I certainly fancy the look of these earbuds…but I have a question. Those two buds have those lovely metal knobs on them… I wonder if they can individually adjust the level of their corresponding…bud. WARNING:WHINGE ALERT! I’ve very much disliked the utter faff one has to go through to adjust the left and right balance on modern consumer audio products. In music players and phones, why don’t “they” put a balance control RIGHT on the screen that’s similar to the volume control? What boneheaded beancounter or marketing moron thought burying that control in several layers of menu was a good idea, eh? End of rant… I’m excited about this design and hope I can sample them here before too long. Mahalo!❤
They do not have individual control, nor any real control over the actual sound. Bowers relies on their calibration software to provide an experience. I can say, I’m pretty impressed with the range on these, it’s incredible. I have tried all earbuds(Apple/beats, Sonyx5, Bose qc1&2&ultra), and can easily overlook the fine control in favor of their excellent call quality(no complaints like usual from folks) in any environment and superb audio quality. The app could have more user experience, but for those seeking a simple pop and go with some stellar sound and a sexy design that doesn’t make your ears hurt. Then they are worth it.
Same impressions here. I have the Airpods Pro 2, and I bought these recently...I couldn't believe the jump in sound quality. Totally different experience, a lot more engaging and fun
Purchased these about a month ago and they are the best sounding in ear buds I've tried. Noise cancelation isn't nearly as good as my bose QC but over 75% volume you can't hear your surroundings. Like you said if all you care about is sound quality these are the best. Especially with the Qobuz app. Needs major improvements on the app though, we need all the features competitors have at a lower price point.
true, well erm for most ears 90% of what they expect/hear is the 'sound', not wrong and indeed sound nice if quality is good but really just buy a swans and a soundcard if thats the case, blox are rare for reason, although tm9 isnt
that BT case retransmitter is actually so cool. You can also turn any old speaker that has an aux port into a BT capable speaker. would come in handy often
Right, so I got the Pi7 S2 because of your review, and yes, you are absolutely right about everything!! What incredible earbuds! Thanks for the recommendation and thanks for your fantastic content.
For me, in-ear earbuds are solely for convenience, not sound quality. When I am wanting high quality sound, I use over-ear headphones. This means I want the smallest form factor that is easy to use, and based on your video I'll continue with my Airpods.
If you want these earbuds for the ANC, then it’s good that you don’t get them because they’re not for you. Better stick to the AirPods and they’re supposedly good Sound quality. Regarding what Your comment, I would never buy over the ear headphones just because of their size and volume. We Already carry too much stuff in our bags and I need one less thing to worry about. They earbuds are the smallest and less intrusive Thing that I could carry.
get some foam tips for your airpods and i hope they are the pro - then you notice a difference . over the head sweaty bulky - thats the issue.. im still looking and TBH i tried on the xm4 and it felt so much better than the xm5.. and for the price of the xm4 and having recently tried the px8 i think i might just get them ... i want a lightweight though IPX great sound great battery .. and im not sure there is too much out there
In fact, even sound quality isn't that much of an issue nowadays considering the Airpods Pro 2nd generation along with Spotify's built-in equalizer is MORE than good enough for my needs. Whether I'm at my desk working or working out, they do the job brilliantly.
Bowers & Wilkins differs from other headphone/speaker companies in that they don’t seek to enhance or amplify any aspects of a track. Their goal in all their products is to offer as realistic a sound as possible - to make it seem as though you’re sitting live in front of the artist recording the track. They want you to be able to hear the humanity in the music. By their own admission, if a recording isn’t particularly good then it might not sound brilliant on their devices. But they will always offer the most genuine, authentic sound
Sorry but this just isn't true. I have the PX8s which are great headphones but certainly not tuned to be hyper-accurate or natural as you claim. There's a definite boost in the mids and the overall effect is fun but hardly realistic.
OK. These are MAGICAL. Every single song I listen to sounds absolutely incredible and immersive it picks up every detail like you have never heard your songs before. You get lost in your music. No bluetooth in ear can compare. I actually didnt care about anything else but sound. Now here's the problem. Comfort. After 1-2 hours of wear they start getting pretty uncomfortable ( my ears are smaller) compared to Beats pro, apple etc. other than that. they are a secure fit. you can run workout in these. Noise cancelling is incredible. phone calls are clear. It doesn't have an equalizer. but spotify does. so that did the trick for me. I put it on loud setting, and ( hip hop, bass booster, Rock etc) it handled extremely well. I almost teared up when I heard my music for the first time on these without equalizer. I hope the next version is more comfortable. That's my only reservation. If you are looking to get immersed in your music. You will want to go back to hear all your favorite songs on these. you'll hear every detail like you haven't heard them before. It's truly an experience to just put them on.
