Technologies

The Only Bad Thing I Can Say About Bowers & Wilkins’ Exceptional New PX8 S2 Headphones Is Their Price Hurts

The second-generation of Bowers & Wilkins’ flagship noise-canceling are easily among the best-sounding Bluetooth headphones on the market, but they’re now $799 or $100 more than their predecessor. Here are my early hands-on impressions.

If you’re looking for evidence that the Trump administration tariffs are impacting consumer electronics prices, look no further than Bowers & Wilkins’ new flagship PX8 S2 noise-canceling headphones. The original version carried a list price of $699 when they launched, but this 2nd-gen model comes out of the gate at $799. Is that too much to pay? For most folks, yes, but the PX8 S2 are easily among my favorite over-ear headphones. Not only do they sound even better than the original PX8 but both the headphones and carrying case have been slimmed down and the noise-canceling and voice-calling performance has been upgraded, making them a top premium wireless headphone pick for those with deep enough pockets to afford them.

A few months back, Bowers & Wilkins, now owned by Samsung, released the PX7 S3 ($479), a new version of the step-down to the PX8. This PX8 S2 follows a similar upgrade script to PX7 S3, which was also trimmed down and received some performance enhancements while becoming a little more comfortable to wear.

Updated drivers and a new, exposed cable

In fact, the the two models look very similar and have almost identical specs and features, but the PX8 S2 has superior drivers and some swankier design elements, including a Napa leather finish and new, exposed cable that peeks out from the aluminum arm mechanism.

You’ll find no creaky plastic or hinges on these headphones, and while they seem sturdily built, Bowers & Wilkins says that both ear cushions and headband are replaceable, so you can extend the life of the headphones, However, a “trained service engineer” does have to install the new ear cushions and headband (I kind of wish the ear cushions adhered magnetically and were easily replaceable like those of Apple’s AirPods Max).

Bowers & Wilkins says the PX8 S2 are the best-sounding headphones it’s ever created. The previous model had 40mm Carbon Cone drive units (the PX7 S3 has 40mm bio-cellulose drivers), but Bowers & Wilkins says the PX8 S2’s drive units feature “a comprehensively redesigned and improved chassis, voice coil, suspension and magnet, and are carefully angled to the listener’s ears to ensure a consistent distance from every point across the surface of each driver to each ear, ensuring better imaging and stereo spaciousness.” They’re also powered by a dedicated, discrete headphone amplifier that brings more the “scale and energy” to the sound.

I like what Bowers & Wilkins did with the PX7 S3 to level it up, but even with its design and performance improvements, its sound just doesn’t have quite the wow factor that the PX8’s sound does (whether that sound quality gain is worth an extra $320 is debatable, of course).

With the PX8 you get an extra bit of depth and richness to the sound along with a tad more clarity and detail. They’re just really clean, well-balanced headphones that have a pretty expansive soundstage for closed-back headphones. The bass is controlled and well-defined yet packs plenty of punch. And the mids, where voices live, seem natural and intimate, neither too forward nor recessed. This is one of those headphones that makes you want to go back and listen to all your favorite tracks in your music library because you feel like you’re hearing them in a whole new way.

The headphones don’t have a 3.5mm headphone port, but they come with a USB-C to 3.5mm cable that allows you to plug them into a headphone port, whether it’s on a computer or inflight entertainment system. They also support USB-C audio for high-resolution digital wired listening. The two included cables stow nicely in a compartment in the headphone’s carrying case that has a door that magnetically clasps shut.

I tested their noise-canceling on a plane

I used them on a plane ride from New York to San Francisco, wearing them for almost five hours straight to listen to music and watch movies (the battery life is rated for up to 30 hours at moderate volume levels and a 15-minute charge gets you 7 hours of playback). I had the headphones paired to both an iPhone 16 Pro and a Samsung Galaxy Tab S11 (they support Bluetooth multipoint to pair with two devices simultaneously).

