Bowers & Wilkins – Pi5 S2 True Wireless Noise Cancelling In-Ear Earbuds – Storm Grey

Customer Reviews (21)

1. 

   Frank Omelu – March 17, 2023

   Rated 5 out of 5

   The Bowers & Wilkins – Pi5 S2 True Wireless Noise Cancelling In-Ear Earbuds have a sleek design that fits the ear without feeling heavy. These headphones are equipped with an outward-facing antenna and provide a solid and reliable wireless connection. I have been using the headphones for the past few days and have not noticed any drop in sound. In addition, they utilize Bluetooth 5.0 for wireless music listening and phone calls, including aptX decoding for high-quality streaming from compatible devices and multi-point connection for pairing with two devices simultaneously. I was able to get 4.5 hours of continuous usage with these earbuds. It comes with a carrying case that provides up to 19 hours of power for recharging the earbuds.

   The Bowers & Wilkins – Pi5 S2 True Wireless Noise Cancelling In-Ear Earbuds have active noise cancellation. This is achieved through dual-mic noise-canceling circuitry designed to minimize external noise without compromising audio quality. I have the correct earbud eartips, and the noise cancellation is top-notch. Touch controls on each earbud enable users to manage noise cancellation, music playback, and calls, while the “ambient pass-through” feature turns off noise-canceling for increased situational awareness. Google Assistant, Alexa, or Siri can be accessed through the button on the right earbud. In addition, the Bowers & Wilkins Music app, available as a free download for Apple and Android devices allows any user to adjust noise cancellation and sound settings.

2. 

   Nabob – March 19, 2023

   Rated 5 out of 5

   I have a Bowers & Wilkins center speaker for my home entertainment system. It produces a superior sound to any other systems I tested in their price range. I was interested in what they could produce in the form of a high-end ear bud. They didn’t disappoint.

   From the unboxing experience, which is excellent (clearly inspired by Apple’s packaging) to the look and feel of these ear buds I have to say I’m impressed. Like most high-end products they offer multiple sizes for the rubber ear piece. The clear difference in this product is the quality of sound versus other devices in this price range. They are heavier than some earbuds but I’m willing to trade that off for better sound quality and a five hour battery life. Despite their weight, they still sit comfortably in my ears.

   It took a couple of attempts to connect the device via Bluetooth, but it finally connected and I was up and running. The quality on phone calls is also superior not only on my end but people have commented how clear my voice is on their end of the call.

   The only downside I have with the devices is they are hard to pull out of the charging dock. The magnetic charging points hold them too tight into the charging dock. Since the ear buds are smooth, it is hard to pull them out. I suggest for the next iteration a small flare on the outside of the ear bud so you can pull them out with greater ease.

3. 

   Jturn – March 21, 2023

   Rated 1 out of 5

   I had high hopes for the Pi5 S2 earbuds from B&W. Being one of the best brands in the business of sound, I expected to be blown away by these. I’ve been blown away, but for all the wrong reasons…

   The setup process with these was nothing short of a nightmare. Pairing to my Pixel 6 Pro (on the latest version of Android) took the better part of an hour. The phone could see the earbuds almost immediately, but simply wouldn’t connect. After multiple tires, restarts, holding the pairing button on the case, removing and replacing the buds, it eventually worked for reasons that are unknown to me. Incredibly frustrating from the very beginning… Perhaps this is an anomaly in my specific case (I sure hope it is tbh). I did notice that it listed “iPhone” as a previous connection in the app so either there’s a bug in the app on first load, or these were previously used which maybe would explain my pairing woes.

   The ergonomics on these things is pretty poor. They look great, no denying that, but the case door has a propensity to close on its own, which wouldn’t be an issue except for the fact that it took me forever to pair them and you have to leave the door open while pairing. Once they’re in your ear, the design makes it difficult to remove them, at least for me. Negating that, the fit in my ears is great, though. Took about 5 seconds to realize that you place them in the “vertical position” and rotate them. I just wish they were easier to grab to remove.

   Finally, I’m quite disappointed with the sound quality. The aforementioned issues are ones I could look past, but once I finally got these working, I was blown away by how pedestrian they sound to my ears. They lack the kind of punch in the lows and presence in the mids that I’ve come to expect from ear buds of this caliber (at least price wise). I own a number of noise cancelling buds from other brands, and these don’t hold up from the sound quality perspective.