That’s the whole point of having the case being able to transmit Bluetooth. The pi5 already supported High Resolution BT aptx codec. That’s the main reason I bought the b&w in the first place. I usually listen only wire via DAC (chord mojo or dragonfly). The b&w are the closest to wired audio. (Nothing is even close to wired though)
Never thought I would even use earbuds but took a chance with AAP2 to help with Tinnitus at night as trying to sleep with over ears isn’t great (built in ocean sound is helpful but mainly play Pink noise). I enjoyed the AAP2 that much that I use them for commuting as well now, particularly enjoy the spatial sound setting once set up properly. The AAP2 are certainly good enough for my uses and if I want superior sound I will use some good quality over ear. I would like to give the B&W P8 a try at some point.
The PI7 S2 they sound great if you pair them with the right phone. I paired them with the Oneplus 8t phone equipped with the snapdragon chip and with aptX adaptive, and I am getting 24 bits 48 kHz and the sound is fantastic.
Thanks a lot! I was about to order these beauties but then saw your review. None of the weaknesses matter to me, but the clumsy switch to ambient mode is a total dealbreaker for me. Not for any sort of good sound or even for 200EUR less.
Sometimes I think that people who claim that the AirPods Pro have Great sound quality have never Been exposed Even to Average sound quality systems. Even My 100 USD Samsung buds live sound better than the AirPods Pro. In addition, the AirPods Pro cost 200 USD more. That’s why I returned them. The tremble is really annoying to my ears. However, I have to admit that the ANC and the transparency mode are amazing. But they’re just not features that I value. For me, the most important feature is sound quality and the AirPods really don’t Justify the price tag
It's incredible how many of the features listed for the AirPods Pro 2 and for the Pi7 S2 are features you can now find in cheaper wireless buds. The recently releases Earfun Air Pro 3 give you touch controls for volume, track change, ANC, ambient, and voice assistance. The ANC is also quite good. Basically, almost all the features listed are available in the sub $100 category. The "retransmission technology" is not a new feature as LG released it a couple of years ago in the Tone Free FP9, sub $200. I don't know if either earbuds are actually worth it with the current market.
@@Tyler_ThaTruth Well, quality is somewhat relative. There are things about the AirPods/Pro series that aren't quality. In the case of the Earfun Air Pro 3 they have all the features and get most of the work done, you can argue that the AirPods Pro 2 have the best transparency but that isn't the only feature people care about. In terms of microphone and sound quality I do think the AirPods Pro 2 are overrated; I have a pair of Sparks that are worth 80 USD and sound much better. I used the AirPods as an example but my point is that the better known brands such as Apple, Sony, Bowers & Wilkins, etc., might have more people loyal to their brand or they might have a reputation for "quality". However, cheaper brands, lesser known ones, also offer "quality" features that get the work done, some of which are on par with the more expensive brands. So to answer your question, yes, some do go toe to toe against the bigger name brands and their flagship products.
I’ve basically stopped buying any premium in-ears since the AirPods Pro 2 came out. Yes, there are some with better sound (see also the Beoplay EX and EQ) but they can’t compete with the full package of very good sound PLUS all the features and ecosystem integration of the AirPods Pro.
I had the EX and they were easily the best I’d ever had. ANR was very average though compared to the AirPod pro 2s. The lack of being able to turn off the ANR quickly is is a no for me unfortunately.
As to ambient pass through. I feel like with earphones it’s easier to just take it out for a bit. Also a big one over apple for me is the black color… and the design.
Have you tried plugging the case into a camera headphone jack to get wireless audio that way? I’ve used the AirFly with my AirPods but the slight delay is a bit annoying. Would love to hear if there is no delay with this product! Thanks 🙏
I love B&W and have been used them for my home audio for a long time. I own Pi7 and plan to upgrade to S2 version. My only complaint is that after just 1 year of usage, logo is almost all washed out and case looks a bit cheap for the price. Case materials could have (for Pi7) been better. But their sound is simply beyond all competition.
The ambient mode switch over is major down side for me as i use earbuds a lot for travelling. I will stick with my airpods pro 2. Great video anyways 👍🏻
Hello! Thankyou for tempting me again. Now I have bought both the B&W px7 S2 and the Beats Studio pro. don't have the Pi7 s2 yet but that's a question of time. Since I am blind I am a bit skeptical to the touch controls.
If you want the best quality sound you buy an Ifi Go Blu and a pair of £60 Moondrop Arias and have something that sounds 10 times better than any wireless earbuds for £100 less. If you want convenience and ANC etc then the AirPods Pro 2 (Apple) or Soundcore Liberty 4 (Android) is still a better proposition for the money. IMHO of course.
