Bowers and Wilkins has just released its latest pair of over-ear headphones with the Px7 S3.
A successor to the five-star Px7 S2e, we’re keen to see how the Bowers and Wilkins Px7 S3 compare to the four-star AirPods Max, and whether they stand a chance of winning a spot in our best headphones or best over-ear headphones lists.
We’ve pinpointed the key differences between the two over-ear headphones in Bowers and Wilkins Px7 S3 vs AirPods Max, so you can decide which ones might suit you better.
Pricing and Availability
The newly launched Bowers and Wilkins Px7 S3s come with a choice of three colours: Anthracite Black, Indigo Blue and Canvas White and have an RRP of £399/€429.
Despite launching back at the end of 2020 and only getting a modest USB-C upgrade a few years later, the AirPods Max are the more expensive of the two headphones, with an RRP of £499/€579.
The AirPods Max are also available in a choice of five colours, including White, Black, Blue, Purple and Orange.
Biocellulose Drive Units vs Apple-Designed Driver
Unsurprisingly for an Apple product, the AirPods Max headphones sport an Apple-designed dynamic driver which works with the Apple H1 chip to monitor low and mid-range frequencies and deliver songs with “previously unheard texture and accuracy”.
We found the sound quality of the AirPods Max to be superb, as they “pack a balanced sound with an outstanding sense of versatility” while offering “plenty of bass too”.
The Px7 S3 instead feature two 40mm biocellulose drive units that are powered by a dedicated headphone amplifier, which Bowers and Wilkins promises provides “more scale and energy to sound”. These drive units work in conjunction with Qualcomm aptXTM Lossless and aptXTM Adaptive 24/96 to transmit sound that’s unbroken and high resolution.
Bowers and Wilkins Px7 S3s
AirPods Max
AirPods Max offer Spatial Audio
When paired with a compatible iPhone, iPad, Mac or even Apple TV 4K, the AirPods Max not only offer personalised spatial audio for a more immersive audio experience, but with dynamic head tracking and the built-in gyroscopes and accelerometers, the paired headphones and Apple device will track the subtle motion of your head and anchor sounds accordingly.
While Bowers and Wilkins have promised the Px7 S3 will offer support for spatial audio, marking a first for the brand’s headphones, this will be rolled out as an over-the-air update later this year.
Both feature Active Noise Cancelling
A key feature for the Px7 S3 and AirPods Max headphones is that they both feature active noise cancelling (ANC).
Bowers and Wilkins claim that the Px7 S3 features “the most powerful and effective active noise cancelling technology the brand has ever developed”, thanks to the carefully located microphones which ensure the “best possible coverage” by monitoring your surroundings.
Similarly, the AirPods Max boast Apple’s Pro-Level Noise Cancellation which we hailed as being “seriously impressive” and “up there with the WH-1000XM5.” Similarly to the Px7 S3, the AirPods Max rely on microphones to constantly detect and alter the level of noise cancellation depending on your environment.
Otherwise, both also have a transparency mode, which allows more outside sound in. This can be activated by just a press of a button on both the AirPods Max and Px7 S3 headphones.
Bowers and Wilkins Px7 S3 ANC on app. Credit: Bowers and Wilkins
AirPods Max connected to iPhone
Bowers and Wilkins Px7 S3 offers up to 30 hours of battery life
While the AirPods Max headphones offer up to a solid 20 hours of battery life on a single-charge, even with ANC or spatial audio modes enabled, it’s bested by the Px7 S3s which offer up to a whopping 30 hours with ANC switched on.
A 15-minute charge of the Px7 S3s provides up to seven hours of listening time, while a 5 minute fast charge of the AirPods Max results in just an hour and a half of audio. The latter is undoubtedly useful in a rush, but is beaten by its competition here.
Both models charge via USB-C, although the original set of AirPods Max charge via Lightning.
AirPods Max have nine microphones
The Px7 S3 have eight microphones that are located around each ear cup and work in conjunction for noise cancelling and voice-processing technologies alike. Bowers and Wilkins explains that two microphones measure the output of each drive unit while four monitor ambient noise from your surroundings. Finally, two microphones work to improve voice clarity thanks to ADI Pure Voice, a voice processing technology which effectively suppresses any unwanted noise during calls.
On the other hand, the AirPods Max have nine microphones. Much like the Px7 S3s, the AirPods Max headphones use eight of the microphones for ANC and voice pickup, with one additional microphone to ensure your voice is heard clearly during calls.
Bowers and Wilkins Px7 S3 are lighter
Comfort is key with headphones, especially as they’re typically designed to be worn for longer periods of time. While the AirPods Max weigh 382g, the Px7 S3s are considerably lighter at exactly 300g.
Otherwise, both headphones are fitted with memory foam ear cups for added comfort although the AirPod Max does benefit from an additional breathable custom-designed mesh textile. A similar knitted mesh is found on the headband too which helps distribute weight to reduce on-head pressure.
The Px7 S3s feature a new headband from its predecessor alongside a redesigned arm mechanism to ensure they fit even closer to your head.
Early Verdict
At £100/€150 cheaper, 100g lighter and suitable for both Android and iOS devices, the Bowers and Wilkins Px7 S3 seem like a promising alternative to the AirPods Max. However, if you’re a die-hard Apple fanatic, then the AirPods Max headphones are still one of the best for iPhone users.
We’ll be sure to update this versus once we review the Bowers and Wilkins Px7 S3.
