Headphones — B&W (Bowers & Wilkins) Pi7 S2

The Pi7 S2 is a true wireless noise-cancelling earbud from Bowers & Wilkins that went on sale in January 2023 as the second version of the Pi7, launched alongside the Pi5 S2. Its list price was GBP 349, EUR 399 and USD 399. The update brought improved wireless connectivity, a revised antenna design and longer battery life, and three colours are offered - Satin Black, Canvas White and Midnight Blue. When the Pi6 and Pi8 arrived in August 2024, the company called the Pi7 S2 outgoing and carried its noise-rejection platform over to the Pi6.

Key specs that matter

Every earpiece pairs a bespoke 9.2 mm dynamic driver with a high-frequency balanced armature in a two-way layout, and each one of the four drive units has its own amplifier. Bluetooth 5.0 carries aptX Adaptive with 24-bit and 48 kHz transmission, as well as aptX HD, aptX Classic, AAC and SBC, and range reaches up to 25 m. Playback lasts up to 5 hours with noise cancellation off, and the case supplies another 16 hours from its rechargeable lithium-ion cells. Fifteen minutes of charging provides 2 hours of listening. The case charges wirelessly or over USB-C. Each earbud weighs 7 g and the case 47 g, and the earbuds carry an IP54 rating.

Engineering and use context

A high-performance DSP manages the crossover between the dynamic and balanced armature drivers in each bud, which is why separate amplification is used for every unit. Three microphones per side serve calls and the adaptive noise cancellation. The charging case has a retransmission function - connected by its 3.5 mm cable to a wired source such as an in-flight entertainment system, it sends that audio wirelessly to the earbuds. Like the Px7 S2 and Px8 over-ear models, it is set up through the Bowers & Wilkins Music app, which handles noise cancellation settings and updates and also streams high-resolution files from Qobuz, TIDAL and Deezer directly to the buds. Supplied accessories are a 3.5 mm audio lead, a USB-C charging cable and three sizes of ear tip, and the IP54 rating applies to the earbuds only, not the case.

Pairing

Phones supporting aptX Adaptive make use of the 24-bit link, and Apple devices fall back to AAC. For sources with only a headphone jack, such as older laptops or seat-back screens, the retransmitting case removes the need for a separate Bluetooth adapter.

Alternatives

The Bowers & Wilkins Pi5 S2 was launched at the same time at GBP 249 as the simpler model with longer battery life.