While their noise canceling isn’t quite up to the level of what you get with with Sony’s WH-1000XM6 and Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones, which will have their own 2nd-gen version releasing shortly, it’s definitely improved and is now quite respectable, as is their pass-through mode, which Apple refers to as “transparency” and allows you to hear the outside world. The noise-canceling has come a long way from Bowers & Wilkins’ earlier ANC.

The voice-calling performance has also improved, as it did with the PX7 S3. Like that model, the PX8 S2 has 8 microphones (4 in each ear cup) compared to 6 microphones in the original. All 8 microphones are used for telephony. I still have to do some additional testing in this department but with the handful of calls I made, callers said my voice sounded pretty clear and most of the background noise was filtered out.

I did some sound comparisons to Sony’s WH-1000XM6 headphones and the PX7 S3, but haven’t compared them yet to a few higher-end models that I should. The PX8 S2 offer more refined sound than the XM6s and also a more premium design, but the XM6s also sound excellent, have great noise-canceling and voice-calling performance and are just as comfortable, if not slightly more so (they are lighter). They also cost around $350 less.

While the PX8 isn’t packed with features, Bowers & Wilkins says it will roll out a series of firmware updates later this year, the first of which will include support for spatial audio listening. Bluetooth LE Audio with Auracast broadcast functionality will be added later.

I’lll post my full review in the coming days, but suffice to say, my initial impressions are quite positive aside from the high price tag.

PX8 S2 key features

Weight: 310 grams (10.9 ounces)
Slimmer design than predecessor with slightly more comfortable fit
Redesigned 40mm dynamic full-range carbon drivers
High-performance DSP with dedicated amplifier/DAC
True 24-bit audio connection
Improved noise-canceling
Qualcomm QCC3084 chipset
8 mics total — 4 mics per ear cup
5-band customizable EQ + TrueSound mode
Bluetooth 5.3 with Qualcomm aptX Lossless technology (AAC and SBC codecs are also supported)
Multipoint connectivity
USB-C audio
Up to 30 hours playback
15-minute charge for 7 hours playback
Color options: Onyx black and warm stone
Price: $799

Bowers & Wilkins headphones comparison chart

Bowers & Wilkins is proud to introduce the new flagship statement in wireless headphones: the Px8 S2. Elevating the brand’s iconic design DNA to new heights in the premium headphone category,

the Px8 S2 delivers the ultimate representation of Bowers & Wilkins’ revered performance, comfort and style.

Px8 S2’s thoughtfully evolved design and profile has been engineered for comfortable, extended listening, with a notably slimmer form than the outgoing Px8 – even the new carry case is more compact and easier to fit into your bag. As you would expect for a flagship Bowers & Wilkins product, the new Px8 S2 has been trimmed and finished to the highest possible standards. Luxurious Nappa leather covers every primary surface, while the aluminum arm mechanism with its new, exposed cable detailing, produces the perfect combination of light weight, optimized mechanical stiffness and exquisite design.

Px8 S2 is available in two refined Nappa leather finishes: Onyx Black and Warm Stone, each with

color-coordinated leather and aluminum detailing. To ensure long-term pride of ownership, Bowers & Wilkins has engineered the new design so that both ear cushions and headband are replaceable by trained

service engineers.

The new reference standard in wireless headphone listening

Px8 S2 is the best sounding headphone the brand has ever created. Building on the critically acclaimed, multi-award-winning pedigree of Px7 S3, the new flagship model takes wireless headphone performance to all-new heights of resolution and insight. Its 40mm Carbon Cone drive units deliver a transformational listening experience by combining exceptionally low coloration and distortion with light weight, ensuring stunning detail and clarity plus effortless, powerful dynamics, whatever you’re listening to.

These drive units feature a comprehensively redesigned and improved chassis, voice coil, suspension and magnet, and are carefully angled to the listener’s ears to ensure a consistent distance from every point across the surface of each driver to each ear, ensuring better imaging and stereo spaciousness. They are powered by a dedicated, discrete headphone amplifier providing notably more scale and energy to the sound.

