Michael Satterfield
TGR Staff – 12/07/2022
Since 2015, Bowers & Wilkins has been responsible for developing the high-performance audio systems found in McLaren’s supercars and hypercars including the new hybrid McLaren Artura. As one of the world’s most respected audio brands, Bowers & Wilkins is famed for pushing the boundaries with the goal of revealing as much of the original recording as possible while limiting distortion. This pursuit of perfection, instilled by founder John Bowers, is still evident today.
To allow McLaren customers and audiophiles to take their Bowers & Wilkins experience beyond the cockpit of their supercars, the company has released a premium headphone, the Px8 McLaren Edition.
Finished in Galvanic grey with Papaya orange highlights, the latter inspired by the famous Papaya orange of founder Bruce McLaren’s early racing cars. The heart of the McLaren Edition Px8 is stellar performance with outstanding detail, resolution, and spaciousness thanks to all-new bespoke 40mm Carbon Cone drive units, inspired by technology used in Bowers & Wilkins reference-quality loudspeakers.
The Carbon Cone drive units in the Px8 McLaren Edition are carefully angled inside each earcup to ensure a consistent distance relative to the listener’s ears from every point across the surface of each driver, to produce a more immersive and highly accurate soundstage.
The Px8 uses Qualcomm’s aptXTM Adaptive wireless technology to ensure the best possible sound quality from compatible phones, tablets, and computers. USB-C and 3.5mm analog cable connections are also supported with both cable types included in the especially matching carry case that accompanies the product.
Whether using wireless or wired connections, the Px8 combines its ultra-high-performance drive unit configuration with powerful Bowers & Wilkins-developed Digital Signal Processing (DSP) to deliver outstanding, 24-bit high-resolution sound quality from leading streaming services.
The Px8 uses proprietary Bowers & Wilkins-optimized noise cancellation technology to effectively shut out unwanted noise – crucially, without harming musicality in the process. Six high-performance microphones work together to deliver the best results: two measure the output of each drive unit, two react to ambient noise from the outside world and two provide outstanding voice clarity with enhanced noise suppression. The result is the best sound quality Bowers & Wilkins has ever delivered from a pair of wireless headphones.
The new Px8 McLaren Edition will be available from the Bowers & Wilkins website and select retailers from 7 December priced at $799.
