Between the Px8 and HD 800 S, the Px8 comes out ahead in weight and active noise cancellation, while the HD 800 S wins on driver size. Overall, the Px8 scores 67.4 and the HD 800 S scores 73.6 on our Mars Score.
Which should you buy?
The HD 800 S edges ahead on the Mars Score (67.4 vs 73.6), but the 6.2-point gap is small enough that the right pick comes down to which spec advantages matter to you.
Pick the Px8 if you carry the device everywhere and weight or thickness has been the deciding factor before. The biggest gaps in its favor are weight, active noise cancellation, multipoint, among others.
Pick the HD 800 S if you care most about driver size. Its strongest claims are driver size.
Both ship with comparable spatial audio, ldac, water resistance, so those specs don't separate the two — focus on the differences below.
Bottom line: the HD 800 S is the safer default. The other model is the right choice only when its specific advantages line up with your priorities.
Why Bowers & Wilkins - Px8 wins
- ▲Weight — 10.00 g less. 320 vs 330.
- ▲Has Active noise cancellation.
- ▲Has Multipoint.
- ▲Battery life: 30 h vs 0 h.
Why Sennheiser - HD 800 S wins
- ▲Driver size — 40.00% more. 56 mm vs 40 mm.
Spec comparison
Design
| Spec | Bowers & Wilkins - Px8 | Sennheiser - HD 800 S |
|---|---|---|
| Type | over-ear | over-ear |
| Weight | 320 glead | 330 g |
| Water resistance | none | none |
Audio
| Spec | Bowers & Wilkins - Px8 | Sennheiser - HD 800 S |
|---|---|---|
| Driver sizeⓘ | 40 mm | 56 mmlead |
| Impedanceⓘ | 32 Ω | 300 Ωlead |
| Sensitivityⓘ | 111 dBlead | 102 dB |
| Active noise cancellationⓘ | truelead | false |
| Transparency mode | truelead | false |
| Spatial audioⓘ | false | false |
Battery
| Spec | Bowers & Wilkins - Px8 | Sennheiser - HD 800 S |
|---|---|---|
| Battery life | 30 hlead | 0 h |
| Fast chargeⓘ | truelead | false |
Connectivity
| Spec | Bowers & Wilkins - Px8 | Sennheiser - HD 800 S |
|---|---|---|
| Bluetoothⓘ | 5.2lead | 0 |
| Multipointⓘ | truelead | false |
| 3.5mm jack | true | true |
| LDACⓘ | false | false |
| aptX HDⓘ | truelead | false |
Frequently asked
Which has better battery life, Px8 or HD 800 S?+
Px8 lasts 30 hours vs 0 hours.
Do Px8 or HD 800 S have active noise cancellation?+
Px8 has ANC; HD 800 S does not.
Which supports LDAC, Px8 or HD 800 S?+
Neither supports LDAC.
Spec-level deep dives
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