   I really wanted to love these ear buds. I was fully ready to retire my Bose and Sony buds, but these just aren’t doing it for me. My experience was tainted by the setup process and then completely crushed by the sound.

4. 

   Freddy – March 21, 2023

   Rated 4 out of 5

   Bowers & Wilkins did a good job . I give it 4 stars because there’s a few things that they can improve on. Ill start off with the negatives. You only get 5 hours playtime so if you need something for a 8 hour work day this is not the earbuds for you. The case is big compared to other companies that have smaller ones. When i was setting it up i did not like the fact that i had to pair it to the phone and then also pair it with the app. I would be nice if when i use the app that it does everything in the setup. When on calls i feel like it can do better, because the music and movies sound amazing on these earbuds. Now with the things done correctly. Sound is A+ for music and movies as i said before . Build quality it feels premium i love the touch controls and the fit is nice you get 3 tips and a usb c cable. As for the mic everyone said i sounded good and was i sounded clear as day. The tips are well made too they are siilicon and seal well. The noise canceling was good too .it did block alot of the external noise. Ambient sound was good too i can hear cars and most of my surroundings

5. 

   WILLIE – March 21, 2023

   Rated 5 out of 5

   The Bowers & Wilkins Pi5 S2 True Wireless Noise Cancelling In-ear Earbuds are an excellent option for those looking for high-quality wireless earbuds with noise-canceling capabilities. The sound quality is outstanding, with crisp, clear audio and a well-balanced soundstage. The bass is deep and punchy without overpowering the lows and highs. The noise canceling technology is effective at blocking out background noise. I wore the Pi5 S2 earbuds while riding on a commuter bus. The noise canceling technology effectively reduced the low-pitched roar of the bus engine to very mild background noise. The earbuds come with a variety of ear tips to ensure a comfortable and secure fit, even during long listening sessions. Although not considered sports earbuds, I used the earbuds for a 2-mile run. The earbuds felt great and did not fall off my ears. The earbuds offer up to 5 hours of listening time, with an additional 15 hours of battery life provided by the charging case. The earbuds have a sleek and stylish design, with a glossy black finish. The microphone quality when it comes to calls was average. I did not experience any connectivity issues while using the earbuds. The app provides controls for the earbuds, but you can also use the smart controls to adjust some of the features offered by the app. However, these smart touch controls could be finicky and difficult to use at times. The app also offers music streaming direct from four preferred music services, one of which I already use to stream my music. The range and distance for the earbuds are excellent. The Bluetooth range is rated at 85 feet. The Bluetooth pairing was a bit challenging. It took me several attempts to pair the earbuds to my iPhone.The Bowers & Wilkins Pi5 I used was Storm Grey. They also come in Sage Green, Spring Lilac, and Cloud Grey. The box comes with Pi5 2 wireless buds, a charging case and cable, a user guide, a safety manual, and three pairs of silicone ear tips. Overall, the Bowers & Wilkins Pi5 S2 True Wireless Noise Cancelling In-ear Earbuds are a great option for those looking for high-quality wireless earbuds with noise-cancelling capabilities. These earbuds offer excellent sound quality, comfort, and design.

6. 

   Brett – March 25, 2023

   Rated 5 out of 5

   Bowers & Wilkins has a great name in high end audio products and these true wireless (TWS) earbuds are a wonderful example of why. From the shear weight of the earbuds (which also at the same time manage to be shockingly comfortable) you get a sense of the quality product that you have. The sound is astonishingly good for such small earbuds, both in the reproduction/output (though, since they are small, they do suffer the same lack of base as all small in-ear buds) and the input on the microphones. The active noise cancellation is top notch as well. Since the pandemic moved me to permanent “work at home”, I’m on the phone pretty much all day and these are not only more comfortable than the pair of “TWS” buds they replaced, but also have better sound AND a longer battery life so wins all around (the case is slightly bigger and I do wish it had some sort of indicator of how much battery it had left, but it’s good quality/well-built and very sturdy). They charge fairly quickly and pairing/setup is super easy since your phone will prompt you to download the app when you pair the headset via bluetooth – and the app gets you up and running quickly.

