Missed Black Friday? These five-star Bowers & Wilkins wireless earbuds sink to their lowest-ever price

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It's not Black Friday anymore, but that doesn't mean the deals have stopped. The end of Cyber Monday usually marks the end of those massive deals, with prices tending to spike back up to their natural highs, but that hasn't happened this year.

That's good news for you, the would-be buyer. The Bowers & Wilkins Pi8 might have been pipped to a What Hi-Fi? Award this year, but the former Award-winners are still some of the best wireless earbuds we've tested.

From the moment we got our hands on the Bowers & Wilkins Pi8 wireless earbuds, we were impressed. They're more expensive than some of their biggest rivals, such as the Bose QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds (2nd Gen) and the Sony WF-1000XM5, but the Pi8 justify their elevated price tag with some of the best performance you'll find from wire-free earbuds.

They offer serious performance across the board, from dynamic insight to genuine rhythmic drive, all of which can keep you entertained for the duration of the buds' 6.5 hours of battery life (extending to 20 hours with the charging case in play).

That charging case also has a neat trick up its sleeve, as It can accept audio signals via a USB-C socket and wirelessly ‘retransmit’ them to the earbuds. That means you can beam the audio from a different source when you're in a place that struggles to get signal (an aircraft, say, or at the gym).

There is also support for Bluetooth 5.4, the inclusion of AptX Adaptive support at up to 24-bit/96kHz and also aptX Lossless. Plus, the active noise cancelling uses the same technology as B&W's Px8 over-ears, which can be switched off entirely or popped into Transparency mode.

All of this creates five-star natural, refined sound that led us to say in our full review: “Their wonderfully sophisticated, balanced and transparent sound delivers a level of insight that’s rare in wireless earbuds. You do have to pay for that quality but, ultimately, we think it’s a price worth paying.”

That's a price that's lower than it's ever been, clocking in at just £279 at Amazon. Bargain.

MORE:

Read our recent Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones (2nd Gen) review

These are the best wireless earbuds we have tested

And the best audiophile headphones

Harry McKerrell is a senior staff writer at What Hi-Fi?. During his time at the publication, he has written countless news stories alongside features, advice and reviews of products ranging from floorstanding speakers and music streamers to over-ear headphones, wireless earbuds and portable DACs. He has covered launches from hi-fi and consumer tech brands, and major industry events including IFA, High End Munich and, of course, the Bristol Hi-Fi Show. When not at work he can be found playing hockey, practising the piano or trying to pet strangers' dogs.

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