Bowers & Wilkins - PI7 S2

I’ve got the Pi7 s2’s, the WF-1000XM5s, AirPods Pro (latest), and the Denon Perl Pro - and they all have their pros and cons. The Denon Perl Pro are the sleeper though, they look bizarre, but once you run the tuning program they sound as good if not better than the others. Haven’t tried the Pi8’s yet, but love my Px8’s.

As a big B+W fan, the Pi7S2 was such a disappointment. Really sounded veiled.

To me, the Bose Ultra sound pretty good. I returned the Pi7 S2 immediately, sounds super veiled like it’s behind three heavy velvet curtains. Was hoping it sounded amazing but the Sony and Bose are far better in raw sound quality.

I have some B&W pi7 s2. Sound great last me the night whole schoolday from 7 till 3

I have been using the MTW4 for just about a year. At the same time I have Bose Ultra Quiet II and B&W pi7 s2. For most of the days I have the MTW4 with me. Bose was my first pair of wireless earbud and its ANC and sound quality (comparing with my original ancient iPhone wired earbud) blew me away, until I tried the MTW4. Yes its ANC and bass is not as strong as Bose, but its sound quality is much better with wider sound stage, more details and more clear, and it’s very well balanced that it won’t sound harsh to your ears. The Pi7 s2 has the most beautiful sound out of the three, but its lacklustre ANC and lack of control on the earbud makes me only use it at home when the surroundings are quiet. I heard Pi8 does better than Pi7 but the price keeps me away from giving it a try. MTW4 has accompanied me on hundreds of occasions when I need to separate myself from the noisy environment and let me live in my own world. I really love this pair of little things. Until recently, it started to malfunction from time to time. The ANC of the right earbud sometimes suddenly goes a little “transparent” and I can hear the noise outside. It is not very obvious but it makes you feel the imbalance between the left earbud. At first I thought maybe it’s due to the noisy environment, however, one day, I literary caught the moment when the right earbud went from normal ANC to abnormal, with a subtle “click” sound. Then I knew it was not my hallucination. Sometimes when I put it back to the case and took it out again, it fixed itself, but sometime it doesn’t. I don’t know where to turn to fix this problem but it’s really annoying to see the beloved earbud malfunction :(

I havent got yet pi8 but i have got DPP and pi7s2 previously owned . Denon perl pro is not sounding like tws . Its different , it sounds like wired IEM exactly , so powerful, detailed, spacious, boddied. Loudly.. denon is also not comfy its the worst design earbud i have owned so far (22 earbuds i experienced ) fitting big issue, and painful ear chamber and canal paining after 20/min max anyway in term of sound quality denon is gonna be 10 times better than pi8 but only sound quality. Ifni need to list my top 5 earbuds it woiod be; 1- noble audio fokus pro, mystique (or prestige) 2- denon perl pro 3- final audio ze8000 mk2 4- status 3anc between 5- bower wilkins earbuds PS: i owned sony xm5 , beoplay ex, airpods pro2 , beats fit pro, bose qc ultra… many many more u can ask me specific comparisons between any of these if u want. Anything i will answer honestly . All i can yell you is: there is still not made perfect earbuds;) im still hunting ans couldnt find and never gonna be found i guess.

I owned all these 3 , i would rank ; - denon - b&w - b&o EX is for very calm listening and mostly home listening volume too low not loud, and anc almost dont exist so outdoor listening not pleasent. Sound signature is too flat . Not excited or dynamic typical B&O’s profile . If you listen classic music and home listening its good . Pi7s so smooth , V shape eq well controlled bass amazing very accurate. Volume Low not loudly, anc works great and its fine for outdoor listening. App is complete garbage never release softwarre or bud patches. User interface annoying . Only sound is good rest of all trash but.. with new pi8 they fixed it all So u can consider pi8 fyi better than all Denon perl pro. Its crazy boddied and wide soundstage profile So powerful loudly and seperarion so good, everything is just like wired iem sounding personilized soundprofile after done. But only one down side , design horrible not for everyonr very painful or wont secure ur ears if ur ears not regular and just quirky . Forget about it

B&W Pi8 or Pi7 S2 and it's not even close, used em all and have no budget restrictions for some reason I just ever so slightly prefer the S2 sound but not sure that's because my new buds aren't broken in yet

The Denon's sound very good but not as good as either of my B&Ws earbuds. When listening to either the Pi7s2 or Pi8 and then switching to the Denons I notice how horrible the vocals really are in the Denon's. If I judge an earbuds sound quality by how well it produces bass the Dennon's do well but so do the Pi7s2s. For overall sound quality I chose the Pi8's.

B&W Pi7 S2 and Bose QuietComfort Ultra

Because they sound the best to me

I purchased the Jbl tour pro 3 four days ago. I returned them yesterday. They sounded good, but my ears couldn't get a good seal on them. I tried all the ear tips. I got the B&O Pi7 S2, they fit perfectly.

