These Exciting New Headphones Aim to Bring Down AirPods Max—What to Know

Hot on the heels of this summer’s popular Px7 S2 headphone refresh, Bowers & Wilkins is releasing the official successor, the Px8. 

The company just unveiled these snazzy cans, and they are filled with all kinds of high-tech upgrades that put them in the same ultra-premium category as Apple’s popular—and expensive—AirPods Max. 

The Px8 includes new 40mm carbon cone audio drivers, which the company says gives these headphones "the best sound quality" and makes them the "new reference standard for sound." The new components offer a major uptick in detail and resolution, with the drive units placed at an angle to allow sound to travel a consistent distance across the surface and to the listener's ears. 

Bowers & Wilkins includes a proprietary digital signal processing (DSP) system, so these headphones can handle 24-bit streaming from Tidal and anyone else who offers access to high-resolution audio. To that end, Tidal, Deezer, and Quboz integrate directly with the company's smartphone app, which is the same software used for making sound adjustments. 

The materials also got a major boost over previous iterations, with arms made from cast aluminum, memory foam cushions inside the earcups, and Nappa leather running throughout. 

Other features include active noise cancellation (ANC), 30 hours of battery life per charge, and a quick-charging feature that gets you seven hours of use after just 15 minutes of charging. 

Of course, these headphones are made to compete with the best of the best from Apple and related companies, so there is a price tag to match. The Px8 headphones are available today and cost $700.