If you're looking for evidence that the Trump administration tariffs are impacting consumer electronics prices, look no further than Bowers & Wilkins' new flagship PX8 S2 noise-canceling headphones. The original version carried a list price of $699 when they launched, but this 2nd-gen model comes out of the gate at $799. Is that too much to pay? For most folks, yes, but the PX8 S2 are easily among my favorite over-ear headphones. Not only do they sound even better than the original PX8 but both the headphones and carrying case have been slimmed down and the noise-canceling and voice-calling performance has been upgraded, making them a top premium wireless headphone pick for those with deep enough pockets to afford them.
Read more: Best noise-canceling headphones of 2025
A few months back, Bowers & Wilkins, now owned by Samsung, released the PX7 S3 ($479), a new version of the step-down to the PX8. This PX8 S2 follows a similar upgrade script to PX7 S3, which was also trimmed down and received some performance enhancements while becoming a little more comfortable to wear.
Updated drivers and a new, exposed cable
In fact, the the two models look very similar and have almost identical specs and features, but the PX8 S2 has superior drivers and some swankier design elements, including a Napa leather finish and new, exposed cable that peeks out from the aluminum arm mechanism.
You'll find no creaky plastic or hinges on these headphones, and while they seem sturdily built, Bowers & Wilkins says that both ear cushions and headband are replaceable, so you can extend the life of the headphones, However, a "trained service engineer" does have to install the new ear cushions and headband (I kind of wish the ear cushions adhered magnetically and were easily replaceable like those of Apple's AirPods Max).
The headphones fold flat but don't fold up. David Carnoy/CNET
Bowers & Wilkins says the PX8 S2 are the best-sounding headphones it's ever created. The previous model had 40mm Carbon Cone drive units (the PX7 S3 has 40mm bio-cellulose drivers), but Bowers & Wilkins says the PX8 S2's drive units feature "a comprehensively redesigned and improved chassis, voice coil, suspension and magnet, and are carefully angled to the listener's ears to ensure a consistent distance from every point across the surface of each driver to each ear, ensuring better imaging and stereo spaciousness." They're also powered by a dedicated, discrete headphone amplifier that brings more the "scale and energy" to the sound.
I like what Bowers & Wilkins did with the PX7 S3 to level it up, but even with its design and performance improvements, its sound just doesn't have quite the wow factor that the PX8's sound does (whether that sound quality gain is worth an extra $320 is debatable, of course).
With the PX8 you get an extra bit of depth and richness to the sound along with a tad more clarity and detail. They're just really clean, well-balanced headphones that have a pretty expansive soundstage for closed-back headphones. The bass is controlled and well-defined yet packs plenty of punch. And the mids, where voices live, seem natural and intimate, neither too forward nor recessed. This is one of those headphones that makes you want to go back and listen to all your favorite tracks in your music library because you feel like you're hearing them in a whole new way.
The headphones don't have a 3.5mm headphone port, but they come with a USB-C to 3.5mm cable that allows you to plug them into a headphone port, whether it's on a computer or inflight entertainment system. They also support USB-C audio for high-resolution digital wired listening. The two included cables stow nicely in a compartment in the headphone's carrying case that has a door that magnetically clasps shut.
In their carry case, which has also trimmed down and is more compact. David Carnoy/CNET
I tested their noise-canceling on a plane
I used them on a plane ride from New York to San Francisco, wearing them for almost five hours straight to listen to music and watch movies (the battery life is rated for up to 30 hours at moderate volume levels and a 15-minute charge gets you 7 hours of playback). I had the headphones paired to both an iPhone 16 Pro and a Samsung Galaxy Tab S11 (they support Bluetooth multipoint to pair with two devices simultaneously).
While their noise canceling isn't quite up to the level of what you get with with Sony's WH-1000XM6 and Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones, which will have their own 2nd-gen version releasing shortly, it's definitely improved and is now quite respectable, as is their pass-through mode, which Apple refers to as "transparency" and allows you to hear the outside world. The noise-canceling has come a long way from Bowers & Wilkins' earlier ANC.
