphones). I like the aesthetic of the design; they felt premium and comfortable. Ultimately, I didn’t find them a compelling alternative to my AirPods Max or my Momentum 3.

It's very interesting how different ears interpret the sound. I listened to momentums in the store at the weekend and they sounded noticeably inferior in comparison to the PX8 to me. Not even close.

 

[cresny]

I tried out the PX8 at an airport store and I was disappointed—they sounded wooly with a closed-in soundstage using wireless connection to my iPhone 14 Pro. Admittedly, it was a quick trial and it’s possible the headphones had a bad EQ profile loaded in them. The attendant said she liked increasing the bass with the headphone app which I couldn’t imagine doing to the sound I heard (and I like bass in my headphones). I like the aesthetic of the design; they felt premium and comfortable. Ultimately, I didn’t find them a compelling alternative to my AirPods Max or my Momentum 3.

I had the exact same reaction when I first put mine on. But since I had already bought them I kept on listening and then things changed. That "wooliness" became a kind of backdrop that I quickly began to appreciate as a sort of underpinning to some very clear dynamics. With a few exceptions that may or may not be due to the recording it now sounds like natural space, like if you are at a concert hall, the absence of instrument sounds is not exactly silence. Really hard to describe, but net effect is non-fatiguing enjoyable listening for hours.

 

[erich6]

I had the exact same reaction when I first put mine on. But since I had already bought them I kept on listening and then things changed. That "wooliness" became a kind of backdrop that I quickly began to appreciate as a sort of underpinning to some very clear dynamics. With a few exceptions that may or may not be due to the recording it now sounds like natural space, like if you are at a concert hall, the absence of instrument sounds is not exactly silence. Really hard to describe, but net effect is non-fatiguing enjoyable listening for hours.

I don’t doubt this. Something like this happened with my Meze 99 Classics. I think it’s a combination of different factors, some psychophysical and some electromechanical—the elusive burn-in effect. Some headphones need that more than others. I liked my AirPods Max pretty much out of the box. Momentum 3 needed a bit more—and things got better with them when they added the “high end tuning” setting. It felt to me like the PX8 would have a “longer road” for me than any of these. Come to think of it, the PX8 sounded similar to my M&D MW60. Again, could also be they were configured wrong.

 

[audio dilettante]

I don’t doubt this. Something like this happened with my Meze 99 Classics. I think it’s a combination of different factors, some psychophysical and some electromechanical—the elusive burn-in effect. Some headphones need that more than others. I liked my AirPods Max pretty much out of the box. Momentum 3 needed a bit more—and things got better with them when they added the “high end tuning” setting. It felt to me like the PX8 would have a “longer road” for me than any of these. Come to think of it, the PX8 sounded similar to my M&D MW60. Again, could also be they were configured wrong.

I think I need to listen to more of the higher end headphones like the MW60, ML5909, Bathys etc as PX8 are the only ones in their price bracket I've listened to. Like I said I way prefer the PX8 the Sony, Bose and Sennheiser I've tried but it's not a fair comparison really considering the relative costs.

 

[cresny]

Some not so good news about potential fro battery replacement. Unlike the PX, this would entail some soldering. OTOH it's very easy to get at, just a couple of screws at the top and bottom of the left ear cup and another tiny one on a circuit board. The soldering does not look difficult though if it ever came down to it, and it's a $10 battery.

 

[aras]

Hi all! I have been happily using P7 Wireless for many years. I just purchased a PX8 and I'm very excited to see how it stacks up against the P7W. My question is, what is the best way to connect these headphones with my S21 Ultra android phone? Should I simply connect it through the B&W app? I only use Spotify premium for my music source, do I need to activate Aptx or anything else for the best wireless audio performance?

 

[audio dilettante]

Hi all! I have been happily using P7 Wireless for many years. I just purchased a PX8 and I'm very excited to see how it stacks up against the P7W. My question is, what is the best way to connect these headphones with my S21 Ultra android phone? Should I simply connect it through the B&W app? I only use Spotify premium for my music source, do I need to activate Aptx or anything else for the best wireless audio performance

I paired and connected through the B&W app. You can connect without it bit it's good for EQ settings etc. I've got the S20 and it switched from sbc codec to aptx automatically when I connected - you can check this in developer mode. I believe the s21 ultra also uses LDAC which my phone doesn't. It uses a higher bitrate than the standard aptx that the S21 has but some reviews still favour the atpx in terms of performance. I've never used LDAC but I'm sure the clever fellas on here can answer this.