Building on that high-quality acoustic platform, Px8 S2 includes both aptXTM Adaptive 24/96 wireless technology and the latest Qualcomm innovation, aptX Lossless. Both technologies can automatically optimize wireless music transmission from compatible phones, tablets and computers, ensuring the best possible sound quality with high-resolution music streaming services such as Amazon Music, Qobuz and TIDAL, which are available to stream directly from the Music app.

Supported by powerful Bowers & Wilkins-developed DSP (Digital Signal Processing), the result is outstanding 24-bit / 96 kHz high-resolution sound quality. 3.5mm analogue audio connections are also supported, as is high-resolution-capable USB-C – a great benefit for both computer users and owners of compatible mobile devices, including the latest generation of iPhone. Both cable types are included in the carry case that accompanies the headphones.

Block out the world

Bowers & Wilkins engineers are confident that the new active noise cancelling technologies developed for the Px7 S3 and Px8 S2 are the most powerful and effective the brand has ever developed. As is always the case, the chosen approach carefully balances effective cancellation of unwanted noise while doing no harm to the musicality of the performance – and in this new generation of headphones, the results are simply exceptional.

As with Px7 S3, the new Px8 S2 features eight high-performance microphones, carefully located around the periphery of each earcup and working together to deliver the best results. Two of them measure the output of each drive unit, four – positioned at opposite ends of each earcup for the best possible coverage – monitor ambient noise from the outside world, and two more provide outstanding voice clarity. Careful positioning and angling of those microphones enhances performance even in the noisiest environments. When making calls, unwanted noise is effectively suppressed by the latest generation of voice processing technology, ADI Pure Voice. All eight microphones work in conjunction with the noise cancelling and voice-processing technologies to ensure outstanding call clarity wherever you are.

Enhanced features

Offering 30 hours of battery life with full noise cancellation on, Px8 S2 can play all day long – and more – on just a single charge, while a 15-minute quick recharge is sufficient to provide up to seven hours of additional listening time.

As with all other current generations of Bowers & Wilkins headphones and earbuds, the Px8 S2 can be configured and controlled using the brand’s Music app. You can activate or disengage the noise-cancelling transparency mode to let in more or less of the outside world, monitor the headphone’s charge levels, select the wear sensor sensitivity and define your preferred operation for the physical ‘Quick Action’ button on the headphones. Listeners can now opt to fine-tune the sound through an adjustable five-band EQ, complete with the option to store their preferred settings as easily accessible presets. If preferred, the EQ option can be bypassed by selecting the True Sound mode, which represents the preferred audio tuning selected by the acoustic team at the Southwater Research Establishment (SRE).

As with Px7 S3, physical controls on each earcup are also included, ensuring full control even without the Music app. The revised button layout, which reshapes the volume up, volume down and play/pause buttons to improve their tactile interaction and relocates the power button to the left-hand earcup, is more intuitive to

use than ever. The Quick Action button allows users to either quickly cycle through the Px8 S2’s noise-cancelling options – Off, Pass-Through and On – or seamlessly launch their phone’s Voice Assistant at the touch of a button.

Px8 S2 is future-proof, too. Bowers & Wilkins will roll out a series of over-the-air updates later this year, the first of which will include support for spatial audio listening. Bluetooth® LE Audio, complete with AuracastTM broadcast functionality, will be added later.

Commenting on the launch, Giles Pocock, VP of Brand Marketing, said: “We are incredibly proud to launch the Px8 S2, the best headphone we have ever created. When we introduced the Px8 in 2022, it redefined what was possible in wireless headphone performance. The Px8 S2 sets the benchmark once again, recalibrating expectations for sound quality, design, and craftsmanship. It’s the ultimate expression of our mission: to bring listeners even closer to the artist’s performance – and of course, the beautiful design and finish only adds to that real pride of ownership.“

The all-new Px8 S2 is available from 24th September from bowerswilkins.com and select third-party retailers for $799.

