Review of the Px8 s2.
Firstly, some context, before I dive in. My inventory of audio devices are (of the same class) the AirPods Max, Beats Studio Pro, JBL Tour One M3, Sony XM4, Bose QC 45, Bose QC Ultra 2, Momentum 4, HDB 630, and many more (of a different class). The tuning I like for wireless headphones is similar to the SoundGuys' house target curve. Since I value sound the most, this review will mainly focus around the sound quality of the Px8 s2, but I will mention the other aspects of the headphones in passing. Note that I listen to headphones at 55-65 dBs.
Comfort is good, the most underrated feature is the leather ear pads, they breath exceptionally well and never trap any heat or moisture. I don't understand why faux leather even has a place on flagship headphones, imagine wrapping plastic around your ears, not to mention it does not biodegrade. My only nitpick is that the headband does not extend further, it only barely fits my head (circumference of 63.5cm) and ears (long and big earlobes) at the max extension. In contrast, the Bose QC Ultra 2 fits me at around 90% extension and JBL fits at the 2nd to last notch.
ANC and transparency is good, not great like the Bose/Sonys/Apple.
Connectivity is great, connects quickly upon startup, switches quickly between devices and no signal dropouts so far. Only nitpick is the app, when I fully close the app, it takes a second to connect to the headphones when I open it again. I also don't like not having to the EQ settings in the front page of the app, I have to go Settings > Px8 s2 > EQ > Select preset.
Finally the sound, I'll get the "bad" out of the way first since there's not many. To me the stock tuning has too much bass, so this review will be based on the EQ I have applied. EQ: -1, -1, 0, 0, 0. For the Treble, it can get quite sibilant at times, its tuning (from SoundGuys) shows an 8 db dip at the high mids, this makes the 8 dB peak at 8k more noticeable. If there was no dip, the subsequent peak would not be as noticeable. From my efforts, the EQ don't seem like it affects the dip and peak, that's why I've left it flat.
Now, the good. These are the most "musical" headphones I've heard, technicality is the showstopper for this pair. The best quality is its timbre, meaning it sounds very natural. It does not have a "plasticky" or "electronic" sound that other brands have. In Closer by The Chainsmoker, the snapping sound at 0:11 sounds exactly like a real life finger snap.
Soundstage: at the start of Halo (the original soundtrack by Martin O'Donnell), the vocals at the start and the subsequent strings instruments can be identified at various "locations" around your head. And in Fluid by Yosi Horikawa, the water droplets sounds and rain sounds makes it feel like your actually standing in rain.
Instrument separation: in Bfg Division by Mick Gordon, when the beat drops at 1:02, the crash, double kick, guitar, synth, and bass are all separated very nicely. You can clearly hear which instruments are playing at any given time, no matter how fast the track is going.
In sum, the Px8 s2 are amazing, get them if you can.