 

[aras]

I paired and connected through the B&W app. You can connect without it bit it's good for EQ settings etc. I've got the S20 and it switched from sbc codec to aptx automatically when I connected - you can check this in developer mode.

Thanks for the feedback! Did you previously enable aptx from the developer settings to have your S20 automatically use the APTX?

 

[audio dilettante]

Thanks for the feedback! Did you previously enable aptx from the developer settings to have your S20 automatically use the APTX?

No, I looked in developer settings and saw the list of codecs. aptx was greyed out as we're all but SBC. As soon as I connected an aptx capable device i.e. my px8s, it switched on its own. I know this as I went back into developer settings and it showed aptx as the codec in use.

 

[TK33]

Hi all! I have been happily using P7 Wireless for many years. I just purchased a PX8 and I'm very excited to see how it stacks up against the P7W. My question is, what is the best way to connect these headphones with my S21 Ultra android phone? Should I simply connect it through the B&W app? I only use Spotify premium for my music source, do I need to activate Aptx or anything else for the best wireless audio performance?

I paired and connected through the B&W app. You can connect without it bit it's good for EQ settings etc. I've got the S20 and it switched from sbc codec to aptx automatically when I connected - you can check this in developer mode. I believe the s21 ultra also uses LDAC which my phone doesn't. It uses a higher bitrate than the standard aptx that the S21 has but some reviews still favour the atpx in terms of performance. I've never used LDAC but I'm sure the clever fellas on here can answer this.

Thanks for the feedback! Did you previously enable aptx from the developer settings to have your S20 automatically use the APTX?

You only need the app to adjust settings like EQ, turning wear sensor on/off, enable/disable auto standby, connection management (select which device the Px8 connects when powered on), etc. Once you havethe Px8 set up the way you want, the settings (including EQ) are stored on the Px8 themselves so you don't need to go into the app every time and you can just use your Spotify app to listen to your music. In fact, you don't even need the app installed on your source device. However, when you first pair the device, it will likely ask you to install and/or connect through the B&W app (you don't have to if you don't want to).

As for your question on Developer options, you don't need to mess with it for aptX. Codec selection will be automatic when you connect. I have both the Px7 S2 and Px8 and they both connect to my S22+ via aptX and my LG V60 and Creative BT-W4 (PC) via aptX adaptive automatically. No need to go into Developer options. Most recent Android phones, and certainly the S20 and S21 series, support LDAC but, to use it, both devices need to have LDAC. The Px8 does not support LDAC so with the S21 Ultra, your Px8 will default to aptX (Samsung phones generally do not support the higher aptX HD or aptX adaptive codecs unfortunately but aptX works just fine).

 

[aras]

You only need the app to adjust settings like EQ, turning wear sensor on/off, enable/disable auto standby, connection management (select which device the Px8 connects when powered on), etc. Once you havethe Px8 set up the way you want, the settings (including EQ) are stored on the Px8 themselves so you don't need to go into the app every time and you can just use your Spotify app to listen to your music. In fact, you don't even need the app installed on your source device. However, when you first pair the device, it will likely ask you to install and/or connect through the B&W app (you don't have to if you don't want to).

As for your question on Developer options, you don't need to mess with it for aptX. Codec selection will be automatic when you connect. I have both the Px7 S2 and Px8 and they both connect to my S22+ via aptX and my LG V60 and Creative BT-W4 (PC) via aptX adaptive automatically. No need to go into Developer options. Most recent Android phones, and certainly the S20 and S21 series, support LDAC but, to use it, both devices need to have LDAC. The Px8 does not support LDAC so with the S21 Ultra, your Px8 will default to aptX (Samsung phones generally do not support the higher aptX HD or aptX adaptive codecs unfortunately but aptX works just fine).

Super informative, thank you!

 

[Harvey100]

I tried out the PX8 at an airport store and I was disappointed—they sounded wooly with a closed-in soundstage using wireless connection to my iPhone 14 Pro. Admittedly, it was a quick trial and it’s possible the headphones had a bad EQ profile loaded in them. The attendant said she liked increasing the bass with the headphone app which I couldn’t imagine doing to the sound I heard (and I like bass in my headphones). I like the aesthetic of the design; they felt premium and comfortable. Ultimately, I didn’t find them a compelling alternative to my AirPods Max or my Momentum 3.