I liked the vocals pushed forward a bit. With no EQ available I didn’t get the exact sound I liked. I felt the vocals got lost a bit. Bluetooth was much better than the first gen. At $400 I couldn’t justify keeping them…basically any of the higher end earbuds sound better than the AirPods Pro 2 which also suffer from no EQ.
Something about some of the design elements of these remind me of the Technics EAH-AZ60, another earbud that I believe sounds just a little better than the AirPods Pro 2 when comparing them both from the same iPhone source. AirPods Pro has it hands down for case size and convenience of pairing etc, but those Technics really are a bargain when they’re often discounted to half the price here in Aotearoa. I have a feeling that many of the target market hasn’t actually heard of the Technics brand before, and not in the context they were in during the late 80s and early 90s, they had been mostly absent from the consumer market since that time. It’s a shame because the AZ60s sound great, but with the discounts and cash backs, likely aren’t selling. Panasonic may abandon any follow up effort.
Earbuds have become such a specialized and niche thing, it's almost like you need them to do one specific thing extremely well, and make your decision from there. For example, someone has Airpods because they own an Apple, don't know about tech, and/or appreciate the God Tier transparency mode. Noise cancelling might be top tier, but it's in all these other categories that you might want to choose something else depending on your preference and intended use. So I guess the question is, are the B&W better at transparency than the Air Pods Pro 2? Because that would be the reason for someone to switch.
I like the feature to connect to Airplane entertainment systems but I struggle to use earbuds on a longer flight. They pop out when eating and they can fall into, or god forbid, into the seat. Over the ear are still the choice for me in this case. So that cool feature is a bit wasted. I would prefer the smaller case.
Do you really think the AirPod pro 2’s are that good? I have a pair I bought them when they came out and previously I had some Bose soundsport free’s and to be honest the Bose sound every bit as good and I was impressed with noise cancellation but that was the only thing that really impressed me over the 5 year old Bose
These lose to the Airpods in everything besides sound quality, which is highly subjective, and build quality. My problem with high-quality earbuds is when the battery isn't replaceable, being made to last doesn't matter since the battery will start to go after a few years. It bothers me that you don't answer your opening question. Will you be switching out your Airpods for the Wilkins?
I have the 1st generation and other "celebrity" commercial earbuds (EAH-AZ60 / Sony WF1000mx4 / Bose QC...whatever you named it) and I agreed that BW has best sound quality overall. Though the 4 hours battery (S2 having 5 hours battery) is a disappointment, I certainly enjoy my daily walk with it. I am struggling with the upgrade which a lot of review deems not worthy. In addition to that, whether or not the new version AZ80 and rumour 1000mx5 may narrow the gap (who knows)...
I love the audio quality, but unfortunately the pi7 2 do not have a reliable connection. Initially they seemed to maintain a better connection than the first version, but that didn’t last. Now they disconnect constantly and it’s an annoying and inconsistent process to reconnect them (sometimes through Bluetooth, other times the app). For the price they are quite disappointing. Though I love the audio quality, I will go with another company when the time comes to replace these.
Great review. Just a quick tip from a professional sound engineer, don’t say “sound quality is subjective” is not, sound perception, character and our own ear tuning is particular and subjective, but sound quality is on the product or it’s not!
The review is from a listener/users perspective, how else would they review the product other than with their subjective experience of the sound? Showing a frequency response graph would be of little value to most people, many who imagine that they can glean all they need to know about a product's sound from them often lack the depth of knowledge to interpret them well.
I don’t know what Bowers and Wilkins have against touch Volume Control instead they choose to needlessly duplicate same functions on both left and right earbuds instated of implementing volume control in their buds they choose not to listen to their customers and repeat their short comings of lack of volume control and inability to customise touch controls letting the users choose what function they want or how they prefer it as totally and utterly ignore their fans and customers that shell out top dollars for their product despite the lousy touch controls of what B&W decides, is like given the middle finger to all the people that bought the product to show their support, the Bowers and Wilkins gave them the proverbial finger !!! Thanks for not giving a crap to what your customers want and forcing the of some old sound engineers in B&W that are so set in their ways as the only way add to it No EQ and a very selective touch controls however ridiculous it maybe having to run for your phone everything you want to increase or decrease the volume God forbid !!! and this is meant to be WIRELESS convenience ….. yea right
Never ceases to surprise me how many companies invest such big sums into developing tech, then make obviously weird, illogical decisions. That case feature is going to be used by like 0.1% of anyone who buys them, you can bet almost everyone would have preferred either a bigger battery or a smaller case. If you must, sell that weird one as a separate accessory along with a radio tuner 😄. Not being able to turn cancelling on and off on the headphone? Mental. What on earth goes on in their development meetings? Shame, I love B&W stuff but they aren't the package the APP2's are. Another great vid Mark, concise and well produced 👍🏻
after your review i went out and bought the PX8 - my last over headphones were bose QC35 .. so i was well looking forward to the PX8 - i have had to retrun after 24hrs - i expect more comfort i expect audio to be clear - if you ask me - step backwards .. as for these in ear look how ridiculous they look .. B&W take note if you wanna sell a premium then i expext premium .. the clamp on the head i also flt was giving me a headache..
