B&W PI7 S2 Satin Black

B&W PI7 S2 Satin Black – Flagship True Wireless Earbuds With a Two-Way Driver

The Pi7 S2 is the flagship true wireless earbud from Bowers & Wilkins, built around an idea borrowed from the company loudspeakers: give each frequency range its own driver. Every earbud pairs a 9.2 mm dynamic driver for bass and midrange with a balanced armature driver for the treble, fed by a true 24-bit audio connection and high-performance DSP. In Satin Black, it is the discreet finish in the range, and the sound is anything but discreet.

These earbuds are for listeners who treat earbuds as their main hi-fi. Adaptive noise cancellation, three microphones per earbud for calls, and support for aptX Adaptive streaming mean the Pi7 S2 works as a daily commuter and travel companion, but the priority throughout is sound quality: detailed, spacious and closer to a wired Bowers & Wilkins headphone than to ordinary true wireless fare.

Key features

• Two-way driver design: 9.2 mm dynamic driver with a balanced armature unit
• True 24-bit audio connection with high-performance DSP
• Bluetooth 5.0 with aptX Adaptive for high-quality wireless streaming
• Adaptive noise cancellation that responds to the surroundings
• Smartcase retransmits audio from wired sources to the earbuds
• Three microphones per earbud for calls and noise cancellation
• Up to 5 hours per charge, with 16 further hours in the case
• Fast charging: 15 minutes gives about 2 hours of playback
• Wireless charging and USB-C charging for the case
• IP54 dust and splash resistance on the earbuds

Sound performance

Splitting the work between two drivers pays off in separation and control. Bass from the dynamic driver is deep and textured rather than boosted and loose, while the balanced armature unit keeps cymbals, strings and vocal detail clean at the top, even in dense recordings. aptX Adaptive adjusts its bitrate to conditions, holding quality steady on busy streets and in crowded stations, and the overall tuning follows the balanced, detailed character Bowers & Wilkins applies to its speakers and over-ear headphones.

Noise cancellation and calls

Adaptive ANC samples the environment and adjusts cancellation accordingly, taking the edge off traffic, office noise and cabin rumble while keeping the music natural. Three microphones in each earbud serve both the cancellation system and voice pickup, using wind and noise suppression so calls stay understandable outdoors. Touch controls on the earbuds manage playback, calls and voice assistant access without reaching for the phone.

Battery and the Smartcase

The earbuds run for up to 5 hours with a further 16 hours held in the case, giving 21 hours in total, and a 15-minute top-up returns about 2 hours of listening. The case itself is a feature, not just a charger: connect it to an in-flight entertainment system or another wired source with the supplied cables and it retransmits that audio wirelessly to the earbuds. At 7 g per earbud, with small, medium and large tips included, long sessions stay comfortable.

Choose the Pi7 S2 in Satin Black if sound quality is the deciding factor in a true wireless earbud and you want the case-retransmission trick for flights and older wired sources. It suits critical listeners, frequent flyers and Bowers & Wilkins owners who want the house sound in their pocket.