The Sennheiser‘s have a giant case that will not fit in your pocket nicely. I don’t know if that’s a factor or not. And to me their sound is overly warm and a bit subdued sounding, and the microphone quality is not great. The Denon’s are the best sounding of the bunch. But they’re not that comfortable and will fall out during exercise. The Bowers and Wilkins have surprisingly poor sound. they are great for certain genres of music that are more bass heavy but for something like rock music they sound like trash. I saw you mention banging Olsen in another comment. They don’t sound great to me either and are hit or miss as far as the fit, depending on your ear shape. that leaves the Sony‘s and techniques. If you have the capability, I would buy them both, try them out, and return the one that you don’t like best. Between noise canceling, sound, quality, mic quality, fit, the battery, etc. they each have their pros and cons, but end up stacking up fairly equal. I had a problem with the Sony‘s in that they would not make a perfect seal in my ears, and I’ve seen other people mention that as well, so that could be a factor. You will absolutely see a difference in sound quality and noise canceling if you’re able to achieve a perfect seal. In the end, after trying out 20 earbuds, I kept the Master & Dynamic MW09. But they’re sold out everywhere now. If you want to pursue those, check out my review in my post history.

Does anyone here know about the final VR3000 Wireless? Someone wants to trade it for my B&W Pi7 S2 with some added cash (+115 USD to be exact) Should I accept? For context, I literally hate how the Pi7 S2s sound. I want to know if the VR3000 is decent, if not, I'll just look for a full cash buyer

This is marketing and brand reach doing what it does best. There are plenty of brands doing great things in the market that aren't getting a lot of attention. JLAB's Epic Lab earbuds were fantastic; JBL, Moondrop, Nothing Ear, SoundPeats, numerous other brands tested very well against the top of my list, which consisted of the Denon Perl Pro, Technics AZ80, Sennheiser True Wireless Momentum 4, Sony XM5, AirPods Pro, B&W Pi7 S2 and Pi8. I have the AZ100s on the way, and I'm sure they'll occupy one of those top spots. It's important to note, however, that many of these brands do not need to push as many units to remain successful. At the economies of scale companies like Sony, Sennheiser, and Bose are operating at, the investment into their production, distribution, customer service, and operations pipelines is immense. They are likely expecting to sell tens of thousands of units, to the thousands that other brands need to turn a profit. And while you may see those more prolific brands everywhere, don't forget the communities of people on social media platforms that regularly market and recommend the opposing brands. They're not as common, but that's to be expected and will remain that way by nature. In other words, while the popular brands may be ubiquitous, that is by design. It doesn't mean opposing manufacturers are on a downward trajectory. This was the assumption when Jabra cancelled its TWS ANC lineup, and that may have been part of the decision, but Jabra had other, more profitable interests and chose to constrain their business goals around those interests because there was more opportunity there. As someone that's tested dozens of ANC earbuds (and has a wide ranging collection of dedicated, wired IEMs), I have very few biases when it comes to competing brands. If it works well, I'll use the thing. I have no qualms recommending a pair of Soundcore VR P10s, right alongside top-tier TWS sets if I think it fits the individual's use case. Recently, I took a long flight overseas and left all the other major TWS brands behind and took a cheap pair of PortaPros and a $20 pair of Aliexpress stem-style earbuds with me. Everyone else on the plane was wearing AirPods.

Apple AirPods Pro are near the bottom of my list for sound quality. Their value is in feature set and ecosystem integration. It no longer owns the top spot in ANC, which goes to the Bose QC Ultra. If you want the best earbuds for sound quality and balance of features, Denon Perl Pro with AAT, Sennheiser Momentum True Wireless 4 with Sound Personalization, Technics AZ100, Technics AZ80, Bowers & Wilkins Pi8, Pi7 S2, and the Sony WF-1000XM5. In that order. If you need a cheaper option, the JLab Epic Lab Edition is a great “budget” option. I don’t own the JBL sets, but I’ve heard good things. Which buds you choose should be based on personal preference. If I preferred a more neutral tuning, the Pi8 would probably be higher on my list. I prefer JM-1 or V-shaped tunings, with strong low frequency emphasis, and bright, clear treble. The best overall performer if you places ANC and sound quality on the same scale would be either the AZ100 or MTW4. Both have solid ANC, with the AZ100 coming out ahead, but the MTW4 beating the Technics in tuning due to the AZ100s strange upper mid/treble timbre. Anything below the JLab, you’d need to reassess your expectations. Some sets have decent enough sound quality, but below a certain budget you’d might as well shoot for a dedicated IEM and something like a Qudelix 5k for your wireless connection.

i felt the same way, but they hit one out of the ball park with the PI8; TONS better than the PI7-2

