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Headphones

Bowers and Wilkins Px8 S2: A Jaw-Dropping Wireless Headphone Experience

Strategic Insights

— 1 min read

The Bowers and Wilkins Px8 S2 headphones are the company's latest flagship wireless headphones, priced at £629, which is significantly more expensive than its rivals. These headphones promise to deliver the "true sound" of the artist's intent, along with luxurious touches such as deliciously soft Napa leather earbuds. I tested the Px8 S2 against competitor brands, including the Px7 S3, Sony WH1000MX6, and Bose QuietComfort Ultra 2, to see if they are worth the hefty price tag.

Key Takeaways:

  • The Px8 S2 headphones deliver outstanding sound quality, with a new 40mm Carbon Cone drive unit that creates a sense of space and silence around the music.
  • The headphones have a gorgeous design, with aluminum arms that provide a better clamp to keep them in place, and exposed cabling that is a nod to previous generations of Bowers and Wilkins products.
  • The Px8 S2s deliver acceptable noise cancellation, but the bar has been set high by other headphones in the market, such as the Bose QuietComfort and Sony WH-1000XM6.
  • The battery life is nicely serviceable, with 30 hours of use with full noise cancellation on, but it can't compete with the charge-and-forget leaders in this sector.
  • The Px8 S2s have great connectivity options, including superb-sounding audio codecs aptXTM Adaptive 24/96 and aptX Lossless, but iPhone users are stuck with basic audio unless they fork out for a fiddly dongle device.
  • The accompanying Bowers and Wilkins Music app offers the option to adjust sound via an EQ, check battery life, and adjust noise cancelling.
  • The Px8 S2 headphones are built to be future-proof, with over-the-air updates in the future that will bring new features, including spatial audio listening and Bluetooth LE Audio with AuracastTM broadcast.

Statistics:

  • £629: The price of the Bowers and Wilkins Px8 S2 headphones.
  • 30 hours: The battery life with full noise cancellation on.
  • 50mm: The size of the carbon-fibre drivers that deliver responsive, spacious, and realistic sound.
  • 40mm: The size of the Carbon Cone drive unit that creates a sense of space and silence around the music.
  • 6 weeks: The time it took to review and test the Px8 S2 headphones.

Sources:

  • "Bowers and Wilkins Px8 S2 wireless headphones: can £600 buy you the ultimate listening experience?" - Telegraph
  • "Bowers and Wilkins Px8 S2 vs Px7 S3: how do they compare?" - Telegraph
  • "Bowers and Wilkins Px8 S2 FAQs" - Bowers and Wilkins website

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