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The Px8 S2’s main differences versus the Px7 S3 are its Carbon drivers instead if Bio-cellulose drivers, and the Napa leather finishing. The design is also a little different around the headbands with the exposed cable accent, but everything else seems to be the same as the Px7 S3, which, at first, makes its much higher price seem ridiculous. $799 versus the Px7 S3’s $449, an almost 80 percent premium!

But does it really sound so good as to cost 80 percent more, and how does its performance compare to some of the top headphones in the market, like the Sony WH-1000XM6 and the Bose QC Ultra, and the AirPods Max? We’re going to find out, so buckle up!

Microphone Quality

In terms of microphone quality, the Px8 S2 is similar to the Px7 S3, and is one of the better ones in this comparison because, in noisy conditions, it carefully balances background noise reduction and voice filtering. Only the AirPods Max and the Bose are better because my voice on the Bose sounds less robotic, and sounds clearer on the AirPods Max. On the other hand, the Sony’s noise gating is too aggressive so it cuts out some of my voice.

👉 Have a listen to the mic quality

Active Noise Cancelling

Its active noise canceling may seem to be one of the stronger ones if we look at these measurements (above), but in actual A-B testing, the silence is not as deep as the Sony WH-1000XM6, the Bose QC Ultra, or the AirPods Max when dealing with noises from fans, traffic noises or human voices.

And it does apply white noise masking to sort of mask over midrange noises. It also won’t tackle sub-bass noises as well as the Bose and Sony. Those will do a little better against rumbling, droning noises like in the subway or when on a plane flight.

Compared to the Px7 S3, the Px8 S2’s noise canceling is also less powerful, and it applies a little more white noise masking. Both the Sony WH-1000XM6 and the Bose QC Ultra Gen 2 have the best noise canceling in this comparison.

👉 Have a listen to the ANC quality samples

Transparency Mode

Its transparency mode is usable for general awareness and verbal exchanges, but it’s not its strongest area, definitely not as transparent as the headphones in this comparison.

Looking at these measurements, it is the least transparent in the frequency range that covers voices, and in the high frequencies, transparency is going to sound more muffled than the others, except for the Bose which is more or less comparable here. So the AirPods Max delivers the best transparency which is similar to not wearing headphones, followed by the Sony, the Px7 S3, the Bose, and finally the Px8 S2.

Sound Quality

In terms of sound quality, I’m going to say straight up that the Px8 S2 is the best sounding headphones in this group, but it’s not a huge difference from the Px7 S3. What I really liked about the Px7 S3 is the visceral clarity and dynamic range, the rich, impactful vocals, and the powerful, detailed bass.

It’s a very engaging experience that’s fun to listen to. The Px8 S2 takes the same experience, and upgrades it with more sizzle and air in the high registers, more presence in the vocals, and soundstaging that’s a bit more open and relaxed. Its dynamic range is also improved, bringing more realism and clarity to transient details in the background. Overall, it does sound a little better than the Px7 S3 but only for very critical listeners.

Compared to the rest, it not only has higher resolving power, all of them deliver a different listening experience. The Bose sounds very laid back and chill whereas the Px8 S2 sounds crisper, bass feels more tactile and visceral giving a more thrilling experience.

The AirPods Max sounds very bright and clean which I love a lot, and it’s quite comparable to the Px8 S2 in terms of bass attack, but it doesn’t feel as engaging because its soundstaging is not as open, and it doesn’t resolve background details as much.

Compared to the Sony WH-1000XM6, the Sony by default sounds more veiled. Soundstaging is flatter, less layered than the Px8 S2, which delivers more detail, texture and resolution across the spectrum from the bass, to the mids and highs.

It is only after calibrating the Sony with my Singapore Spring Custom EQ that it can somewhat sound as engaging, clear and crisp as the B&W, but still not as visceral and detailed. In short, the Px8 S2 is the best sounding headphones in this group.

👉 Have a listen to the sound quality

Of course, just like the Px7 S3, the Px8 S2 has USB-C audio which also converts to 3.5mm with a cable, so you skip the entire wireless compression stage, and this does give you slightly cleaner audio and higher volume gain.

On USB-C you can expect bass to be a little fuller and mids to be a bit more prominent, whereas on 3.5mm the sound is comparable to Bluetooth in terms of bass response, but mids are a bit more emphasized. As for volume difference, assuming that it's set to 60% on Bluetooth, a similar volume on USB-C would be 25%, and on 3.5mm it’s 35%.

👉 Listen to the sound quality with USB-C

Should you buy the B&W Px8 S2?

Apart from design quality and aesthetics, the main reason to get the Px8 S2 over the rest is definitely sound quality. It’s the best sounding headphones in this group, and if that is your priority, it’s a very strong choice.

But it’s not a huge leap in sound quality versus the Px7 S3, which costs much less. And it doesn’t offer any advantage over the Px7 S3 in terms of features, let alone other headphones which have more custom options and features, some geared towards audiophiles like the Sony WH-1000XM6 which offers LDAC codec support, a 10-band graphic EQ and DSEE Extreme upscaling which improves the quality of music files over Bluetooth.

Others like the Bose offer more noise canceling options as well as spatial audio with head tracking.

Compared to the AirPods Max, the AirPods will also provide closer integration with Apple devices along with features like seamless switching, and Siri reading out your notifications from text messages, calls and social media, very useful for people running multiple Apple devices. And those do offer better noise canceling performance than the Px8 S2.

Fit and Comfort

In terms of fit, out of the box, it clamps tighter than the Px7 S3 and I can really feel the pressure against my temples. It’s not the most comfortable headphones for now, but maybe after a few months of continuous wearing, it’ll start to loosen up.

But if you’re wondering which are the top 3 most comfortable headphones in this comparison, that will have to be the Bose, followed by the Sony, and then the Px7 S3. The AirPods Max ties with the Px8 S2 because although its cushions are really plush, it is quite heavy.

Verdict

So the Px8 S2 are one of the best sounding headphones, but it isn’t exactly value for money unless you feel that the sound quality is worth that premium. In my opinion, the Px7 S3 is better value for sound and price.

Check latest prices:

B&W Px8 S2 - https://amzn.to/4q0Pjxu
B&W Px7 S3 - https://amzn.to/3ItnRYh
Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones 2nd Gen - https://amzn.to/4gH7X9d
Sony WH-1000XM6 - https://amzn.to/4n6OcuL
AirPods Max - https://amzn.to/4lMXZoB

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