I’ve tried many ear bud type devices. Sound quality aside, which is subjective at this high end anyway, it boils down to comfort. And in my opinion the Apple AirPod pros beat anything else hands down Also too many features. It get confusing when all you want to do is listen to music or the odd call. And they are relatively bulky which is not good for some ears, mine. Note to those people that think it’s good behaviour to have a phone call in public using ear buds. Just STOP, please
@@jonnymarkbeadle good question. The old fashioned way by holding the phone to your ear rather than shouting as all people taking call on earbuds seem to do. Or here’s a novel idea, respect other people and refuse the call or go somewhere private
so let me get this straight you are a apple fanboy and you are trying to find earbuds that are better then the airpods umm thats very easy to find its tons of earbuds that are better then airpods one thing about airpods that are amazing is anc and mic thats really it airpods was never known for great sound. so you only brought up bowers and wilkins it's so many more that are better then airpods Sony, sennheiser, 1 more , galaxy, bose , technics, its alot more
I tried these earbuds, the sound? FANTASTIC the bass? WONDEROUS the pairing? A DAMN NIGHTMARE, the app.? Another DAMN NIGHTMARE, the earbuds "themselves"( sans the excellent sound)? Yet another DAMN NIGHTMARE, thankfully i DUMPED (returned them back to amazon for a well-deserved refund) for ($400) i would THINK maybe bowers and wilkins would correct their issue/problem, a GARBAGE product
![[LIVE] : ONE ลุมพินี 88 | คู่เอก "ป้อมเพชร vs อัสลามจอน"](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/1ZqTVVbMgbo/mqdefault.jpg)
Who fancies these Pi7 S2 earbuds, then? If so - why? And, equally, if not - why?
I certainly fancy the look of these earbuds…but I have a question. Those two buds have those lovely metal knobs on them… I wonder if they can individually adjust the level of their corresponding…bud. WARNING:WHINGE ALERT! I’ve very much disliked the utter faff one has to go through to adjust the left and right balance on modern consumer audio products. In music players and phones, why don’t “they” put a balance control RIGHT on the screen that’s similar to the volume control? What boneheaded beancounter or marketing moron thought burying that control in several layers of menu was a good idea, eh? End of rant… I’m excited about this design and hope I can sample them here before too long. Mahalo!❤
They do not have individual control, nor any real control over the actual sound. Bowers relies on their calibration software to provide an experience. I can say, I’m pretty impressed with the range on these, it’s incredible. I have tried all earbuds(Apple/beats, Sonyx5, Bose qc1&2&ultra), and can easily overlook the fine control in favor of their excellent call quality(no complaints like usual from folks) in any environment and superb audio quality.
The app could have more user experience, but for those seeking a simple pop and go with some stellar sound and a sexy design that doesn’t make your ears hurt. Then they are worth it.
Same impressions here. I have the Airpods Pro 2, and I bought these recently...I couldn't believe the jump in sound quality. Totally different experience, a lot more engaging and fun
Purchased these about a month ago and they are the best sounding in ear buds I've tried. Noise cancelation isn't nearly as good as my bose QC but over 75% volume you can't hear your surroundings. Like you said if all you care about is sound quality these are the best. Especially with the Qobuz app. Needs major improvements on the app though, we need all the features competitors have at a lower price point.
true, well erm for most ears 90% of what they expect/hear is the 'sound', not wrong and indeed sound nice if quality is good
but really just buy a swans and a soundcard if thats the case, blox are rare for reason, although tm9 isnt
If the comparison is analogous to that of the B&W PX8 vs AirPods Max then I'll opt for the B&W Pi7 S2 without hesitation.
that BT case retransmitter is actually so cool. You can also turn any old speaker that has an aux port into a BT capable speaker. would come in handy often
what do you mean?
Right, so I got the Pi7 S2 because of your review, and yes, you are absolutely right about everything!! What incredible earbuds! Thanks for the recommendation and thanks for your fantastic content.
For me, in-ear earbuds are solely for convenience, not sound quality. When I am wanting high quality sound, I use over-ear headphones. This means I want the smallest form factor that is easy to use, and based on your video I'll continue with my Airpods.
Great point made
If you want these earbuds for the ANC, then it’s good that you don’t get them because they’re not for you. Better stick to the AirPods and they’re supposedly good Sound quality.
