Headphones

Clearly intended as a more affordable alternative to B&W’s Pi8 (£350), the Pi6 is available in a variety of colours and is smaller than previous models. Though they feel perfectly comfortable, I’m not sure they’re secure enough to cope with more energetic jogging. However, there are four sizes of ear-tips included to help you get a good fit, and the earbuds are rated IP54 for resistance to water and dust if you’re in the big outdoors.

The most obvious difference between the two is that the Pi6 lacks the ‘smart’ charging case that comes with the Pi8 and acts as a Bluetooth transmitter so you can use it with wired audio sources such as the entertainment system on a plane. The case provided with the Pi6 doesn’t support Qi wireless charging either.

It hasn’t made too many other compromises, though. The Pi6 uses 12mm ‘bio-cellulose’ drivers similar to those of the Pi7 S2e, with support for Bluetooth 5.4, Apple’s AAC codec and aptX Adaptive for Android. Bowers & Wilkins also acknowledges that the noise cancelling of the Pi6 isn’t quite as effective at keeping interference at bay as that found on the Pi8, but this helps with battery life – which lasts eight hours when using noise cancellation, compared with the 6.5 hours for the Pi8. The charging case also provides two full boosts, for a total of 24 hours with noise cancelling.

The B&W app boasts some useful features too, including bass and treble controls, and the ability to reprogram the buttons on the earbuds to control volume, noise cancelling or a voice assistant on your smartphone.

Sound quality
It may lack the carbon-cone drivers of the more expensive Pi8, but the Pi6 performs very well with a variety of musical genres. Max Richter’s Sarajevo is wonderfully ominous, streaming in lossless format from Apple Music. It shows a gentle touch on the opening harp, but is also able to step back and make room for the surge of strings that slowly builds.

In fact, the Pi6 seems to do ominous very well – something that You Should See Me In A Crown by Billie Eilish also clearly demonstrates. It evokes an eerie, ambient sense of space for the electronic effects that open the track. These low-frequency elements are well balanced too – the deep rumble starts quietly at first, but the Pi6 keeps the sound nice and taut as it pans from side to side, and then kicks like a mule as the juddering bass pulse launches into the chorus. It’s not overwhelming, though, and the Pi6 clearly picks out the nervous ticking of percussion that sounds like cockroaches running across the floor.

It’s not all gloom and doom. The Pi6 brings out all the infectious energy of Sturgill Simpson’s Sing Along. It’s a dense track that’s awash with fuzz-drenched guitars, EDM keyboards and driving percussion, but the Pi6 is able to locate each set of instruments with admirable clarity. Again, it picks out the precise rhythm of the percussion that holds the song together while the swooping bass drop towards the end is irresistible.

Conclusion
It’s an admirable performance at this price range, but B&W is right to acknowledge its weaker noise cancelling. To be fair, the Pi6 does a respectable job of blocking out the deep rumble of an aircraft engine – it’s not quite in the same league as some of its noise-cancelling rivals, but it’ll still come in handy on a long-haul flight. However, our second test reveals that it’s far less effective at dealing with the more varied sounds of a busy airport, with voices and higher frequencies leaking through quite noticeably. Frequent fliers who require really effective noise cancelling when they’re travelling should perhaps look elsewhere, but if you just want a high-quality set of earbuds at a competitive price then the Pi6 is good value for money. CJ    

DETAILS
Product: Bowers & Wilkins Pi6
Type: Bluetooth in-ear buds

FEATURES
● 12mm bio-cellulose drivers
● USB-C charging case
● 8-hour battery (with ANC)

Read the full review in  Issue 527