Bowers & Wilkins Px8 S2 Review: Premium Build and Better Sound

The Pros and Cons

How comfortable and premium is the Px8 S2?

The Px8 S2 looks close to the PX7 S3 at a glance, but it improves the fit and materials. Nappa leather covers the ear cups and headband, while brushed aluminium arms and the exposed cable give it a classy, distinctive look.

Comfort is excellent. The headband cushioning is as thick as on the PX7 S3, while the slightly more spacious ear pads give my giant ears more room. The clamp is moderate on my head, so the headphones feel secure if I lean over or exercise without feeling overly tight.

The included hard case is effectively the same as the PX7 S3 case. It is solid, has a magnetic cable compartment and slightly smoother fabric inside.

Key details discussed in my review

Are the controls and connectivity any good?

The physical controls are the same as on the PX7 S3, and they work great. The right ear cup has clicky buttons, while the old-school power switch also enters pairing mode when held up. A multifunction button on the left switches between noise cancelling, off and transparency.

I would still like the option to choose only two of those three noise-control states. Adding voice-assistant control also means sacrificing that noise-control button, which feels unnecessary when a double tap could have handled it.

Wearing detection is excellent here. Either ear cup can be lifted slightly to pause music, and playback resumes almost instantly when I put it back on. I had no issues with it on the Px8 S2, and sensitivity settings are available if you do.

Multipoint is properly flexible. I could connect two devices, let playback automatically take over from the other device, or use the headphones wired while remaining connected to a Bluetooth device. USB-C to USB-C keeps media controls, noise control and charging available; USB-C to 3.5 mm will not work if the headphones have no battery.

Call quality and app features

Call quality is broadly on par with the PX7 S3. The Px8 S2 is not as loud in my quiet-room test, which helps avoid distortion, and overall I would call its call quality decent across my quiet room, crowd-noise and windy-city simulations.

The Bowers & Wilkins app is very simple. It gives you noise-cancelling and transparency controls, a five-band EQ, paired-device management, quick-button customization, auto standby and wearing-detection toggles. The EQ offers decent freedom, but I would expect eight or 10 bands from a brand at this level.

How strong are the Px8 S2 noise cancelling and transparency modes?

Noise cancelling is very solid, and I think the Px8 S2 is ever so slightly stronger than the PX7 S3 despite what appears to be the same advertised system. It blocks low, middle and high-frequency noise, as well as voices and fan noise, quite well.

There is barely any EQ shift between noise cancelling, transparency and off, so the sound stays consistent. I also heard slightly less wind pickup than on the PX7 S3, possibly because of the different microphone arrangement.

Transparency works completely fine, and I could easily hold a conversation in a fairly noisy environment. To my ears, though, the PX7 S3 is ever so slightly better because the Px8 S2 is a little less amplified. These were pre-release headphones, so that could be addressed with firmware. Occlusion remains low, and my own voice sounds natural rather than blocked up.

Does the Px8 S2 sound better than the PX7 S3?

The PX7 S3 is my favourite-sounding headphone that I have tested, and the Px8 S2 sounds very similar with minor but worthwhile improvements. The PX7 S3 uses a 40 mm biocellulose diaphragm, while the Px8 S2 uses a 40 mm carbon cone diaphragm with a re-engineered chassis, coil and motor system.

Stock tuning is slightly bass boosted, much like the PX7 S3. The sub-bass is well mannered and balanced, while there is more emphasis from roughly 60 Hz upward, giving kick drums impact, bass guitars richness and synthesised bass a weighty feel. Upper bass can get slightly bloated on the stock EQ, so I prefer dialling the bass down a little.

The EQ does not seem to boost much below 50 Hz, so you cannot really turn these into deep subwoofer-style bass headphones. The mids are rich, especially in the lower mids, though vocals sit slightly back in the mix. I like adding a slight boost to the mids and upper mids to separate vocals and instruments a little more.

Treble is the real standout. It is crisp, airy and detailed without generally becoming harsh. Hi-hats, cymbals, strings, higher female vocals, synth and electronic music all benefit, and that airy top end helps create an open soundstage for headphones.

Against the PX7 S3, the Px8 S2 has tighter bass, better instrument separation, smoother treble and a soundstage that is somehow slightly more open. It is not a massive difference, but it goes a long way.