Bowers & Wilkins Pi5 S2 True Wireless Earbuds - Active Noise Cancellation, Qualcomm aptX Technology, Bluetooth, Crystal-Clear Calls, Wireless & 15-Minute Quick Charging, Storm Grey

I am not what I'd consider an audiophile... but I do care quite a bit about what I consider "sound quality". most of what i listen to are MQ files downloaded on deezer (fiio m11plus) or the entire collection of nin live audio files (also on the same device). i switch around headphones, preferring over-ear for the best quality and comfort, but the bluetooth earbuds for convenience and forced isolation when out in public.i love these headphones. i had the previous iteration... and they rocked. but they wouldn't connect with my dap unless i used the adaptor cable (annoying) and, besides, they went through the washing machine.these sound great, fit well (i usually can;t even wear earbuds - the "best" earbuds, the sony-you knows?. so uncomfortable... same with the apple ones)... hell, they are downright comfortable, maybe even a little more so than their predecessors. they are beautifully made, have that nice expensive feel.As previously stated, i'm not an expert, so the following reviews are more or less based on my personal preferences (loud "music" that sounds like noise to philistines, rock, classical, old school hip hop, really old country, and a few real oddball items)... Mostly stuff that, well, all of it requires completely different "flavors" of headphone tonality: the P2 does a truly excellent job at a lot of what i ;iisten to (lucky for me it does best with the EDM/industrial/rock/OSHH; my faves), a completely passable job on almost everything else, and a somewhat mediocre job on stuff like classical, mostly because this is a bass-heavy, ckear and piercing highs, occasionally buried mids AND suffers from an inability to get loud enough, expecially wrt certain frequencies. The quality of your audio device makes a real difference. These sound buttery and smooth with my fiio, but even when i FINALLY got them to bind with my astell&kerns (2) they sounded kind of weak, to tell the truth. Buuuuuut everything else, pretty much, sounded great with these suckers, including my phonea (samsung z fold 2 and 12 pro iphone).i'd say go for 'em.

Was a loyal B&W fan, still own some of their speakers and zeppelin airs and wired headphones, and owned the previous generation of the Pi5 S1s. The sound quality of these blows everything else in the segment away and makes my sennheiser momentums sound tinny and crap. The battery life has also greatly improved compared to the S1s. The fast charging case also really helps with continued use on long flights.However being almost a year into ownership I'm experiencing major usability issues. First, the right earbud multi-function button would occasionally get stuck and double tap/beep nonstop causing my phone to continuously skip to the next track nonstop. I would have to place the buds back into the case in order to solve the issue. The right earbud also has significantly less battery life than the left earbud, and I can only get about 2.5 hours of playtime at 93% volume before the right earbud shuts down. On android once the bluetooth battery life indicates 14% battery you have mere minutes before it shuts down, but the left earbud will reconnect and continue to play for much longer.The earbuds and case also won't reliably charge consistently, and I've had many times leaving it to charge on a wireless charge pad overnight where it did not charge the earbuds but the case light was solid green. I've learned now that if I place the case with the buds in it onto the pad and the case light is solid green right away despite me draining the earbuds it can mean that it's not charging the earbuds, and imagine my frustration in putting in my earbuds before a long flight only to find them not charged at all. The light indicator on the case also no longer turn red at all indicating <20%, only yellow and green.Lastly, my only attempt at putting in a warranty claim for these issues was met with casual accusations of misuse. After voicing my issues with their warranty department, the gentleman casually implied that the multi-function button issue could be due to me sweating on them while using these at the gym. I'm not a sweaty person, and my previous Pi5 S1s had none of these issues while under the same use case and lifestyle. He then asked me to e-mail him a copy of the proof of purchase, and that he'd mail out a kit for sending the unit in. After sending the the e-mail with the receipt(from Amazon), I never heard from B&W ever again nor received anything in the mail. I use these buds quite frequently and it is a hassle to be without them for weeks so I didn't pursue any further, but it dampened my enthusiasm for their products.The frustrations you put up with for decent sound quality.

One of the worst tech products I've ever used. I have tons of complaints so here we go:1. They are super uncomfortable as if they were not designed for humans ears whatsoever. I've used free airline earbuds that were a better fit. Very painful.2. The buttons are touch and not physical, so if you are wearing gloves or your hands are full you won't be able to pause. (Getting rid of real buttons is a common modern tech fail)3. The feature where taking a bud out to pause is very much broken. It will rapidly pause and pause while they're still in your ear. And yes, even when you wear them the way they ask you to in the diagrams. There's a way to turn it off which leads me to number 44. To use key features such as deactivating the removal sensor, or use audio pass through you need to download the app and sign up with an account. I think I speak for everyone when I say: we are sick of signing up and giving our emails and other info away for every tiny thing in life. Minus points just for this.5. THERE ARE NO VOLUME CONTROLS! Just brain dead decisions here. Never have I ever used an audio device in which you could not control the volume.6. They are 4x the price of, let's say, Raycons. But not even close 4x the level of audio quality. Paying 4x the price for a tiny improvement of sound is a waste of money.