STEREO GUIDE Verdict
The Bowers & Wilkins Pi7 S2 is a True Wireless in-ear with Bluetooth transmitter that sounds audiophile and uses a user friendly app.
Pros
- fine-beaded, smooth treble resolution
- deep, rich, but crisp basses
- perfectly wide, believable spatiality
- streaming, versatile case
Cons
- Mids a bit colorless, not very dynamic
- could play a little more direct and closer
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Sound: Tonal balance / transparency9.1
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Sound: Bass / Dynamics9
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Ease-of-use / Connectivity9.8
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Price/Performance8.8
Bowers & Wilkins is known primarily as a manufacturer of noble passive speakers, but also rather conservative in its model policy. However, with the in-ear earphones Pi5 and Pi7, the British managed the balancing act between a modern True Wireless gadget with Bluetooth transmission and an audiophile noble product almost effortlessly. Now both models have an S2, i.e. a successor product, on the shelves. The Bowers & Wilkins Pi7 S2 is the brand’s top in-ear and is priced quite a bit higher than its little brother.
What can the successors do better than the first generation? In the technical data sheet, the evolutions are kept within limits. Midnight Blue is a new color, and black and white are more clearly matte and warmer, respectively. Battery life and stability of the Bluetooth connection are said to have been improved. But also very important for a Bowers & Wilkins: The sound tuning should have taken a step forward.
That might be worth the 400 Euros per set for the top model, which is still at the top edge of the emerging segment. In return, however, the two buttons promise not only high-quality sound, effective noise-canceling and fully active 2-way amplification per earpiece, but also a combined streaming and charging case.
Streaming case as a special feature
That’s because the rounded carrying case that holds the pair of Bowers In Ears for intermediate charging is also a streaming transmitter. The USB-C port can accept both digital and analog signals with the appropriate cable and send them on wirelessly to the listeners. This solves the problem of non-existent Bluetooth connectivity for many use cases, such as on airplanes, game consoles or analog hi-fi systems. This even works with another pair of Bluetooth earphones, as long as they are from the manufacturer Bowers & Wilkins.
This connection method can also be useful for listening to music from a laptop, tablet or smartphone, for example if the device does not support Bluetooth 5.0 or the highest-quality codecs. Because the manufacturer promises true 24-bit and 48 kHz wireless transmission with the built-in aptX-HD technology. For longer transmitting distances, aptX Adaptive really makes sense, and iPhone users without a built-in Qualcomm chip will be happy about AAC.
Of course, the case is also used to charge the handsets, which require power after five hours of Bluetooth use (predecessor: four hours). This can also be the case sooner when noise cancelling is required, but the quick charging function – after 15 minutes in the case, enough juice for two hours of operation is filled into the capsules – should help over this small disadvantage in reality. The case itself can be powered via USB-C or wirelessly, and it has enough energy for three more full charges of the capsule battery. The manufacturer promises a total of about 21 hours of operation with deactivated noise cancelling.
Practice and scope of functions
Feedback on the current status and functions is sent to the user by a multicolor LED in the charging case. It gets different meanings depending on the opening state of the flap and the position of the earphones. This took some getting used to in the test mode of the Bluetooth in-ear headphones, but was smooth and functional in practice after a short familiarization.
The most important basic functions can be controlled quite comfortably via the touch surfaces of the left and right earpiece. Especially the activation of the voice assistant and the switching of the noise-cancelling mode, which is important in practice, is solved in an exemplary way. The latter cannot be activated fast enough in true wireless models, for example, when an announcement is pending on a train or plane. In return, the Pi7 S2 has a transparency mode that makes speech frequencies audible without annoying the user with too loud or clattering ambient sound.
Additional features and customizations can be made via the dedicated Bowers & Wilkins Music App for iOS or Android. It is clear and logical, and the range of functions is not as overloaded as other competitors. However, useful functions like an equalizer are missing.
Active technology in the True Wireless earpiece
Multi-way technology, in which differently built drivers handle different frequency ranges, is no longer a rarity today. The Bowers&Wilkins Pi7 S2 also relies on two drivers, an astonishingly large, dynamic 9.2 mm driver for bass and midrange, and a small and correspondingly fast-responding Balanced Armature (BA) driver for treble.
What is unusual, however, is that the control is fully active with two separate power amplifiers per receiver and an upstream digital crossover. Thus, the manufacturer solves the problem of frequency transition with greater effort, but more than elegantly. However, this is at the expense of power consumption. In addition, there is an armada of six microphones per pair, connected as an array for both adaptive external noise cancellation and directionality for telephony operation. Active Noise Cancelling (ANC) is not manually tuneable, but is supposed to automatically react to different external noise levels in Adative mode and adjust accordingly.
