Bowers & Wilkins PI3

B&W isn’t aiming for the budget market here, and this is reflected in the PI3’S design. It has chosen a neckband design for the PI3, rather than going for true wireless. The band is made from coated silicone and rubber and the finish is aimed at gym-goers and runners. The PI3S aren’t IPX rated, but B&W claims they are ‘resistant to light rain, splash and sweat’. The B&WS come with three different sizes of eartips in the box, and the neckband has the in-line battery pack and power button on the left side, with the controls and mic on the right. On the battery pack you’ll find a micro-usb port for charging and an indicator that tells you the charging status of the headphones through a mixture of solid and flashing light signals.

The in-line controls are nice to use with decent-sized buttons including a large textured button for the main play/pause and skip track function. It’s a standard double-press to skip forward and a triple press to skip backwards.

Battery life is eight hours, which is good for this class. A 15-minute quick charge gets you two hours of playtime. There’s no noisecancelling tech built into the PI3S.

We play 50 Cent’s In Da Club and it’s a clean-sounding presentation with a combination of crisp, distinct highs and a solid, punchy bass. There’s plenty of weight to low frequencies, but also detail and analysis, with the PI3 able to pick apart a song and deliver the sum of all its parts with equal skill. These are confident and composed performers that expand B&W’S headphone offering for the better.