by Bowers & Wilkins has announced two new sets of true wireless headphones: the B&W PI7 S2 and the B&W PI5 S2. These are, as the names suggest, the successors to the B&W PI7 and PI5 respectively – and I’m very impressed with the PI7 S2, as I had the original model in mind when it launched.
As you can read in our full original Bowers & Wilkins PI7 review, these earbuds basically blew everything else out of the water when they launched when it comes to sound quality. Compared to the original AirPods Pro (2019) that I was using at the time as my regular everyday headphones, the PI7 was a revelation – the depth of the bass, the detail in the treble, the clarity of the voices was on another level.
They also offer a genius audio transmission feature – you can connect the case’s USB-C port to a computer or analog audio source, and audio in aptX quality would be broadcast to the buds. They really went further than any other earbuds – but they also cost about 50% more than the likes of AirPods Pro, so you’d expect a lot more, right?
Since then, the world of the best wireless headphones has taken a big hit when it comes to sound quality: there are other super-rich premium options, and the likes of the AirPods Pro 2 and Honor Earbuds 3 Pro have really raised the bar. for sound quality at a lower price, so Bowers is back to try and reclaim his throne.
The B&W PI7 S2 doesn’t seem to promise any huge advances in driver sound quality – on paper it looks like a two-way audio setup of a 9.2mm driver with a balanced treble armature unit in each bud. the same as the previous generation, although there could obviously be minor adjustments.
But the technology behind the drivers is tweaks. There’s no support for aptX Adaptive wireless, so you should get a more reliable connection overall (B&W says you’ll also get a longer range of up to 25m) as well as Hi-Res Audio from compatible sources.
And the noise cancellation, which was nothing to write home about on the original, now promises to be Adaptive Noise Cancellation, so should theoretically be smarter about sound blocking. Perhaps the processing behind this will improve the sound quality of the drivers overall – we’ll have to wait and test them to find out.
The new Bowers & Wilkins Music app will also offer better control and customization of the buds – and the audio retransmission feature is still on board.
The biggest weakness of the original PI7 was the battery life, and the PI7 S2 improves on that … just. Battery life in the buds has been improved from 4.5 hours to… 5 hours in the new version. I was expecting more like 6 hours, which is now the norm for the best noise canceling headphones – and many hit it comfortably.
And the other glaring potential problem with the original PI7 is still around: they’re really big. The physical design hasn’t changed, meaning a large portion sits outside your ear canal. I gave the originals to one small adult (but still well within ‘normal’ size) and she couldn’t even put them in her ear because of the shape.
However, they come in three new colors: Satin White, Canvas Black, and Midnight Blue – the latter is particularly beautiful, with gold highlights on a deep mystic indigo.
And the B&W PI7 S2 is still very expensive: £349 / $399 / AU$700 – I hope they up their game in the ANC department, because there are more premium options than ever.
The PI7 S2 is available today, but the blue version will ship sometime this spring.
B&W is also launching a new version of its other true wireless headphones: the PI5. The PI5 S2 will use a 9.2mm driver, but won’t have the added balanced armature, so it won’t deliver the same dynamic range as the PI7. It still supports aptX, but it’s not aptX Adaptive, and the case doesn’t have the audio retransmission feature. It has active noise cancellation, but not the adaptive technology used in the PI7 S2 (although you can adjust the level of cancellation). And it also has 5 hours of battery life in the buds.
The PI5 S2 comes in four colours: Cloud Grey, Storm Grey, Spring Lilac and Sage Green (the latter is due again in ‘spring’). These cost £249 / $299 / AU$450.
If you’re looking for a good way to get aptX Hi-Res audio for these buds, may I recommend our list of the best portable music players?