Regarding what Your comment, I would never buy over the ear headphones just because of their size and volume. We Already carry too much stuff in our bags and I need one less thing to worry about. They earbuds are the smallest and less intrusive Thing that I could carry.
get some foam tips for your airpods and i hope they are the pro - then you notice a difference . over the head sweaty bulky - thats the issue.. im still looking and TBH i tried on the xm4 and it felt so much better than the xm5.. and for the price of the xm4 and having recently tried the px8 i think i might just get them ... i want a lightweight though IPX great sound great battery .. and im not sure there is too much out there
@@agileteka yes and some of us have such small heads that over ear headphones don't fit properly lol
In fact, even sound quality isn't that much of an issue nowadays considering the Airpods Pro 2nd generation along with Spotify's built-in equalizer is MORE than good enough for my needs. Whether I'm at my desk working or working out, they do the job brilliantly.
Bowers & Wilkins differs from other headphone/speaker companies in that they don’t seek to enhance or amplify any aspects of a track. Their goal in all their products is to offer as realistic a sound as possible - to make it seem as though you’re sitting live in front of the artist recording the track. They want you to be able to hear the humanity in the music. By their own admission, if a recording isn’t particularly good then it might not sound brilliant on their devices. But they will always offer the most genuine, authentic sound
Sorry but this just isn't true. I have the PX8s which are great headphones but certainly not tuned to be hyper-accurate or natural as you claim. There's a definite boost in the mids and the overall effect is fun but hardly realistic.
@@fenners1 I was at the Bowers & Wilkins factory last week - I’m repeating what the engineers themselves told me!
@T13HS I wasn't implying that you were lying, just that I don't necessarily agree. I think the B&W engineers may have a bit of an agenda tbf.
@@T13HS I agree. All of the prodcuts I own of B&W have natural and neutral sound.
I have paired my PI7 S2's with sonicfoam tips. Its an epic combo 😍
OK. These are MAGICAL. Every single song I listen to sounds absolutely incredible and immersive it picks up every detail like you have never heard your songs before. You get lost in your music. No bluetooth in ear can compare. I actually didnt care about anything else but sound. Now here's the problem. Comfort. After 1-2 hours of wear they start getting pretty uncomfortable ( my ears are smaller) compared to Beats pro, apple etc. other than that. they are a secure fit. you can run workout in these. Noise cancelling is incredible. phone calls are clear. It doesn't have an equalizer. but spotify does. so that did the trick for me. I put it on loud setting, and ( hip hop, bass booster, Rock etc) it handled extremely well. I almost teared up when I heard my music for the first time on these without equalizer. I hope the next version is more comfortable. That's my only reservation. If you are looking to get immersed in your music. You will want to go back to hear all your favorite songs on these. you'll hear every detail like you haven't heard them before. It's truly an experience to just put them on.
My ears eventually get comfortable with each new earbuds purchase I make. Have your ears adjusted to these ?
That’s the whole point of having the case being able to transmit Bluetooth. The pi5 already supported High Resolution BT aptx codec. That’s the main reason I bought the b&w in the first place. I usually listen only wire via DAC (chord mojo or dragonfly). The b&w are the closest to wired audio. (Nothing is even close to wired though)
Never thought I would even use earbuds but took a chance with AAP2 to help with Tinnitus at night as trying to sleep with over ears isn’t great (built in ocean sound is helpful but mainly play Pink noise).
I enjoyed the AAP2 that much that I use them for commuting as well now, particularly enjoy the spatial sound setting once set up properly.
The AAP2 are certainly good enough for my uses and if I want superior sound I will use some good quality over ear.
I would like to give the B&W P8 a try at some point.
The PI7 S2 they sound great if you pair them with the right phone. I paired them with the Oneplus 8t phone equipped with the snapdragon chip and with aptX adaptive, and I am getting 24 bits 48 kHz and the sound is fantastic.
What about a Samsung Galaxy S24?
@@svm5543see what Flossy says about them.
Thanks a lot! I was about to order these beauties but then saw your review. None of the weaknesses matter to me, but the clumsy switch to ambient mode is a total dealbreaker for me. Not for any sort of good sound or even for 200EUR less.
Sometimes I think that people who claim that the AirPods Pro have Great sound quality have never Been exposed Even to Average sound quality systems. Even My 100 USD Samsung buds live sound better than the AirPods Pro. In addition, the AirPods Pro cost 200 USD more. That’s why I returned them. The tremble is really annoying to my ears. However, I have to admit that the ANC and the transparency mode are amazing. But they’re just not features that I value. For me, the most important feature is sound quality and the AirPods really don’t Justify the price tag
It's incredible how many of the features listed for the AirPods Pro 2 and for the Pi7 S2 are features you can now find in cheaper wireless buds. The recently releases Earfun Air Pro 3 give you touch controls for volume, track change, ANC, ambient, and voice assistance. The ANC is also quite good. Basically, almost all the features listed are available in the sub $100 category. The "retransmission technology" is not a new feature as LG released it a couple of years ago in the Tone Free FP9, sub $200. I don't know if either earbuds are actually worth it with the current market.
yeah they have the features but do they have the quality?
