Bowers & Wilkins Pi5 S2 review: our full review – Headphones and earphones


Bowers & Wilkins are a renowned British brand in high-end audio, known for their top quality loudspeakers for over 50 years. The manufacturer has also extended its expertise to wireless headphones and earphones, with a range of quality products. The entry ticket to the brand’s sound universe is traditionally high. If the B&W Pi5 S2 headphones open the range, you will still have to pay almost 300 € to acquire them. A very high price with regard to the technical characteristics announced. Indeed, if the very good B&W Pi7 S2 headphones are equipped with double transducers, the Pi5 S2 have an acoustic solution with a single transducer, which could not be more conventional. In short, the asking price sets the bar very high.

Bowers & Wilkins Pi5 S2Technical sheet

ModelBowers & Wilkins Pi5 S2
Format

in-ear headphones

Removable battery

No

Microphone

Yes

Active noise reduction

Yes

Autonomy announced

24 hours

connector type

USB Type-C

Bluetooth Version

5.0

Weight

12 grams

Price

299 €

Product sheet

This test was carried out with headphones lent by B&W.

Bowers & Wilkins Pi5 S2Design

The B&W Pi5 S2 headphones look like two drops of water to the Pi7 S2, colors aside. These are stemless headphones, in-ear type, with a circular brushed aluminum touch zone. Each earphone has a pair of microphones, hidden behind thin grilles. The silicone tips incorporate a small plug of acoustic foam, intended to attenuate parasitic sound reflections.

The B&W Pi5 S2 and Pi7 S2 are strictly identical // Source: Tristan Jacquel for Frandroid

Each shell is shaped to dock with the pinna of the ear, subject to a slight rearward rotation upon insertion into the ear canal. The build quality is very good and the materials used give the Pi5 S2 a premium feel.

The case is a horizontal model with integrated induction charging circuit (charger not supplied). It is equipped with a horizontal indicator LED on the front which indicates its charge status and a button inside to launch the Bluetooth pairing of the headphones. A USB-C cable is delivered for charging the case.

Bowers & Wilkins Pi5 S2Use and application

The wearing comfort is impeccable. The headphones fit easily into the ear and stay there under all circumstances. Even after several hours of listening, mechanical fatigue is insignificant. Small flat, the B&W Pi5 S2 are sensitive to impacts in the ground of their user, particularly during a jog.

B&W Pi5 S2 Review
The wearing comfort is pleasant and its stability allows you to practice a sport // Source: Tristan Jacquel for Frandroid

In this case, we suffer from sub-bass noise, which is more or less annoying depending on whether we listen at low or high volume. Apart from this aspect, sports practice is perfectly possible, especially since the headphones are IP54 certified and are therefore resistant to perspiration and rain. Their sensitivity to wind is negligible and therefore one can listen to music while walking on windy days. Port detection is a plus, and the headphones automatically pause playback.

No volume control on headphones

The touch zones are reactive and of controlled sensitivity. They thus respond appropriately to the commands of the user. Unfortunately, important functions are missing. Certainly, it is possible to manage playback (pause, next/previous track), phone calls, activate ANC or invoke the voice assistant of the smartphone, but volume adjustment is not possible . Ditto for activating the transparency mode, only accessible in the app.

An app that lacks maturity

The Bowers & Wilkins Music app has very limited functions. No equalizer is integrated and the reprogramming of the touch zones is impossible.

The app offers to add its online music service directly to it, without any particular benefit, except to have shortcuts to certain playlists or radio stations. In the end, this app is useful only for updating the firmware headphones as well as the management of ANC and transparency mode.

Multipoint Bluetooth

The B&W Pi5 S2 headphones offer easy Bluetooth pairing with Android smartphones, thanks to the Google Fast Pair protocol which allows automatic detection of the headphones by the nearest smartphone. The connection is multipoint, making it easy to switch from one source to another without having to disconnect. The radio link is robust, without interruption up to 10 meters, even through thin walls.

Three codecs are offered for audio transmission, SBC, AAC and aptX.

Bowers & Wilkins Pi5 S2Active noise reduction

The B&W Pi5 S2 earphones are equipped with an active noise reduction system, the performance of which is correct, but remains well below the benchmarks in the category, in particular the Apple AirPods Pro 2 and Bose QuietComfort Earbuds II. The intensity of the noise reduction is medium and applies almost mainly to bass sounds. The performances are far too feeble to hope for serenity at the edge of a boulevard or in public transport.

