Bowers & Wilkins - Pi5 S2 True Wireless Noise Cancelling In-Ear Earbuds - Storm Grey

Bowers & Wilkins' second iteration of their Pi5 S2 Earbuds brings great features and bass-oriented sound to its listeners. The Pi5 S2 Earbuds, while on the larger side compared to other earbuds, are comfortable and fit well. The S2s can last for 5 hours without needing to recharge with noise cancellation on and an additional 19 hours through its charging/holding case. While on the larger side also, the charging case can provide about 2 hours worth of audio time with just 15 minutes of charging! It is also wireless charging compatible so you do not need to plug in a USB C cable into the case to charge. These earbuds have some of the latest features other headphones are starting to incorporate. They offer adjustable noise cancellation, tap features on the earbuds themselves (turn on/off noise cancellation, pause/play music, and more), and smart voice assistant features including Amazon Alexa and Google Home. The noise cancellation feature on the S2s also allows for selective noise passthrough; you can allow little, medium, or no external audio (audio from your surroundings or environment) via a setting on the Music - Bowers & Wilkins mobile app. This was a neat feature and I did notice a difference with each level of noise passthrough. This made it super convenient when needing to speak to someone without removing my earbuds. Now for the audio. The audio sounded amazing and what you would expect from Bowers & Wilkins. I did notice the bass on the heavier side (It reminds me of the sound another company offers that is closely related to the spelling of a group of vegetable (beets)) but not distracting enough to not notice the synths and instruments in the music I listened to. (I can see where people will say the bass can be overpowering, but others, I think, will find they prefer it that way). Aside from the bass, music was rich and I enjoyed listening to classic rock albums such as the Beatles’ Abbey Road and Hip Hop albums. Now for the cons. I found that the Music B&W app doesn't offer an equalizer or way to adjust the audio frequencies. This would help tweak the bass for those that prefer a more balanced listening session. Secondly, I found that the noise canceling was lacking. For the price point, I expected it to do an even better job at muffling my surroundings. Third, I found that when using the S2s for calls, the microphone captured much of my surroundings and made it difficult to use in busy areas. Other headphones I’ve used were able to block out most of the background noise. Lastly, since the S2s are IP54 rated for sweat and water resistance, I decided to test them while exercising. While exercising and running, I noticed I had to readjust them in my ears to not fall out. Overall, the B&W Pi5 S2 earbuds sound great and offer several features, but lack details that could push them above the competition. I still recommend them to those that are looking for incredibly sounding earbuds and have an equalizer embedded in their music player. Additionally, while they do not have an all-muffling noise cancellation, having decent selective noise cancellation is very convenient, especially when around others.

Slick design, stylish look with an extremely comfortable fit for long hrs. of listening. Comes in great colors. The setup was a breeze and took me less than a minute to have it paired to the B&W app and my galaxy fold 4 phone. Touch controls are great and very responsive. Tested it while I was on a two-hour run and felt very comfortable having it for two straight hours. Its IP54 rated meaning, resists dust and water splashes. It has a 9.2mm dynamic driver with defining range, the bass which falls in lows or low midrange is below my expectations (varies with individual love for bass) and expected more given its price. The mids and highs are amazingly good, crisp audio, richer and more lively audio experience for all genres even at high volume. These earbuds definitely stand out on the audio clarity among 20+ ones I reviewed so far when it comes to picking up the mids and highs. Key features • Good battery life. Lasted a little over 4.5 hrs. at normal volume and 19 hrs. of listening time with the case battery. • Uses Bluetooth 5.0 which is the latest standard with increased Bluetooth range - up to 85 ft. The connectivity range is impressive and didn't have any issues with connectivity while walking around a 2 floor home with my phone sitting in a corner room. • ANC (Active Noise Cancellation) is above average when I compare my experience to the high-end earbuds that are in the same price range. I tried Pi5 S2 and two others on a plane ride and felt the Pi5 S2 can do a little better on the noise cancellation feature. I love the transparency or pass through mode - low and high settings, great to hear music while being more attentive to surrounding noise, especially while I am out on a run. • Mic quality is amazing, didn't have any issues hearing others and talking to people while I was at the airport and on the plane. Had a few glitches where the earbuds connectivity was flaky and cut out couple times after few hours of listening. It happened a couple times and I had to disconnect and reconnect the earbuds to fix it. I wasn't sure if it was my phone (galaxy fold 4) or the app or the buds. Looking for an app/software update if this is related to the earbuds. Didn't have any issues with other earbuds though. Also, the earbuds doesn't stay connected on the B&W app all the time, so you have reconnect to the app to change the settings or try out other features. The app needs some improvement and a few more features for audio settings - personalized equalizer settings would be a good addition. Overall, I am impressed by the audio quality, the design and comfort for long hours of listening and would highly recommend it. I was always impressed by B&W's new products and the amazing sound quality they have on their audio devices. As an audiophile, I am always on the lookout for the best, and B&W never failed to impress me with their innovative technology. The app needs a little improvement along with the few fixes on the earbuds for flaky connection at times. It also needs a little improvement on the ANC technology to be on par with earbuds in that price range.