   Now that does leave a bit of an elephant in the room – that being the high price of the headphones compared to other options that can range down to VERY low prices. Having owned a number of TWS headphones over the years, I can tell you that with this set from Bowers & Wilkins, you’re getting what you pay for. The sound quality, durability, high-end feel / materials and ease of use are better than competitors. But that comes at a cost. Is it worth it? Only you can decide that for yourself, BUT in my view it absolutely is since (as mentioned before) I’m using them near constantly throughout the work day. To that end, I can highly recommend these earbuds!

7. 

   KaeL – March 27, 2023

   Rated 4 out of 5

   Unlike many that will review the Bowers & Wilkins Pi5 S2 True Wireless Noise Canceling In-Ear Earbuds I am not an audiophile. Because of this, if you are looking for a super technical review you won’t find what you are looking for with me. I am a music lover that knows and appreciates what sounds good to me and makes the content I am listening to sound its absolute best.

   I have tried a lot of earbuds that come with lofty claims of offering the best of everything so I always start out with some healthy skepticism. These earbuds definitely impressed me more than expected. I expected comfort to be on the low side after long use based on similar shaped options I have tried but was pleasantly surprised by how comfortable they remained after long sessions.

   Sound quality was perfect. I listened to various genres of music and was impressed with the consistently rich sound I experienced. It was also great with older music that tends to sound like it’s a lower quality file. Phone calls also sounded clear with no complaints from callers.

   Noise canceling was pretty good for wireless in-ear earbuds although I wouldn’t say it is the best I have experienced with in-ear options. But for the average user you won’t be disappointed unless you want to compare it to over the war options (which is NOT a fair comparison).

   Overall, this is a great option to try if you want some quality noise canceling in-ear earbuds. The price may be a deterrent for some since there are definitely some decent options available at a lower price tag but I don’t think the price is too absurd. That’s definitely a subjective observance though.

8. 

   charliehustle77 – March 28, 2023

   Rated 5 out of 5

   My experience with the Pi5 S2 has been great. Opening the box you can feel that you have a quality made product. The design of the case and earbuds feel well made and thought out. You get 3 different rubber ear buds small, medium and large and the medium fit my ear well right out of the box. The case can be wirelessly charged as well.

   Moving on to function and sound. The app took a few tries when connecting to my iphone but since connecting I haven’t had any issues with dropping connection. According to the specs you get 5 hours of play time with these at 50%. The ANC works well as well as the transparency mode which allows some sounds to pass thru. Call quality worked great for me both thru the mic and earbud. No dropped calls. I played around with the app and it looks like you can run a few streaming services thru the app now which is cool but probably not something I would use since I don’t exclusively only use these earbuds and my preferred streaming service isn’t available, but this might be useful for some. The sound on these I would describe as high end. The bass is on the heavier side and the highs are not as high but that’s ok with me. The sound profile is crisp and clear and noticeably better than mid tier ear buds.

   I would highly recommend these to anyone looking to get out of the overpriced mid range quality earbuds and into something more higher quality. These provide great sound and amazing look/feel while in the ear.

9. 

   James K – March 28, 2023

   Rated 5 out of 5

   First Impression – Opening the box reveals a nicely packaged product with the literature and cords in the bottom.
   I removed everything and charged them up in the case to prepare them. Everything appears / feels very well made.
   The earbuds seat nicely in the charging case. I left the default size ear cups installed and fit them in my ears
   after checking some photos for proper orientation. They have a very nice and secure fit – I could run with these
   in easily and not worry about loosing one.

   Sound – Wow – the drivers in these ! I ripped through a standard set of tunes I like to flex earbuds and headphones
   with. All are encoded in FLAC ( lossless ) and let’s just say it’s quite the mix. Classical, Acoustic, live recordings,
   metal, pop, jazz . . .A little of everything. The all around profile on these is quite warm with excellent highs. On
   the low to mid end the drivers in these simply outstanding given all that is stuffed into these small battery powered
   wireless devices. These are the first pair of earbuds that can compete with my somewhat high end wired earbuds. These
   can actually be used for phone calls and have noise cancelling so I may be moving away from the wired world soon !

