I got the Bowers and Wilkins px7 S2 to finally put a end to the all the debates. Yes, I’m just now getting them and no I haven’t reached a finally conclusion. This is just a initial thoughts. I guess what I’m the most surprised about is how good they feel in its build quality and ear-cups around my ears. I’m still burning them end but I can tell you for sure easily that they are better than my Sony XM5’s I sold and the Sennheiser Momentum 4’s! The sound is easily one of the best out there. The details and soundstage are really impressive after the allow some burn in time. The lighter weight also is pleasant , not that the Airpod Max were too heavy but you do notice the welcome change. This makes carrying them around easily both in the smaller case it has and the fact that it swivels both directions to allow proper face down around your neck, something a lot of other brands continue to get wrong.
And the beautiful looks on these things screams elegance for me. When you wear them you feel like money! And while they don’t cost what the AirPods Max cost, for some reason they look more classy, not sure if that makes sense. But the AirPods will still gain you more respect and familiar looks of popularity, without a doubt. And I guess for me I like being unique more than I do fitting in. So this kinda makes me feel more attached to it.
Another thing that kinda shocked me was the feeling of juice. Over time with the Airpod Max , 20 hours didn’t seem like it really lasted a long time coming from the xm5 and others that had more battery life. I think 30 should be the minimal for all headphones for Bluetooth. So when wearing these the last 4 hours with only 3-4 percent dropped from the moment I opened it up without ever charging it once, is pretty impressive.
Bowers and Wilkins also did me a great favor with the addition of physical buttons instead of touch controls. This is similar to the AirPods Max and or Master and dynamics. So I don’t have to worry about not being able to control my headphones in the 60-degree weather as I did with the Sennheiser momentum 4’s which flat out stop processing touches because I was sitting in a coffee shop that was a little chilly. Another cool thing they did with the buttons was to give you the ability to assign a Siri button or Google assist button. No more Wake Phrase. I wasn’t sure how I would like that but I do. I can’t tell you how embarrassing it is when I had to always say “Hey siri” over and over if it doesn’t hear you or if it doesn’t work that time. Now, a simple press of a button and just ask your question. Nothing else is needed.
So everything great? Nope. The AirPods Max still give you better controls , functions ,and clarity across the board and even has wider soundstages. Where the Bowers and Wilkins px7 s2 gets a 9 ..the AirPods get a 10 in these areas. Things like Podcast, Asmr , and strings all sound cleaner and higher detailed. AirPods Max still have a little wider soundstage. Yes, this could be from the accommodation modes for the Airpod max headphones for all iPhones. This same option can’t be pulled for other headphones connected to the iPhone. So if this was just one headphone vs another on their best platform, I think the Bowers and Wilkins might have a better result.
And the end of the Day, there is no doubt that the Bowers and Wilkins px7 S2 deserve a lot a credit and could easily be the only headphone you had and you would be completely fine with it. It is easily better than the xm5 and Sennheiser’s for my money. But I’m not yet sold on the replacement of the Airpod Max as the best overall. But I will continue to test and allow more burn in time with it.
Tech-N-Things 