@@Tyler_ThaTruth Well, quality is somewhat relative. There are things about the AirPods/Pro series that aren't quality. In the case of the Earfun Air Pro 3 they have all the features and get most of the work done, you can argue that the AirPods Pro 2 have the best transparency but that isn't the only feature people care about. In terms of microphone and sound quality I do think the AirPods Pro 2 are overrated; I have a pair of Sparks that are worth 80 USD and sound much better.
I used the AirPods as an example but my point is that the better known brands such as Apple, Sony, Bowers & Wilkins, etc., might have more people loyal to their brand or they might have a reputation for "quality". However, cheaper brands, lesser known ones, also offer "quality" features that get the work done, some of which are on par with the more expensive brands. So to answer your question, yes, some do go toe to toe against the bigger name brands and their flagship products.
I’ve basically stopped buying any premium in-ears since the AirPods Pro 2 came out. Yes, there are some with better sound (see also the Beoplay EX and EQ) but they can’t compete with the full package of very good sound PLUS all the features and ecosystem integration of the AirPods Pro.
I had the EX and they were easily the best I’d ever had. ANR was very average though compared to the AirPod pro 2s. The lack of being able to turn off the ANR quickly is is a no for me unfortunately.
Those earphones don't even have better sound. It's just tuned differently. The AirPods Pro 2 is literally unmatched for an iPhone user.
did you say all the features and sound they can't compete airpods really don't have alot of features like most earbuds
@TheGamingAudiophile most earbuds have better sound then airpods stop it sound wise airpods aren't even in the top 25
I lost my Pi7 case chager. I am thinking about to buy PI7 S2. Does the charger S2 work with PI 7 earbuds?
How do the Bowers and Wilkins Pi7 S2 compare to the Bang & Olufsen Beoplay EX? I haven’t been able to find a review from you on the B&O model.
Why didn’t you mention the microphone sound performance?
As to ambient pass through. I feel like with earphones it’s easier to just take it out for a bit. Also a big one over apple for me is the black color… and the design.
Have you tried plugging the case into a camera headphone jack to get wireless audio that way? I’ve used the AirFly with my AirPods but the slight delay is a bit annoying. Would love to hear if there is no delay with this product! Thanks 🙏
I love B&W and have been used them for my home audio for a long time. I own Pi7 and plan to upgrade to S2 version. My only complaint is that after just 1 year of usage, logo is almost all washed out and case looks a bit cheap for the price. Case materials could have (for Pi7) been better. But their sound is simply beyond all competition.
The ambient mode switch over is major down side for me as i use earbuds a lot for travelling. I will stick with my airpods pro 2. Great video anyways 👍🏻
For pure sound quality. They are the best. That’s why I got them. Very satisfied.🎵
So you have connectivity issues please?
Hello! Thankyou for tempting me again. Now I have bought both the B&W px7 S2 and the Beats Studio pro. don't have the Pi7 s2 yet but that's a question of time. Since I am blind I am a bit skeptical to the touch controls.
I have found that after a short period of time I get used to new things.
I love the bluetooth transmitter feature, genius!!
If you want the best quality sound you buy an Ifi Go Blu and a pair of £60 Moondrop Arias and have something that sounds 10 times better than any wireless earbuds for £100 less. If you want convenience and ANC etc then the AirPods Pro 2 (Apple) or Soundcore Liberty 4 (Android) is still a better proposition for the money. IMHO of course.
I liked the vocals pushed forward a bit. With no EQ available I didn’t get the exact sound I liked. I felt the vocals got lost a bit. Bluetooth was much better than the first gen. At $400 I couldn’t justify keeping them…basically any of the higher end earbuds sound better than the AirPods Pro 2 which also suffer from no EQ.
Something about some of the design elements of these remind me of the Technics EAH-AZ60, another earbud that I believe sounds just a little better than the AirPods Pro 2 when comparing them both from the same iPhone source. AirPods Pro has it hands down for case size and convenience of pairing etc, but those Technics really are a bargain when they’re often discounted to half the price here in Aotearoa. I have a feeling that many of the target market hasn’t actually heard of the Technics brand before, and not in the context they were in during the late 80s and early 90s, they had been mostly absent from the consumer market since that time. It’s a shame because the AZ60s sound great, but with the discounts and cash backs, likely aren’t selling. Panasonic may abandon any follow up effort.