Same for me! I actually went into a shop with the intention of buying a pair subject to a quick demo as I presumed I would like them as I love my pair of B&W P7 wireless cans (which I’m keeping) . They only had to be slightly better than my Airpod Max’s for me to purchase. But I was also very disappointed with the sound. They just weren’t quite how I imagined them to be. The mid range sounded more detailed but overall it just sounded very messy and not together. It was somehow bassy and bright at the same time. I also found I had to turn the volume up quite a bit up to get it to sound good. I do except this was not a proper considered demo and the pair may have been eq’ed. However the build quality was good and they were very comfortable.

 

[audio dilettante]

Same for me! I actually went into a shop with the intention of buying a pair subject to a quick demo as I presumed I would like them as I love my pair of B&W P7 wireless cans (which I’m keeping) . They only had to be slightly better than my Airpod Max’s for me to purchase. But I was also very disappointed with the sound. They just weren’t quite how I imagined them to be. The mid range sounded more detailed but overall it just sounded very messy and not together. It was somehow bassy and bright at the same time. I also found I had to turn the volume up quite a bit up to get it to sound good. I do except this was not a proper considered demo and the pair may have been eq’ed. However the build quality was good and they were very comfortable.

Same for me! I actually went into a shop with the intention of buying a pair subject to a quick demo as I presumed I would like them as I love my pair of B&W P7 wireless cans (which I’m keeping) . They only had to be slightly better than my Airpod Max’s for me to purchase. But I was also very disappointed with the sound. They just weren’t quite how I imagined them to be. The mid range sounded more detailed but overall it just sounded very messy and not together. It was somehow bassy and bright at the same time. I also found I had to turn the volume up quite a bit up to get it to sound good. I do except this was not a proper considered demo and the pair may have been eq’ed. However the build quality was good and they were very comfortable.

Agree that they sound better at higher volume which works for me as I'm going deaf in my old age. Can't see how they could ever be described as having a messy/wooly sound though... madness. I listened to my friends ipod max the other day for comparison and agree that there's not much between them and the PX8 other than design/materials which PX8 wins hands down in my humble opinion.

 

[Denkmal]

Agree that they sound better at higher volume which works for me as I'm going deaf in my old age. Can't see how they could ever be described as having a messy/wooly sound though... madness. I listened to my friends ipod max the other day for comparison and agree that there's not much between them and the PX8 other than design/materials which PX8 wins hands down in my humble opinion.

Well to my ears Airpods Max presents a very synthetic sound, rumbling, almost boomy bass and is a few notches below PX8 in the SQ department… anyway youre right about design and materials.

 

[audio dilettante]

Same for me! I actually went into a shop with the intention of buying a pair subject to a quick demo as I presumed I would like them as I love my pair of B&W P7 wireless cans (which I’m keeping) . They only had to be slightly better than my Airpod Max’s for me to purchase. But I was also very disappointed with the sound. They just weren’t quite how I imagined them to be. The mid range sounded more detailed but overall it just sounded very messy and not together. It was somehow bassy and bright at the same time. I also found I had to turn the volume up quite a bit up to get it to sound good. I do except this was not a proper considered demo and the pair may have been eq’ed. However the build quality was good and they were very comfortable.

Same for me! I actually went into a shop with the intention of buying a pair subject to a quick demo as I presumed I would like them as I love my pair of B&W P7 wireless cans (which I’m keeping) . They only had to be slightly better than my Airpod Max’s for me to purchase. But I was also very disappointed with the sound. They just weren’t quite how I imagined them to be. The mid range sounded more detailed but overall it just sounded very messy and not together. It was somehow bassy and bright at the same time. I also found I had to turn the volume up quite a bit up to get it to sound good. I do except this was not a proper considered demo and the pair may have been eq’ed. However the build quality was good and they were very comfortable.

Agree that they sound better at higher volume which works for me as I'm going deaf in my old age. Can't see how they could ever be described as having a messy/wooly sound though... madness. I listened to my friends ipod max the other day for comparison and agree that there's ot much between them and the PX8 other than design/materials which PX8 wins hands down in my humble

Well to my ears Airpods Max presents a very synthetic sound, rumbling, almost boomy bass and is a few notches below PX8 in the SQ department… anyway youre right about design and materials.

You have to remember that I don't know what I'm talking about! Sure you're right.