The Px8 S2 McLaren Edition wears its racing heritage proudly. That signature McLaren Papaya finish dominates the design, paired with Anthracite Grey accents that create instant visual impact. The McLaren Speedmark logo appears on both the headband and earcups, with diamond-cut bright edges on each elliptical plate that catch light like the carbon fiber details on a McLaren supercar.
Designer: Bowers & Wilkins + McLaren
Every material choice screams premium. The memory-foam cushions and headband come wrapped in soft Nappa leather, the same material you’ll find in McLaren’s Ultimate Series cars. The diecast aluminum arms provide structural integrity while keeping weight down to just 0.31 kg. This is what happens when automotive designers and audio engineers collaborate without compromise.
Carbon Cone Drivers: The Performance Story
Inside each earcup sits a custom 40mm Carbon Cone driver, completely redesigned from the previous Px8 generation. Bowers & Wilkins rebuilt everything: new chassis, upgraded voice coil, improved suspension, and a more powerful magnet system. The drivers sit angled within each earcup, ensuring consistent distance from every point on the driver surface to your ear. Translation: better imaging and a wider soundstage.
The result is audio that reviewers are calling deeper, tighter, and more holographic than the already-impressive original Px8. Bass hits harder without bleeding into the mids. Vocals sit precisely in the soundstage. Highs remain crystal clear without any harshness. This is 24-bit/96kHz high-resolution audio delivered wirelessly through Qualcomm’s aptX Adaptive and aptX Lossless technology, with Bowers & Wilkins’ DSP (Digital Signal Processing) fine-tuning everything in real-time.
The Smart Features
The Px8 S2 McLaren Edition connects to the Bowers & Wilkins Music app, giving you control over everything from noise cancellation to sound customization. A five-band EQ lets you dial in your preferred sound signature and save multiple presets. The transparency mode toggles between full isolation and ambient awareness. A physical Quick Action button puts your most-used functions one press away.
Eight microphones power the adaptive noise cancellation system while handling call quality duties. The ANC falls slightly short of what Bose and Apple achieve with their flagship models, but it preserves musicality in a way that overly aggressive noise canceling often destroys. The headphones prioritize sound quality first, noise cancellation second. For audiophiles, that’s the right priority order.
Battery life hits 30 hours on a single charge. A 15-minute quick charge delivers seven hours of playback. Connectivity options include aptX Lossless, aptX Adaptive, aptX HD, aptX Classic, AAC, and SBC codecs, plus USB-C wired listening when you want to bypass wireless entirely.
The Partnership Behind the Product
Bowers & Wilkins and McLaren have been developing audio systems together since 2015, starting with the McLaren 540C and continuing through to the recently unveiled McLaren W1 supercar. The audio system in the W1 features the same Continuum Cone technology found in Bowers & Wilkins’ flagship 800 Series Diamond loudspeakers. This partnership runs deeper than logos and color schemes.
The collaboration mirrors the precision demanded in Formula 1 racing with the acoustic perfection Bowers & Wilkins has pursued since founder John Bowers established the company in 1966. Both brands obsess over details. Both refuse to compromise on performance. The Px8 S2 McLaren Edition represents that shared philosophy translated into a wearable product.
Following the Pi8 McLaren Edition earbuds from earlier this year, these headphones give McLaren fans another way to connect with the team’s visual identity while getting genuinely excellent audio hardware. This isn’t a corporate partnership slapping logos on existing products. This is two performance-focused brands creating something together that neither could build alone.
The Details That Count
The Px8 S2 McLaren Edition launches November 19, 2025, priced at $899 (£729 UK, €829 EU). You can grab them directly from Bowers & Wilkins or through selected retailers. The price positions these firmly in premium territory, competing with the Mark Levinson 5909 ($999) and Focal Bathys ($799).
Early impressions highlight the improved comfort over previous generations, making these suitable for extended listening sessions and long flights. The slimmer profile and redesigned headband distribute weight more evenly. The Nappa leather cushions remain breathable even after hours of wear. For frequent travelers and music enthusiasts who value both design and performance, that comfort factor matters as much as sound quality.
The McLaren Edition offers music lovers, audiophiles, and Formula 1 fans a chance to own headphones that deliver on both aesthetic appeal and acoustic excellence. Sometimes partnerships create products that feel forced. This one feels natural, like both brands speaking the same performance-obsessed language.
The post The Px8 S2 McLaren Edition: Papaya Orange, Carbon Cones, and Racing Pedigree first appeared on Yanko Design.