So the new Bowers And Wilkins PX7 S2 is mostly a cosmetic upgrade from the PX7’s. The PX7 S2’s look better, they feel better and they fit better too. Now personally, I enjoy the PX7 S2’s and their more premium build quality and elegant design… but they defiantly aren’t perfect and they aren’t for everyone. But today we’re going to compare the PX7 S2’s to the super feature packed, Sony 1000XM5’s and the Sony 1000XM4’s which aren’t going anywhere anytime soon.
Regarding pricing, both the PX7 S2 and Sony 1000XM4’s retail for $400… where as the 1000XM4’s have a retail price of $350… but I expect both of Sony’s headphones to go on sale on a regular basis… its kind of what they do. Where as with the PX7 S2’s… not so much. Nonetheless, if you want to pick any of these headphones up they’ll be linked down below… or you can press on the YouTube shopping button, give it a try.
Now first lets talk about these cases. Now if you have watched any of my previous videos featuring the Sony 1000XM5’s… then you’ll know that I really dislike this case. This case is huge and it truly is an inconvenience if you have this case in your carry on. Now, the PX7 S2’s case is also a little big… but its not as bad as the XM5’s case… and this case does win some extra point here cause it feels super premium and its super stiff. But then there’s the XM4’s case which is noticeably smaller than these other two cases specifically cause the XM4’s are the only headphones here that are fully collapsable. Nonetheless, if you’re looking for a pair of headphones to travel with a lot… then you’ll might want to go with the XM4’s cause of their smaller case.
But now, lets talk about the headphones themselves. One of the standout characteristics about the PX7 S2’s is simply their build quality. The S2’s have these fabric wrapped touch surfaces on both the ear cups and headband which feel very nice… we’ve got these exposed brushed metal arms on the headband, and we’ve got some very supple feeling leatherette on both the ear pads and headband that also have a very nice grain to it. Overall, the PX7 S2’s feels very sturdy both in your hands and on your head. But then, there are Sony’s headphones which are a completely different story. Both of these headphones are mostly made out of plastic and their leatherette doesn’t feel as premium as the PX7 S2’s. However, the XM5’s feel very different from the XM4’s. Since the XM5’s are using recycled plastic… they feel less premium than the XM4’s which are using non recycled plastic. However, the XM5’s have far better feeling leatherette than the XM4’s. The leatherette on the XM5’s feels a little bit like soft touch silicon… but with less friction. Where as the leatherette on the XM4’s feels very plastic. Overall, I prefer the plastic on the XM4’s but I prefer the leatherette on the XM5’s… but regardless, build quality wise, the PX7 S2’s are just on a whole other level.
However, the finer material choice on the PX7 S2’s does take its toll when it comes to weight. The S2’s weigh in at 307 grams. Now, this is nowhere near as bad as the AirPods Max which weigh in at a whopping 384 grams… but with the PX7 S2’s these are a pair of headphones that you never really forget that you’re wearing even if you’re sitting still… and you’re going to notice these headphones shifting around while they’re on your head and walking. But then there are Sony’s headphones… the XM4’s weigh in at 254 grams which is relatively light weight… and surpassingly the XM5’s weigh in at 250 grams. Now the 4 gram weight reduction on the XM5’s is negligible from the XM4’s… but regardless, with both of these headphones… their lighter weight does make them more comfortable. Now regarding clamping force, all of these headphones are big head approved… however, the PX7 S2’s do have a noticeably firmer fit to them than both the XM4’s and XM5’s. But regardless, I can wear the PX7 S2’s for hours on end without any problems, which is something that I couldn’t say about the PX7’s cause these headphones had a much firmer fit to them. But then, there are the earpads on these headphones… the earpads on the PX7 S2 are fairly spacious and they should have no problem accommodating most ear types. And the ear pads on the PX7 S2’s are a little more spacious than the ear pads on the XM4’s and they’re way more spacious than the ear pads on the XM5’s. Now even though at first glance it may seem like the XM5’s have the largest ear pads here… the problem with the XM5’s is that their earpads are very shallow… so these ear pads like to press down on your ears. And after 30 minutes of wearing these headphones… having your ears constantly pressed down on does get uncomfortable. Where as, with these other two headphones, that isn’t a problem. But also, we have to address the headband on the XM5’s. Since the headband on the XM5’s is very thin and its also minimally padded… I have found that this headband likes to create a hot spot on the top of your head after wearing these headphones for like 30 minutes. Whereas, since the headband on the XM4’s is a little wider, and since it has significantly more padding, this headband is less likely to create a hot spot on the top of your head. And finally there’s the PX7 S2’s headband which also has a lot of padding on it and its also the widest here. So even though the PX7 S2’s has the firmest fit here and they’re also the heaviest headphones here… since they have a wide and very padded headband… they don’t create a hot spot on the top of your head cause their headband does a good job of evenly distributing their pressure. But overall, the XM4’s are the most comfortable headphones here. They have a loser fit than the PX7 S2’s, and they weigh significantly less. But I will argue that the PX7 S2’s are more comfortable than the XM5’s cause they have much more spacious ear pads and their headband doesn’t create a hot spot on the top of your head. But finally, there are just the looks of these headphones while they’re on your head. Personally, I don’t like how the XM5’s look… they have a rather bulbs looking head band… where as the headband on the XM4’s is much more low profile… making them look much sleeker. But then there are the PX7 S2’s which also have a fairly low profile headband… but without a doubt these look way more elegant.