   Use – I paired these with my gaming PC first. I have a bluetooth 5.1 dedicated adaptor with an external antenna that
   I use for extended range but that can conveniently be used for “range testing”. I was able to wander all over my house
   with these without dropout or breaks in receiving playback. I then installed the app on my iphone – no issues. The app
   allows for naming the headphones and adjusting the noise cancelling mode as well as flipping the value for “wear sensor”
   i.e. pause when earbud removed as well as the Auto-Connect to last device setting.

   Next I paired these with my work laptop to use for calls in teams and zoom. They work perfectly for that and the other
   parties in calls had no issues hearing my voice. These actually perform extremely well for calls where ambient noise is
   not easily picked up and transmitted along with voice. I did find myself going back to the iphone pairing and turning OFF
   the “remember last device” pairing setting so I could switch when desired between Gaming PC / Work PC / Iphone. These
   remember four devices and I had no issues switching between three different devices with the previously mentioned setting
   turned to OFF.

   Noise cancelling – has three levels for pass through. They work well however I cannot seem to change them without the app.
   I can turn ON or OFF on the earbud – but I have yet to figure out how to adjust the level without the app.

   Overall –
   A really great set of ANC earbuds.

   What I love:
   Excellent fit – they are very lightweight
   5 hours with ANC off – That’s about 2.5x Airpods !
   Fast charge mode – 15 minutes in the case = 2 hours !

   Room for improvement:
   Can I switch ANC pass thru level on the earbuds ? I read the manual . .
   A paired device toggle mode would be great.

10. 

    nkpstudios – March 28, 2023

    Rated 3 out of 5

    The Bowers & Wilkins Pi5 S2 is a highly well-built IP54-rated and aesthetically pleasing pair of ANC in-ear earbuds. They support fast charging and are stored/charged in a case for wireless charging or USB-C. Sound codecs supported are aptX, SBC, and AAC via Bluetooth 5.0. The sound quality is just above average, with a small sound stage leaving much to be desired in the lows and mid ranges. Noise-canceling performance is just average, and battery life is subpar. The app could be better and takes away from the overall experience. ZERO personalization is offered for this price, not even a simple EQ to adjust—a feature in cheaper alternatives. No simultaneous multi-point connections, so forget about easy switching. You can only use these on one device at a time. Overall, better buds are out there for this price, so now we can get into the details.

    Design and Build 4/5
    The Bowers & Wilkins Pi5 S2 is an elegant-looking earbud set. The earbuds are built tough, and I have no question that these will last, and they are just beautiful. The bulky charging case is designed to be upside-down with USB charging on the bottom. Inside the case, magnets REALLY hold these buds in place. Here lies my first gripe about using these; however, I can appreciate it because other companies have weak magnets. If you drop the case, it doesn’t explode like a grenade sending your buds all over the room, but it would help if you had vice-grip fingertips to pull these out!
    The touch interface works well and registers fine, but that is the extent of it. You are stuck with how B&W designed these, so you can only change the ear tips and nothing more. The ear tips have foam inserts to help with isolation and keep earwax out of the sound chamber, BUT it does reduce the loudness. Much thought went into the physical design, but R & D needed to remember the user experience. Just a colossal oversight on execution and reminds me much of the Devialet Gemini launch. For some reason, hi-fi companies can’t grasp UI for mobile phones and often leave excellent hardware to fail at the hands of a bad app.

