Man, I’m being put through the ringer with this headphone. Just when I thought I had a clear path for my direction for my headphone, I get one of the biggest turnabout I’ve had in tech. I was so wrong about my thoughts on the Airpod Max and yet I was completely right. Yes, the Airpod Max for iPhone is the best unified and most convenient headphone in the world. There is nothing that does this better because of its connection to IOS. My problems comes in when this Bowers and Wilkins headphone nails the tonality and bass structure along with the ability to EQ the treble and bass. This along with the angle drivers actual delivers a better sound quality than the Apple Airpod max. While the Airpod max has the wider soundstage, this creates a situation sometimes when the music is too far from you and less intimate.
Vocals have way less body to them on the Airpod Max compared to the deliverance of the Bowers and Wilkins S2. Things with the Airpod Max sound thin and veiled in the upper mids. But this same result from the B/W makes things sound more fuller and natural. This was not something I heard initially but once you did, it was so hard to turn back from. And with the angles drivers inside the Bowers and Wilkins this also produced a equality with the overall sound quality with how well it give separate locations for stages of sound inside the ear-cups. Things like AsMr or podcasts sounded more realistic while the Airpod Max was more sterile and over sanitized, like it was doing too much digitally. And none of this was seen before now by me.
Now the S2 still can’t beat the AirPods in the features and ease of use. Don’t get this part twisted. The IOS system of product have no match when compared to any other platform or way. Voice overs from Siri is still magic and the transparency mode is on god mode. However comfort wise, the bowers and Wilkins little weight still proved itself to be invaluable. I just didn’t think this made a lot of difference when I only had the Airpod Max. But once I got the S2 weight in my head for days and hours – – – all I can feel is pressure on my face and head from the Airpod max now. And all of sudden, that which was fine at first turned into a burden.
So now I have my top three focus points of sound,, comfort, and battery in the hands of the B/W over the AirPods Max. Yes, the Airpod max still has the best features and options. But then you turn around and have that $600 price tag while loosing the top three areas I judge headphone on and now what? Now you aren’t worth that price tag because all the Airpod Max are delivering now superior transparency, better phone quality, and better ANC. And while those are the things I’m thankful for but are not the top things I judge headphones on and most definitely won’t turn a headphone into a $600 item by themselves. So now I’m sitting here in regret of buying a $600 headphone and happy I finally pulled the trigger on a $399 headphone that is better in the areas I need it to be.
Tech-N-Things 