[abbstrack]

I’m not sure if you’re in America or somewhere else but either way if they do not send your headphones back in a reasonable amount of time I would call my bank and institute to charge back on the charge because they are clearly not delivering the services and product you ordered

I'm here in the states, however even if I were to consider this route I'm not sure it would be available to me since I purchased the headphones from Amazon (via Audio Advice). tbh though I'm more interested in getting the headphones back than anything else, and wish BW had better attention to detail and customer experience on this side of the purchase.

 

[AnnR]

Just finished putting them back together. Just as tight as before. We will see if it holds up or if I need to open it again.

A quick write-up for what I did to fix it:

- Took a plastic pry tool and gently pushed it into the middle of the headband and twisted to pop the plastic tabs out. Worked my way towards the edge on each side.
- Pulled the offending leather away and dropped a decent amount of leather glue on the inside edge that rolls into the headband, one side at a time. I also put some where the leather meets the headband cushion so it would bond and not pull further out if it were to break free from the top.
- Held the leather in place while it bonded, did this one side at a time.
- Reinstalled the headband cover. Was a little harder to install than it was to take off but it flexes quite well, it doesnt break. I was pushing decently hard on the cushion while trying to install the headband cover and the leather didnt pull away from where I glued it.

If I can get the pictures to upload I'll add them, but for now problem *potentially* solved! Audio quality and sound is the same as before, bass is punchy and I dont hear anything different/loose connections or rattles, fortunately.

If you sit down and do this all at once it would take 10-15 minutes at most. Good luck to those who try it themselves, be gentle!

I think you should send your CV into Bowers & Wilkins, could be there new "Glue Technician" obviously the one they have isn't much cop

Good luck with the longevity of the fix hopefully you have it sorted and it lasts. Its a real shame that people have to go to these lengths as I think most of us love the product. The design, the sound, the colors are all great its frustrating really.

 

[sanity8me]

My PX8's are on the way and I'm getting more and more psyched as I'm reading through this thread. Wish there were milestone popular/liked review page indicators.

Question.

At this point, how does your PX8 compare to your wired favorites in terms of SQ and comfort especially for extended use? Really curious how they compare to my Muze 99 Classics and even Hifiman Anandas...

 

[SussyTofu420]

My PX8's are on the way and I'm getting more and more psyched as I'm reading through this thread. Wish there were milestone popular/liked review page indicators.

Question.

At this point, how does your PX8 compare to your wired favorites in terms of SQ and comfort especially for extended use? Really curious how they compare to my Muze 99 Classics and even Hifiman Anandas...

I use HE1000 Stealth at home, I don't really feel like I'm missing THAT MUCH with the PX8, the HEK is more detailed and sounds bigger, but sometimes there's actually too much detail and combined with their brightness can be a bit much. I actually prefer the PX8 with some music, even after EQ. Just yesterday I was listening to "Ellington Jazz Party (Remastered Edition)" and it was kinda unpleasant on the HE1000 which caught me by surprise because I had been foot tapping to that album at work using my PX8 (actually started looking for a new pair of headphones because of this revelation). So yeah, there is a difference, but it's mostly about clunky and analytical vs. convenient and warm.

Even if you don't enjoy the PX8 at first, keep using them, they'll grow on you. Also I'd add +2 to treble in the B&W app, the EQ is ridiculously bare-bones, but that +2 really makes a difference IMO.

 

[sanity8me]

I use HE1000 Stealth at home, I don't really feel like I'm missing THAT MUCH with the PX8, the HEK is more detailed and sounds bigger, but sometimes there's actually too much detail and combined with their brightness can be a bit much. I actually prefer the PX8 with some music, even after EQ. Just yesterday I was listening to "Ellington Jazz Party (Remastered Edition)" and it was kinda unpleasant on the HE1000 which caught me by surprise because I had been foot tapping to that album at work using my PX8 (actually started looking for a new pair of headphones because of this revelation). So yeah, there is a difference, but it's mostly about clunky and analytical vs. convenient and warm.

Even if you don't enjoy the PX8 at first, keep using them, they'll grow on you. Also I'd add +2 to treble in the B&W app, the EQ is ridiculously bare-bones, but that +2 really makes a difference IMO.

That's awesome! I had this revelation too once, in which I realized too much detail can sometimes mean too much of an analytical presentation. Just not for me. I'm sure a lot of people who embark on this journey go through this as well, maybe even vice versa.

How does the HE1000 compare in terms of soundstage, as well as extended use comfort-wise? I got the Dekoni Elite Fenestrated Sheepskin pads for my Ananda and it made a difference. Love that I'm reading good feedback on the PX8's quality nappa leather...

 

[jthomp72]

I use HE1000 Stealth at home, I don't really feel like I'm missing THAT MUCH with the PX8, the HEK is more detailed and sounds bigger, but sometimes there's actually too much detail and combined with their brightness can be a bit much. I actually prefer the PX8 with some music, even after EQ. Just yesterday I was listening to "Ellington Jazz Party (Remastered Edition)" and it was kinda unpleasant on the HE1000 which caught me by surprise because I had been foot tapping to that album at work using my PX8 (actually started looking for a new pair of headphones because of this revelation). So yeah, there is a difference, but it's mostly about clunky and analytical vs. convenient and warm.

Even if you don't enjoy the PX8 at first, keep using them, they'll grow on you. Also I'd add +2 to treble in the B&W app, the EQ is ridiculously bare-bones, but that +2 really makes a difference IMO.

