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If you want a wireless, noise-cancelling set of earbuds that still aims at reference-grade sound, choose Bowers & Wilkins Pi8; if you need wired, planar-magnetic in-ear monitors built for critical listening and long studio-style sessions, choose Hidizs MP145. This is the short version of the reference monitor question, and it's the honest one. These two products are barely the same category of device — one is a fully wireless Bluetooth earbud with active noise cancellation, the other is a wired planar IEM with a swappable plug system. The right pick comes down to how you actually listen, not which one is "better" in a vacuum.
• Bowers & Wilkins Pi8 — biggest strength: 12mm carbon cone drivers adapted from the Px8 headphones, plus Qualcomm aptX Lossless and aptX Adaptive for true 24-bit wireless audio. That's a rare combination of high-resolution wireless codecs and adaptive active noise cancellation in a true-wireless format.
• Bowers & Wilkins Pi8 — biggest trade-off: It's a wireless earbud, so battery life is finite — up to 8 hours of earbud playback per charge, with a 15-minute quick charge giving 2 hours. Nothing about it is user-replaceable or wired, so you're committed to Bluetooth 5.4.
• Hidizs MP145 — biggest strength: A 14.5mm planar magnetic diaphragm with upgraded N54H magnetic arrays (40% stronger flux density per the specs) and a frequency range that reaches 40kHz. Wired 3.5mm and 4.4mm plug options mean it can run from a dedicated DAC or amp.
• Hidizs MP145 — biggest trade-off: It's wired only, with passive noise cancellation rather than active. There's no battery, no app, no multipoint, and no wireless codec conversation — you're tethered to your source.
• Who Pi8 is for: Commuters, travelers, and anyone who wants one pair of earbuds for phone, laptop, TV, and gaming without cables.
• Who MP145 is for: Listeners who want reference-style wired monitoring at a desk, at a workstation, or with a portable DAC, and who don't mind a cable.
The Pi8 is a true-wireless in-ear built around 12mm carbon cone drive units adapted directly from Bowers & Wilkins' Px8 headphones. That lineage matters: the design goal here is lifelike clarity and high-frequency detail, not just a bass-forward consumer tuning. With Qualcomm aptX Lossless and aptX Adaptive on board, the Pi8 dynamically adjusts for connection reliability and can carry high-resolution audio wirelessly. If you've been told wireless earbuds can't do reference-adjacent sound, this is the design argument against that.
Buy the Pi8 if you want one pair of earbuds that covers commuting, calls, travel, and casual critical listening without a cable. Skip it if you need unlimited listening time, a wired connection to a dedicated amp, or a fit that you can fine-tune with aftermarket cables — none of which a Bluetooth earbud offers. The earpiece is a rounded-tip in-ear design with XS/S/M/L ear tips included, and the 32-ohm impedance and 20Hz–20,000Hz range describe a fairly standard wireless in-ear load rather than a hard-to-drive monitor.
Hidizs MP145: Who It's For
The Hidizs MP145 is a wired planar magnetic in-ear monitor, and the spec sheet reads like a studio tool rather than a lifestyle product. The centerpiece is a 14.5mm ultra-precision planar diaphragm with 30% more copper content for faster transient response, paired with upgraded N54H magnetic arrays that the specs describe as 40% stronger in flux density. The stated result is "studio-track clarity" with micro-detail retrieval. The frequency range extends to 40kHz, well beyond what Bluetooth codecs typically carry.
The tuning description is the interesting part for reference-monitor shoppers: surgical bass control with deeper sub-bass punch but no mud, a refined mid-bass for complex tracks, a transparent midrange that reveals vocal and instrument texture without coloration, and upper mids that carve out pinpoint imaging. Treble is described as extending with airiness, creating a wide, holographic soundstage. If you're the kind of listener who wants to hear what the recording actually contains — separation, placement, texture — that's the design intent here.
