I Replaced My Midrange Bowers & Wilkins Headphones With More Expensive Ones - How Much Can $370 Upgrade You?

ZDNET's cardinal takeaways

• The Bowers & Wilkins Px8 S2 are disposable successful Onyx Black and Warm Stone for $799.
• They excel successful nan creation and sound categories, acknowledgment to their high-quality soul and outer build materials
• Unless you worth exceptional specifications successful creation and sound, a $799 asking value whitethorn beryllium difficult to justify.

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Few headphones perfectly blend design, sound quality, and mundane utility. Sony's headphones sound great, Bose's headphones person awesome creation qualities, and Apple's headphones execute remarkably good pinch different Apple devices. 

Conversely, brands for illustration Focal, which connection headphones pinch exceptional sound value and minimal integer features, person a $1,200 asking value and weaker noise-canceling capabilities. Still, to galore people, nan consumer-friendly sound of nan astir celebrated headphones isn't bully capable -- they want an elevated sound without compromising nan astir valuable package features.

Also: I replaced my AirPods Max pinch nan AirPods Pro 3, and didn't mind nan $300 value gap

The creation of blending each of nan antecedently mentioned qualities is Bowers & Wilkins' specialty, marrying high-quality audio pinch nan mundane consumer's needs. The Px8 S2, nan 2nd procreation of its flagship headphones, debut pinch an upgraded Qualcomm chipset, amended sound cancellation, improved wireless audio streaming quality, and caller soul audio components. 

On paper, nan Px8 S2 look akin to nan precocious released Px7 S3, which I loved for nan sound, comfort, utility, and design. If you've already decided that Sony, Bose, JBL, aliases nan others aren't what you're looking for, should you salary $320 much for nan Px8 S2 complete nan Px7 S3? 

It's challenging to comparison Bowers & Wilkins' headphones to options from Bose and Sony because Bowers & Wilkins excels successful 2 captious categories: outer creation materials and soul audio constituent materials. You won't find faux leather aliases coated integrative finishes connected nan Px8 S2.

Instead, nan Px8 S2's headband and receptor pads are covered successful nappa leather, nan aluminum yokes athletics an exposed braided cable, and nan earcups athletics aluminum accents. The higher-quality materials not only springiness nan Px8 S2 a much refined and elegant look compared to nan Px7 S3, but they besides heighten nan Px8 S2's wearing experience.

Also: Why I urge these wireless headphones complete pricier flagship models

The Px8 S2 aren't overmuch lighter than their predecessor, but nan yokes and receptor cups are considerably slimmer, borrowing from nan sleek creation of nan Px7 S3. The powerfulness slider is relocated to nan near receptor cup, and nan play/pause and measurement up/down buttons are redesigned to promote enhanced tactile feedback and recognition. 

The Px8 S2's thicker receptor pads connection much passive isolation, and nan much sturdy headband and yokes supply a tighter clamping force. Both headphones person 8 microphones: 1 wrong each receptor cup and 3 connected nan outside. Both headphones' sound cancellation tin execute connected trains, buses, airplanes, successful nan office, aliases astatine nan market store, but nan added passive protection from nan Px8 S2 is noticeable.

Jada Jones/ZDNET

The different glaring quality betwixt nan midrange Px7 S3 and nan flagship Px8 S2 is nan materials of nan diaphragm successful nan speaker drivers. The Px7 S3's 40mm drivers usage biocellulose, and nan Px8 S2's usage carbon. Let's beryllium straightforward: some headphones' drivers usage objectively higher-quality materials, though nan value of sound they nutrient is beholden to your individual tastes.

To my ears, nan Px7 S3 reproduce a much "consumer-friendly" sound profile: a lukewarm tuning pinch an extended, weighty bass response, afloat mids that accentuate vocals and instruments, and a flimsy highest successful nan higher frequencies that adds a radiance to nan treble. Considerably much transparent and detail-oriented than nan mean headphones, not rather arsenic awesome arsenic nan Px8 S2.

Also: I tried Bose QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds' AI sound cancelling, and can't spell backmost to regular ANC

Many group who are very strict astir their audio value automatically constitute disconnected wireless headphones because wireless connections people diminish audio quality. I'll admit it: I bask nan "typical user sound." An exciting, theatrical, somewhat bass-heavy sound is what gets maine going. But my ears can't contradict that nan Px8 S2's output is exceptional.

Bowers & Wilkins Px7 S3 (left) and Px8 S2 (right)

Jada Jones/ZDNET

Using a rigid worldly for illustration c successful nan headphones' diaphragm encourages enhanced clarity and item and reduced distortion crossed each frequencies. Songs that I thought were conscionable decent sounded a heck of a batch better.

Vocals were beforehand and center, and nan bass was articulate and punchy. More insignificant specifications sewage their infinitesimal successful my ears, moreover successful much dense songs for illustration Charli xcx's "Rewind." The Px8 S2 person an separator complete their midrange counterpart successful imaging and soundstage, offering what sounded for illustration much precise positioning successful a wider soundstage.

Also: Why I support 4 pairs of headphones pinch maine astatine each times (and nan unsocial domiciled each 1 plays)

Audio transmission improvements complete nan first-generation Px8 see an integrated amplifier and digital-to-analog converter, Bluetooth 5.3, 24-bit/96kHz playback via wired USB-C connection, and AptX Lossless and Adaptive Bluetooth codecs.

According to Bowers & Wilkins, nan Px8 S2 are primed for Bluetooth LE Audio compatibility, pinch Auracast being nan wireless standard's astir notable feature. The institution besides said nan Px8 S2 will person spatial audio. Both features will beryllium disposable "later this year" via an over-the-air package update.

ZDNET's buying advice

The Bowers & Wilkins Px8 S2 are undeniably high-end, delivering precocious marks successful nan sound, design, comfort, and inferior categories. Their premium build and audio constituent materials group them isolated from different premium headphones connected nan market. Conversely, their mundane usage features, for illustration 30 hours of playback, fantabulous capacity via wireless connection, and awesome noise-canceling performance, springiness them much inferior than wired-only, high-end headphones.

The Px7 S3 are surely midrange compared to nan Px8 S2, though their creation and sound are a measurement supra their likewise priced competitors from Sony and Bose. You should bargain nan Px7 S3 if you want exceptional sound and a sleek creation for a much reasonable price. You should spell pinch nan Px8 S2 if you want higher value materials crossed nan committee -- internally and externally.