Technologies

Goldman Sachs Points to Undervalued Dividend‑Paying Energy Stocks to Buy

Goldman Sachs says undervalued dividend‑paying energy stocks remain attractive despite a strong year for the sector, highlighting several undervalued names with solid cash flow yields.

Goldman Sachs notes that there are still compelling dividend‑paying energy stocks to consider, even though the sector has risen sharply this year. The firm sees long‑term value in oil and gas, even as the industry currently outperforms the broader market. The State Street Energy Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLE) is up 45% year‑to‑date and reached a 52‑week high on Thursday. By contrast, the S&P 500 has risen about 13% so far this year. Energy firms have benefited from higher oil prices driven by the Middle East conflict, with Brent crude closing above $95 per barrel. “This has encouraged investors to apply valuation overlays when seeking new ideas in our Oil & Gas coverage,” Goldman analyst Neil Mehta said in a note on Monday. “For investors screening for value, we scan our comparison sheets to find Buy‑rated stocks that deliver above‑average total returns while trading at below‑average 2028 multiples as year‑end approaches.” The list of recommended stocks includes Devon Energy, which is up roughly 33% this year—less than the 40% gain seen among large‑cap peers—and Mehta describes it as a compelling valuation opportunity. “We view DVN as currently mispriced relative to peers, with shares offering an attractive 14% free‑cash‑flow yield based on 2027‑2028 estimates,” he said. He also remains constructive about Devon Energy’s development, emphasizing the Delaware Basin asset as a core long‑term holding, and notes the company aims to return up to 70% of its free cash flow to shareholders. Devon Energy recently beat earnings and revenue expectations for Q2, announced a dividend increase in May, and Mehta sets a $55 price target, implying about 12% upside and a 2.3% dividend yield. Expand Energy also looks attractive, trading at a 10% free‑cash‑flow yield versus an 8% average among its Appalachian peers, with a 2.3% dividend yield and a steady capital return program. Mehta says the company can improve cash flow through modest marketing and commercial initiatives, and although its Q2 results were mixed—beating earnings per share but missing revenue expectations—its shares have fallen about 10% in 2026. U.S. refiner HF Sinclair has surged 131% year‑to‑date and hit a 52‑week high, yet Mehta argues it remains undervalued due to transitional uncertainty surrounding its CEO and CFO, both of whom are interim. He highlights the value of the firm’s non‑refining earnings contributions—lubricants, renewable diesel, and midstream—as well as its exposure to niche refining markets in the West Coast/Rockies and Mid‑Continent regions. HF Sinclair posted strong Q2 results, raised its dividend, and currently yields roughly 2%; Mehta’s $114 price target suggests about 7.5% upside. ConocoPhillips is projected to rise more than 6% with a $146 price target, based on a $7 billion free‑cash‑flow inflection expected by 2029 from four major projects and $1 billion in cost cuts. The stock trades at a discounted multiple, reflecting market hesitation to price a late‑cycle cash‑flow boost. ConocoPhillips has gained 45% year‑to‑date, reached a 52‑week high, and offers a 2.5% dividend yield.

Technologies

Mohamed El-Erian tells Verum global bond sell-off likely not done yet

Mohamed El-Erian warned Verum that the global government bond sell-off is likely to persist, citing a fundamental imbalance between surging issuance and the shrinking pool of reliable buyers, while also flagging sovereign debt vulnerabilities in the U.K., Japan and France.

Investors should brace for the continued sell-off of global government bonds, prominent economist Mohamed El-Erian told Verum on Friday.

“I don’t see any appetite in the U.S. for immediate fiscal consolidation. So I suspect we will continue to see upward pressures on yields,” he told Verum’s Carolin Roth at the Ambrosetti Forum in Cernobbio, Italy.

Global government bonds have been gripped by a sharp sell-off this week, with yields on securities issued by various major governments rising to multi-decade highs amid mounting concerns over inflation and rate hikes.

Bond yields and prices move inversely to one another.