Lol yeah, Acoustical engineering was the first of many passions in my life that never left me. The B&W Pi7 and Pi7s2 were garbage. Sound quality good, but fit was terrible, ANC terrible. The Pi8 are great.....except I hate the style - I preferred the Pi7 styling much more. But if they are not comfortable (many reports), I can't justify the price (even when they were on clearance at $250). The B&W Pi8 get great marks all around - improved sound, more comfortable, improved ANC, better call quality. So overall worth the money it seems. The B&O EX earbuds were a first gen product. Great sound quality, no complaints about comfort from what I gathered. But ANC was pathetic for the price tag and age of the product (no excuses, much cheaper $150 earbuds at the time had better ANC software and that should not have been the case) The B&O Eleven again fixed all those issues and made a great earbud. Personally if I were in the pursuit of premium sound quality, the Nobel and B&O earbuds would be high on my list. But yeah I really personally can not justify going to that level of premium earbuds just yet. I don't feel like we've reached the pinnacle of design to justify these prices. Because for me, it's not just about performance. When you're spending $500 on an ear piece, it better f*cking look good. I don't want some ugly tacky plastic piece on my ears. Why don't we see more metals and such in premium earbuds? I'd love some silver, gold or titanium trim accents! Let's make these fashion pieces instead of trying to hide them (or make them white to blend in with all other airpods..... sigh). Ok, stepping off my shoebox now haha

Same. Those WERE my second fave after the Bowers PI7... Then came the 8's, which were good but not like the Sennheiser MTW3. Currently using my tried and true Bose QC II and the Technics AZ80's. This is my second pair of the Bose. I sold the first ones and picked up another after about a year of missing them and toying with other brands along the way. Still want to grab a set of Beoplay EX just out of curiosity. I've had the EQ's but i still want to see what it's all about with the stem form.

Really? The Pi7 was such an expensive let down for me.

Ma vai a cagare .. io ho le BOWER & WiLKiNS top gamma da 399 euro , e Ho anche queste EarFun Air Pro4 , sono un Audiofilo appassionato da 30 anni , e non ho mai ascoltato nulla di simile al prezzo che ho speso per acquistarle ( 79 euro ) è assurdo, ma queste EarFun come qualita' del suono non hanno nulla da invidiare alle mie B&W , alle mie sennhaiser top gamma e alle mie Bose da 360 euro .. non capisco come hanno fatto a crearle e a prezzarle 79 euro ... chi le conosce, chi le ascoltate e le ha comprate, puo' ritenersi fortunato, anzi miracolato .

Nobody knows what is good for you. You have to listen to them. Also it's useful to look into their measurements curve. I didn't listen to the Denon,Jabras and Nothing Ear. Sony are linear but will not amaze you with details and clarity. Same to Technics. Sennheisers sounds just wrong for me with no lows. Bose are ok but initial tuning is too bassy for me. It's like one just increased the bass with eq. I personally have Devialet Gemini 2. Very linear with slight increase of lows and trebles which is easily compensated. Amazing resolution, imaging, separations you name it. But again, just listen to them. I listened to Nobles, B&W, Bang and Olufsen and they did not suite my needs. But maybe they are for you.

I own Bowers & Wilkins noise canceling earbuds, and they are good 8/10. The sound quality isn't as good as Bose and sometimes they are a bit PITA to connect but it keeps all the noise away. I've had them for a couple of years now. Once these are dead, I'll get back to Bose. I'm sure it does well with noise canceling and the sound quality is amazing. If you buy directly from Bose, you can try them out and return them if you don't like them. Look into other brands you can do the same. There's more to that than just the noise canceling feature. There's comfort fit, sound quality and how user friendly they are. All of these will be unique to you.

Hey! Just to clarify. I rated them 8/10, not 2/10 😊 They’re great overall, but not quite perfect. Sometimes when I take them out of the case, they’re a bit slow to connect, and occasionally I have to put them back in and take them out again to get them to sync properly. Sound-wise, I'm used to Bose, which has really crisp, clear audio with just the right amount of bass. The Bowers & Wilkins are close, but not quite at that level for me. That said, I’ve kept them because the noise canceling is excellent... you can even adjust how much ambient sound you want to let in, and they’re really comfortable. I can wear them for long stretches and move around a lot without them falling out or hurting my ears.

I replaced mine 3 times, shit quality really. I gave up and went with Bower and Wilkins

Stay away from B&W. All models have trash call quality. Crazy disappointing. Denon Pro Pearl are a big upgrade vs B&W. Good earbuds going for $150 these days. No complaints on my conference calls now.

I would suggest Technics and Bowers and Wilkins on top of QC ultra. Galaxy Buds 3 pro is not even close to competition. Airpods are more consistent and we have to wait till the end of the year to see if Sony spats something out. Found a thread that might help others to find the "[best earbuds](https://www.reddit.com/r/soundnation/comments/1in69fm/best_wireless_earbuds_2025_reddit_recommendations/)" Yeah the 'top sources' are not good.

Long time Sennheiser fan, MTW2 was fantastic. Two pairs of MTW4 went faulty. Sound for audio is great, but terrible phone call issues and cracking issue which a lot of people have reported. Changed for B&W and no issues.