Bowers & Wilkins has had a stellar year. The British Audio firm’s new Px7 S3, which launched back in April, are some of my favourite headphones of 2025 thanks to their premium design, decent battery life and high-quality sound.

Now the company is back with another update, and, as long as you have very deep pockets, it is even more impressive.

The fully refreshed Px8 S2 cans are now on sale, and there’s no denying that they sound truly epic. Well, you’d hope so for £629!

This is not some giant upgrade over the original Px8 headphones (which launched in 2023), instead more of a gentle refinement that makes what were already a great way to listen to music even better.

I’ve been using the Px8 S2 for the past month and have been well and truly bowled over by their comfort, style and overall audio quality. That shouldn’t be a surprise, as sound and design are the two biggest upgrades Bowers & Wilkins claim to have brought to the S2 model.

First up, let’s talk about the sound, as it’s probably the biggest reason to head straight out and buy them.

Bowers has added new 40mm Carbon Cone drive units to the Px8 S2, and I’ve been blown away by just how good this new technology is.

Pump up those playlists, and it’s impossible not to be impressed as you get a sound experience that is rich and clear with incredible amounts of depth.

You can hear every guitar strum, piano note and vocal – I know it’s a cliche, but it really does feel like you are sitting in the room with the musicians.

Bowers is boasting that the Px8 S2 offers its “best sound quality ever” and I can’t help agreeing.

If you aren’t keen with what they are producing out of the box, the Bowers & Wilkins app also offers a full EQ allowing you to dabble with the lows, mids and highs.

So, they sound great, but what about the refreshed styling?

The design team has slimmed down the S2, which makes them look and feel a lot less bulky than the older model.

They also feature soft Nappa leather (vegans beware) for added comfort and are covered in lashings of die-cast aluminium.

All of this means they are some of the most premium-looking cans money can buy. They certainly look more exclusive than Sony’s WH-1000XM6s or the latest Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones 2.

Other extras include a 30-hour battery life and wear sensing that pauses the music when you lift the cups from your ears, plus there’s auto standby, which kicks in 15 minutes after you take them off in order to save battery life.

Another feature I like is simple buttons for pumping up the volume and changing other sound settings.

Many manufacturers have adopted touch and swipe controls, which can be highly frustrating to use. Yes, a big button might feel a little old-fashioned, but, as the old saying goes, if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.

I’ve been left pretty smitten by the Bowers & Wilkins Px8 S2, but they aren’t perfect.

The active noise cancellation (ANC) is good, but doesn’t match the might of Sony’s WH-1000XM6.

There are also other headphones such as Cambridge Audio’s Melomania P100 Headphones that last a whole lot longer (100 hours to be precise) and cans like the aforementioned Bose are smaller and more compact when placed in their case. The Px8 S2 are pretty bulky.

Finally, there’s the price. They cost a whopping £629, which puts them well out of reach for many consumers.

There are now so many great headphones like Sony’s older WH-1000XM5s that can be picked up for under £200.

Then there are those brilliant Px7 S3s. As I mentioned at the start of this review, these are some of my favourite headphones that cost over £200 less than the Px8 S2s at £399.

There’s no doubt that the new Px8 S2 are genuinely stunning and sound sublime.

They are just incredibly expensive and, as the marketing material reveals, you’ll need a salary as big as David Beckham’s to afford a pair.