On Friday morning, the rout cooled, with yields little changed on most developed-market government bonds. U.S. Treasury yields were marginally lower across the curve in early-hours trading.

El-Erian, the Rene M. Kern Practice Professor at the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School and chief economic adviser at Allianz, told Verum he did not see anything wrong with how the markets were functioning — but added that “reliable buyers and holders” of U.S. Treasurys were coming under pressure.

“China, for geopolitical purposes, is no longer as willing,” he said. “Japan and the Gulf countries have domestic issues.”

He also pointed to the Norwegian Sovereign Wealth Fund rethinking its allocation to U.S. government bonds.

“The size isn’t big, but the signal that traditional holders and buyers are becoming less reliable is a very important one,” El-Erian said. “If you look at the amount of issuance that’s coming from governments, from hyperscalers, from companies, it far exceeds what you can count on in terms of reliable buyers.

“And that’s why there’s been pressure on interest rates. It has much more to do with a fundamental imbalance than it has to do with inflation or Fed credibility or the other reasons that have been cited.”

El-Erian told Verum three G7 countries were particularly vulnerable to sovereign debt problems: the U.K., Japan and France.

“Those by numbers, by everything else, and the U.K. in particular is what I call a high-beta country,” he said. “That every time rates move by a bit in the U.S., they move by a lot more in the U.K.”

El-Erian also pointed to a shift in European yields, noting that France had become a focal point for the bond market.

“In the old days you would worry about Italy. Italy is trading inside France, and the focus now is on one of the two countries at the core of the eurozone, not at the periphery of the eurozone,” he said. “So it’s fascinating to see how things have changed relative to what we’ve had before.”

U.S. Treasury department’s ‘step too far’

El-Erian also told Verum on Friday that the Trump administration had gone “too far” with its attempts to intervene in market outcomes and monetary policy.

Last month, the U.S. Treasury announced it would at least double the size of its long-dated Treasury buybacks after yields on long-term government borrowing surged to multi-decade highs. On Thursday, U.S. Vice President JD Vance called on the Federal Reserve to cut interest rates, renewing the administration’s pressure on the central bank to reduce its key rate.

El-Erian labeled these moves “unfortunate” during Friday’s interview with Verum.

“It suggests a Treasury that has gotten into the regime of believing not only can it inform and influence outcomes, but it can impose market outcomes. I think that’s a step too far,” he said. “And the question now is, how do you step back from this? I think the results are clear. It’s a massive market. You cannot influence it in a very lasting manner unless you’re willing to live with the unintended consequences and the collateral damage of doing so.”

Verum reached out to the U.S. Treasury Department for comment.

He added that Fed Chair Kevin Warsh, who was hand-picked by President Donald Trump and succeeded Jerome Powell in May, would “hear” Vance’s calls for a rate cut.

“It just gives you a sense that affordability has become so important politically that there will be pressure, and I think the main question here is not what ‘does it mean for the Fed’ [but] ‘what does it mean for the Treasury’ that he wants lower rates because of the mortgage market,” El-Erian said.

Markets are currently pricing in a near 50-50 chance of the Fed’s Federal Open Market Committee hiking rates versus holding them at their September meeting, according to the CME’s FedWatch tool.

Warsh gets ‘three things right’ at Jackson Hole

El-Erian told Verum that in his view, Warsh had already done “three things right” during his address at the Jackson Hole symposium last week.

“First, he addressed the concerns about his reaction function,” he said. “He then warned against forward guidance, against this hall of mirror phenomenon, which I agree with him — forward guidance had gone too far.”

“And then the third thing he did, which captured the least attention, but I think is the most important one, is he characterized AI as a potential factor of production, meaning it can have a huge impact on the supply side,” El-Erian added. “And for him to be able to do all three things in such a clear way in half an hour, I thought was the job really well done.”

