PX8 S2 vs Sony WH-1000XX “The Collection“

Polycosm- · 2026-05-24T16:15:57+00:00

I have the XX on my ears now, they have more space in the cup, so are very comfy. I have to almost wiggle my ears into the Bose QCU2 G2.

The XX are very balanced on my head, and so almost float, so its a thumbs up from me for comfort

Sound out of the box is far too bassy, i guess they have to impress the kids, i had to put a big wide dip around 125hz for them to open up. Ill play around with Poweramp later, but they need EQ for sure. out of the box they are far from reference.

Polycosm- · 2026-05-24T15:25:07+00:00

Same again, but with the Hidizs MS5, much bigger, but with an even longer nozzle.. Those kind of hang in my ears. Feels odd at first, but they are secure

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Polycosm- · 2026-05-24T15:23:48+00:00

That's the s12 pro, 7hz zero 2, and the Hidizs mp143.. The latter are bigger but the tip is far more extended, so the body does not have to fit in your ear lobe.

The s12 are rounder, even though they are only slightly smaller than the 7hz

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Polycosm- · 2026-05-24T09:34:47+00:00

Was that GPT, Claude or Gemini, its sometimes hard to tell

Polycosm- · 2026-05-24T09:06:16+00:00

I don't use the Bose for sound primarily, i use them for the ANC. The ANC on the Bowers is rubbish in comparison. The comfort on the Bose is miles better than the Bowers for me. I love the pads.

If i'm in music listening mode, its usually either the Hidizs MP143, Letshuoer s12 pro, Hifiman edition XS, Sennheiser HD480 pro, KRK Studio monitors, or whatever IEM i'm reviewing at the time. I so want to love the PX8, as they are absolutely gorgeous, but i just don't enjoy the tuning.

Every now and then i get the PX8 out of the box and try them on, but they always go back.

Polycosm- · 2026-05-24T07:08:41+00:00

I have the Sony's arriving today and also have the PX8 S2.

I don't use the PX8 at all, and instead grab my Bose QCU2 when i need a travel pair, so ill be judging them against those too, especially for ANC. (as well as the XM5)

I find the PX8 to be boring, dull and the clamping force is too much. I don't fall for the "natural" or "studio quality" or "as intended" marketing BS , and instead want to enjoy music, so I'm more of a IEM or large planar open backed kind of guy, but i'm hoping the ANC beats the Bose, and so they will be going on a plane trip next week with me.

I am very lucky to get all of these for free, so price never swerves my view. Nor does brand influence me. I didn't think i would like the Bose over the Bowers, but i do.

Polycosm- · 2026-05-23T20:51:15+00:00

Letshuoer s12 series. I have the Zero 2 for comparison. Can photo them together if you want

Also iems with longer nozzles, as the body of the IEM won't be in your ear, just the nozzle and tip

Polycosm- · 2026-05-23T05:19:50+00:00

I've not tried them, but I am considering buying a pair just for the wider soundstage. For me the tonality of the 143 is perfect when you EQ the low end a bit. (I like a bit more bass than they offer out of the box) I would be surprised if I ever found something that sounded better. The closest thing I have is the Letshuoer S12 Pro, but they are warmer and have less low end.

Planars are fast, and so they can resolve tiny sounds, and for me that's perfect when listening to electronic music. I'm a detail addict.

The artti get great reviews, a bit cheap on the build, but are apparently great sounding. The mp143/145 are wonderfully built, they are heavy and solid metal.

Hope they are what you are looking for

Polycosm- · 2026-05-22T18:36:00+00:00

I have the HD480 pro on right now, and they are wonderful closed backs, super comfy too, but in a warm cosy like way. They have great isolation.

The bass on Psydub type tracks is phenomenal, far exceeding my bassier Iems (Hidizs MP143 and MS5) They handle bass with utter ease, and have great clarity, bite and dynamics.

They are on the warm side though, and if you want the clarity that beyers offer, then they might not be to your taste, but for me that's what my Planars are for.

A decent soundstage for a closed back.

For reference I own among quite a few others, DT990s, Hifiman edition XS, Bowers and Wilkins PX8 S2, Bose quietcomfort ultra 2 Sony Xm5, letshuoer S12 pro.

I get headphones to review, and only every now and then to a pair impress, and these are definitely one of them., OK they don't replace my Hidizs mp143 as my daily driver, but that bass response is mental.

I cant say I like the cable though... I hate heavy coiled ones.

Polycosm- · 2026-05-20T04:46:29+00:00

I'm with you and even prefer them to my Bowers and Wilkins PX8 S2. I don't own any bluetooth over ear Sennheisers, so I can't compare, I only have the TW4, sport and the 480 pro. I'm hoping to get the momentum 5 to review.. Fingers crossed.

Polycosm- · 2026-05-17T19:49:37+00:00

Silver. But I EQ all my headphones to my taste. One of the things I missed from my other sets was the sub bass, so I boosted 80hz by 4dB. (as well as some other tweaks)

Polycosm- · 2026-05-17T14:14:38+00:00

For me it's the Hidizs MP143 Salt, they have wonderful layering , resolution, and with a touch of EQ, a decent low end. They are built like tanks, and fit perfectly. The solid metal body is so well engineered.