The ear cups and headband are replaceable but you can't replace them yourself. David Carnoy/CNET
The voice-calling performance has also improved, as it did with the PX7 S3. Like that model, the PX8 S2 has 8 microphones (4 in each ear cup) compared to 6 microphones in the original. All 8 microphones are used for telephony. I still have to do some additional testing in this department but with the handful of calls I made, callers said my voice sounded pretty clear and most of the background noise was filtered out.
I did some sound comparisons to Sony's WH-1000XM6 headphones and the PX7 S3, but haven't compared them yet to a few higher-end models that I should. The PX8 S2 offer more refined sound than the XM6s and also a more premium design, but the XM6s also sound excellent, have great noise-canceling and voice-calling performance and are just as comfortable, if not slightly more so (they are lighter). They also cost around $350 less.
While the PX8 isn't packed with features, Bowers & Wilkins says it will roll out a series of firmware updates later this year, the first of which will include support for spatial audio listening. Bluetooth LE Audio with Auracast broadcast functionality will be added later.
I'lll post my full review in the coming days, but suffice to say, my initial impressions are quite positive aside from the high price tag.
PX8 S2 key features
Weight: 310 grams (10.9 ounces)
Slimmer design than predecessor with slightly more comfortable fit
Redesigned 40mm dynamic full-range carbon drivers
High-performance DSP with dedicated amplifier/DAC
True 24-bit audio connection
Improved noise-canceling
Qualcomm QCC3084 chipset
8 mics total -- 4 mics per ear cup
5-band customizable EQ + TrueSound mode
Bluetooth 5.3 with Qualcomm aptX Lossless technology (AAC and SBC codecs are also supported)
Multipoint connectivity
USB-C audio
Up to 30 hours playback
15-minute charge for 7 hours playback
Color options: Onyx black and warm stone
Price: $799
Bowers & Wilkins headphones comparison chart
Enlarge Image Click to enlarge. Screenshot by David Carnoy/CNET
Bowers & Wilkins is proud to introduce the new flagship statement in wireless headphones: the Px8 S2. Elevating the brand's iconic design DNA to new heights in the premium headphone category,
the Px8 S2 delivers the ultimate representation of Bowers & Wilkins' revered performance, comfort and style.
Px8 S2's thoughtfully evolved design and profile has been engineered for comfortable, extended listening, with a notably slimmer form than the outgoing Px8 – even the new carry case is more compact and easier to fit into your bag. As you would expect for a flagship Bowers & Wilkins product, the new Px8 S2 has been trimmed and finished to the highest possible standards. Luxurious Nappa leather covers every primary surface, while the aluminum arm mechanism with its new, exposed cable detailing, produces the perfect combination of light weight, optimized mechanical stiffness and exquisite design.
Px8 S2 is available in two refined Nappa leather finishes: Onyx Black and Warm Stone, each with
color-coordinated leather and aluminum detailing. To ensure long-term pride of ownership, Bowers & Wilkins has engineered the new design so that both ear cushions and headband are replaceable by trained
service engineers.
The new reference standard in wireless headphone listening
Px8 S2 is the best sounding headphone the brand has ever created. Building on the critically acclaimed, multi-award-winning pedigree of Px7 S3, the new flagship model takes wireless headphone performance to all-new heights of resolution and insight. Its 40mm Carbon Cone drive units deliver a transformational listening experience by combining exceptionally low coloration and distortion with light weight, ensuring stunning detail and clarity plus effortless, powerful dynamics, whatever you're listening to.
These drive units feature a comprehensively redesigned and improved chassis, voice coil, suspension and magnet, and are carefully angled to the listener's ears to ensure a consistent distance from every point across the surface of each driver to each ear, ensuring better imaging and stereo spaciousness. They are powered by a dedicated, discrete headphone amplifier providing notably more scale and energy to the sound.
