Bowers & Wilkins Px8 S2

HiFi, Headphones
Bowers & Wilkins Px8 S2 — Leather-Clad Flagship, Refined

B&W has always sold wireless headphones as furniture for your ears — proper materials, proper finish, a price that says “hi-fi maker” rather than “consumer electronics brand.” The Px8 S2 is the moment that pitch finally has the engineering to back it up across the board, not just the leather. It’s a genuine, comprehensive rework of the original Px8, and at £629 it’s asking you to pay for craft over spec-sheet showmanship.

Build & Design

Slimmer than the outgoing Px8, with Nappa leather earcups, aluminium detailing and a headband that’s now replaceable along with the cushions — a proper nod to longevity rather than planned obsolescence. It still feels like the most expensive thing in the room next to a Sony or Bose, and rightly so; this is the pair you reach for when you want people to notice what’s on your head. Eight microphones (two more than before) handle ANC and calls via B&W’s ADI PureVoice processing, and there’s proper wired flexibility — USB-C carries 24-bit digital audio, and a 3.5mm analogue input is still there for the truly old-school. Battery life lands around 30 hours with ANC on, with a 15-minute quick charge good for roughly 7 hours. My one gripe echoes the wider consensus: touch controls remain fiddly compared with Sony’s more considered gesture set.

Sound

Sound

Twin 40mm carbon-cone dynamic drivers, a dedicated DSP and amp/DAC stage, and a 5-band EQ in the app add up to what reviewers agree is a genuine step up from the original — a large, well-organised soundstage, smooth frequency response and a neutral-leaning tonality rather than the bass-forward signature you’d expect from a lifestyle flagship. It’s detailed and composed with acoustic and vocal material, closer to hi-fi manners than most wireless rivals manage, and aptX Adaptive/aptX Lossless gets you up to 24-bit/96kHz over Bluetooth on compatible phones.

Noise Cancelling & Features

This is where the consensus turns more mixed. The ANC is meaningfully better than the original Px8’s and handles steady low-frequency drone — engines, HVAC, office hum — competently, but it doesn’t match the wideband hush of the Sony WH-1000XM6 or Bose QuietComfort Ultra, particularly against wind and higher-frequency chatter. For a £629 flagship going up against ANC specialists, that’s a real shortfall rather than a rounding error.

Comparisons

Against the Sony WH-1000XM6 — reviewed alongside this one — the Sony wins outright on ANC and app polish; the B&W wins on materials, wired flexibility and a more neutral, hi-fi-adjacent tuning that flatters acoustic recordings. Against my Sennheiser HD600, there’s genuinely more tonal honesty here than I expected from a closed wireless design, though the HD600’s midrange resolution and the way it simply disappears is still a different tier entirely — no ANC headphone closes that gap, and the Px8 S2 doesn’t try to. Against the Hifiman Sundara for detail retrieval, wired still wins comfortably, but for a commute or a flight, the Px8 S2 is the one I’d actually want on my head.

Verdict

Pros

  • Genuine sonic step up over the original Px8 — neutral, detailed, well-imaged
  • Exceptional materials and now-replaceable earpads/headband
  • aptX Lossless plus proper wired USB-C and 3.5mm options
  • 30-hour battery with fast top-ups

Cons

  • ANC trails the Sony WH-1000XM6 and Bose QC Ultra on wideband/wind noise
  • Touch controls still fiddly
  • App and connectivity have occasional quirks
  • Premium price doesn’t buy class-leading ANC

Ratings:

  • Build & Design: 9 / 10
  • Sound: 8.5 / 10
  • Features: 7.5 / 10
  • Value: 7.5 / 10

The Px8 S2 is the wireless headphone for people who care more about how music sounds than how silent the world gets — just don’t expect it to out-hush the ANC specialists.