There’s a fine line between luxurious and ludicrous. When you’re talking about a pair of $799 headphones, that line begins to blur. Bowers & Wilkins has been on an excellent run of form over the past few years, consistently offering some of the best sound quality you’ll find on any headphones. It doesn’t load its models down with features — sometimes it could use a few more — but there’s always a great blend of design, audio performance and capable active noise cancellation (ANC) that make for well-rounded products.
And then there’s the Px8 S2. At $799, it’s $100 more expensive than its predecessor (the Px8) was at launch, which puts them even further out of reach for most. Bowers & Wilkins did change up its familiar design slightly, and there’s a big improvement to audio performance, the addition of high-res music over USB-C and improved call quality. There’s no doubt the Px8 S2 is beyond premium, but did the company go too far?
Bowers & Wilkins/Engadget 81 100 Expert Score Bowers & Wilkins Px8 S2 Luxurious sound comes at a very high price on the Px8 S2, which has a number of notable upgrades over the last-gen Px8. Pros Excellent sound
Luxurious design
High-res audio support Cons Very expensive
Bass overpowers some genres
Limited features
Awkward button sizes and locations $799 at Amazon Explore More Buying Options $799 at Best Buy
What’s new on the Px8 S2?
After several generations of the Px7 and Px8 that had pretty much the same design, Bowers & Wilkins changed things up a bit with the Px8 S2. There isn't a comprehensive redesign here, but the slimmer ear cup silhouette and the exposed cabling on the headband yokes are notable improvements to the overall look. Once again, the company opted for a mix of soft leather and die-cast aluminum, both of which give the Px8 S2 a decidedly high-end aesthetic.
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