We compare products from their published specs and features; the verdicts below are our independent editorial opinions.
Updated: 2026-10-07 · 6 min read · Independent comparison
If you want a wired, reference-grade in-ear monitor for critical listening, practice and long study sessions, choose beyerdynamic DT 73; if you need a wireless, noise-cancelling over-ear headphone for commuting, travel and all-day listening, choose Bowers & Wilkins Px8. That is the whole decision in one line, and the rest of this page is me explaining why those two jobs pull you toward two completely different products.
• beyerdynamic DT 73 — biggest strength: a reference-tuned, wired in-ear monitor built around the TESLA.11 dynamic driver, with -39 dB of passive isolation and a 5–40,000 Hz frequency range. In my opinion this is the more "accurate" tool of the two.
• beyerdynamic DT 73 — biggest trade-off: it is wired, in-ear, and has no active noise cancellation, Bluetooth or app. You are tethered to a 1.4 m MMCX cable and you get no battery because there is no battery.
• Bowers & Wilkins Px8 — biggest strength: a wireless over-ear with custom 40 mm Carbon Cone drivers, a dedicated DAC/amp, 24-bit DSP, 8-mic active noise cancellation and up to 30 hours of playback.
• Bowers & Wilkins Px8 — biggest trade-off: it is a consumer wireless headphone, not a monitor. Its frequency range tops out at 20 kHz, and its tuning (with app EQ and True Sound mode) is aimed at enjoyment, not flat reference work.
• Who each pick is for: the DT 73 is for musicians, engineers, producers and anyone who wants isolation and detail at a desk; the Px8 is for listeners who want one premium pair for music, calls, gaming and travel.
The DT 73 is an in-ear monitor, and the sheet is unusually specific about what it is for: classical instruments, keys, pianists and orchestral musicians. Everything about it serves that job. The TESLA.11 dynamic driver is described as ultra-low distortion with high impulse fidelity, which is spec-speak for tight transients and detail you can trust when you are checking whether a piano part sits right in a mix or whether your timing is clean.
The physical design matters just as much. beyerdynamic says the shell is based on hundreds of MRI ear scans, which is why the housing is compact rather than bulky, and that compactness is what lets the tip actually seal. That seal is the whole ballgame here: -39 dB of passive isolation means the outside world drops away without any electronics, and it means you can run at lower, safer volumes during long practice or a long study block. Five pairs of silicone tips plus three pairs of Comply memory foam tips let you chase a proper fit, and the low 16 ohm impedance means it plays loud and clean off a laptop, an interface or a phone with a dongle.
Who should buy it: instrumentalists, producers, engineers, students who need to focus, and anyone who wants one wired pair that sounds consistent everywhere. Who should skip it: if you want Bluetooth, active noise cancellation, a companion app or a battery, this is the wrong category of product entirely. It is also worth remembering it is an IEM — some people simply do not enjoy things in their ear canal, and no spec fixes that. Check the current price on Amazon before you commit.
The Px8 is the opposite philosophy: a premium wireless over-ear headphone designed so you never have to think about a cable. Bowers & Wilkins builds it around custom 40 mm Carbon Cone drivers, a dedicated DAC and amplifier, and 24-bit DSP, and the company's own framing is "reference quality sound" for listeners who put fidelity first. That is a genuinely serious driver setup for a Bluetooth headphone, and the 3.5 mm jack plus the included USB-C to 3.5 mm cable mean you can run it wired when you want to.
The everyday experience is where it wins. An 8-microphone system handles active noise cancellation and calls, and because it is active rather than passive, you get a transparency mode you can dial in through the Bowers & Wilkins Music app — genuinely useful if you want to hear a lecture, a doorbell or a train announcement without pulling the headphones off. Battery life is rated at up to 30 hours with ANC on, a 15-minute fast charge gets you up to 7 hours, and a full charge takes about two hours. Die-cast aluminium arms and Nappa leather over memory foam put it firmly in the premium-object category, and the 5-band EQ plus True Sound mode let you shape the sound to taste.
Who should buy it: commuters, travellers, people on calls all day, gamers, and anyone who wants one headphone for everything. Who should skip it: if your priority is flat, uncoloured monitoring for mixing decisions, the Px8's active processing, app EQ and 20 kHz ceiling make it a listening headphone rather than a reference tool. Its 140 ohm impedance also means it is happiest doing what it was built for — wireless — rather than being driven straight off a weak output.
• Best for critical monitoring and mixing → beyerdynamic DT 73. Reference voicing, TESLA.11 driver, 5–40,000 Hz, no DSP colouring the signal.
• Best for battery life → Bowers & Wilkins Px8. Up to 30 hours of wireless playback, with a 15-minute charge giving up to 7 hours.
• Best for isolation without electronics → beyerdynamic DT 73. -39 dB passive isolation works with a dead battery, on a plane, on a stage, anywhere.
• Best for commuting, calls and travel → Bowers & Wilkins Px8. Active noise cancellation, an 8-mic system, transparency mode and a carry case.
• Best for long study sessions at a desk → beyerdynamic DT 73. Compact MRI-derived shell, memory foam tips and very light weight (about 0.02 kg) keep fatigue down.
• Best for one-headphone-does-everything → Bowers & Wilkins Px8. Bluetooth 5.3, touch controls, app EQ and a wired fallback option.
• Best for durability on the road and on stage → beyerdynamic DT 73. IP65 dust and water resistance, detachable MMCX cable with a gold-plated connector, wax guards and a hard case.
• Best for comfort over glasses and long hair → Bowers & Wilkins Px8. Over-ear memory foam and leather cushions rather than an in-canal seal.
If I were buying for study and focused desk work, I would buy the beyerdynamic DT 73. The -39 dB passive isolation, the compact MRI-based fit and the reference tuning are exactly what you want when the goal is to hear your material — or your instrument — clearly for hours without turning the volume up. The Px8 is the better product for almost everything else: travel, calls, wireless convenience, transparency mode and premium materials. So my recommendation is simple: buy the DT 73 as your focused listening tool, and buy the Px8 if you want one wireless headphone to carry through your whole day.
what is studio monitor headphones
Studio monitor headphones are headphones designed to reproduce audio as neutrally as possible so you hear the recording rather than a flattering version of it. The beyerdynamic DT 73 fits that description directly — beyerdynamic calls it a reference-grade in-ear monitor with a TESLA.11 driver built for low distortion and high impulse fidelity.
what are reference studio headphones
Reference studio headphones are a subset of monitors voiced for accuracy rather than excitement, so mixing and evaluation decisions translate to other systems. The DT 73 is explicitly voiced for classical instruments and keys, with a 5–40,000 Hz range and 16 ohm impedance, which is why it is aimed at musicians, engineers and producers.
what are studio monitor headphones
Same idea, different phrasing: they are tools, not lifestyle products. The Px8 sits on the other side of that line — it uses 24-bit DSP, a dedicated DAC/amp and app-based EQ and True Sound mode, which is about tailoring sound to the listener, not about a flat reference response.
can you connect headphones to monitor
Yes, and both of these can. The DT 73 is wired with a detachable 1.4 m MMCX cable, a 3.5 mm plug and a threaded 3.5 mm to 6.35 mm adapter for interfaces and headphone amps. The Px8 is primarily wireless over Bluetooth 5.3 but also includes a 1.2 m USB-C to 3.5 mm cable for a wired connection.
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