Bowers & Wilkins Pi8: Great-sounding headphones that support aptX

B&W's new top-of-the-range Bluetooth earbuds sound great and include an innovative smart case that supports aptX technology for high-quality audio-even on Apple devices.

- CLIFF JOSEPH

It's been quite a few years since Apple devices stopped supporting the high-quality aptX codec (compressor-decompressor) that is now used with many Bluetooth headphones and earbuds. That's probably due to Apple's longrunning-and seriously expensive-legal battle with Qualcomm, the company that purchased the aptX technology in 2015.

Whatever the reason, this means that Apple's AirPods have to rely on the older AAC codec for Bluetooth audio, even though many audiophiles feel that aptX provides better sound quality-especially for listening to the high-res audio formats that are now available on Apple Music and other streaming services. It also means that owners of Macs, iPhones, and iPads don't always get the best quality when using headphones and earbuds from other manufacturers that do support aptX.

The Pi8 earbuds from Bowers & Wilkins (fave.co/4fgkw9C) do support AAC, so you can simply connect your Apple devices to the earbuds using the standard Bluetooth settings on your Mac, iPad, or iPhone. However, the Pi8 also supports both aptX Adaptive and the latest aptX Lossless, so Bowers & Wilkins has come up with an innovative solution that allows Apple users to enjoy aptX audio quality as well.