B&W Pi5 S2 Review
The case of the B&W Pi5 S2 // Source: Tristan Jacquel for Frandroid

The transparent mode is not convincing either and bears its name badly. Although there are two intensity modes, neither is loud enough and you have to strain your ears to have a conversation.

Bowers & Wilkins Pi5 S2Audio

I listened to the B&W Pi5 S2 with various iPhones and Android smartphones, from Apple Music and Tidal.

Bowers & Wilkins opted for a conventional acoustic solution with a single transducer per earphone, different from the more sophisticated one used in the Pi7 S2. The latter are indeed equipped with double transducers to reproduce the high frequencies more effectively. Here, the 9.2 mm transducer reproduces the entire audio spectrum and is necessarily less precise. But above all, its restitution is far from linear, with a very marked V-shaped sound signature.

Sound signature of the B&W Pi5 S2

The tonal balance is thus very physiological and emphasizes the frequencies that we naturally hear little. In other words, the low register is opulent, the midrange clearly set back and the treble almost brilliant. If you are looking for a neutral sound, go your way, B&W has opted for a particularly colorful V signature. This is not necessarily a bad thing, because you can listen at very high volume without being attacked by the middle frequencies – to which our ears are excessively sensitive.

B&W Pi5 S2 Review
The lightness of the headphones is appreciable // Source: Tristan Jacquel for Frandroid

In addition, this tonal balance gives a flattering aspect to the most raw sound recordings. So to speak, the B&W Pi7 S2 put honey in everything we listen to and make it easier to listen to delicate titles. Take I try by Macy Gray or rehab by Amy Winehouse, titles with excessively compressed dynamics, which mix raw rhythmic sections and voices on the verge of saturation: all this passes cream. Even frankly hard pieces (Heavy Cross by Gossip, Killing in the name from Rage Against The Machine) are played with a very controlled aggressiveness.

But, at low levels, the withdrawal of the mid frequencies envelops the vocals in an artificial brilliance, which also suffers from a lack of skin tone.

However, the sound message is always coherent (no roughness or sibilance) and not caricatural.

  • Low: very opulent and powerful especially in its upper part.
  • Medium: soft, very set back, it lacks definition at low volume
  • Treble: medium resolution and a sometimes intrusive hint of brilliance

Dynamic behavior and soundstage

Without reaching the excellent transient regime of the Pi7 S2, the B&W Pi5 S2 headphones demonstrate a very dynamic character. The impacts are generous and as you push the volume, the sound plans do not settle. The stage is wide and relatively deep, given the set back midrange, but again, set back from the Pi7 S2. To put it simply, there is punch and still aeration. This is clearly the strong point of this S2 series.

Bowers & Wilkins Pi5 S2Microphone

The B&W Pi5 S2 headphones aren’t a great solution for voice calls because surrounding noise isn’t filtered out. In fact, this can create an inconvenience for the interlocutor who hears everything that is happening around the user. Although this is not bothersome in a quiet environment, it can become problematic in noisy environments such as the street or public transport. It’s a shame, because the quality of the voice of the interlocutor is excellent.

Bowers & Wilkins Pi5 S2Autonomy

During this test, the B&W Pi5 S2 lasted 4h20 at 50% volume, ANC active. That battery life is pretty average, but combined with the charging case capable of twice resuscitating the headphones’ battery, most uses should be covered.

B&W Pi5 S2 Review
B&W Pi5 S2 headphones on their case // Source: Tristan Jacquel for Frandroid

What’s more, the fast charge kicks in when the headphones are flat and restores 2 hours of battery life after 15 minutes in the case.

Bowers & Wilkins Pi5 S2Price and release date

The Bowers & Wilkins Pi5 S2 headphones are available in Storm Grey, Cloud Gray and Spring Lilac colors for €299 including VAT. It’s 100 € less than the B&W Pi7 S2, but acoustically much worse. At this price, the B&W Pi5 S2 compete with the Audio-Technica ATH-TWX9 (€329), a little less dynamic, but more conventional in their signature and capable of distilling more details. Finally, if you agree to spend €300 to pamper your ears, you can consider the excellent Apple AirPods Pro 2 (€279).

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