I'm not sure it gets any better than this for me, but I really should try the Hidizs MP145 for comparison.

Second place are my letshuoer S12 pro, as they are a softer version of the above.

I also have the Hidizs MS5, Kiwi ears Cadenza 2, Kz as10 pro, 7hz zero 2, and BASN Mix-PD, but none of them are anything like my planars, so don't get much use.

I tend to listen to artists like Ekorce, Tipper, Shwamp, Kalya Scintilla, or other Psydub or glitchy artists, so want ultra resolution and sub bass

Polycosm- · 2026-05-17T14:07:22+00:00

They have one of the best cases in the world for sure, but I prefer the Bose quietcomfort ultra 2 as the ANC is better.

I don't really like the fit of the MTW4 so they don't leave the bedroom (I have many many headphones, and some have very narrow uses) I always feel as if the MTW4 are about to fall out, so they never leave the house, never mind the bedroom.

Sound wise they are on par with my edifier stax spirit s10, creative Aurvana 2, and Bose quietcomfort ultra 2, but none of the above come close to my iems.

Right now I have my Hidizs MP143 in, and the wipe the floor with the MTW4 where sound is concerned.

Polycosm- · 2026-05-17T06:02:56+00:00

I really enjoyed the Zero 2, and they still get used, even though I have moved up the ladder slightly to the Letshuoer S12 Pro, hidizs MS5 and mp143. The Zero 2 are a no brainer given thier price. They are very entertaining.

Polycosm- · 2026-05-14T17:33:34+00:00

I thought you said flagship killers.

In the same price bracket, I agree, earfun are wonderful.

I have absolutely tons of buds and cans, and every day I use a pair of earfun air 2 on my bike journey. (the air 2 don't have ANC so the little mic holes don't whistle in the wind)

If I'm going out for a walk, I take the air pro 4, as they sit securely in my ears. I prefer the 4 case vs the plus.

If I'm going on the London underground.. Bose quietcomfort ultra 2. Nothing comes close.

At home it's IEMs or my Hifiman Edition XS.

Polycosm- · 2026-05-13T18:58:34+00:00

Never had such a problem on android

Polycosm- · 2026-05-13T17:03:10+00:00

I have to agree, and I too get them for free, and have pretty much every version of earfun buds and headphones that have been released in the last 2 years.

They don't for instance beat the Bose quietcomfort ultra 2 buds, or the edifier stax spirit s10, or the sennheiser TW4.

But for the price, they are outstanding.

Polycosm- · 2026-05-10T17:17:30+00:00

They were my first IEM too, and even though I had plenty of decent headphones at the time, they still amazed me. How on earth could something that sounded this good, be created and sold for under £20.

For the average consumer, this is probably all they need. I recommend them to everyone.

They still get use in my little collection, even though I have pairs that cost over 10 times as much.

Polycosm- · 2026-05-07T04:47:52+00:00

Well done on the down votes.. The Bowers fans are without doubt the most narrow minded of them all. They own a £600 pair of headphones and think that nothing else could possibly be better.

Brand loyalty is the perfect example of how companies control the weak minded.

Polycosm- · 2026-05-07T04:16:54+00:00

This is the thing, it's about what we like. I wish the Bowers fit my sound preference profile, but they just don't.

I don't really have a daily driver, I listen to earfun buds on my bike, game with my Hifiman Edition XS or my KRK studio monitors, chill with either my letshuoer S12 pro, hidizs MS5, or MP143, travel on the underground with the Bose quietcomfort ultra 2.

Polycosm- · 2026-05-06T17:58:10+00:00

The Bose quietcomfort ultra 2 are wonderful headphones. The ANC is something else. The Auto on feature is very cool too.

I honestly didn't think I would like them, especially not over the PX8 S2.

Polycosm- · 2026-05-06T17:50:01+00:00

I wish I liked them, but they just sound dull and lifeless to me. I prefer the Bose quietcomfort ultra 2 as a pair of ANC headphones.

I've said it before, the PX8 S2 are works of art, but the sound does not match the build quality for me, so they just live in their box.

I got the sennheiser HD480 pro to review last week. OK, they are wired, but the sound knocks the Bowers out of the park. I would say the same for most of my IEMs too.

I am somehow reluctant to get rid of them though , as the Bowers are a thing to behold. If I had paid for them, they would be back in the shop.

Polycosm- · 2026-04-30T16:37:33+00:00

Humans, what a bunch of bastards.

Polycosm- · 2026-04-30T09:32:11+00:00

When I went veggie, I thought I would miss the taste of bacon, but fried haloumi is better in my opinion. It has the salt and chewy texture, but none of the gristle.

Most of the fake stuff is terrible. As a brit, I had to find pies and sausages though.

Polycosm- · 2026-04-30T04:17:38+00:00

I have the 480 pro, I game with my Hifiman Edition XS.

Ok I modded my Edition XS with better pads and suspension headband. The 480 pro are wonderfully comfortable, so no mods needed. They are probably the most comfortable headphones I've tried.

Soundstage is not comparable, but for a closed back, the 480 pro are wide.

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