    User Experience and Connectivity 2/5
    The user experience is terrible on iOS and Android, from the initial pairing to the touch interface to the app interface and experience. The sound connection and levels often seem like the software is “working” on sound. Sometimes the volume is louder in one bud; then, it would work after tapping it to start and stop the feed. I often had to put my buds back in the case to fix sound issues, especially after connecting a second device. There are no issues with latency, and videos sync perfectly.
    The app is elementary and needs to be better thought out. “Options and features” are buried; for example, to activate pass-through to hear around you, you NEED to use the app! There is no way around it; you need to click three times while in the app just to turn it on. Once you open the app, you get a “widget” to activate only ANC. I use hear-through a lot, so needing this app to toggle it is a deal breaker. I need to turn this on and off with a touch of the bud. Another feature standard on other buds I have and use regularly. These are not going with me on a run or the gym, so it kills usage by making me go for others in my collection at this price range. Nothing useful can be found in the app and it is almost not needed. You can EQ in your music app maybe, but not with the B&W?
    I hope someone will fix this with updates. The app needs an overhaul and someone to think things through from a user standpoint. You cannot see the battery levels per earbud, and NOTHING shows for the case unless you step up to the Pi7 S2 for $100 more. HUGE MISS HERE with customizations, B&W. You cannot control the volume without your phone, you cannot EQ in-app, and you cannot change what various taps do. Other buds I use have a one-touch volume hold, so the volume increases until you let go, and the other side decreases volume the same way. I HATE the tones it plays when modes change and when it connects. Piercing and loud is the description at 0430am connecting to Bluetooth. I recommend that the tone be lowered an octave to make it more pleasing.

    Sound Quality and Battery Life 2/5
    I expected an AMAZING sound from a prestigious company like Bowers & Wilkins. These buds offer codecs like aptX for higher-quality sound, but the speakers don’t do it for me. Battery life is subpar and rated at 5hrs w/ ANC off and even worst with ANC on. I clocked 3.5ish hours with ANC on; then they turned off with yet another tune. The soundstage sounds puny compared to other buds in my collection at this price point, which could be better. There is no EQ to tune the sound to; you are stuck with hollow and weak lows and mids but nice highs. I am disappointed by the sound B&W produced with these in this price range. The sound quality between ANC on and off is night and day, with a white noise present when the buds are not playing anything. Turn on ANC, and the white noise is just higher pitched but lower in volume. The performance of these all the way around leaves a lot to be desired, and I cannot recommend these when the competition in this range is so fierce.

    I am frustrated by the overall experience put forth by Bowers & Wilkins. A company of this caliber should pay more attention to the details, especially in this digital age of apps and software. No customizations to interface or sound hold this hardware back, with the app being the main reason for this product’s troubles and user experience. Connectivity issues were present from setup and trickled over to everyday use. There may be firmware updates to come out and fix some things, but these buds are not ready for primetime under the Bowers & Wilkins brand. I wanted to love these, but they cannot compete with others in their current software state.

11. 

    TechGeek – March 28, 2023

    Rated 4 out of 5

    Slick design, stylish look with an extremely comfortable fit for long hrs. of listening. Comes in great colors. The setup was a breeze and took me less than a minute to have it paired to the B&W app and my galaxy fold 4 phone. Touch controls are great and very responsive. Tested it while I was on a two-hour run and felt very comfortable having it for two straight hours. Its IP54 rated meaning, resists dust and water splashes.

    It has a 9.2mm dynamic driver with defining range, the bass which falls in lows or low midrange is below my expectations (varies with individual love for bass) and expected more given its price. The mids and highs are amazingly good, crisp audio, richer and more lively audio experience for all genres even at high volume. These earbuds definitely stand out on the audio clarity among 20+ ones I reviewed so far when it comes to picking up the mids and highs.

    Key features
    • Good battery life. Lasted a little over 4.5 hrs. at normal volume and 19 hrs. of listening time with the case battery.
    • Uses Bluetooth 5.0 which is the latest standard with increased Bluetooth range – up to 85 ft. The connectivity range is impressive and didn’t have any issues with connectivity while walking around a 2 floor home with my phone sitting in a corner room.
    • ANC (Active Noise Cancellation) is above average when I compare my experience to the high-end earbuds that are in the same price range. I tried Pi5 S2 and two others on a plane ride and felt the Pi5 S2 can do a little better on the noise cancellation feature. I love the transparency or pass through mode – low and high settings, great to hear music while being more attentive to surrounding noise, especially while I am out on a run.
    • Mic quality is amazing, didn’t have any issues hearing others and talking to people while I was at the airport and on the plane.

    Had a few glitches where the earbuds connectivity was flaky and cut out couple times after few hours of listening. It happened a couple times and I had to disconnect and reconnect the earbuds to fix it. I wasn’t sure if it was my phone (galaxy fold 4) or the app or the buds. Looking for an app/software update if this is related to the earbuds. Didn’t have any issues with other earbuds though. Also, the earbuds doesn’t stay connected on the B&W app all the time, so you have reconnect to the app to change the settings or try out other features. The app needs some improvement and a few more features for audio settings – personalized equalizer settings would be a good addition.

