S2 FOR THE SHOW - Bowers & Wilkins P17 S2

B&W's second-gen true wireless earbuds are premium yet pricey in-ear options - so are they worth it?

SPECIFICATIONS

Drivers 2 per bud (9.2mm driver, high-frequency ‘balanced armature’ driver)

Connectivity earbuds: Bluetooth 5.0 with aptX Adaptive; case: USB-C, 3.5mm jack

Microphones 3 per bud

Weatherproofing IP54

Battery life 5 hours buds; 21 hours total

Dimensions 61x28x56mm (case)

Weight 7g per bud; 47g case

Given their £349 price tag, ownership of Bowers & Wilkins' PI7 S2 is not to be rushed into thoughtlessly. So what exactly is the British audio savant offering in exchange for all your money - and are the PI7 S2 in contention to be crowned as the king of true wireless earbuds in 2023?

As far as 'new' is concerned, there's not an awful lot to report on here - the P17 S2 are very similar indeed to the product they replace. Given that the original PI7 was a high-achieving and pretty well-regarded pair of true wireless in-ear headphones, that's not automatically a bad thing - but it does make one wonder (just a little) what Bowers & Wilkins has been up to.

There were those who found the design of the original PI7 sufficiently unusual and upmarket to overlook the relative bulk of the earbuds - and there were those who didn't. There's a new finish ('midnight' blue) available for the PI7 S2, but the basic design hasn't changed at all.

There's no arguing with the quality of build and finish that's on display here, mind you. It's not easy making a product that's by necessity as compact as possible seem expensive or especially sophisticated - but the PI7 S2 look and feel the part.