These days, if you’re shopping for a pair of noise-cancelling true wireless earphones, there’s no shortage of quality models to choose from. We really like the Bowers & Wilkins PI7, but at $399, they’re one of the most expensive pairs we’ve tested. The $249.99 Bowers & Wilkins PI5 earphones are much more affordable, though still priced in line with some of the top models in the category, including the Bose QuietComfort Earbuds and the Sony WF-1000XM4. From an active noise cancellation (ANC) standpoint, the PI5 earphones offer above-average noise cancellation, while sonically, they deliver a bass-forward sound signature that still has decent overall balance. There’s very little to complain about here, but in this price range, we prefer the Bose and Sony models.
Small and Sleek
Available in black or white, the PI5 earpieces are small, with rounded outer panels that are sensitive to touch. The in-ear fit is fairly secure, though there are only three pairs of eartips included, and you might find that the fit seems to loosen over time. This will vary from person to person, but the earpieces lack any additional fins or stems to add security, so the key is to make sure you have them placed properly in your ear—the back end of the earpiece should press against the ear a bit to add stability. If this doesn’t happen, the fit can be unstable, with the touch-sensitive panels angled and hard to reach.
The PI5’s on-ear controls are quite sensitive, which means it’s unlikely you’ll need to tap them twice to perform a function, but it also means it’s easy to accidentally set them off when placing the earpieces in your ears or adjusting the fit. A single tap on either ear controls playback and answers incoming calls, a double tap skips forward a track, and a triple tap navigates back a track. A long press on the left ear turns ANC on or off, and a long press on the right ear summons your mobile device’s voice assistant. There’s no way to turn on ambient listening mode with the on-ear controls, and there’s also no way to adjust volume.
An IP54 rating means the earpieces are resistant to dust and can withstand light splashes, but cannot be submerged or exposed to significant water pressure. So you can wear them in light rain and get the earpieces sweaty, but cleaning them off under a running faucet is a bad idea, as is soaking them or dunking them in water.
The charging case has a flip-top lid, with a status LED on its front face. There’s a USB-C port on the bottom panel for the included USB-C cable. If you don’t have a USB-C port to charge the case with, it can be charged wirelessly, but if you also don’t have a Qi-compatible charging pad, you’ll have to get a USB-C-to-USB-A charging cable. Internally, near the earpiece docks, there’s a Bluetooth pairing/reset button.
The Bowers & Wilkins Headphones app for Android and iOS is a one-size-fits-all app for various B&W models. It immediately detects the PI5 and connects to them. In the app, you can turn ANC on or off, and activate the Ambient Pass-Through listening mode (which lets you hear your surroundings while the earphones are still in your ears), as well as adjust its intensity to high or low. In addition, the app has a collection of soundscapes, mostly relaxing nature sounds on a loop. In the settings menu, you can enable or disable the Wear Sensor, and you can download software updates. Unfortunately, there’s no EQ of any sort, which is a big missed opportunity. It’s not difficult to include a simple five-band adjustable EQ, and the lack of one means there’s no tweaking the sound signature at all.
Internally, 9.2mm dynamic drivers deliver a frequency range of 10Hz to 20kHz. The earphones are compatible with Bluetooth 5.0, and support AAC, AptX, and SBC codecs.
Bowers & Wilkins estimates the PI5’s battery life to be roughly 4.5 hours, with the case holding about 20 hours of extra charge. For a true wireless charging case, that’s a solid stat—but the battery life of the earpieces is close to the bottom of the barrel. Your results will vary with your volume levels and your use of ANC.
PI5 Noise Cancellation and Audio Performance
The active noise cancellation here does a solid job of dialing back deep, low frequencies like the rumble you hear on an airplane. Compared with the AirPods Pro, the B&W earphones are slightly more effective at dialing back deep lows, but they’re less successful against high frequencies. A recording of a restaurant played at high volume through near-field monitors, with lots chatter and dishes clanging, was dialed back to a degree, but the voices were only slightly softened, and the ANC allows a fair amount of the highest frequencies through.
