- Px8 S2 is ‘the most effective headphone Bowers & Wilkins has ever made’
- aptX Lossless and Adaptive; 8 mics (reasonably than 6 in Px8)
- Accessible immediately, 24 September, priced $799 / £629 (round AU$1,289)
Effectively now. When a agency like Bowers & Wilkins inform us that its simply created a set of over-ear headphones that set “a brand new benchmark for efficiency and design within the wi-fi over-ear class” it is value taking discover. Why? Oh, as a result of each the Bowers & Wilkins Px8 and newer (even higher) Bowers & Wilkins Px7 S3 upon which these are constructed are such stunningly good headphones.
So how has B&W outdone itself with the Px8 S2 – or to place it one other approach, what’s their chief bid for entry into our greatest headphones shopping for information? Typically, it is a case of minor tweaks and incremental features with these items, however there are just a few nuggets of knowledge on B&W’s spec sheet this time round that make the upgrades between iterations apparent.
Firstly, there is a new Bluetooth chipset within the Px8 S2 constructed on Bluetooth 5.3 reasonably than 5.2, to supply “true 24-bit/96kHz audio connection” over USB plus aptX Lossless and Adaptive at 24/96 (reasonably than aptX HD within the older set).
There’s additionally an eight-mic array the place all mics are used for telephony and 6 are used for energetic noise cancellation (six of the mics are exterior; two monitor inner audio) which is kind of the improve from the six-mic array within the Px8, the place 4 of the mics took care of ANC and solely two helped with call-handling.
Bowers & Wilkins Px8 S2: what it’s good to know
Elsewhere, there is a new voice name high quality algorithm, and though the identical 40mm dynamic cone driver reappears in every ear cup, B&W has upgraded the chassis and motor powering it to assist eke extra nuance and precision out of your music.
Battery life continues to be a claimed 30 hours (which isn’t any enchancment on the older mannequin and should show a slight sticking level given the 100-hour battery of the sonically-splendid Cambridge Melomania P100) however you now get a five-band EQ tab for tweaking the sound signature to your liking, which is a strong step up from the 2 band bass/treble tweaks out there within the older Px8.
Luxurious Nappa leather-based covers just about the entire stylish construct, however the aluminum arm mechanism has a brand new uncovered cable element. Do these metallic accents make them heavier? Truly no, the headphones are a tiny bit smaller and lighter than the unique Px8, however B&W has undoubtedly slimmed down the case to make them simpler to suit into your bag.
However what B&W actually needs you to know is that these headphones function a high-performance audio processing setup with devoted DSP and amplifier/DAC (learn: not the digital-to-analog-converter constructed into the chipset – B&W does not belief something apart from its personal answer to do the job there), as a result of in case you take nothing else away from this missive, know that I’ve met with the makers, and Bowers & Wilkins actually needs to make the best-sounding pair of headphones on this planet.
Has the UK agency achieved its purpose? We’re engaged on a full evaluate – I’ve a pair (see the connected pictures) and we’ll get that verdict to you as quickly as we are able to. For now, know that the Bowers & Wilkins Px8 S2 launch immediately (September 24) in your alternative of ‘Onyx Black’ or ‘Heat Stone’, priced $799 / £629 (round AU$1,289).