The Bowers & Wilkins Pi5 S2 is a highly well-built IP54-rated and aesthetically pleasing pair of ANC in-ear earbuds. They support fast charging and are stored/charged in a case for wireless charging or USB-C. Sound codecs supported are aptX, SBC, and AAC via Bluetooth 5.0. The sound quality is just above average, with a small sound stage leaving much to be desired in the lows and mid ranges. Noise-canceling performance is just average, and battery life is subpar. The app could be better and takes away from the overall experience. ZERO personalization is offered for this price, not even a simple EQ to adjust—a feature in cheaper alternatives. No simultaneous multi-point connections, so forget about easy switching. You can only use these on one device at a time. Overall, better buds are out there for this price, so now we can get into the details. Design and Build 4/5 The Bowers & Wilkins Pi5 S2 is an elegant-looking earbud set. The earbuds are built tough, and I have no question that these will last, and they are just beautiful. The bulky charging case is designed to be upside-down with USB charging on the bottom. Inside the case, magnets REALLY hold these buds in place. Here lies my first gripe about using these; however, I can appreciate it because other companies have weak magnets. If you drop the case, it doesn't explode like a grenade sending your buds all over the room, but it would help if you had vice-grip fingertips to pull these out! The touch interface works well and registers fine, but that is the extent of it. You are stuck with how B&W designed these, so you can only change the ear tips and nothing more. The ear tips have foam inserts to help with isolation and keep earwax out of the sound chamber, BUT it does reduce the loudness. Much thought went into the physical design, but R & D needed to remember the user experience. Just a colossal oversight on execution and reminds me much of the Devialet Gemini launch. For some reason, hi-fi companies can't grasp UI for mobile phones and often leave excellent hardware to fail at the hands of a bad app. User Experience and Connectivity 2/5 The user experience is terrible on iOS and Android, from the initial pairing to the touch interface to the app interface and experience. The sound connection and levels often seem like the software is "working" on sound. Sometimes the volume is louder in one bud; then, it would work after tapping it to start and stop the feed. I often had to put my buds back in the case to fix sound issues, especially after connecting a second device. There are no issues with latency, and videos sync perfectly. The app is elementary and needs to be better thought out. "Options and features" are buried; for example, to activate pass-through to hear around you, you NEED to use the app! There is no way around it; you need to click three times while in the app just to turn it on. Once you open the app, you get a "widget" to activate only ANC. I use hear-through a lot, so needing this app to toggle it is a deal breaker. I need to turn this on and off with a touch of the bud. Another feature standard on other buds I have and use regularly. These are not going with me on a run or the gym, so it kills usage by making me go for others in my collection at this price range. Nothing useful can be found in the app and it is almost not needed. You can EQ in your music app maybe, but not with the B&W? I hope someone will fix this with updates. The app needs an overhaul and someone to think things through from a user standpoint. You cannot see the battery levels per earbud, and NOTHING shows for the case unless you step up to the Pi7 S2 for $100 more. HUGE MISS HERE with customizations, B&W. You cannot control the volume without your phone, you cannot EQ in-app, and you cannot change what various taps do. Other buds I use have a one-touch volume hold, so the volume increases until you let go, and the other side decreases volume the same way. I HATE the tones it plays when modes change and when it connects. Piercing and loud is the description at 0430am connecting to Bluetooth. I recommend that the tone be lowered an octave to make it more pleasing. Sound Quality and Battery Life 2/5 I expected an AMAZING sound from a prestigious company like Bowers & Wilkins. These buds offer codecs like aptX for higher-quality sound, but the speakers don't do it for me. Battery life is subpar and rated at 5hrs w/ ANC off and even worst with ANC on. I clocked 3.5ish hours with ANC on; then they turned off with yet another tune. The soundstage sounds puny compared to other buds in my collection at this price point, which could be better. There is no EQ to tune the sound to; you are stuck with hollow and weak lows and mids but nice highs. I am disappointed by the sound B&W produced with these in this price range. The sound quality between ANC on and off is night and day, with a white noise present when the buds are not playing anything. Turn on ANC, and the white noise is just higher pitched but lower in volume. The performance of these all the way around leaves a lot to be desired, and I cannot recommend these when the competition in this range is so fierce. I am frustrated by the overall experience put forth by Bowers & Wilkins. A company of this caliber should pay more attention to the details, especially in this digital age of apps and software. No customizations to interface or sound hold this hardware back, with the app being the main reason for this product's troubles and user experience. Connectivity issues were present from setup and trickled over to everyday use. There may be firmware updates to come out and fix some things, but these buds are not ready for primetime under the Bowers & Wilkins brand. I wanted to love these, but they cannot compete with others in their current software state.