When you drop a few hundred bucks on headphones, you aren't just buying plastic and drivers. You're buying an ego trip for your ears. Or at least, that’s what the marketing for the Bowers and Wilkins Px7 wants you to believe.
Most people look at these and see a pretty face. A bit of fabric, some carbon fiber, and a legendary British logo. They think, "Cool, expensive noise-canceling headphones." But honestly, that’s a surface-level take that misses the weird, sometimes frustrating, and ultimately rewarding reality of owning a pair of these.
The Carbon Fiber Myth and the "Tank" Build
Let’s talk about those arms. Bowers and Wilkins made a huge deal about the "carbon fiber composite" arms on the original Px7. They said it was inspired by race cars. Super light. Super strong.
Is it? Kinda.
In reality, the Px7 is a bit of a chonk. It weighs in at about 310 grams. For context, the Sony WH-1000XM4/XM5 and the Bose options usually hover around 250 grams. You feel that 60-gram difference after three hours on a flight. It’s not "heavy" like a lead weight, but it’s substantial.
The carbon fiber isn't there to make it feel like a feather; it's there to keep the thing from snapping. If you've ever owned the older B&W P5 or P7 models, you know they loved their thin metal hinges. Those looked great but could be finicky. The Px7 arms are stiff. Really stiff.
The Clamp Factor
You've got to be prepared for the clamp. Out of the box, these things grip your skull like they're trying to extract information. It’s great for passive isolation—basically naturally blocking out noise before the electronics even kick in—but it can be a lot if you have a larger head.
The good news? The memory foam is top-tier. It's wrapped in a leather-and-fabric combo that feels significantly more "grown-up" than the fingerprint-magnet plastic Sony uses.
Audio: Why "Flat" is a Dirty Word Here
If you want "neutral" or "flat" sound, don't buy the Bowers and Wilkins Px7. Seriously. Go buy some Sennheisers or studio monitors.
B&W tunes for what they call "True Sound," but for the rest of us, that translates to a "smiley face" EQ. You get a punchy, aggressive bass and a crisp, sparkly high end. The midrange? It’s a little stepped back. It’s like sitting in the tenth row of a concert instead of the front row.
The 43.6mm Secret
The drivers inside are 43.6mm. That’s an oddly specific size. Most competitors use 40mm drivers. Why does it matter? It gives the Px7 a sense of scale. When you listen to a Hans Zimmer track or some deep house, the bass doesn't just "thump"—it moves air.
- AptX Adaptive Support: This was a big win. It balances high-res audio with connection stability.
- The USB-C Trick: You can plug these directly into a laptop via USB-C and use the internal DAC. It sounds way better than Bluetooth. Honestly, if you're at a desk, just plug them in.
The Noise Canceling Reality Check
Here is where the fanboys get quiet. The ANC (Active Noise Cancellation) on the original Px7 is... fine. It’s good. It’ll drown out a plane engine or a humming AC unit.
But it’s not magic.
If you’re coming from the Bose QuietComfort series, you’ll notice the Px7 lets in more high-frequency "hiss" or sharp noises like a dog barking. B&W prioritizes the music. They don't want to "over-process" the sound to the point where it feels like you're underwater.
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Some people love this because it feels more natural. Others hate it because they just want the world to shut up. You’ve gotta decide which camp you’re in.
Which Px7 are you actually buying?
This is where it gets confusing. Since the original came out, we've seen the Px7 S2 and the Px7 S2e (the "e" stands for "evolved").
- Original Px7: Physical buttons, carbon fiber arms, 43.6mm drivers. Great if you find them used for cheap.
- Px7 S2: Slimmer, better mics, 40mm drivers (yes, smaller, but supposedly higher quality).
- Px7 S2e: Basically the S2 but with the digital brain (DSP) of the flagship Px8. This is the one to get if you're buying new today.
Don't get tricked into buying the old model for full price just because it looks "pro." The S2e is a significantly better-tuned machine.
What usually breaks? (The Honest Truth)
No product is perfect. With the Px7 series, the most common gripe isn't the electronics—it's the glue.
Specifically, the ear pads. After a year or two of daily use, the fabric/leather can start to peel away from the plastic ring. It’s an easy fix (you can buy replacement pads), but for a premium product, it’s annoying.
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Also, the "Wear Sensor"—the thing that pauses your music when you take them off—can be temperamental. Sometimes it pauses when you just tilt your head. Most users (including me) end up turning the sensitivity down or just switching it off in the app.
How to actually get your money's worth
If you decide to grab a pair of Bowers and Wilkins Px7 (or the S2e), don't just use Spotify on the default settings.
First, go into the Bowers & Wilkins Music app. Tweak the treble. These can be a bit "bright" out of the box, and knocking the treble down one or two notches makes them much more listenable for long periods.
Second, find some lossless files. Whether it's Tidal, Apple Music, or your own FLAC collection, these headphones can actually show you the difference. On cheap buds, lossless is a waste of data. On these? You’ll hear the reverb in the room where the singer was standing.
Actionable Next Steps:
- Check your head size: If you have a very large head, try to find a pair to "test clamp" at a store like Best Buy before committing.
- Look for the S2e: If the price difference between the S2 and S2e is less than $50, always go with the "e." The DSP tuning from the Px8 is worth the extra cash.
- Update the firmware immediately: B&W is notorious for shipping headphones with buggy wear sensors that get fixed in the first software update.
- Don't throw away the case: Unlike Sony, these don't fold. They only rotatate flat. If you jam them in a backpack without the hard case, you will scuff that pretty fabric.
The Px7 isn't a "set it and forget it" appliance. It’s a piece of hi-fi gear that happens to have a battery. Treat it that way, and you'll actually enjoy the $300+ you just spent.