Now regarding tech specs, all of these headphones have an advertised battery life of 30 hours with their active noise cancelation turned on. And as of mid 2022, an advertised battery life of 30 hours with active noise cancellation turned on is still a little above average. However, with all of these headphones, if you were to use them with their active noise cancelation turned off, you can extend their battery lives that way.
Regarding bluetooth connectivity, all of these headphones can be connected to two devices at the same time which is good if you’re a power user. However, with Sony’s headphones if you want to be able to be connected to two devices at the same time then you do have to sacrifice LDAC. Now this really only matters if you’re an android user cause iPhones top out at AAC. So if you’re an iPhone user, you should defneitly turn this feature on.
But when it comes to overall performance, all of these headphones have zero latency across the board when watching movies or videos on your phone whether you’re using an iPhone or an android device… but when it comes to audio codecs, the PX7 S2’s have support for SBC and AAC, which is standard… but they also have support for APTX, APTX HD and APTX adaptive. But keep in mind if you want to take advantage of APTX then you do have to be an android user. But then there are Sony’s headphones which have support for SBC and AAC… but they also have Sony’s own LDAC which is their own in house high res audio codec. But again, if you want to take advantage of LDAC you do have to be an android user… and also, LDAC does take its toll on the battery life. For example, with the 1000XM5’s they have an advertised battery life of 30 hours with their ANC turned on… but that’s also while they’re using AAC. But if you were to use LDAC… then your battery life goes from 30 hours to 26 hours. So, just keep that in mind.
But if you want to you can always use a wired connection with any of these headphones. Now with both of Sony’s headphones you can only use their 3.5 millimeter audio jack as a wired connection. Where as with the PX7 S2’s… they don’t have an audio jack… however, you can use their USB C port as a wired connection… and also… the PX7 S2’s come included with a a USB C to 3.5 millimeter audio jack cable. So this is why I’m not upset that the PX7 S2’s don’t have an audio jack. Unlike the AirPods Max… where if you want to use them with a wired connection… you gotta buy their lighting to audio jack cable which is sold separately.
But now lets talk about sound. Now Sony’s headphones aren’t the best sounding headphones out there… but the XM4’s have always been people pleasers and the XM5’s sound good enough to get the job done. Now with the XM5’s, these have a little better instrument separation than the XM4’s… which is nice. But the improved instrument separation on the XM5’s from the XM4’s is very subtle. But something that isn’t subtle is the difference in the physicality in the bass between the XM4’s and the XM5’s. The XM4’s have significantly more physicality in their bass than the XM5’s. So if you’re someone that likes to feel their bass… then you do want to go with the XM4’s. And overall… even though the XM4’s may not sound as open as the XM5’s… I do feel that these are going to have an easier time pleasing more people than the XM5’s thanks to their increased bass if you want it. But then there are the PX7 S2’s who’s main defining characteristic is their instrument separation. These headphones sound much more open than both of Sony’s headphones. However, these are better suited for someone who like a more neutral or vocals focused EQ cause these also don’t have the most physicality in their bass. But with the PX7 S2’s, you can now adjust their bass and treble to your liking. And with the PX7 S2’s, if you were to raise their bass… then you are going to get some physicality in their bass… they’re going to rattle your head more than the XM5’s… but they won’t rattle you head as much as the XM4’s… but for the most part, the bass on the PX7 S2’s is mostly on the audible side. Overall, I think the PX7 S2’s are the best sounding headphones here cause of their far better instrument separation… and I think these headphones sound pretty fun with their bass set to 3. But again, these are better suited for someone who likes a more neutral or vocals focused EQ. And if you’re someone that looking for that bass… then you’ll want to go with the XM4’s. Sure they sound a little more narrow than the XM5’s… but these will rattle your head the most here if you crank up their bass.
And when it comes to controlling your media playback, both of Sony’s headphones are using touch pads. Now both of these touchpads are very accurate and they’re easy enough to use… however, the S2’s are using physical buttons… and this also could be a deciding factor cause some people just don’t want to have to deal with touch pads on their headphones.
And all of these headphones also have wear sensors… so they will all automatically pause your music when you take them off, and when you put them back on they’ll start playing your music again. But the problem here with the PX7 S2’s wear sensors is that these wear sensors are much slower to react when you take these headphones off. But more importantly, these wear sensors will randomly pause your music from time to time. And this is something that just doesn’t happen with Sony’s headphones. Now, I have already tried using the different sensitivity levels for these wear sensors… but I’m still having this issue. So I hope bowers and Wilkins are able to fix this issue through a firmware update cause their previous headphones also had this issue… and this issue was fixed through an update.
