Bowers & Wilkins Pi6 review: Stylish earbuds offer B&W signature sound at a price everyone can afford

The Bowers & Wilkins Pi6 earbuds mark a significant milestone in the British brand’s True Wireless journey, delivering premium earbud performance, plus a panoply of features, at a surprisingly attainable price. 

The Pi6 bridges the gap between Bowers & Wilkins flagship Pi8 earbuds and the outgoing Pi5, combining a refined design with unabashed musicality. The recipe will entice audiophiles and casual listeners alike, in fact anyone seeking a premium performance that won’t break the bank.

Importantly, the Pi6 stands on its own merits rather than being a stripped down version of its premium Pi8 sibling. For not very much cash, you get high-resolution sound, excellent battery life, and superb ergonomic design.  

Let’s take a deeper dive into the Pi6’s design, features, and performance… 

Importantly, the Pi6 stands on its own merits rather than being a stripped down version of its premium Pi8 sibling…

Bowers & Wilkins Pi6 Earbuds: Design and features

In the hand, these earbuds impress. They clearly share design traits with the step-up Pi8, and are comfortable enough to be worn for hours without fatigue.

There’s a choice of four finishes – Storm Grey, Forest Green, Glacier Blue and Cloud Grey – all of which are suitably fashion forward. My sample was Cloud Grey, which looks suitably polished. The capacitive touch surface, which sports the brand logo, is large and shiny, with excellent responsiveness, while the body is a contrasting matte.

The buds have an IP54 rating for dust and water resistance, and the charging case has been redesigned to be slimmer and more pocket-friendly. It’s rewardingly tactile to the touch. 

Bluetooth 5.4 enables multipoint pairing, giving seamless connectivity between two devices (you can pair a second device to their Pi6s without having to remove the buds from your ears), while the inclusion of aptX Adaptive ensures high-resolution wireless audio up to 24-bit/96kHz (the older Pi5 was locked to 16-bit).

Active Noise Cancellation (ANC) here is handled by Qualcomm’s platform, and it does a solid enough job, although it doesn’t match the precision of the Pi8’s bespoke noise cancelling system. When out and about, I found it reduces background noise to a burble, rather than providing full sonic isolation. The fit of the earbuds is crucial here, with various ear tip sizes included to ensure optimal cancellation. Voice call quality benefits from well-placed microphones, providing reliable clarity even in moderately noisy environments. 

Frequent flyers should note that the Pi6 lacks the wireless retransmission functionality of the Pi8, and it doesn’t have that model’s wireless recharging mode, but mechanical detailing, like the location of all the microphones, sensors, and industrial design is very much the same – all at a price that won’t make you flinch. 

Despite such trade-offs, the Pi6 excels in user-friendly setup and integration. The Bowers & Wilkins Music app enhances usability, offering tone control adjustments for a personalised audio experience, and offers excellent integration with streaming services, like Tidal.

Battery life is a strong point, with the earbuds delivering up to eight hours of playback on a single charge, complemented by an additional 16 hours from the charging case. A 15-minute quick charge yields two hours of use, making the Pi6 great go-to buds for commuting or travel.

Bowers & Wilkins Pi6 Earbuds: Performance

If I was going to benchmark the Pi6, it would probably be against the outgoing Pi7 S2, once the flagship model in Bowers & Wilkins’ previous range of earbuds, rather than the Pi8.

The Pi6 uses all-new 12mm bio-cellulose dynamic drive units derived from the cones used in the brand’s Px7 S2e over-ear headphones; the result is high-resolution audio in a smaller, more easily transportable form factor.

This dynamic driver delivers rich and detailed sound, with a balanced midrange, precise treble, and tight, controlled bass. The Pi6’s ability to drop deep with resonance is emphasised by Natalie Holt’s ‘Purpose is Glorious’, from the Loki Season 2 soundtrack. The electronic riff has swirling weight, while the spiralling high frequency theme can still be discerned in the distance. The mix is miasmic, but the Pi6 never sound confused. 

I’m also convinced by the naturalism of its vocal presentation – Måneskin’s Damiano David vocal on ‘Coraline’ is tremulous with convincing emotion – as well as the wide soundscape on offer. There’s no Dolby Atmos binaural decoding on offer here, but to be honest, it’s not needed. Listening to tracks on the Pi6 is akin to taking in a vista of sound. 

Overall reliability is good. Bowers & Wilkins has managed to locate all antennas and microphones within the earbud to avoid the possibility of accidental blockage of wireless, or audio, signals. A tidy bit of engineering. 

Bowers & Wilkins Pi6 Earbuds: Verdict

The Bowers & Wilkins Pi6 achieves a compelling balance of performance, design, and affordability. While these earbuds don’t match the flagship Pi8 in terms of noise cancellation and feature set, they still deliver exceptional audio quality and comfort for what is a significantly lower price point. 

Importantly, it doesn’t sound as though the brand has cut any significant corners here. The Pi6 earbuds offer Bowers & Wilkins signature sound at a price everyone can afford.

The inclusion of high-resolution aptX Adaptive, extended battery life, and thoughtful design upgrades make the Pi6 a standout choice in its category.

Noise cancellation is best described as fair, but the upside is the earbuds are very comfortable to wear, which ultimately, may be more important. For those seeking premium sound without a premium price tag, the Pi6 can be considered an excellent investment.

Priced at £219 ($249 / €249) on Amazon, the Pi6 is not only a significant improvement over its predecessor, but also a worthy contender against competitors like the Bose QC Ultra and Sony WF-1000XM5.