From hassle-free to connectivity hiccups
The edges and curves of the Pi7 S2 look a bit design-driven when you take it out of the case for the first time. However, this does not stand in the way of good ergonomics. On the contrary, with the rubber adapters limited to three in the size gradation, but exemplary assembled, the Pi7 S2 can be very easily and securely placed in the ear canal with a slight twist. However, it is recommended to try them out, because the large adapters are really very large and the size jump to the medium adapters is enormous.
Despite their height, they sit extremely comfortably in the ear. The sound channels have to be inserted quite deeply into the ear canal, but they remain there securely and without pressure, since the housing clamps into the auricle from the inside. This sounds unbqeuemer than it is, only with small ear cups trial and error is called for here. Resting the head on a seat or pillow is not comfortable, since the housings protrude quite far from the ear.
The connection with the Bowers & Wilkins Music App was completely unproblematic. The app recognized the Earbuds without any problems and also accepted the connection command after a few attempts. However, the combination could only be persuaded to connect to an Android or iOS phone after several attempts. With the case as a transmitter via USB-C, it worked flawlessly. The small wireless hub announced itself as “Bowers & Wilkins ProCase” in the sound output of all tested computers and tablets.
Active noise-canceling with background noise
The adaptive noise-cancelling ensures amazing effects in both directions even before the first music bar is played. It may not be the most intense on the market, but provides a uniform and natural attenuation of external sound. The listener gets the feeling of sitting in a pleasantly quiet, yet not dead muffled room on a plane or train, which provides a feeling of relaxation that is unparalleled in the segment of in-ears with noise cancelling.
However – this is only true on a train, plane or in a heavy road noise environment. In the home or quiet rooms, the background noise is clearly too high. This applies to both NC “On” and NC “Auto”. Therefore, it would not be ideal to use the PI7S2 as a wellness sound barrier or for pianissimo rich classical music at home with ANC. In addition, the use of Active Noise Cancellation leads to another sonic side effect that is clearly noticeable with virtually any music and volume: Activating ANC brings a significant bass boost. You can definitely welcome them as a hip-hop fan. However, this side effect is not conducive to tonal balance and transparency.
Spacious and deep bass – that’s the sound of the Bowers & Wilkins Pi7 S2
In terms of sound, the Pi7 S2 also went its own way, somewhat reminiscent of the high-end speakers from the same forge. They meet the highest expectations in terms of low bass, room imaging and their fine silky highest treble. The low end underpinned all tracks blessed with corresponding frequencies with a utratiefen foundation. This was perhaps not the most impulsive bass we’ve ever heard, more on the fat side not unlike a live rock concert. On the other hand, it was always cleanly and perfectly integrated in timing and did not dominate the timbres.
Full marks also at the other end of the spectrum: a small extra portion of fine-beaded treble resolution seemed noble and audiophile in the high-ender sense. At the same time, it gave the music a gentle glow. You could listen to that for hours. And across all genres of music, the Bowers & Wilkins shone with outstanding transparency and resolution.
In addition, a spatiality that we have to acknowledge as the widest in the in-ear range: Large, spatial, cleanly staggered and with perfectly integrated, slightly melting voices. Recordings with acoustic spatial information, as often found in jazz or classical music, even make the listener forget that he has an In Ear headphones in his ear canals. The Bowers & Wilkins Pi7 S2 played with amazingly wide space and not at all obtrusively close to the head.
Slim line for bulging space
A perfect performance all around, then? Not quite. As much as the Pi7 S2’s room, bass and fine trebles captivated us, it sometimes acted lackluster in the midrange. Not that he sounded discolored, but in many recordings the fundamental tone in the background remained somewhat colorless and voices rather slender. This could sometimes give the impression that lower registers and overtones led a rather disconnected life of their own.
It also stuck to a bit too much audiophile silence and distant restraint in music genres that thrive on dynamics and impulsiveness in the midrange – i.e. from big band jazz to hard rock and electro pop to funk. He also sometimes placed spatial depth clearly above jumping instrument sounds. No mistake, sure, but it doesn’t earn him a special commendation for drive and speed.
Test conclusion, alternatives and market environment
The B&W Pi7 S2 are among the most expensive products in their segment. The test showed that it takes a special approach in terms of sound and offers an audiophile sound image that fascinates but never annoys, especially for friends of relaxed, spatial sounds. The less expensive, much more lively tuned Sennheiser Momentum True Wireless 3 as well as the more playful Sony WH-1000XM4 may be closer to the tonal truth, but they also get on your nerves faster.
However, the streaming case and the possibility to feed analog signals are a unique selling point for the Bowers & Wilkins, which especially air travelers and users of various sources cannot appreciate highly enough.
Specifications Bowers & Wilkins Pi7 S2
- Manufacturer’s suggested retail price: 400 euros
- Type: In Ear
- Transducer principle: Dynamic 2-way
- Weight: 8 g
- Features: Noise-canceling, 2-way active technology, charging/streaming case, 5 hours of operating time, 21 hours with recharging in case.
- More at: bowerswilkins.com.