Building on that high-quality acoustic platform, Px8 S2 includes both aptXTM Adaptive 24/96 wireless technology and the latest Qualcomm innovation, aptX Lossless. Both technologies can automatically optimize wireless music transmission from compatible phones, tablets and computers, ensuring the best possible sound quality with high-resolution music streaming services such as Amazon Music, Qobuz and TIDAL, which are available to stream directly from the Music app.
Supported by powerful Bowers & Wilkins-developed DSP (Digital Signal Processing), the result is outstanding 24-bit / 96 kHz high-resolution sound quality. 3.5mm analogue audio connections are also supported, as is high-resolution-capable USB-C – a great benefit for both computer users and owners of compatible mobile devices, including the latest generation of iPhone. Both cable types are included in the carry case that accompanies the headphones.
Block out the world
Bowers & Wilkins engineers are confident that the new active noise cancelling technologies developed for the Px7 S3 and Px8 S2 are the most powerful and effective the brand has ever developed. As is always the case, the chosen approach carefully balances effective cancellation of unwanted noise while doing no harm to the musicality of the performance – and in this new generation of headphones, the results are simply exceptional.
As with Px7 S3, the new Px8 S2 features eight high-performance microphones, carefully located around the periphery of each earcup and working together to deliver the best results. Two of them measure the output of each drive unit, four – positioned at opposite ends of each earcup for the best possible coverage – monitor ambient noise from the outside world, and two more provide outstanding voice clarity. Careful positioning and angling of those microphones enhances performance even in the noisiest environments. When making calls, unwanted noise is effectively suppressed by the latest generation of voice processing technology, ADI Pure Voice. All eight microphones work in conjunction with the noise cancelling and voice-processing technologies to ensure outstanding call clarity wherever you are.
Enhanced features
Offering 30 hours of battery life with full noise cancellation on, Px8 S2 can play all day long – and more – on just a single charge, while a 15-minute quick recharge is sufficient to provide up to seven hours of additional listening time.
As with all other current generations of Bowers & Wilkins headphones and earbuds, the Px8 S2 can be configured and controlled using the brand's Music app. You can activate or disengage the noise-cancelling transparency mode to let in more or less of the outside world, monitor the headphone's charge levels, select the wear sensor sensitivity and define your preferred operation for the physical 'Quick Action' button on the headphones. Listeners can now opt to fine-tune the sound through an adjustable five-band EQ, complete with the option to store their preferred settings as easily accessible presets. If preferred, the EQ option can be bypassed by selecting the True Sound mode, which represents the preferred audio tuning selected by the acoustic team at the Southwater Research Establishment (SRE).
As with Px7 S3, physical controls on each earcup are also included, ensuring full control even without the Music app. The revised button layout, which reshapes the volume up, volume down and play/pause buttons to improve their tactile interaction and relocates the power button to the left-hand earcup, is more intuitive to
use than ever. The Quick Action button allows users to either quickly cycle through the Px8 S2's noise-cancelling options – Off, Pass-Through and On – or seamlessly launch their phone's Voice Assistant at the touch of a button.
Px8 S2 is future-proof, too. Bowers & Wilkins will roll out a series of over-the-air updates later this year, the first of which will include support for spatial audio listening. Bluetooth® LE Audio, complete with AuracastTM broadcast functionality, will be added later.
Commenting on the launch, Giles Pocock, VP of Brand Marketing, said: "We are incredibly proud to launch the Px8 S2, the best headphone we have ever created. When we introduced the Px8 in 2022, it redefined what was possible in wireless headphone performance. The Px8 S2 sets the benchmark once again, recalibrating expectations for sound quality, design, and craftsmanship. It's the ultimate expression of our mission: to bring listeners even closer to the artist's performance – and of course, the beautiful design and finish only adds to that real pride of ownership."
The all-new Px8 S2 is available from 24th September from bowerswilkins.com and select third-party retailers for $799.