B&W Pi7 S2 Review: Epic Sound, Mediocre ANC

Bowers & Wilkins are one of the most venerated audio brands in the world, and their Pi7 S2 headphones live up to their reputation – all except the active noise cancellation (ANC). Let’s dive into why these cans are so great, and why ANC leaves something to be desired.

Epic Sound Quality

From the second you press play, it’s evident that the sound quality of the Pi7s is something special. It’s an inviting, spacious-sounding headphone with excellent clarity and well-defined treble. Bass has plenty of impact, but isn’t overpowering.

You can expect immersive sound across a variety of music genres. It doesn’t matter if you’re listening to jazz, hip-hop, pop, rock or anything else. The Pi7s make it sound great!

Average ANC

ANC is the big downside of the Pi7s – it’s really nothing to write home about. You’ll get a bit of ambient noise cancellation, but it doesn’t really deliver the consistency or effectiveness of other models.

This isn’t that big a deal if you’re just using them for music – but if noise cancellation is a priority for you, you might want to look at one of their other options.

Other Highlights

There are a few other good things worth mentioning. The Pi7s are super comfortable and come with plenty of juice. Battery life is impressive when used with the ANC turned off, lasting up to 20 hours. And if you’re in a real pinch, you can turn on a “super fast charge” mode which will give you an hour of playtime just from a 5-minute recharge.

Final Thoughts

The Pi7S2s from Bowers & Wilkins are really great headphones – their sound quality alone makes them worth it. The ANC performance is a little underwhelming, but given the high-quality sound and comfort, it’s easy to overlook. So if you don’t care too much about ANC, these headphones are a great buy!