TWS Flagship Comparison: Noble Prestige Encore vs B&W Pi8

SOUNDSTAGE & IMAGING

Now we move on to the listening. Sonically, there were a lot of similarities between the Prestige Encore and the Pi8, but also enough differences to really tell them apart. In their soundstages, the Prestige Encore has a vastly wider image than the Pi8. It expands further horizontally to create a more immersive signature that has excellent depth. The Pi8, alternatively, still has a wide soundstage, but it is noticeably narrower than something like the Prestige Encore. It has excellent height, and the depth creates very clear layers to distinguish instruments. Both have excellent detail that makes sure you can analytically listen just as much as casually listen. 

In terms of their sound signatures, they both impress with good sound reproduction that makes instruments have their natural and recognizable timbres. In the overall picture, the Prestige Encore is a bit more balanced between the highs and lows than the Pi8 is. Bowers & Wilkins is known for having quite bass-heavy signatures, and the Pi8 falls right into that. However, it does have a nice treble to balance it out just enough from becoming overwhelming. 

For a smoother out-of-the-box sound, the Prestige Encore is a top contender and will be tough to beat. While the dynamics in the Pi8 impress, you’ll need to use the Bowers & Wilkins app to adjust some of the tuning to get to the same balanced sound. If you’re a fan of heavy bass, the standard tuning on these earphones will be great for you. 

BASS FREQUENCIES

The bass in both the Prestige Encore and the Pi8 is impactful and driving. I appreciated how each bass response remained controlled and direct, and neither got overwhelming to take up more space than necessary. I found that the Prestige Encore had a tighter bass than the Pi8, and it stayed separated nicely from other elements, so it could take on a character of its own. The bass has a colorful and thick body that complements the other ranges nicely, and still doesn’t hide behind anything else to make it lose power. It balanced well with the treble end, so it doesn’t take over the whole signature but still makes a statement in any track. 

The Pi8 has a bass response that is much more powerful and has a stronger overall response. It doesn’t have the same refinement as something like the Prestige Encore, but it definitely has the same detail and punch in a more forward way. It is a particularly thick bass response that gets a lot of body in bass-heavy genres. The noise cancellation is effective in making the bass response even stronger. If you’re looking for a subtler bass response, you won’t find it in the Pi8, but it’s easy to tune the bass to your liking with the Bowers & Wilkins app. The color and power from the bass in the Pi8 is great for driving genres like EDM or pop. 

MIDRANGE FREQUENCIES

The midrange on both of these earbuds was impressive with detail and layering. I found the Prestige Encore to really show off its wide soundstage here, where all the elements could expand outward and be distinctly separated. The detail produced in the midrange of the Prestige Encore is unlike anything I’ve heard previously in a true wireless experience, and I have to applaud the attention to the minute elements I could hear and appreciate in all my favorite tracks. Instrumental timbres sounded natural and like they were being played right in front of me. There was an ultra-clear response in the midrange that made the Prestige Encore take on an almost transparent quality, but it was more than welcome to make things a little less reference and more fun. 

The Pi8, on the other hand, takes the midrange and makes sure you can hear every element. Instead of things filtering too far backwards, you get to hear a great amount of detail front and center. When elements get placed in spaces other than directly in front, you get a good amount of height from other elements to create this wall of sound in front of you. One element that the midrange of the Pi8 does incredibly well is the vocal reproduction. It sounds like the singers are directly in front of you and are the spotlight of any track. The Prestige does this as well, but there is more forwardness in the Pi8 to make it more effective. 

TREBLE FREQUENCIES

In terms of treble response, this is where both the Encore and the Pi8 get most of their detail. The Encore has a strong treble range that shows even the most minute details. The balance in this signature comes from the treble and bass being on par with one another, both in power and detail. The top end has a lot of space to make the Encore seem much more open than other true wireless earphones, so the sound is less fatiguing and easy to listen to for long periods of time. The Encore did not sound compressed or caged in, thanks to the openness in the treble range. You could appreciate the detail in all frequency ranges based on the way the treble carried itself throughout the signature, highlighting minute elements in timbres and maintaining clarity. 

The Pi8 has a similar response in that you get very precise detail in the treble. You can hear how the top end opens up to give you more detail and balance in the entire signature. The Pi8 doesn’t have as sharp or precise a midrange as the Prestige Encore, but it does retain a lot of detail that carries through each range. The treble was slightly more recessed, especially compared to the bass response. If you tuned down the bass, the treble balances out the low perfectly. If not, the treble has to fight a bit more for it to take up space in the signature. For people who want more balance in their listening, the Encore may give you the sound you’re looking for without the need for adjustment.