Bowers & Wilkins was considerably late to the true wi-fi earbuds sport. Nevertheless, when it lastly climbed on board with the flagship Pi7 and extra budget-friendly Pi5 in spring 2021, it largely impressed. Almost two years later, the second technology earbuds are right here, the Pi7 S2 and Pi5 S2.
The Pi7 S2, the main target of this overview, is as thrilling because the earlier mannequin by way of sound and options. However, sadly, little or no has modified between one technology and the following. This stagnation makes the newer mannequin a more durable promote towards comparable merchandise reminiscent of Apple’s AirPods Professional 2, Bose’s QuietComfort Earbuds 2, and plenty of extra, which provide a couple of premium options lacking right here.
This is our take a look at the Pi7 S2 true wi-fi earbuds from British-based Bowers & Wilkins.
Bowers & Wilkins Pi7 S2: Value and availability
You could find the Bowers & Wilkins Pi7 S2 earbuds at launch by the B&W web site, Amazon, and different retailers. They’re priced at $399 and obtainable in three colours, Satin Black, Canvas White, and Midnight Blue. This value is way increased than the AirPods Professional 2, though you’ll discover reductions — ultimately.
Bowers & Wilkins Pi7 S2 earbuds: What’s good
We acquired our Satin Black Bowers & Wilkins Pi7 S2 overview unit earlier than it was formally introduced. It shipped with an 80 cm USB-C to USB-C charging cable, an 80 cm 3.5 mm jack to USB-C audio cable, and a set of small, medium, and enormous ear suggestions.
From the get-go, it was noticeable how comparable the earbuds had been to the earlier model. Nevertheless, there are two key variations: the microphone grilles are ever-so-slightly larger, and there is a new sensor slightly below one of many microphones.
Earlier than organising the brand new Bowers & Wilkins earbuds, save your self a while and set up the corporate’s official Music app (opens in new tab) in your cellular system. The app is comparatively new and has been designed to regulate a whole Bowers & Wilkins wi-fi audio system. It is also the place you may pair the earbuds to your first system. To take action, open the rechargeable case with the earbuds inside and comply with the instructions.
Throughout my exams, I additionally wanted to arrange the earbuds through Bluetooth utilizing the Settings app on my iPhone earlier than utilizing them with Apple Music and comparable apps. This additional step solely added about 30 seconds to the setup time.
The Pi7 S2 does not use multipoint Bluetooth pairing. As such, you’ll be able to’t pair it to 2 units concurrently. It is a minor annoyance at finest, though Bowers & Wilkins ought to have thought of it.
One space with Bluetooth that has been improved is distance. The Pi7 S2 now reaches as much as 25 meters, double the vary of the earlier mannequin. The earbuds are additionally famous for now, providing 5 hours of leisure on a single cost and 16 hours extra on the charging case. You may as well add two additional hours of enjoying time with only a 15-minute cost.
One distinctive perk that comes with the charging case is its skill to work as a transceiver. This, for instance, makes it straightforward to hearken to an airplane’s inflight system wirelessly. As well as, the case options wi-fi and USB-C-connected charging.
Past this, a lot of the options discovered on the Pi7 have made the leap to the brand new mannequin. This consists of spectacular contact controls on each earbuds that assist you to play and cease music, activate and deactivate voice management, and the built-in adaptive lively noise-cancellation (ANC), splashproof, and dust-resistance.
What concerning the sound?
Not surprisingly, the Pi7 S2 offers wonderful sound, no matter style. From a full-ranged bass to a extremely detailed treble to snug mids, these earbuds can maintain tempo with comparable merchandise available on the market, together with ones from Apple, Bose, Bang and Olufsen BeoPlay, and extra. Throughout my testing, I listened to music by Apple Music on my iPhone 14 Professional and HomePod mini completely. This implies music is streamed by the AAC codec, not aptX Adaptive, which is supported on most Android-based units. Different reviewers have famous the earbuds sound higher on these units since they’ll make the most of some options not obtainable when paired with Apple merchandise.
There’s a lot to like concerning the Pi7 S2, but it surely loses a couple of factors for the issues talked about under. Nevertheless, for a lot of, these points can be straightforward to beat, particularly if the principle objective is to purchase earbuds from Bowers & Wilkins.
