Bowers and Wilkins has released a couple new pairs of earbuds to give listeners a fresh new sound they’ll enjoy. From the Pi7 S2 to the Pi8, there has been a resounding agreement that the upgrade was well worth the wait. For people who had the even older model of the Pi5 S2, the Pi6 comes in as a worthy competitor to take its place. How do the two stack up against each other? Today we take a look at both side-by-side and see what kind of upgrades Bowers & Wilkins has made. 

What Comes In The Box

From one model to the next, the included items don’t vary. You get your earbuds, the designated charging case, some spare eartips, and a charging cable. The Pi6 gives you a shorter cable, but one more option for an ear tip size so you can find the right fit. 

Aesthetics and Functionality

The look of the earbud has gotten a complete redesign. We’ve seen this in the Pi7 S2 to Pi8 upgrade, and it’s a similar principle here. The Pi6 opts for an in-ear design that is more flush to the shape of your ear rather than having two touch pads that stick out like the Pi5 S2. The color options are also a bit different. They both have a black and white color option; the Pi5 S2 comes in with a purple color, and the Pi6 gives you two more options of a glacier blue or forest green. All the shades are pale and gentle, making them a nice accessory visually before any sound even starts. 

The function of the earbuds is where the finer details of difference can be found. The Pi5 S2 has a button in the charging case that allows you to activate pairing mode, so it's easy to see the LED indicator change to blue to indicate that. Meanwhile, the Pi6 relies on the sensors to get them up and running on your device. I found it was difficult to get the Pi6 to pair properly upon an initial pairing, but with a little patience, we were up and running in no time. The button on the Pi5 S2 made it much easier to pair, with a clear way to activate and deactivate the pairing mode. 

As for the controls on each of these, the sensitivity on the Pi6 was much better than the Pi5 S2. Though the pad on the Pi5 S2 was more apparent in the design, it was easier to toggle between commands with the Pi6 than the Pi5 S2. The app also allowed for more controls of your sound in the Pi6. With a new feature of a two band EQ, you can customize the sound by adjusting the bass and treble. The Pi5 S2 does not have this feature, unless you bring in a third-party software to tune the sound you hear. 

Tech Specs

A difference you will notice between the two earbuds are their driver units. The Pi5 S2 has a classic dynamic driver, sized at 9.2mm so it's compact but still packing a punch. Meanwhile, the Pi6 opts for a bio-cellulose 12mm driver to allow for incredible detail and immersive qualities. The Pi6 adds on a few more features, like longer battery life and 2-band EQ to customize your sound in the Bowers & Wilkins app. 

Listening Review

Soundstage & ANC

Now to talk about what we’ve all been waiting for: the soundstage. The signatures of these two earbuds are a bit different, though not too drastically. The Pi5 S2 has a fairly narrow signature, with decent imaging. The signature of these earbuds leans on the bass heavy side, and that stays true when you move to the Pi6. They widened the soundstage in the newer model, and the imaging improves with that. Listening to a couple classical pieces, you can see how the detailing and imaging levels up from one model to the next. 

Another thing that got improved upon was the noise cancelation. There is a much better and more comfortable seal on the Pi6 than the Pi5 S2, making the listening experience much more immersive. I felt more isolated from my surroundings with the Pi6, which was much preferred as opposed to getting interrupted and taken out of the moment. That being said, the Pi5 S2 still has good noise cancellation; the difference between pass through and ANC mode is not very distinguishable, and is more apparent in the Pi6. 

Low Frequencies

The Pi5 S2 gives a low end that is deep and thumping. It is truly the most prominent thing in the sound signature, and not for nothing, it really doesn’t hold back. Sometimes it feels a bit overpowering compared to other sounds, but if you're a basshead and love the low end more than anything, you will love these. The Pi6 follows suit, but with a bit more control and refined texture to give an extra layer of clarity across the range. While listening to some rock tracks, you could tell that there was a lot of power and drive in the bass end. Kick drums and heavy bass lines were the stars of many tracks, and the added detail from the Pi6 made it a very entertaining sound. 

Mid-Range Frequencies

As I’ve written in my preliminary review of the Pi6, the mid-range is a bit absent from the overall signature. The detail is there, but it sounds scooped out and falls so far into the background that it hardly makes a difference if I can hear it or not. This is a quality that did not change from the Pi5 S2. It's not the smoothest sound in the world, so you get a lot of added texture that isn’t on the pleasant side. I’ll give the Pi6 credit for cleaning up the distortion end of things and adding some detail that makes the range tuned well. The only downside is how it could be more prominent in the overall signature. 

High Frequencies

The high end comes in with crisp detail and overall balance for the sound signature in both earbuds. I liked the balance that came from the Pi5 S2 as opposed to the Pi6; it felt more even across the board. The equal power from the high end makes it match the bass, and you get a detailed high end you can hear. The Pi6 holds less power in its high end, but it shines in clarity and color. While the low end still overtakes this other range, the high end still has enough crispness and airiness to cut through some of the overwhelming lows.

When you look at the stock settings of the earbuds, the Pi5 S2 seems to have the better high end response. However, remember that the Pi6 allows for treble and bass customization through the app. Tuning the Pi6 with the two-band EQ makes the high end detail come out beautifully and elevates the sound to a balanced, colorful signature.

Summary

In conclusion, there's a lot to appreciate about both of these earbuds. The Pi5 S2 was a great earbud for people looking to get some high quality sound on a budget, coming in with a balanced sound signature and powerful low end that bassheads will enjoy. Then we get introduced to the Pi6, where all the good qualities of the Pi6 were taken and elevated with detail and refinement to make a smoother listening experience. With more features to customize your sound, I’d say the Pi6 is a worthy upgrade and would much prefer it over the Pi5 S2. 

I highly suggest trying both earbuds out for yourself before purchasing. Everyone hears a little differently, so it's best to give both a listen and see what sounds best for your ears. 

The Pi5 S2 and the Pi6 are both available today at Audio46.