Bowers & Wilkins PX Bluetooth Wireless Headphones, Noise Cancelling - Space Grey

Product Information

Not only are the PX7s insightful, but their sonic character also prioritises entertainment – they are the headphone equivalent of that friend with seemingly inexhaustible supplies of energy. If you really want the best ANC this money can buy though, there are better, more personalized options out there, and here we might point you to the Sony XM5 or (likely to be discounted) WH-1000XM4 over-ears.

These are over-ears you'll want to be seen in –ideally, on a yacht in the Maldives (Image credit: Future) Bowers & Wilkins PX8 review: designStream Stormzy's Vossi Bop and it's a similar story; the bass just feels a tad overstated and we're losing the upper midrange –which includes Stormzy's emotive lyrics. Bloated is too strong a word, but it's just a little too hot and heavy in the mix.

This is Bowers & Wilkins and, as you'd expect, these over-ears certainly look and feel the part –plus, the USB-C charger can also be used to listen to wired music if your phone sports a USB-C connection (we did this with our Samsung Galaxy S21, no Bluetooth required). You get a USB-C to 3.5mm cable in the box too, in case you want to use them with source devices such as MP3 players, all of which adds value at the level. The headband is lovely and cushioned, as are those slightly smaller earcups (Image credit: Future) Bowers & Wilkins PX7 S2: design and features In our honest (if early) opinion, these are some of the most detailed, sensitive, responsive, gifted wireless over-ears we've had the pleasure of placing over our ears. And we do not offer that lightly. There’s no doubt that the P9 Signatures are a very talented pair of headphones. No matter what you feed them, they find themselves right at home, delivering a sound that’s not just accurate, but that’s enjoyable too. B&W doesn't offer levels of noise cancellation like some competitors do, and instead keeps things simple with on, off and pass-through. That's no problem for us - a good transparency mode is more than enough for our needs, but it's something to consider if you like to tweak your noise cancellation levels further than that.

Anyone familiar with recent efforts from Bowers & Wilkins won’t be surprised with what the Px8 deliver in sound quality, but they will still be impressed. There is a level of clarity and insight here that we haven’t heard bettered at this level. Performance is a clear step ahead of talented but cheaper alternatives such as the aforementioned Sonys or the new Sennheiser Momentum 4 in pretty much every area. There is more precision and clarity than the Apple AirPods Max too.