summary
Advantages
– great sound quality
– Comfortable to wear even for long periods of listening
– Plenty of battery capacity in the case
disadvantage
– Mediocre call quality
– ANC performance far below the competition
– LDAC
overall rating
Noise canceling performance is disappointing, but great for Android users with streaming services that support hi-res music.
Updated flagship wireless in-ear headphones from Bowers & Wilkins (B&W) Pi7 S2has been released. Although the design has not been completely overhauled, such as using the same drivers as the model released in 2021, many other areas have been improved, especially battery life and Bluetooth range. Above all, providing a fantastic listening experience is of great significance to users who prioritize the quality of audio reproduction of earbuds. But when you consider the Active Noise Cancellation (ANC) feature, EQ options, and price, the decision becomes difficult.
B&W speakers have been highly regarded, setting the standard for British hi-fi audio sound for nearly 60 years. B&W entered the powered speaker market in 2006 with the release of the iPod-compatible Zeppeline speaker (the Zeppelin has since been updated to support Bluetooth and AirPlay). And in 2013, it introduced wireless headphones, and in 2021, it introduced the first-generation in-ear monitor. The Pi7 S2 is the latest product.
Components and Basic Functions
The second-generation earbuds are available in satin black, canvas white, and striking midnight blue colours. The Midnight Blue version is full of personality as the silicone tip, earbud body, and touch surface are unified in a gorgeous blue color. Both the black and white versions have a silver touch surface. Once you put the earbuds in your ears, the color of the product is invisible. Others have to come very close to find out. The case of the blue version is the same color, and the lid is metallic gold. The white and black versions feature silver lids in white and black cases, respectively.
The silicone ear tips are available in three sizes. The playback time is 5 hours, an hour longer than the previous one. A 15-minute charge provides up to 2 hours of playback, and a fully charged case provides up to 16 hours of playback. The case supports both wired and wireless charging via the included USB-C-to-C cable.
According to B&W, the connection range of the Pi7 S2 is 25m. Outdoor test results achieved this range. However, in a home or office with thick walls, the range of the Bluetooth signal will be greatly reduced. The Pi7 S2 also had an in-room test where the sound cut off following crossing a few rooms.
Each earbud has a 9.2mm driver and a balanced armature driver driven by separate amplifiers. Bluetooth 5.0, which is in charge of connection, has aptX Adaptive technology applied and also supports aptX HD and aptX Classic. Apple’s preferred AAC codec and plain SBC codec are also supported.
Since each earbud has three microphones that power the noise-canceling system, I expected a superior phone call experience. Contrary to expectations, however, the call experience wasn’t great. During the test, the other party expressed dissatisfaction with the sound, and when they switched to the AirPods 2, they consistently responded that the sound quality improved.
The ANC function also fell short of expectations. It works well and works well in slightly noisy environments, but it can’t compare to the powerful ANC feature offered by the Apple AirPods Pro 2, Sony WF-1000XM4, and Boss Quiet Comfort Earbuds II.
Software and other features
All of B&W’s products are controlled by dedicated music apps for iOS and Android. In the case of the Pi7 S2, you can check the battery level of the earbuds and case in the app. You can also adjust the level of noise cancellation to the amount of noise in your surroundings by selecting the built-in ANC settings or automatic settings. If you enable auto setting, you can adjust the Pi7 S2’s transparency through the passthrough settings. Transparency refers to the volume of ambient sound that blends with the music playing in the earbuds.
The dedicated music app remembers all connected devices. It’s okay to connect to different operating systems, and you can set the Pi7 S2 earbuds to automatically connect to the most recently used device when you take them out of the case. Streaming quality can also be adjusted by distinguishing between when listening via Wi-Fi and when using mobile data, which is relatively low in data capacity (the higher the streaming quality, the more data is consumed).
There’s no way to control the EQ settings in the dedicated music app, but the sound design is so good that I didn’t really want to adjust it in my case. Same goes for ANC settings. I’ve tried changing the default settings, but haven’t noticed much of an improvement.
The Pi7 S2 has features I haven’t seen in other headphones. This is a feature first introduced in the first-generation Pi7. The included USB-C-to-3.5mm analog audio cable lets you stream any sound source to the case and back to your headphones. The most common use is to listen to in-flight entertainment without wired headphones plugged into the seat armrest on an airplane.
However, B&W’s ANC technology implemented in the Pi7 S2 is mediocre, so it does not take advantage of the charm of this feature. It’s good to use in a slightly noisy office environment, but it’s a bunch to filter out the engine noise of an aircraft in flight.
hearing
If sound quality is more important than ANC performance, the Pi7 S2 is an excellent choice. After you put them in your ears, you’ll have to turn your head back wide to make sure they fit, but once they’re in place, the listening experience is magical.
Listening to the remastered version of New Order’s 1985 album ‘Low-Life’ at Qobuz was noteworthy. On ‘Perfect Kiss’, there is a section where the synth drums and cowbell sounds fade away, which I hadn’t heard on the earlier LP or CD versions of this album. The bass was even lower at the end, and it was choking on the soundstage, where you might hear frogs near the end of the song.
This is the feeling of listening to the iPhone 13 Pro Max. Only the AAC Bluetooth codec is available on the iPhone 13 Pro Max. After switching to an Android device, specifically OnePlus 10T, and listening to the aptX adaptive codec, the sense of immersion went up even more. If sound quality on an iOS device is described as ‘great’, on Android it’s a 10 plus.
When I listened to ‘Hell Is Round the Corner’ from Tricky’s 1995 album ‘Maxinquaye’ through a lossless Apple Music stream, I heard scratchy noise from the sampled LP. It was a sound I mightn’t hear with the AirPods Pro. I was equally impressed when I listened to rock, pop, jazz and classical music. Listeners looking for exaggerated bass might prefer the sound tuned for the older Beats genre, but most listeners will be happy with the Pi7 S2 earbuds.
For users of low-resolution music streaming services like Spotify, there are hundreds of sub-$100 earbud options that deliver decent sound quality even if the quality of the stream drops. B&W’s target audience is listeners who enjoy music at least in CD quality. To take full advantage of the technology built into the Pi7 S2, you need a high-resolution sound source.
The Pi7 S2 can’t match the versatility of the AirPods Pro. The ANC feature of the AirPods is much better, and the easy pairing between Apple devices is a plus. However, when it comes to sound quality, the Pi7 S2 is far superior to the AirPods. If sound quality is your primary concern, the Pi7 S2 is well worth the hefty price of $399.
Should I buy the Pi7 S2?
As an Android user, if you have a smartphone that supports aptX HD or aptX Adaptive codecs, listen to high-resolution music, or subscribe to high-definition music streaming services like Amazon Music HD, Qovuz, or Tidal, the Pi7 S2 are fantastic listening ears. it’s a bird It has attractive color options that differentiate it from AirPods, and it provides sound quality comparable to Apple.
editor@itworld.co.kr
