Bowers & Wilkins has just announced its latest pair of over-ear headphones, with the Px7 S3.
Considering we hailed the five-star Sony WH-1000XM5s as the best over-ear headphones, how do the initial specs of the Bowers & Wilkins Px7 S3 compare?
Keep reading our Bowers & Wilkins Px7 S3 vs Sony WH-1000XM5 guide to see the main differences, and any key similarities, between the two premium headphones. Once you’re done here, be sure to visit our Bowers & Wilkins Px7 S3 vs S2e and Bowers & Wilkins Px7 S3 vs AirPods Max guides too.
Pricing and Availability
The Bowers & Wilkins Px7 S3 are available in a choice of three colours: Anthracite Black, Indigo Blue and Canvas White and have an RRP of £399/€429. At the time of writing, the Px7 S3 are not available in the US.
With an RRP of £279/$399, the Sony WH-1000XM5 headphones are considerably cheaper than their competitor although it’s worth remembering this price has dropped significantly since their initial launch back in 2022.
Bowers & Wilkins Px7 S3 have two 40mm driver units
While the Sony WH-1000XM5 feature a 30mm driver unit, the Bowers & Wilkins Px7 S3 are made up of two 40mm biocellulose driver units. Bowers & Wilkins explains that the drive units, powered by a headphone amplifier, work alongside Qualcomm aptXT Lossless and aptXT Adaptive 24/96 to transmit high resolution sound that’s unbroken.
Otherwise, the 30mm driver unit found on the WH-1000XM5 was designed to enhance noise cancelling and improve high frequency ranges in particular for a more natural sound quality. We found that the WH-1000XM5 offer a finely tuned level of precision, with a midrange that’s “richer in tone and extracts more detail” to their predecessor.
Bowers & Wilkins Px7 S3. Image Credit: Bowers & Wilkins
Sony WH-1000XM5
Both have active noise cancelling technology
Arguably one of the standout features for both the Px7 S3 and WH-1000XM5 is that they boast active noise cancelling technology (ANC), which uses microphones in each ear cup to detect and block the frequency of outside sound.
Bowers & Wilkins claim that the Px7 S3 sports the “the most powerful and effective active noise cancelling technology the brand has ever developed”. Considering we praised the Px7 S2e for their consistent noise cancelling, this is undoubtedly a promising start for the Px7 S3.
Powering the Px7 S3’s ANC is a total of eight microphones that are located around each ear cup and work together for both noise cancelling and voice-processing. Similarly, the Sony WH-1000XM5 are also made up of eight microphones (four on each ear cup) and are controlled by Sony’s HD Noise Cancelling Processor QN1.
We were impressed with the ANC and Transparency mode of the WH-1000XM5, with disruptive outside noises suppressed sufficiently. Not only that but the WH-1000XM5 feature the clever speak-to-chat tool which automatically stops music and lets in ambient sound, which is especially useful for wearing your headphones in a busy office.
aptX Lossless and Adaptive support vs LDAC
As briefly mentioned earlier, the Px7 S3 support Qualcomm’s aptX Lossless and aptX Adaptive 24/96 technology. The two ensure audio quality is maintained and consistent when streaming content over a Bluetooth connection and, as its name suggests, supports 24-bit depth and a 96 kHz sampling rate.
The WH-1000XM5, on the other hand, support Sony’s LDAC technology which works in a similar way and aims to ensure consistent audio quality when connected via Bluetooth.
Sony WH-1000XM5 feature 360 spatial sound
While the feature hasn’t launched officially yet, Bowers & Wilkins has teased that the Px7 S3 will be the company’s first headphones to support spatial audio. At the time of writing, we don’t have any firm details on this, just that spatial audio will be rolled out as an over-the-air update “later this year”.
Like the WH-1000XM4, the 1000XM5 support 360 Spatial Sound via the Sony app. Much like the AirPods Max with Apple TV, and the Sonos Ace with compatible Sonos soundbars, you can pair your headphones with compatible Bravia XR TVs to create your own private, personal spatial soundscape.
Sony WH-1000XM5 are lighter
Although at 300g the Px7 S3 aren’t as heavy as the likes of the AirPods Max, the Sony WH-1000XM5 are significantly lighter at just 250g.
Otherwise, the Px7 S3 are fitted with memory foam ear cups which “perfectly encapsulate and cushion your ears for ultimate comfort” for “effortless all-day listening”. Equally, the ear cups of the WH-1000XM5 take on more of a rounded shape, which is supposedly based on Sony’s research of people’s ears. While we found them comfortable enough, and didn’t become too warm, we did note they didn’t feel as comfortable as the likes of the Sonos Ace.
Early Verdict
While we have yet to review the Bowers & Wilkins Px7 S3, they seem like a promising and exciting pair of over-ear headphones. Even so, we’ll have to wait until we get our hands on a pair to see whether they’ll knock the Sony WH-1000XM5 off the perch as our best over-ear headphones.
