It wasn’t long ago Bowers and Wilkins blessed us with the stellar Px7 S3 headphones. They made sizeable improvements over their predecessor making it one of the better pairs of musical cans this year. Now we have the Px8 S2 upping the ante but coming along that is a higher price tag and wondering if it’s worth it?
Style
Colors for the Px8 S2 come in Onyx Black which is typically B&W signature color and then there is Warm Stone which they kindly provided to us. Warm Stone is a fascinating hue of beige and silver. It just stands out with the Nappa Leather covering majority of the earcups such as the outer section as well as the earpads themselves and this continues onto the headband. The shiny aluminum trim circles the earcups while extending to the hinges sliding in and out the headband. There is so much mindfulness even with the braided cable that is “exposed” alongside the hinge. It brings a different level of premium you don’t get on most headphones.
There are significant changes to the PX8 S2 compared to the PX8 such as button placement. This is like what I mentioned with the Px7 S3 upgrading from its S2 model. Before button controls were on the metallic trim around the earcups and now it is on the base where the hinges start. These would be your volume controls and play/pause on the right while the left has power/Bluetooth and environmental.
To go along with the Px8 S2 is a sturdy zippered case with nylon on the outside. Inside it will house your precious headphones and has a compartment for your included wires USB-C to 3.5mm jack and USB-C to USB-C.
Unboxing of the Bowers & Wilkins Px8 S2 is on TikTok & Instagram.
Features
B&W has always been big on aptX support and with the Px8 S2 you are getting aptX Lossless and aptX Adaptive alongside Bluetooth 5.3 and USB audio going up to 24bit, 96kHz. They will eventually support LE Audio and Auracast as well. There is a total of eight mics for call quality purposes and ANC (utilizing six).
Downloading the B&W app will provide you with needed access to various changes to your headphones. You can toggle pairing of your devices, change environment controls (off, ambient, ANC), wear sensitivity, or jump into Advanced EQ. You can rock with B&W’s “True Sound” setting or do your own custom build.
Sound
While B&W did 40mm bio cellulose drivers on its Px7 S3, its Px8 S2 utilizes 40mm Carbon Cone drivers. These are an upgrade from the Px8’s with an upgraded chassis/motor. Like Px7 S3 they angle in providing you with the best sound experience.
Quite frankly any song you seem to throw at these headphones does a wonderful job at executing perfection. It has such a spacious feeling you feel like you are sitting in front and in the center of the music. This can be felt while listening to Sade “Kiss of Life” and “NY State of Mind” by Billy Joel. I felt like the Px7 S3 gave slightly more bass compared to the Px8 S2 which has more detail.
To take advantage of Hi-Res audio is frankly the same thing I mentioned in my Px7 S3 review:
If you want to maximize the highest sound quality you must use a music app such as Tidal, Qobuz, or Apple Music. Apple Music supports up to Hi-Res Lossless which is 24-bit/192 kHz. I have been using the Px7 S3 wired with the Pixel 9 Pro to get some crisp detailed audio quality. It’s not for everyone but a nice option to have.
Experience
Wearing these for the past month the Px8 S2 are easily more comfortable than the Px8. B&W manage to take off some of that weight shaving 10g off. But they also don’t feel too much different than the Px7 S3. Noise cancelling is decent on these headphones and better than the Px7 S3 slightly, but I wouldn’t say better than say the Sony XM6. With its 30-hour battery life I can’t think of how often I plugged these in charge.
Verdict
This is the refresher the Px8 needed and it’s well deserved with the S2. Bringing an improved look and better sound. They are top notch in the quality screaming premium with its Nappa leather and die-cast aluminum. Honestly, the only thing holding them back may be its price tag, which can be hard to swallow for some at $799. But they have such detail and present a highly spacious experience. If your wallet isn’t feeling the price, there is always the option of the Px7 S3 which gives you a good deal of the B&W Px8 S2 and $350 less.