    Overall, I am impressed by the audio quality, the design and comfort for long hours of listening and would highly recommend it. I was always impressed by B&W’s new products and the amazing sound quality they have on their audio devices. As an audiophile, I am always on the lookout for the best, and B&W never failed to impress me with their innovative technology. The app needs a little improvement along with the few fixes on the earbuds for flaky connection at times. It also needs a little improvement on the ANC technology to be on par with earbuds in that price range.

12. 

    NyVetteGuy – March 29, 2023

    Rated 3 out of 5

    The Bowers & Wilkins Pi5 S2 come in a compact package that when not in use fit easily in your pocket. The charging case is thin and unobtrusive.

    The advertised earbud battery performance is five hours of listening time before a charge is required. As for charging methods the Bowers & Wilkins Pi5 S2 can be charged with ether a micro usb cable or via any wireless Qi charger. This certainly facilitates not having to carry around a cable but you need to have access to wireless charging. I have numerous Qi chargers in my house and office but carry a cable around when traveling as wireless chargers are not yet ubiquitous enough to be able to count on for your charging needs.

    Another major differentiator when comparing the Bowers & Wilkins Pi5 S2 to other Bluetooth truly wireless earbuds is the fact that Bowers & Wilkins advertises that the Pi5 S2 have enhanced wireless connectivity which allows the connection to remain stable for up to 85 feet in increased Bluetooth range as opposed to the usual 30 feet or so with other truly wireless earbuds. In my real world use (for music listening) I had a stable connection much further than 30 feet but short of 85, many factors effect this such as other interference etc but rest assured the range is great for your everyday use.

    My Bowers & Wilkins Pi5 S2 came in the Cloud Grey color and the case has a nice non slippery feel to it.

    I downloaded the Bowers & Wilkins Music App from the Apple App Store (also available from Google Play) and configured my phone to work with my phone and the app.

    The Bowers & Wilkins Pi5 S2 have advanced noise cancellation that adapts to your surroundings and two mics per earbud for enhanced voice quality.

    Now to real world performance.

    The sound is amazing for music, channel separation is great, highs are crisp and bass is sufficiently deep. I travel a lot so noise cancellation is important to me and the Pi5 S2 advanced noise cancellation is fantastic and you have the ability to adjust the cancellation as well as having 2 different settings for transparency if you need to hear your surroundings.

    One feature I wish the Pi5 S2 had in the app is be an adjustable EQ. While the sound is great, being able to further adjust to my tastes would make them even better as far as sound quality in my opinion.

    As for phone call quality that’s where in my experience the Pi5 S2 fall short. The connection was somewhat spotty sounding between my phone and the earbuds for phone calls in my experience, the connection would come in and out although it didn’t appear that the people I was talking to noticed any issue in my microphone connection. Perhaps a software update in the future will take care of this issue.

    Overall the sound is great for music, if you just do that with your ear buds you should be fine.

    If your earbuds are a tool that you need to use for work (phone calls) and play (music) they fall short of perfect for me.

13. 

    ArmadaJim – March 30, 2023

    Rated 4 out of 5

    These earbuds are fairly comfortable and very easy to insert. The cover the range of highs and lows fairly well. They have a good bass thump and clarity is very impressive. Noise cancelling is among the the best I have heard in earbuds. Phone calls are clear and easy to hear and be understood. The touch controls are very simple and straight forward. I really like that you can answer a call from either earbud as most sets I have come across from competitors are limited to the right earbud for calling. Unboxing was very clean and simple and pairing was fast and easy with the one touch button on the case. The aesthetic is clean, though can look a little like having Frankenstein bolts coming out of your ears. The passthrough feature is useful, but I prefer to keep it off as I find it negates a bit of the noise cancelling feature when listening music. To test the noise cancelling I played music on my home theater system at a comfortable volume then played music over my earbuds at the same time and could barely hear my home theater at all. I tested a range of music from classical, pop, R&B, alternative rock and all came through beautifully.

