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Need To Knows
- Much wider soundstage and improved quality across the board
- Solid ANC but not market-leading
- Slimmer build fits more comfortably
- 30 hours battery life
Bear with me.
Earlier this year, Bowers & Wilkins released the Px7 S3 noise-cancelling headphones. I, like many others (and, indeed, Bowers itself), deemed the Px7 S3 to sound better than the flagship Px8s. They had slightly better noise cancelling, too, and were far more comfortable.
Oh, and they were easier to use thanks to a redesigned button configuration.
Back then, you had an odd choice: buy the new kids on the block for £399, or buy the flagship Px8 for about £200 more (even though you knew the latter probably weren’t as good as the former)?
Px8 owners had an even harder choice. Fresh with the knowledge that their headphones were no longer the best-sounding Bowers & Wilkins cans available, should they leap to the less premium model, or wait for the rumoured Px8 S2?
Well, that buying journey is now – in theory – a lot easier because, this week, Bowers & Wilkins released the Px8 S2, which have two very clear jobs:
- Job 1: Be a lot better than the Px8
- Job 2: Be justifiably better than the Px7 S3
I’ve had them for a couple of weeks, and I think I’ve got all the answers.
Shop the Bowers & Wilkins Px8 S2 below!
How I reviewed the Bowers & Wilkins Px8 S2
Whenever I receive a new pair of headphones to review, they become my main daily headphones. I use them every morning to focus on work, throughout the day when needed, and while travelling.
My listening habits are unspectacular but atypical of many headphone users. When working, I use the brilliant Brain.fm to pipe sounds into my head that aid productivity, music is taken care of either via Apple Music or YouTube Music, and I indulge in a fair bit of podcast and audiobook listening, too. Audio quality and noise-cancelling are, therefore, of utmost importance.
Related: Bowers & Wilkins Px7 S3 review
A note on music. Like it or loathe it, I do indeed use Apple Music for most of my testing, which means I’m exclusively listening to audio that uses the AAC codec. I’m fully aware that higher bit rates and better codecs exist, but this is my base testing for all headphones, and gives me the perfect grounding for analysing what they’re capable of.
At a glance
| Category | Specification |
|---|---|
| Size & Weight | Weight: 0.31 kg, Carry Case Dimensions: 177 mm (W) × 60 mm (D) × 234 mm (H) |
| Drive Units | 2 × 40 mm dynamic full-range carbon drivers |
| Technical Features / Processing | DAC True 24-bit audio connection, 5-band customisable EQ + TrueSound™ mode, Active Noise Cancellation (ANC), support Apple MFi (“Made for iPhone”) support Google Fast Pair Multipoint connectivity |
| Bluetooth & Codecs | Bluetooth version: 5.3 Supported codecs: aptX™ Lossless, aptX™ Adaptive, aptX™ HD, aptX™ Classic, AAC, SBC |
| Microphones & Voice / Calls | Total mics: 8 (4 per earcup) Voice call enhancement: ADI Pure Voice algorithm |
| Battery & Charging | Playback time: up to 30 hours, Fast charge: 15 minutes gives ~7 hours playback |
| Accessories | USB-C to 3.5 mm stereo audio cable (1.2 m) USB-C to USB-C cable (1.2 m) Carry case |
| Finishes / Colour Options | Onyx Black, Warm Stone |
| Price | $799/£629/€729 |
Specs and pricing
The Px8 S2 contain a lot of the same internals as their predecessors. The dedicated discrete amp, DSP, Bluetooth setup, and codec support remain unchanged. Even the active noise cancelling (ANC) appears to rely on the same components as before (or, at least, those found in the Px7 S3).
Battery life? It’s also the same – 30 hours in total, with a 15-minute charge delivering seven hours of battery life.
What has Bowers & Wilkins been up to, then, exactly?
There are two big changes to the Px8s – driver design and overall headphone design. I’ll get to the latter in a moment, but in terms of the audio, we have completely refreshed 40mm carbon cone drivers; the chassis, magnet system, voice coil, and suspension components are all new. As a reminder, the Px7 S3 have bio-cellulose drivers, which are, conveniently, a step down from what’s inside the Px8 S2.
More B&W: Bowers & Wilkins Zeppelin review
The new drivers are designed to deliver faster transient responses and lower distortion levels than before. They’ve also been angled slightly differently to improve stereo imaging.
Colour choices remain limited to Onyx Black and Warm Stone (for now – I’m sure there’ll be a brand tie-in and mid-release refresh at some stage).
As for pricing, you’ll pay £629 / $799 / €729 for the Px8 S2, and they can be ordered from today.
Design and comfort
As noted, Bowers & Wilkins has made some pretty significant changes to the design of its new flagship noise-cancelling headphones.
The Px8 S2 have a much slimmer profile than the Px8, which means they sit far closer to your head – handy when you’re follically-challenged like me. It also makes them comfier for long listening sessions and less likely to get uncomfortably warm. I’ve experienced nothing but comfort with my review pair.
One distinction between the Px8 S2 and the Px7 S3 worth highlighting is the fact that, while the latter use synthetic leather, the Px8 S2 features full-on nappa leather on both the headband and ear cushions. If you’re wondering, those cushions and the headband are both replaceable – but only if you send them back to Bowers & Wilkins.