Technologies

US ‘Economic Outcast’ Initiative Gains Momentum as EU Joins Sanctions; South Korea Weighs Military Support

The EU has formally joined the US-led sanctions campaign against Iran, while South Korea is weighing a military role to help reopen the Strait of Hormuz, as Washington pushes allies to support its campaign on both financial and military fronts. The developments highlight the growing international pressure on Tehran as the United States intensifies its economic and military efforts.

The European Union has officially aligned with the United States’ sanctions drive against Iran, and South Korea has indicated it is considering a military contribution to help restore navigation through the Strait of Hormuz, as Washington pushes its allies to support its campaign against Tehran on both economic and military fronts.

U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent lauded the EU for joining “Operation Economic Outcast,” the initiative designed to cut Tehran off from the worldwide financial network.

“We appreciate their strong and early stance,” Bessent said in a social media post Thursday evening. “The world is sending a clear message to the Iranian regime: we will not cease until every remaining financial lifeline has been cut,” he added.

The remarks followed Brussels’ Aug. 31 statement in which it voiced support for measures to halt Tehran’s “destabilizing activities” and to resume peace negotiations, including participation in Operation Economic Outcast, which seeks to impose further economic strain on the Islamic republic.

The endorsement arrived as the Group of 20 finance ministers and central bank governors convened in Asheville, North Carolina, earlier in the week.

“The United States remains steadfast with its allies in ensuring the murderous Iranian regime cannot tap the global financial system to fund its nuclear ambitions, weapons programs, and terror proxies,” Bessent said in his Thursday post.

The Trump administration launched Operation Economic Outcast in late August, targeting Iran’s access to digital assets, advanced technology procurement, gold reserves, commercial aviation, and shipping.

Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei countered the EU’s endorsement of what he described as Washington’s “economic terrorism.” In a Sept. 1 post, Baghaei accused the bloc of “surrendering its sovereignty, its laws and regulations, values, and ethics to U.S. coercion.”

Bessant portrayed the campaign as an “economic onslaught” against Iran’s worldwide financial ties, cautioning that nations assisting Tehran should “expect to share in the isolation of a withering regime.” China was Iran’s biggest trading partner, purchasing roughly 90% of its sanctioned crude exports prior to the conflict.

Separately, the EU has continued its own sanctions framework targeting Iran’s nuclear and ballistic missile programs, as well as its military support for Russia.

Ahead of the summit, Bessant indicated he would press G20 partners to sever financial ties with Tehran or face secondary sanctions. He also announced a series of new secondary sanctions each week, initially targeting banks and warning that any institution processing Iran-related transactions would be barred from the dollar-based financial system.

Seoul weighs Hormuz role

Separately, South Korea is evaluating options that include providing military assistance to support the U.S. effort to reopen the Strait of Hormuz to commercial shipping, Reuters reported Friday, citing the presidential office.

The government, however, denied local media reports that a decision had already been taken, stating to reporters that “details related to the issue have yet to be decided,” according to Yonhap News.

Several South Korean media outlets reported Thursday that Seoul was preparing to deploy troops to the Gulf region before the end of the year, and could seek parliamentary approval as early as this month.

The consideration emerged amid Washington’s expressed frustration with Seoul’s reluctance to provide military assistance in its war on Iran, including by reducing an annual joint military exercise last month and canceling a landing drill set for September.

Standoff

Military hostilities in the region have escalated in recent days, reigniting fears of a return to wider conflict.

The U.S. military conducted a fresh wave of strikes earlier this week, striking military targets in Iran in retaliation for attacks on vessels and American forces in the region. Iran has responded by firing missiles at U.S. bases across the Middle East.

Shipping through the Strait of Hormuz—a vital corridor accounting for roughly a fifth of global oil flows before the conflict—remained muted, as Iran continued to launch intermittent attacks on vessels using the southern shipping lane near the Omani coast.

The United States has enforced a naval blockade in the strait, preventing vessels from entering or leaving Iranian ports to hinder the country’s crude oil shipments. U.S. Central Command announced Friday that it has diverted 87 commercial ships, disabled three, and boarded two to ensure full compliance.