Funny you say that I just spent a couple weeks with the Dali iO-12 and I think I’ve come to the same conclusion. Yeah it’s technically better yes the soundstage is bigger yes it is more detailed but I’m not sure I enjoyed it more than the PX8 and certainly not for double the price

 

[SussyTofu420]

That's awesome! I had this revelation too once, in which I realized too much detail can sometimes mean too much of an analytical presentation. Just not for me. I'm sure a lot of people who embark on this journey go through this as well, maybe even vice versa.

How does the HE1000 compare in terms of soundstage, as well as extended use comfort-wise? I got the Dekoni Elite Fenestrated Sheepskin pads for my Ananda and it made a difference. Love that I'm reading good feedback on the PX8's quality nappa leather...

My lower jaw/bottoms of my ears sometimes get a bit achy with the HEK, but I can wear the PX8 all day without any uncomfortable feelings, just gotta take them off every now and then to release all the heat that builds up lol. Soundstage is wider/bigger on the HEK and I feel it also allows for better instrument separation. Overall the HEK is a more refined headphone sound-wise (in good and bad), but the PX8 has better build quality and is more comfortable. They also serve a completely different purpose for me and the only time I use the PX8 at home is when I'm cleaning or watching TV.

 

[sanity8me]

My lower jaw/bottoms of my ears sometimes get a bit achy with the HEK, but I can wear the PX8 all day without any uncomfortable feelings, just gotta take them off every now and then to release all the heat that builds up lol. Soundstage is wider/bigger on the HEK and I feel it also allows for better instrument separation. Overall the HEK is a more refined headphone sound-wise (in good and bad), but the PX8 has better build quality and is more comfortable. They also serve a completely different purpose for me and the only time I use the PX8 at home is when I'm cleaning or watching TV.

I actually don't mind a more intimate soundstage. Hopefully I'll still get a decent amount of instrument separation though.

I have a feeling I'm going to get more use out of the PX8's with my current busy lifestyle, especially with kids and wife constantly needing attention.

Wonder if I'll prefer using them for movies and shows and get the emersive feeling I'm looking for since you mention you can wear them basically all day. I'm reading that there's no lag.

 

[sanity8me]

Uh oh, will I have codec issues with my pixel 8 pro?

 

[Jazzophile]

Uh oh, will I have codec issues with my pixel 8 pro?

I have a Pixel 8 and have since returned my PX8 for reasons of sound quality. But as far as the tech goes, the Pixel 8 will default to APTX HD. The Pixels do not have a Snapdragon chipset and do not support APTX adaptive.

So you will lose out on 96khz sampling rate but will still get 24 bit / 48 khz sampling rate.

 

[sanity8me]

I have a Pixel 8 and have since returned my PX8 for reasons of sound quality. But as far as the tech goes, the Pixel 8 will default to APTX HD. The Pixels do not have a Snapdragon chipset and do not support APTX adaptive.

So you will lose out on 96khz sampling rate but will still get 24 bit / 48 khz sampling rate.

So disappointing. Thanks for letting me know. Will see if this affects my appreciation of the PX8's...

Edit: Actually my Tidal subscription is the hifi one so that's 16 bit 44.1 khz. Which I prefer over my Amazon music subscription that goes up to 24 bit ...

 

[Jazzophile]

So disappointing. Thanks for letting me know. Will see if this affects my appreciation of the PX8's...

I doubt it will because if memory serves the PX8 also maxes out (internal DAC) at 48 khz, even when using APTX Adaptive.

This was discussed many pages ago in this forum.

 

[sanity8me]

I doubt it will because if memory serves the PX8 also maxes out (internal DAC) at 48 khz, even when using APTX Adaptive.

This was discussed many pages ago in this forum.

Hope so. I actually just edited my post:

Actually my Tidal subscription is the hifi one so that's 16 bit 44.1 khz. Which I prefer over my Amazon music subscription that goes up to 24 bit...

 

[Jazzophile]

Hope so. I actually just edited my post:

Actually my Tidal subscription is the hifi one so that's 16 bit 44.1 khz. Which I prefer over my Amazon music subscription that goes up to 24 bit...

You would be very hard pressed to notice any differences between 24/48 and 24/96. IMHO the B&W PX8 do not sound sufficiently transparent nor resolving to expose any differences in sampling rates at these levels. And even on a more transparent headphone you'd have a difficult time noticing the difference. 16 to 24 bit is a much bigger difference than 48 to 96khz.

Do not sweat it....

 

[evhvis]

I have a Pixel 8 and have since returned my PX8 for reasons of sound quality. But as far as the tech goes, the Pixel 8 will default to APTX HD. The Pixels do not have a Snapdragon chipset and do not support APTX adaptive.

So you will lose out on 96khz sampling rate but will still get 24 bit / 48 khz sampling rate.

My experience with aptX adaptive on both the Bathys and PX8 is that it is inferior in the midrange to wired and prioritizes high frequency. AptX HD has mid range that is closer to wired on the PX8 while adaptive has high frequency range that is closer to wired. Basically HD vs Adaptive is a trade off in the 420kbs version. Not sure if anyone is using the high bit rate version yet. If I had to chose between 420kbps adaptive and HD then I would pick HD every time. The high bit rate version of adaptive does look interesting, but I fear it will be difficult to use on crowded areas. At least LDAC 990 is somewhat unstable when you have lots of other BT units in the area.

In my experience the jump from 16 to 24 bit is the game changer and the increase in sampling rate is minor if your DAC has good reconstruction filters. One major advantage of 96khz is if you are using slow roll off filters as you start the roll off outside of the audible frequency range. Generally wouldn't worry much about high sample rate on BT headphones as the bit rate is so low that most, if not all, advantages of high sample rate is lost in the compression.