Bowers & Wilkins PI4 Wireless

Overview

When John Bowers first established Bowers & Wilkins, he did so in the belief that imaginative design, innovative engineering and advanced technology were keys that could unlock the enjoyment of audio in the home. His belief is one that B&W continues to uphold and inspires every product they design, now tailored for new audio experiences outside of the home.

The Bowers & Wilkins PI4 are high performance in-ear headphones designed to deliver the highest quality mobile personal audio experience combined with the convenience of wireless operation and the serenity of noise-cancellation in a compact easy to wear design. The PI4 can play music streamed wirelessly from your mobile phone, tablet or computer via Bluetooth. The PI4 noise cancelling earphones are light and compact while delivering sound quality built on Bowers & Wilkins’ exacting standards.

The powerful 14.2mm dynamic drivers in the PI4 were developed and created by the sound engineers responsible for B&W's flagship 800 D3 loudspeakers. They are tuned for clear, well-balanced sound with precise stereo imaging. And the battery life of 10 hours is equally impressive. You can do a whole lot of listening in 10 hours. Fly from Melbourne to Auckland and back, with plenty of time for sight seeing. Listen uninterrupted on a single battery charge. And if that’s not enough, a 15-minute quick charge gets you three more hours.

The PI4 can play music streamed wirelessly from your mobile phone, tablet or computer via Bluetooth and can be used for wireless phone calls. The PI4s real world listening features include the latest innovations in Adaptive Noise Cancellation, Ambient Pass-Through and Magnetic Clip Sensors.  

This latest generation noise cancellation was designed from the ground up with intelligent environment sensing capabilities, automatically selecting the appropriate type of noise cancellation best suited to your surrounding environment, its only goal is to deliver an uncompromised listening experience. Ambient Pass-Through enables external sounds, such as conversation or safety announcements, to be heard clearly without any need to remove the headphones. The Magnetic Clip Sensing feature enables the PI4 to respond naturally, pausing and resuming the music simply by clipping the earpieces together. These features can be enabled and further customised via the Bowers & Wilkins Headphone App available for free on iOS and Android devices.

PI4 incorporates a rechargeable battery pack. When fully charged, depending on the degree of Bluetooth, Adaptive Noise Cancellation and Ambient Pass-through use, the battery pack can provide up to 10 hours of continuous wireless media streaming with noise cancellation enabled at average playback volume levels.

Adaptive Noise Cancellation: Noise cancellation uses a series of advanced technologies that aids in removing undesired noise from the surrounding environment. PI4 features B&W’s latest innovations in adaptive noise cancellation. This includes intelligent sensing that adapts noise cancellation and tuning best suited to your surrounding environment. As your surroundings change, noise cancellation will auto adapt to complement your new environment.

• The Noise Cancellation button on the left control unit is used to cycle between the following modes:
• High: Suitable for consistently noisy environments such in an airplane cabin.
• Low: Suitable for environments where you need awareness of your surroundings.
• Auto: Intelligently adapts noise cancellation best suited to your current environment.
• Off: Turns off the noise cancellation feature.

Ambient Pass-Through: PI4 features ambient pass-through which lets some external noise from the surrounding environment, such as safety announcements or conversations, to be heard without taking the headphones off. The Noise Cancellation button on the left control unit also controls this feature, while the level of ambient pass-through can be further customised to suit your needs using the Bowers & Wilkins Headphones App.

Magnetic Clip Sensors: PI4 incorporate magnetic clip sensors in the earpieces, enabling intelligent battery conservation by entering standby when clipped together. When unclipped again, PI4 automatically wakes and connects to the last connected Bluetooth device. During media playback, PI4 will auto pause when both earpieces are clipped together. If unclipped before standby, playback will automatically resume. Auto resume has also been optimised so it is ready only when you are. Magnetic clip sensors can be further adjusted using the Bowers & Wilkins Headphones App.

Setting Up PI4 with the App: The Bowers & Wilkins Headphones app provides extended setup and adjustments to features such as Adaptive Noise Cancellation, Ambient Pass-Through, and Magnetic Clip Sensors. The app also provides further customisations such as voice prompt, standby time, connection management and headphone software updates. The app is available as a free download on iOS and Android devices.

Headphone Software Updates: Bowers & Wilkins will occasionally make available software updates that refine and optimise the performance of your headphones or add new features. The Bowers & Wilkins Headphones app will notify you when a software update is available, just tap on the notification and the follow in-app instructions.

• Design: Bluetooth Wireless Noise Cancelling In-Ear Headphones
• Technical Features
• Adaptive Noise Cancellation
• Ambient Pass-Through
• Magnetic Clip Sensor
• Bluetooth 5.0 with aptX-Adaptive technology
• USB-C charging
• Bluetooth Codecs
• AptX-Adaptive
• AptX HD
• AptX Classic
• AAC
• SBC
• Bluetooth Profiles
• A2DP v1.3.1
• AVRCP v1.6.1
• HFP v1.7.1
• HSP v1.2
• BLE GATT (Generic Attribute Profile)
• Drive Units: 2 x ø 14.2mm full range
• Microphones
• 2 x mics for ANC
• 2 x mics for telephony (CVC1 – Clear Voice Communication v1)
• Frequency Range: 10Hz to 30kHz
• Input Impedance: 20 kOhms
• Distortion (THD): <0.3% (1kHz/10mW)
• Battery Type: Rechargeable Lithium Polymer
• Battery Life & Charging: 10 hrs Bluetooth with ANC, 3hrs with 15min charge
• Inputs: Bluetooth, USB-C charging
• Supplied Accessories: 20cm USB-A to USB-C cable, Storage Pouch, Ear Tips (S, M, L) & Stability Fins (S, M, L)
• Weight: 40 grams