Earbuds have become such a specialized and niche thing, it's almost like you need them to do one specific thing extremely well, and make your decision from there.
For example, someone has Airpods because they own an Apple, don't know about tech, and/or appreciate the God Tier transparency mode. Noise cancelling might be top tier, but it's in all these other categories that you might want to choose something else depending on your preference and intended use.
So I guess the question is, are the B&W better at transparency than the Air Pods Pro 2? Because that would be the reason for someone to switch.
Just picked up a pair of blue ones at 60% discount. Can’t go wrong.
What's the latency in gaming(ms)
Without using the audio retransmission?
I like the feature to connect to Airplane entertainment systems but I struggle to use earbuds on a longer flight. They pop out when eating and they can fall into, or god forbid, into the seat. Over the ear are still the choice for me in this case. So that cool feature is a bit wasted. I would prefer the smaller case.
You compare apple sound with hi-end royal sound from B&W? That is a same like comparing mustang with bentley 😂
Would this work with a guitar amp, i play mostly with headphones plugged in, it would be nice if i could play with wireless buds
Do you really think the AirPod pro 2’s are that good? I have a pair I bought them when they came out and previously I had some Bose soundsport free’s and to be honest the Bose sound every bit as good and I was impressed with noise cancellation but that was the only thing that really impressed me over the 5 year old Bose
Yes, I do.
@@MarkEllisReviews I really wish I held out and these Pi7 S2’s now 😞
Heathrow airport currently have these on sale for £199.
OMG, Sledgehammer, What a song
The case transmitter would be great with a iPod video gen 5.5 the best dac one
These lose to the Airpods in everything besides sound quality, which is highly subjective, and build quality.
My problem with high-quality earbuds is when the battery isn't replaceable, being made to last doesn't matter since the battery will start to go after a few years.
It bothers me that you don't answer your opening question. Will you be switching out your Airpods for the Wilkins?
I _do_ answer that at the end, buddy. I'm too Apple eco-system'd up to switch full-time. But these will be used regularly for high-quality listening.
I have the 1st generation and other "celebrity" commercial earbuds (EAH-AZ60 / Sony WF1000mx4 / Bose QC...whatever you named it) and I agreed that BW has best sound quality overall. Though the 4 hours battery (S2 having 5 hours battery) is a disappointment, I certainly enjoy my daily walk with it. I am struggling with the upgrade which a lot of review deems not worthy. In addition to that, whether or not the new version AZ80 and rumour 1000mx5 may narrow the gap (who knows)...
I wonder how they compare against the Beoplay EX
Buy both and see what you think. I did.
I’m dying to try both!
When you press the stem on the AirPods they move in your ears unlike touch earbuds
Thank you
I bought one. It's amazing. Absolutely best but I don't like app. No eq and audio settings. Really don't like.
I use the EQ in my phone settings.
I love the audio quality, but unfortunately the pi7 2 do not have a reliable connection. Initially they seemed to maintain a better connection than the first version, but that didn’t last. Now they disconnect constantly and it’s an annoying and inconsistent process to reconnect them (sometimes through Bluetooth, other times the app). For the price they are quite disappointing. Though I love the audio quality, I will go with another company when the time comes to replace these.
What does 'there's not too much mid-range going on' mean?
Have a guess.
Thanks!
I hope they are still worth it today I picked them up for 199.00 U.S dollars. 10-7-2024
Agreed! I own both. So on trips they both go along with me. ;)
Nice!
So the AirPods Pro 2 is still a better bud all around. Too many things that are better for 100 dollars less. Glad I got the AirPods Pro 2
Great review. Just a quick tip from a professional sound engineer, don’t say “sound quality is subjective” is not, sound perception, character and our own ear tuning is particular and subjective, but sound quality is on the product or it’s not!
I disagree completely, Diego (and I’m not a fan of your tone I’m afraid). Thank you for the kind words about the review, regardless.
I get your point Diego. Sound quality may be subjective, but sound accuracy is not.
The review is from a listener/users perspective, how else would they review the product other than with their subjective experience of the sound? Showing a frequency response graph would be of little value to most people, many who imagine that they can glean all they need to know about a product's sound from them often lack the depth of knowledge to interpret them well.
@@MarkEllisReviews sorry but he's 100 percent right.
@@AmarSagoo-p7g in your opinion. Others are available.
5:32 - That's what she said
airpods don't even compare lol
Airpods are the best!
The AirPods pro 2 are no where close to the top tier earbuds when you're talking pure sound.