14. 

    MoGJ – April 11, 2023

    Rated 4 out of 5

    Bowers & Wilkins’ second iteration of their Pi5 S2 Earbuds brings great features and bass-oriented sound to its listeners.

    The Pi5 S2 Earbuds, while on the larger side compared to other earbuds, are comfortable and fit well. The S2s can last for 5 hours without needing to recharge with noise cancellation on and an additional 19 hours through its charging/holding case. While on the larger side also, the charging case can provide about 2 hours worth of audio time with just 15 minutes of charging! It is also wireless charging compatible so you do not need to plug in a USB C cable into the case to charge.

    These earbuds have some of the latest features other headphones are starting to incorporate. They offer adjustable noise cancellation, tap features on the earbuds themselves (turn on/off noise cancellation, pause/play music, and more), and smart voice assistant features including Amazon Alexa and Google Home. The noise cancellation feature on the S2s also allows for selective noise passthrough; you can allow little, medium, or no external audio (audio from your surroundings or environment) via a setting on the Music – Bowers & Wilkins mobile app. This was a neat feature and I did notice a difference with each level of noise passthrough. This made it super convenient when needing to speak to someone without removing my earbuds.

    Now for the audio. The audio sounded amazing and what you would expect from Bowers & Wilkins. I did notice the bass on the heavier side (It reminds me of the sound another company offers that is closely related to the spelling of a group of vegetable (beets)) but not distracting enough to not notice the synths and instruments in the music I listened to. (I can see where people will say the bass can be overpowering, but others, I think, will find they prefer it that way). Aside from the bass, music was rich and I enjoyed listening to classic rock albums such as the Beatles’ Abbey Road and Hip Hop albums.

    Now for the cons. I found that the Music B&W app doesn’t offer an equalizer or way to adjust the audio frequencies. This would help tweak the bass for those that prefer a more balanced listening session. Secondly, I found that the noise canceling was lacking. For the price point, I expected it to do an even better job at muffling my surroundings. Third, I found that when using the S2s for calls, the microphone captured much of my surroundings and made it difficult to use in busy areas. Other headphones I’ve used were able to block out most of the background noise. Lastly, since the S2s are IP54 rated for sweat and water resistance, I decided to test them while exercising. While exercising and running, I noticed I had to readjust them in my ears to not fall out.

    Overall, the B&W Pi5 S2 earbuds sound great and offer several features, but lack details that could push them above the competition. I still recommend them to those that are looking for incredibly sounding earbuds and have an equalizer embedded in their music player. Additionally, while they do not have an all-muffling noise cancellation, having decent selective noise cancellation is very convenient, especially when around others.

15. 

    Marine778 – April 11, 2023

    Rated 4 out of 5

    The Bower & Wilkins (B&W) iP5 S2 are by far the most high end earbud style headphones I have ever tried. I had high expectations for these headphones, and I would have to say aspects exceeded my expectations, while other aspects fell short. Overall, I want to like these more than I actually do.

    Let me start by the unboxing and overall appearance of the item. As most quality products these days, the unboxing of electronics are somewhat of an experience in itself. Same goes for the iP5’s, it really just adds to the experience and anticipation of getting to the device. Once you get them, I was happy to notice right off the bat that they are USB-C. This should be the standard all around, and many companies are going that way unless they use a proprietary option. The case that covers and charges the individual ear pieces is a little larger than most brands I have seen. It has a nice matte finish, which shows prints easily, but is also easily cleaned. Personally, I love matte black and gray, so it was attractive to me. The case has a nice snap to it when you open and close it, which is very satisfying for those fidgety types. The earpieces are fairly large, much bulkier than I would have expected. But in order to have all the features they have, it is only natural that they would be bigger than other brands that only boast a 3-4 hour battery and no noise cancellation. They use silicone cups in your ears, to get that tight seal as well as help hold the earbuds in place. There are alternative sizes that come with it, so you can customize the earbuds to your liking. They look great, feel great (if you like that style of earbuds) and they feel substancial.