The Px8 S2 look and feel more premium than the Px7 S3, because they have to. They have aluminium arms and exposed cable detailing – the latter being something that also distinguishes them from the original Px8. They’re still a very smart-looking pair of headphones, but refined and, somehow, more contemporary-looking than before.
Competitor: Beoplay H100 review
Button placement has been fixed, too. On the Px8, there were too many buttons on one ear cup, which has led Bowers & Wilkins to more evenly distribute them across both cups in the new version (as we first saw on the Px7 S3). And a round of applause once again, please, for the complete absence of touch controls. Please keep being you, Bowers.
Sound
If you’re new to this website, I should confirm that I don’t undertake in-depth audio testing and analysis of headphones. It doesn’t interest me, and I’m not an audiophile, so I wouldn’t have a clue what I’m talking about.
However, I have spent my life being addicted to music, audio, music production, and sound in general. And I get to test most new consumer noise-cancelling headphones that hit the market. So I have a good grounding for a top-level analysis of how cans like the Px8 S2 sound.
Remember those two tasks the Px8 S2 needed to overcome? In terms of audio, I can confirm they’ve done it. Bowers & Wilkins’ latest flagship headphones sound a lot better than the Px8s and justifiably better than the Px7 S3.
They offer better performance across the whole spectrum than their predecessors. Highs are brighter, the mid-range cuts through more satisfactorily, and the bass is better controlled. I’d challenge anyone not to notice a big difference between the two pairs of headphones when A/B testing them.
Best earbuds? Bose QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds review
The difference between the Px8 S2 and the Px7 S3 is less in-your-face, but it’s characterised by one element: the sheer size of the sound. This is hard to quantify, and I’m not referring to Dolby Atmos or spatial audio (Bowers is yet to release its version of this, although I’m told it’s possibly coming later this year). I’m talking about the width and space inherent within the Px8 S2 audio; it’s immediately noticeable when you compare them against the Px7 S3.
That’s enough for me, and it will be enough for a lot of people who are thinking of either upgrading from the original Px8 or those who are struggling to choose between the Px7 S3 and the Px8 S2.
Noise-cancelling and calls
As noted earlier, the ANC hardware in the Px8 S2 is essentially the same as what we had before. It consists of an eight-microphone array; two for measuring driver output, another two for calls, and four that are in charge of ambient noise.
Unlike most other ANC headphone manufacturers who claim they’ve achieved the best noise-cancelling on the market, Bowers & Wilkins has always proceeded with caution. If you weren’t aware, most ANC headphones rely on the drivers for both audio and noise cancelling. Dial in too much of the former, and it can, in theory, have a detrimental impact on the audio performance.
Such impacts will likely be imperceptible to all but the most conscientious of audiophiles, but Bowers & Wilkins is a premium audio brand, and they want to avoid any unnecessary shortcomings at all costs. That’s why the Px8 S2 join the rest of the lineup in providing perfectly adequate ANC – not market-leading ANC.
I’ve always been ok with this. The Px8 S2 get the job done and dampens enough external sound in most scenarios to not make you feel like you’re missing out. You are, of course, the Sony XM6 are considerably better with ANC – but if you’re a Bowers & Wilkins person, that doesn’t matter.
Can it get better than this? Sony WH-1000XM6 review
One area in which I’m very impressed with the Px8 S2 is the transparency mode. This is when you let the outside world in, and it’s essential if you need to be aware of your surroundings or use these headphones for taking calls. To put it in context, Bowers & Wilkins’ latest transparency mode is very close to matching the same feature on Apple’s AirPods Max (a feat so few manufacturers seem to achieve, for some reason).
On the subject of calling quality, you can hear my test between the Px8 S2, Px8, and Px7 S3 in my YouTube video review.
Conclusion
If you’re considering upgrading from the Px8 or deciding whether to buy your first pair of Bowers & Wilkins headphones, you’re probably trying to figure out whether to go for the Px7 S3 or the Px8 S2.
There’s a meaningful price difference between them, granted, but I think the decision is relatively straightforward.
If you have itchy feet with your Px8s but weren’t tempted enough by the Px7 S3 to wait for what was, back then, a rumoured release of the Px8 S2 later in the year, your time has come. Make that upgrade to the Px8 S2, because you will not regret it.
If you’re stuck choosing between the Px7 S3 and the Px8 S2, I’d note that you’re unlikely to ever try the two side-by-side. Therefore, if you opt for the Px7 S3, you’ll never know what you’re missing out on, yet you will have saved yourself a fair bit of money and end up with a pair of headphones which are utterly fantastic. I would personally only opt for the Px8 S2, in this instance, if you can justify paying for the slightly more premium design and the knowledge that your headphones can’t sound any better.
The only question I have now is where on earth Bowers & Wilkins goes next with its headphones.
But that’s for another day.
The Px8 S2 are a suprisingly big upgrade over their predecessor, with a much wider sound and improvements to the bass control and mid-range definition. They are a bit on the pricey side but worth it if you want tip-top audio.
The Good
- Excellent sound quality
- Very comfy
- Tactile buttons
The Not So Good
- Noise cancelling is fine, but not top-tier