There’s an audible white noise that comes through in these scenarios, but in a quiet location, the ANC doesn’t seem to create much of its own hiss, which is positive. So compared with the AirPods Pro, the PI5 earphones are a little better at dialing back deep low frequencies, and do a comparably decent job with mids, while both pairs struggle somewhat to eliminate high frequencies. Neither pair is superior to the Bose QuietComfort Earbuds or the Sony WF-1000MX4, which offer the most effective noise cancellation in the true wireless category.
One note about the PI5’s fit in relation to audio: It’s possible to wear the earpieces for a long time and for the fit to still feel secure, but for the in-canal seal to become slightly less strong, which can result in less powerful bass response. If the earphones start to sound less full as you wear them, chances are the earpieces need a minor adjustment to better secure the canal seal.
For audio, on tracks with intense sub-bass content, like The Knife’s “Silent Shout,” the earphones deliver powerful bass depth. At top, unwise volume levels, they don’t distort, and at more moderate volume levels, the low-frequency response is delivered cleanly and clearly without overwhelming the mix or sounding thinned out.
Bill Callahan’s “Drover,” a track with far less deep bass in the mix, gives us a better sense of the PI5’s general sound signature. This track is an excellent example of how the seal loosening over time can create a vastly different bass experience. Some users may prefer the less powerful bass sound signature, but the default sound, when the in-canal seal is fully secured, is definitely more bass-forward. The drums on this track sound thunderous, with Callahan’s baritone vocals also getting a hefty helping of low-mid richness. The high-mids sound like they could use a bit more presence in the mix when the fit is this secure—and with the looser seal, things sound more balanced and clear, less bass-forward. This variability will differ depending on the shape and size of your ear canal and which eartips you use, but it does make the lack of EQ more of a letdown.
See How We Test Noise-Cancelling HeadphonesSee How We Test Noise-Cancelling Headphones
On Jay-Z and Kanye West’s “No Church in the Wild,” the kick drum loop receives enough high-mid presence for its attack to retain its punchiness, but we hear more of the vinyl crackle and hiss in the background, which means there’s some higher-frequency boosting and sculpting happening here that isn’t necessarily across the board. The loop also has an extra measure of bass thump, and the sub-bass synth hits that punctuate the beat are delivered with plenty of deep, subwoofer-like presence that manages to sound powerful without overwhelming the mix. The vocals on this track are delivered with solid crispness and clarity, but again, everything could use a touch more high-mid presence to add a little more contour to the bass-forward sound signature.
Orchestral tracks, like the opening scene from John Adams’ The Gospel According to the Other Mary, tend to have a little more low-frequency body than you might expect them to—it doesn’t sound bad, but purists might not be thrilled. There’s plenty of high-frequency presence in recordings like this, but there’s definitely added low-frequency body, as well.
The mic offers solid intelligibility. Using the Voice Memos app on an iPhone, we could understand every word we recorded relatively clearly. There is a little bit of Bluetooth distortion in the mix, but the mic signal is strong, and the clarity is slightly better than average.
Above Average, But Not a Standout
The Bowers & Wilkins PI5 earphones deliver a solid experience across the board, with above-average ANC and audio performance, a classy design, and a water-resistant build. The problem is, this can be said about much of the competition, and the B&W earphones don’t particularly stand out. If you want the best noise cancellation in the true wireless category, we currently recommend the Bose QuietComfort Earbuds and the Sony WF-1000MX4. Even the AirPods Pro arguably offer more enticements with all of their seamless iOS tie-ins that the PI5 can’t quite match. If you’re looking to spend less, meanwhile, consider JBL’s $170 True Wireless Flash X earphones, which have a fully waterproof rating, but lack noise cancellation, or the Anker Soundcore Liberty Air 2, which aren’t waterproof, but are the best noise-cancelling earphones you’ll find under $150.