Physically, it's built for long sessions: 9.5g per earpiece, contoured for a locked-in fit, redesigned acoustic tubes to reduce ear fatigue, and a 4-core 6N OFC cable with silver plating that's described as tangle-free and crackle-proof. You get both 3.5mm and 4.4mm plug options, so it works with a standard phone dongle, a laptop jack, or a balanced output on a portable player or DAC. A leather case and upgraded liquid silicone eartips are included.
Buy the MP145 if you want a wired reference-style monitor for desk listening, mixing-adjacent work, or critical album sessions with a proper source. Skip it if you mostly listen while moving, hate cables, or rely on active noise cancellation to cut out a train or plane cabin — the MP145 uses passive noise cancellation, which depends entirely on fit and tip seal.
• Best for wireless freedom → Bowers & Wilkins Pi8. Bluetooth 5.4, dual-device pairing, and a case that retransmits audio from non-Bluetooth sources.
• Best for critical, wired listening → Hidizs MP145. Planar magnetic drivers, 3.5mm and 4.4mm options, and a soundstage-first tuning.
• Best for travel and commuting → Bowers & Wilkins Pi8. Adaptive active noise cancellation that adjusts to your environment is the deciding feature here.
• Best for long desk sessions → Hidizs MP145. 9.5g per side, fatigue-reducing acoustic tube design, and no battery to run down.
• Best for calls and meetings → Bowers & Wilkins Pi8. Three built-in mics and multipoint switching between phone and laptop.
• Best for source flexibility with a DAC or amp → Hidizs MP145. The 4.4mm balanced option is the giveaway; this is meant to be driven by real hardware.
• Best for resolution ceiling → Hidizs MP145 on paper. A 40kHz frequency range and planar driver technology versus the Pi8's 20Hz–20,000Hz range, though the Pi8 counters with aptX Lossless wireless transmission.
• Best for one-does-everything ownership → Bowers & Wilkins Pi8. It covers music, movies, TV, gaming, and calls from a single pair.
In my opinion, the Pi8 is the smarter buy for most people, because it does the widest range of real-world jobs — commuting, calls, travel, TV, and wireless high-resolution audio — from one pair of earbuds with no cable and adaptive ANC. But if the phrase "reference monitor" is literal for you, and you listen at a desk with a DAC or a player, I'd pick the Hidizs MP145. It's the one built like a monitoring tool: planar drivers, a 40kHz ceiling, balanced 4.4mm output, and a fit engineered for hours of fatigue-free listening. The Pi8 is the better lifestyle product; the MP145 is the better listening instrument.
Studio monitor headphones are designed to reproduce audio as neutrally as possible so you hear the recording rather than a heavily colored version of it. In this comparison, the Hidizs MP145 fits that idea most closely, with a planar magnetic driver, a transparent midrange described as low-coloration, and a 40kHz frequency range.
What are reference studio headphones?
Reference headphones aim for accuracy and detail retrieval so you can judge a mix or a recording. The MP145 is the more literal reference design here — 14.5mm planar diaphragm, surgical bass control, pinpoint imaging — while the Pi8 pursues a similar clarity goal through 12mm carbon cone drivers and aptX Lossless wireless.
They're in-ear or over-ear headphones tuned for monitoring rather than casual listening, with controlled bass and revealing mids and treble. The MP145's description of zero-mud sub-bass and uncolored vocal texture is exactly that philosophy; the Pi8 is a wireless earbud that borrows from it via its Px8-derived drivers.
If "monitor" means a studio monitor speaker or audio interface, yes — but the connection method differs. The Hidizs MP145 is wired with 3.5mm and 4.4mm plugs, so it connects directly to a monitor's headphone output or an interface. The Bowers & Wilkins Pi8 is wireless Bluetooth 5.4 with no headphone jack, so it pairs to a Bluetooth-capable source instead.
If either one sounds like your setup, check the current price on Amazon before you commit — and match the connection type to your gear first, because that single detail decides which of these two you should actually buy.
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