Looking for a steal of a deal on a luxurious pair of over-ear headphones? The Bowers & Wilkins Px8 are heavily marked down on Amazon in a variety of elegant finishes. They sport premium materials, upgraded sound, and surprisingly adept ANC, all for under $500, depending on how picky you are about the color. They’re an excellent pick if you have a discerning ear and want something to take on your next long flight.
The big star here is the listening experience, powered by a pair of 40-mm carbon cone drivers originally built for the 700 Series speakers. The Px8 have an incredible sound profile that our reviewer Simon Lucas called “a thrillingly adept, informative, and engaging listen without being ostentatious” and complimented in particular the low frequencies for their excellent definition. They have an impressive texture and substance, something you’re unlikely to find in other headphones at this discounted price range.
For not being one of the big names in noise-cancelation, we were impressed by the implementation for both flying and regular noise, although he did note that the settings are limited to on, off, or passthrough. The associated Bowers & Wilkins app has a decent set of options for some equalizer adjustments and other settings, and if you like you can connect your streaming service of choice for in-app listening. They’ve got decent battery life too, with up to 30 hours of playback on a single charge, and fast charging for seven hours of music after only 15 minutes.
The price and availability varies by color, and I spotted the tan version at the lowest price of just under $420 at publish. The black, dark forest, and royal burgundy were also marked down below $500, but some of the default listings weren’t shipped and sold by Amazon, so make sure to double check before you buy if that’s a concern. If you’re not sure you’re ready for this kind of luxury, make sure to swing by our guide to the best wireless headphones, or check out the best noise-canceling headphones for tuning out the world and getting some work done.