But now lets talk about the active noise cancelation on these headphones. Simply put, the PX7 S2’s block out enough noise for a pair of premium ANC headphones… but these are trialing behind the XM4’s and they’re defneitly trailing behind the XM5’s which are currently the king of ANC as of mid 2022. But so that you can see for yourself, we’re going to jump into an ANC test.
So like you may have just seen, the PX7 S2’s block out a decent amount of noise… however, the XM4’s are blocking out a little more noise than the PX7 S2’s and the XM5’s block out even more noise. However, even though the XM5’s are blocking out the most amount of noise here… they’re doing so with a little more cabin pressure than both the XM4’s and PX7 S2’s. Where as with the XM4’s these are blocking out a little more noise than the PX7 S2’s, and they do so with less cabin pressure than the PX7 S2’s. So overall, I feel the XM4’s have the best balance here when it comes to amount of noise blocked and cabin pressure. But if you’re interested in blocking out the absolute most amount of noise, then the XM5’s are the way to go.
But next there’s the ambient modes on these headphones. Now the ambient mode on the PX7 S2’s sounds fine… however, the ambient modes on the Sony’s headphones sounds much more natural… and you can also adjust it to your liking. Where as with the PX7 S2’s, you can’t. But with the PX7 S2’s, I have noticed that their microphone array does a much better job of blocking out wind noise when walking out doors than the XM5’s. And this is also really good for when you’re blocking out noise. But the microphone array on the XM4’s still does the best job here of blocking out wind noise.
Now overall, the PX7 S2’s ambient mode is good enough to get the job done if you’re a constant commuter of flyer… But sony does have more features integrated in to their ambient mode. First off there’s speak to chat which is found on both of these headphones and it works a little like this.
But personally, I’m not a really big fan of speak to chat because it is very easy to accidentally active. If you’re talking to yourself very quietly that can activate it, if you’re singing along to your music, that can activate it, if you start laughing that can active it, and on rare occasions loud enough outside noises can activate it. So that’s why I don’t use it.
Personally, I still prefer to use quick attention on these headphones cause its a lot more intentional. When you fully cover the touch pad on these headphones they’re going to lower the volume of your music and pump in all of the ambient sound around you like this.
And then when you let go, the headphones will go back to normal. Now like I said, I prefer quick attention cause its a lot more intentional. But Sony still refuses to just lock quick attention after its been activated for a few seconds. So you gotta stay there with your hand like this the whole time you’re talk to someone. I just want Sony to change it so that you can simply let go like with other headphones that have similar feature.
Now I’m not saying that the PX7 S2’s need a feature like speak to chat… but they do need a feature like quick attention where you can quickly talk to someone without having to take your headphones off, cause that is a very useful feature… and its a feature that’s becoming more and more common with headphones that have an ambient mode.
But finally here’s the microphone test. Now simply put, the XM4’s have the worst preforming microphone here. While in a quite room, the XM4’s sound a little shallow.
Where as with the PX7 S2’s, these are going a much better job of focusing on my voice
And with the XM5’s these are doing an even better job of focusing on my voice. However I do have to point out that there is some constant hissing in the background. But its easy enough to ignore.
But where these headphones really stand out is when it comes to blocking out noise pollution. Cause right now, this microphone is doing a great job of blocking out this road noise all while still keeping my voice front and center… cause for comparison sake, if we were to switch over to my lapel microphone, you’re going to clearly hear all of this road noise, but if we were to switch back over to the XM5’s, it is reduced.
Now the PX7 S2’s are also doing a decent job of blocking out this road noise and still keeping my voice front and center… but these are letting in more road noise.
But then there are the XM4’s which aren’t doing as well here. These are letting in a lot more road noise, and there’s a lot of static in the back ground when I’m talking.
Now the XM4’s do a much better job of dealing with chatter this time around… there isn’t any static when I’m talking and the chatter in the background is reduced. I would say that this is usable at least.
However, the PX7 S2’s are doing a better job of blocking out this chatter and my voice sounds clearer.
And then there are the XM5’s which are blocking out even more chatter. Overall, I feel that both the PX7 S2’s and Sony XM5’s have good sounding microphones on them to take phone calls with… but the XM5’s does manage to come out a head here.
But with all of that being said… the Bowers and Wilkins PX7 S2’s aren’t for everyone… and they aren’t the most feature packed headphones out there. And if active noise cancellation is your top priority… than you’ll might want to look elsewhere. However, the PX7 S2’s offer a very premium build quality and their elegance is going to make them stand out. Plus, these headphones offer incredible instrument separation and if you want, you can raise the bass on these a little bit and get a fun listening experience out of them. But when compared to the XM4’s and XM5’s… if you’re looking for a pair of headphones that are feature packed and you want to block out the absolute most amount of noise, then the XM5’s are the way to go. But personally, I still find myself gravitating towards the XM4’s cause of their more comfortable fit, their ear pads are more spacious and their headband doesn’t create a hot spot on the top of your head. But also, sound quality wise, the XM4’s will have an easier time pleasing more people cause these have more physicality in their bass… and if you’re someone that is planning on traveling a lot with your headphones… then I do think you’ll might want to go with the XM4’s simply cause their case is much smaller… making them more convenient to throw them into your backpack.