Very nice video
I don’t know what Bowers and Wilkins have against touch Volume Control instead they choose to needlessly duplicate same functions on both left and right earbuds instated of implementing volume control in their buds they choose not to listen to their customers and repeat their short comings of lack of volume control and inability to customise touch controls letting the users choose what function they want or how they prefer it as totally and utterly ignore their fans and customers that shell out top dollars for their product despite the lousy touch controls of what B&W decides, is like given the middle finger to all the people that bought the product to show their support, the Bowers and Wilkins gave them the proverbial finger !!! Thanks for not giving a crap to what your customers want and forcing the of some old sound engineers in B&W that are so set in their ways as the only way add to it No EQ and a very selective touch controls however ridiculous it maybe having to run for your phone everything you want to increase or decrease the volume God forbid !!! and this is meant to be WIRELESS convenience ….. yea right
$419! Good lord. They better cook me dinner. 😂🤣
I can confirm they _don't_ do that.
Tried the PX7 and was not impressed at all. A rather disappointing listening experience actually. If these are anywhere near the PX7…no thank you!
How about Pi7 S2 Versus bang olufsen ex ..
Never ceases to surprise me how many companies invest such big sums into developing tech, then make obviously weird, illogical decisions. That case feature is going to be used by like 0.1% of anyone who buys them, you can bet almost everyone would have preferred either a bigger battery or a smaller case. If you must, sell that weird one as a separate accessory along with a radio tuner 😄. Not being able to turn cancelling on and off on the headphone? Mental. What on earth goes on in their development meetings? Shame, I love B&W stuff but they aren't the package the APP2's are. Another great vid Mark, concise and well produced 👍🏻
Thanks, Robsa!
after your review i went out and bought the PX8 - my last over headphones were bose QC35 .. so i was well looking forward to the PX8 - i have had to retrun after 24hrs - i expect more comfort i expect audio to be clear - if you ask me - step backwards .. as for these in ear look how ridiculous they look .. B&W take note if you wanna sell a premium then i expext premium .. the clamp on the head i also flt was giving me a headache..
Transmiting case is not unique,LG who were always an innovators had this feature for years and B&W just copy paste!!
Yes i am QUITE CERTAIN the host here DID NOT "wear" them beyond a "day" did he even "pair" them?
Ooh, you're salty, aren't you. I'm still using them to this day, mate. Chill your beans.
If it's down to purely sound quality then these crap on the airPods.
I’ve tried many ear bud type devices. Sound quality aside, which is subjective at this high end anyway, it boils down to comfort. And in my opinion the Apple AirPod pros beat anything else hands down
Also too many features. It get confusing when all you want to do is listen to music or the odd call. And they are relatively bulky which is not good for some ears, mine.
Note to those people that think it’s good behaviour to have a phone call in public using ear buds. Just STOP, please
I’m intrigued. What should they use when making a call in public?
@@jonnymarkbeadle good question. The old fashioned way by holding the phone to your ear rather than shouting as all people taking call on earbuds seem to do.
Or here’s a novel idea, respect other people and refuse the call or go somewhere private
接收極差，經常有幹擾，經常很難配對
so let me get this straight you are a apple fanboy and you are trying to find earbuds that are better then the airpods umm thats very easy to find its tons of earbuds that are better then airpods one thing about airpods that are amazing is anc and mic thats really it airpods was never known for great sound. so you only brought up bowers and wilkins it's so many more that are better then airpods Sony, sennheiser, 1 more , galaxy, bose , technics, its alot more
Of course there are other options, Kenneth. This is a review of one of them. And we appear to be saying the exact same thing. Chill your beans.
I tried these earbuds, the sound? FANTASTIC the bass? WONDEROUS the pairing? A DAMN NIGHTMARE, the app.? Another DAMN NIGHTMARE, the earbuds "themselves"( sans the excellent sound)? Yet another DAMN NIGHTMARE, thankfully i DUMPED (returned them back to amazon for a well-deserved refund) for ($400) i would THINK maybe bowers and wilkins would correct their issue/problem, a GARBAGE product
Airpods pro 2 are one of the most overpriced garbage i ever bought, pi7s2 are in a league of their own
You definitely haven't tried Sony WF-1000XM4 if you say that airpods are best you ever tried 🤪
One of the worst reviews around, it comes across as just a sales shill. A bit more objectivity and less, “oh my god, go and buy these new”
This is going straight onto my gravestone.
I mean… that’s a statement alright. “Here lies Mark Ellis; father, son, TH-camr, B&W salesman”
@@jasperparson5985 did you bother to watch the conclusion of this video? I direct 98% of the audience in the direction of another product.
Anything is better than the apple ones lol
i stopped watching at fantastic airpods pro ....
You MISSED THE BEST PART.
AirPods 2 are bettrr
😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂 That's like saying Tesla is better than Bentley or Rolls Royce.