Bowers & Wilkins Pi7 S2 Review

Our Bowers & Wilkins Pi7 S2 Experience

The Bowers & Wilkins case is heavy and substantial. It feels like it costs more and should be guarded with your life. Unlike lighter-weight cases, you'll know when it is in your pocket and if you've dropped it. The case is larger than most and is unlikely to fit in smaller pockets or spaces with limited real estate.

The Bowers and Wilkins struggle with connectivity, but it isn't the worst. Our research puts the Pi7 on the lower side of the average. The Bowers and Wilkins were one of the few pairs we had trouble with connectivity.

These earbuds do not have any sort of stabilization wing or arm. While they did remain stable throughout most activities, longer hair or helmet straps may get tangled in them.

With only three hours of battery life, it was annoying to try to use them all day. They just don't last long enough to make it through even a partial day. Depending on how long we listened, the volume, and if we used active noise cancellation, they left us high and dry even sooner. A long plane flight was a nightmare.

Our Analysis and Test Results

Sound Quality

We tested the Bowers & Wilkins Pi7 S2 using our GearLab playlist. Despite the limited volume range and non-adjustable bass-heavy EQ, we still enjoyed listening to them, albeit at higher-than-normal volumes. However, at this price, we expect much more. These earbuds struggle to compete with others in our lineup that cost half as much.

While the overall blend of frequencies is pleasant, with a rich, bass-heavy sound that adds depth, the treble feels underemphasized. The gain needs to be cranked up significantly higher than the previous generation to achieve a similar volume, and the maximum gain appears to be capped at a lower level.

Thanks to the Pi7 S2's bass emphasis, genres like EDM, hip-hop, and contemporary pop sound powerful and immersive. However, the heavy bass can occasionally overwhelm the mix. We experienced this particularly at lower volumes, when the strings, electric organs, and cymbals lack the clarity and sharpness they have at higher levels.

These earbuds shine above medium levels, delivering an engaging experience with crisp highs and rich bass. While they aren't perfect, they still perform remarkably well when turned up.

The rich basslines add weight and heft to tracks like “The GLADE” by Sean Leon (featuring Daniel Caesar), “2 million” by Felix Ames, and “Bruise” by Between Friends. However, this bass emphasis can sometimes become muddy or overpower the higher ranges. In contrast, the mid frequencies are nuanced, layered, and bright, with enough clarity to distinguish between various sonic textures. They work well with dreamy or emotional tracks, such as “While We're Young” by Jhene Aiko or “Ex-Factor” by Lauryn Hill.

We compare the frequency response of the Bowers & Wilkins to our frequency response to establish a baseline for how these earbuds perform.

The Pi7 S2s align well with our GearLab House Curve across the board, deviating slightly in the treble bands. Our experts affirmed this, noting that they sound particularly immersive and have a wide soundstage, with a smooth and warm sound signature. However, the bass is a bit heavy, and the treble lacks presence at lower gain.

Soundstage

These earbuds are capable of creating an expansive soundstage that draws you into a vast sonic world. A standout example is “Helpless” from Hamilton, where the dueling parts of the Schuyler sisters, Alexander Hamilton's solo at 2:44, and the backing ensemble are all distinct and vibrant. Excellent clarity allows you to appreciate every voice, making you feel as though you're on stage with the cast. “Raspberry Beret” by Prince & the Revolution demonstrates their encompassing soundstage, maintaining impressive clarity between dueling vocals.

Comfort and Fit

These earbuds fit well in a variety of ear shapes; however, they tend to stick out a bit farther.

Overall, the fit is pretty solid for earbuds without dedicated stabilizers.

Noise Cancellation

The Bowers & Wilkins Pi7 S2 features a tight passive seal that helps with passive isolation, blocking out ambient sounds without the need for technology. They also have active noise cancelling (ANC), and we test both to see the difference.

The Pi7 struggled in our passive seal test and showed only minimal improvement with ANC turned on. These buds achieved some of the worst ANC in the competition. The Pi7 doesn't offer much more than what a passive seal alone provides.

As one of the most expensive wireless noise-cancelling earbuds on the market, this performance is extremely disappointing. If Bowers & Wilkins had skipped ANC and dropped the price, these earbuds would be more desirable.

App Features

The app for the Pi7 S2 leaves much to be desired, especially given the higher price. They are compatible with Apple and Android apps, but offer no ear fit test, adjustable EQ, or location feature.

Battery Life

The Bowers & Wilkins Pi7 S2 had one of the shortest battery lives in the test group. The Pi7 S2's life was significantly worse than the manufacturer claims, coming in at 3 hours, despite a claimed 5 hours.

The case provides another three charges. The Pi7 S2's one saving grace is that a 15-minute quick charge can net you 2 hours of playback time.

Call Quality

Under the heaviest stress test, these perform well compared to the competition, eliminating more of the louder background noises than others and maintaining clear voice transfer.

When used in an office with a lot of background noise, voices remain clear, and the earbuds reduce the amount of background noise transferred into the microphone.