Bowers & Wilkins Px8 S2 Review – Acoustic Excellence Meets Luxurious Design

Headphones in the market today come with all manner of features and at all price points. The Bowers & Wilkins Px8 S2 wireless headphones dial everything up to eleven and aims to offer superior design and sound quality along with an equally princely price tag to boot at RM3,299. After extensive time field testing it, here’s our Bowers & Wilkins Px8 S2 review where we share if it is worth what you pay for.

Bowers & Wilkins Px8 S2 review – Build and Design

Out of the box, our Bowers & Wilkins Px8 S2 review unit came with the headphones packed into a flat-pack zippered storage case, the usual paperwork as well as a USB-C to USB-C charging cable as well as a USB-C to 3.5mm audio cable.

In terms of build and design, our Bowers & Wilkins Px8 S2 review sample features an understated, yet classy look about it. Combining aluminium with luxurious Nappa leather, the headphones have a variety of finishes with our test unit coming in what they refer to as Midnight Blue which consists of a deep matte blue approaching black finish with burnished gold accents that look exceptionally premium indeed. 

In keeping with the pedigree of the brand, the headband and earcups are made of rich Nappa leather; the very same material used in the upholstery in Rolls Royce cars. Closer inspection reveals lush padding on the headband itself as well as the earcups for added comfort. 

Rather than finicky touch controls, the headphones opt for a more traditional and proven set of buttons to get about. The right side has buttons to control volume as well as a multifunction button to play, pause and take or cancel calls as well as fast forward or go back to a previous track. The multifunction button does a lot of work here and is a bit on the small side which makes finding it by touch a bit of a chore at first though muscle memory makes it easier over time.

The left earcup comes with a power button, a quick action button to swap between ANC and transparency modes as well as a tiny status LED to show pairing status, remaining battery life and if it’s charging or being paired. You also get a single USB-C port for charging and wired listening via the bundled USB-C to 3.5mm cable.

While it does look and feel exceptionally premium, it unfortunately lacks any official dust or water resistance rating which means that it isn’t ideally suited for Malaysia’s temperamental weather and may not be the best choice for workouts as it may not handle sweat all that well. That quibble aside, the headphones retain a relatively flat profile when stored in its provided storage case and can be comfortably carried in a backpack for long flights or train rides.

Bowers & Wilkins Px8 S2 review – Setup and Performance

In terms of hardware, our Bowers & Wilkins Px8 S2 review unit is lavishly equipped with 40mm dynamic full-range carbon drivers with one in each earcup along with four microphones per earcup along with a dedicated digital-to-analog converter (DAC) and an upgunned digital signal processor (DSP) to offer rich 24-bit/96kHz high resolution audio. On paper, the headphones feature Bluetooth 5.3 with aptX Lossless support and also support aptX Adaptive, aptX HD, aptX Classic, AAC and SBC codecs.

Setup is fast and easy and it paired with a Windows laptop as well as a Samsung Galaxy S 26 Ultra in seconds. Like other headphones, it works straight out of the box though you’ll need to install its companion Bowers & Wilkins app to gain access to its equaliser settings.

The app itself lets you swap between Noise Cancellation or Passthrough modes and also lets you gain access to a number of streaming services like Tidal and Deezer. Ultimately, it grants access to a five-band equaliser that lets you tweak sound to taste along with the option to activate True Sound for a more acoustically faithful listening experience. Oddly, the app is rather basic compared to some competing offerings with a lack of specific settings for genres or a particular emphasis on some musical aspects but it’s a relatively minor issue.

While many headphones typically require some level of equaliser tweaking for best results out of the box, the Px8 S2 sounded divine from the get-go. Instrument separation with subtle nuances in familiar tracks that were hitherto undetected with other designs blended with bold and lively bass as well as detailed mids and highs.

In terms of genres, the headphones are acoustically versatile and it managed to handle everything from classic to EDM with deft aplomb. Angela McClusky’s voice sounded clear and delightful in Télépopmusik’s ‘Breathe’ and Enya’s voice shines amid the intricately layered instruments in ‘Orinoco Flow’.

The challenging classic track ‘The Lark Ascending’ by Vaughan Williams was rendered due justice with each instrument given space while sounding clear and distinct. In Pink Floyd’s ‘Time’, the headphones delivered an excellent soundstage as the various timepieces in the opening track ticked off in sequence.

While it isn’t intended for gaming, it proved to be surprisingly decent for casual use. In Call of Duty Warzone, it was able to offer sufficiently precise directional audio to identify the low hum emitted by storage chests and the direction of incoming gunfire with a gratifyingly beefy roar when you rattle off a full magazine downrange. 

Of note is the exceptional comfort with the headphones offering just enough clamp force to offer a sufficient seal that, together with the plush earcups, provides a measure of passive noise insulation. Even after a good four hours of uninterrupted use, there wasn’t the usual discomfort though Malaysia’s humidity did dampen the finish of the ear cushions.

When it comes to active noise cancellation, our Bowers & Wilkins Px8 S2 review unit was able to effectively squelch the whirring from a desktop ceiling fan and the background chatter in a busy cafe and the engine white noise on a plane though a bit still filters in.

While there are other headsets with more aggressive ANC, the Px8 S2 is able to do so without affecting playback quality and subtle tracks remain. Unfortunately, there’s no way to dial the intensity of the ANC with the app though it’s not a deal breaker by any means.

When it comes to endurance, our Bowers & Wilkins Px8 S2 review unit offers 30 hours of music playback with ANC on. In practical terms, it was able to offer around three or so days of use if you factor in the commute and time in the office. 

It doesn’t have the longest endurance in the market compared to the competition but is enough to last you through a good part of the work week and top-ups are easy in the field via a power bank or a 15-minute quick charge that offers 7 hours of battery life. In lieu of that, you can also opt for a wired connection though the headphones need to stay on to continue listening to music.

Should you buy the Bowers & Wilkins Px8 S2 headphones?

If you want a pair of premium wireless headphones with luxurious build quality, excellent comfort and rich, detailed sound, the Bowers & Wilkins Px8 S2 makes a compelling case for itself. Its detailed, engaging sound signature works well across a broad range of musical genres, while its effective noise cancellation, 30-hour battery life and quick charging make it a capable companion for everyday listening and travel.

However, it doesn’t come cheap at RM3,299. The lack of a dust or water resistance rating, limited ANC customisability and competition from headphones with potentially stronger noise cancellation capabilities mean that the Px8 S2 isn’t necessarily the best choice for everyone.

Ultimately, the Px8 S2 is best suited to listeners who prioritise sound quality, premium materials and long-wearing comfort over an exhaustive feature set. If those are your priorities and the price is within reach, it is an excellent pair of headphones worth considering.

Bowers & Wilkins Px8 S2 review sample courtesy of TC Acoustic Malaysia. For more details please visit https://my.tcacoustic.asia/