Bowers & Wilkins Pi7 S2 earbuds: What’s not good
It is not straightforward to guage the Pi7 S2 with out its predecessor. Though we did not overview the Pi7, others did, and people rankings had been spectacular. This places the Pi7 S2 in an odd place. It is a terrific product with few misses, but it may have been a lot extra. Take, for instance, its Qualcomm ACC5126 chipset. It is a terrific chipset, but it is the identical one discovered on the earlier mannequin and never one in all Qualcomm’s newer ones, such because the QCC5141 or QCC5144. The design can be the identical aside from the minor modifications talked about above. It is a wonderful design, but even a slight change would have been good.
The Pi7 S2 additionally lacks Bluetooth LE Audio with Auracast capabilities and does not help Qualcomm’s upcoming spatial audio function.
Are you in search of an equalizer within the Bowers & Wilkins app? It isn’t there.
After which there is a slight however essential subject with the Pi7 S2’s adaptive noise cancelation function. It really works. And but, it will not work all that nicely when you aren’t utilizing the correct-sized silicon earbuds. Fortunately, it comes with three units from which to decide on.
Bowers & Wilkins Pi7 S2 earbuds: Competitors
Undoubtedly, many will take a look at the Apple AirPods Professional 2 when contemplating the Pi7 S2. These earbuds are almost good, particularly when you solely use Apple merchandise. As well as, they provide higher battery life, help Apple’s Discover My performance, spatial audio, and way more. Different merchandise price contemplating towards the Pi7 S2 (and AirPods Professional 2) embody Sennheiser’s Momentum True Wi-fi 3, Sony’s WF-1000XM4, and Bang and Olufsen Beoplay EX, and our listing of the finest true wi-fi earbuds.
This is a comparability between the Bowers & Wilkins Pi7 S2 earbuds and AirPods Professional 2:
| Header Cell – Column 0 | Pi7 S2 | AirPods Professional 2 |
|---|---|---|
| Value | $399 | $249 |
| Colours | Satin Black, Canvas White, Midnight Blue | White |
| Battery life | As much as 5 hours of listening time | As much as 6 hours of listening time |
| Battery life (case) | as much as 16 hours of listening time | As much as 30 hours of listening time |
| Quick cost | quarter-hour within the case offers 2 hours of listening time | 5 minutes within the case offers round 1 hour of listening time |
| Chip | Qualcomm QCC5126 chipset | Apple H2 headphone chip |
| Bluetooth model | Bluetooth 5.0 with aptX Adaptive | Bluetooth 5.3 |
| Lively Noise Cancelation (ANC) | Sure | Sure |
| Transparency mode | Sure | Sure |
| Voice Assist | Sure | Siri |
| Charging port | USB-C | USB-C |
| Safety | IPX4 | IPX4 |
| Monitoring performance | No | Sure (Discover My) |
| Weight (earphones) | 7 grams every | 5.3 grams every |
| Weight (charging case) | 47 grams | 50.8 grams |
Bowers & Wilkins Pi7 S2 earbuds: Must you purchase them?
You can purchase this if …
Should you largely use Android merchandise, the Pi7 S2 is unquestionably price contemplating. Providing good battery life and unbelievable sound, these earbuds will problem others available on the market for years to come back.
- You solely use Android-based units
- Are tied to the Bowers & Wilkins title
- Wish to trip between totally different cellular units (Android and iOS).
You should not purchase this if…
Do you solely have Apple merchandise in your family? They your finest finest is probably going the AirPods Professional 2. They’re high-quality — and cheaper than what Bowers & Wilkins is providing.
- You reside solely in Apple’s playground
- Personal a pair of Pi7 earbuds (not a lot as modified)
- Are funds acutely aware
Bowers & Wilkins Pi7 S2 earbuds: Verdict
Bowers & Wilkin’s newest flagship earbuds are the newest in a protracted line of high-quality merchandise. These aren’t good earbuds or ones which might be all that totally different from their predecessor. Moreover, when you’re an Apple-only system consumer, they is perhaps a tough move. And but, they’re price contemplating when you use a number of units, just like the Bowers & Wilkins title, and need a colourful various to the Apple AirPods Professional 2.
Problem accepted
Although not good, these earbuds are price contemplating if sure packing containers are checked in your purchaser’s information. Superbly designed with a pleasant set of options, they rock.