    As for the ease of use? This is where things became problematic. There is an app that works between your device and your phone. I use an iPhone, but I also tested it on an android. To be completely honest, I got really frustrated and had to put them down for a little while. I could not for the life of me get the device to connect to my iPhone. I went through the FAQ’s and nothing worked. Deleted, unpaired, reset, everything I read to do and could think of doing. Nothing worked. Tried it on my Android and it was no better. I was seconds away from calling their customer service and it just started working when I loaded it again. It has cut out a few time since, but reconnected easily. I have zero clue why it was not working before. One special note related to this. I have not figured out whether or not I can listed to my Apple music using these headphpnes yet. I have only gotten things to work using the apps you can connect to via the B&W Music app. So that is a big deal to me. After I re-read the features of this device, maybe that is the only way to listen to music with them? It is vague enough to be frustrating.

    The Bluetooth 5.0 is awesome! I can literally go from one end of the house to the other and it stays connected. Such a difference over my other headphones in that respect. So many other brands are still using 4.0 and I have no idea why. This is such a step forward, huge difference.

    So sound? What can I say. It is insanely awesome. I am not a person that knows much about the tech specs of the drivers used, but I know good sound when I hear it. I have never used earbuds that have a comparable level of clarity that you would find in an over the ear set of headphones. I just cannot stress how good these sound. Crisp clear hights and mids and hard hitting bass. And the depth of the sound is magnificent. No to mention, it has ACTUAL noise cancellation with sound filtering levels. Meaning, you can block out the sound, or you can let a little or a lot of it through (like if you are out running or have to listen for the kiddos). But the noise cancellation is impressive. Usually when you get a similar pair, the cup plugging into your ear is considered to be the cancelling feature. Not here. This eliminates outside sound almost completely, again similar to an over the ear style set up.

    So there you have it, my good and bad with these particular earphones. If I cannot get the apple music to work with it, then I would not get these again. I am a simple person, I like what I like and I am comfortable with the interface of the music and podcast apps I use. I want to plug something in and it works. I have other devices that have a proprietary app that comes with it, but I did not have any issues with them. That said, it is not a deal breaker, as this is by far the best set of in-ear headphones that I have ever used. The sound quality is unmatched by anything else I own or have every owned as far as in-ear options. So I would actually recommend them to the audiophile that willing to fiddle with the app more than I am.

16. 

    JWright – August 30, 2023

    Rated 5 out of 5

    The B&W Pi5 earbuds are great. They fit well, sound great, and all the features you could need. They have very decent bass response, and the highs never sound harsh or brash. I upgraded from the Jabra 65t’s and these definitely sound better. Phone calls sound good, and voice clarity is more than decent. The available app is overall not necessary, but when used it does function as expected and allows for simple control of some features such as ANC. Bluetooth syncing to an iphone works fine once you figure out that you have to sync to the charging case first, and then that allows the phone to pair with the headphones. After the first time though, it just pairs to the headphones as expected with no issues. I like these a lot. They sound good, fit great, and work easily and reliably.

17. 

    Dude – September 29, 2023

    Rated 5 out of 5

    The earbuds are so comfortable and the sound system is awesome.

18. 

    Unknown – October 20, 2023

    Rated 5 out of 5

    Nice sound. Don’t fit my ears very well . Plus now they are $100 cheaper 2 weeks after I got them

19. 

    GoogleLifter – October 30, 2023

    Rated 3 out of 5

    Wanted to like these earbuds but was disappointed on build quality, noise cancellation, and daily use.
    I’m comparing these earbuds to very similar priced earbuds that I have (Airpods Pro 2, Sennheiser TW2, M&D MW08 Sport, B&O E8 Sport). Although I typically think that B&W headphones have premium build, these seem cheap compared to the previously mentioned headphones. Their noise cancellation and switching between transparency mode is very odd, something I use a lot with my Airpods Pro that they are great at. When it comes to sound quality, yes they are good but I wouldn’t say noticeably better than the aforementioned. Overall, they aren’t great at anything but good overall. For the price, look elsewhere.

20. 

    Daniboi – November 10, 2023

    Rated 1 out of 5

    I was not impressed by these. The sennheiser MW3 sound a lot better. And the battery life not great.

21. 

    Kyle – December 29, 2023

    Rated 5 out of 5

    The sound on these is amazing. They are great ear buds. I highly recommend them.