So these are the Bowers And Wilkins PX7 S3, and these are a pair of headphones that are going to give you great sound quality, amazing build quality, and a beautiful design… these are a statement piece all on their own. And these headphones do have some notable upgrades over the bowers And Wilkins PX7 S2’s… but overall these are a pair of headphones for someone that wants to standout from everyone else that might just be rocking a pair of Bose, Sony, or Apple headphones.
Regarding pricing, the Bowers And Wilkins PX7 S3’s have a retail price of $470, which is a lot and these are actually Bowers and Wilkins entry level headphones, but these headphones are already going on sale for $430… which for their build quality, isn’t bad. So if you want to pick these headphones up they’ll be linked down below or you can always press on the YouTube shopping button, and if you want to further support the channel then you can always watch some of the related videos in the description below.
So first lets talk about this case, now the PX7 S3’s case is very similar to the PX7 S2’s case, this is a very premium feeling case, its a very hardshell case which is going to do a great job of protecting your headphones even if you cram them into a cramped backpack, and they even took the extra step of lining the inside of this case with thick felt which makes the inside feel even more premium than the inside of a lot of other cases. And there’s also compartment for you to store your cables. Overall this is a very nice case. However since these headphones aren’t fully collapsible, their case does have a slightly larger foot print than other cases out there. So these wouldn’t be my top pick for traveling or flying… but they’re still manageable, this case isn’t as bad as lets say the Sony 1000XM5’s case or sennheiser’s case, which are a hard pass for me.
But with the cases out of the way lets talk about the headphones themselves… now at first glance, the PX7 S3 and the PX7 S2 are very similar. Both of these headphones only have a lay flat design to them like I just mentioned… but both of these ear cups pivot and swivel a lot, and both of these headphones glide in and out… but more importantly, these headband arms are machined metal which first off, look great and secondly they’re very durable. And the way that these headbands just glide, it feels smooth and sturdy, but like I’ve mentioned before, I prefer when my headbands click cause its easier to find your fit. But besides that, both the ear cups and headband have hits of fabric on them and both the ear cups and headband are wrapped in leather, so the amount of plastic your grubby little hands actually touch is very minimal. However I do have to point out, that just like with the PX7 S2 when I first got them, the leather on the PX7 S3 feels very plastic, but don’t feel discouraged, you literally have to wear these headphones for a little bit so that the leather cause soak up your juices and soften up.
Now when it comes to fit, the PX7 S3’s do fit a little better than the PX7 S2. Now when it comes to clamping force, just like with the PX7 S2’s, the PX7 S3’s are a little tight when they are new, with these you do have to stretch them out for a little bit, but after that, these headphones will have a neutral amount of clamping force to them… but still lean a little towards the firmer side, so to be safe, I wouldn’t say that these are big head approved. You can make them work, but if you’re looking for a looser fit then you’ll might want to go with Bose or Sony. But then there are the ear cups on these headphones… now the ear cups on the PX& S3’s are noticeably more low profile than the PX7 S2’s giving you a sleeker fit, which I actually really like. And even though the ear cups on the PX7 S3 are sleeker… these are actually more spacious than the ear cups on the PX7 S2’s… so if you have larger ears or ears that stick out a lot, they should have you covered. But then there’s also the padding… the padding on the PX7 S3’s has less surface area coming in contact with your skin, so these earpds stay a little cooler for a little longer compared to the PX7 S2 and they feel less colosotralphibc.
And then there’s their weight, the PX7 S3 weigh in at 300 grams, which is okay given the more premium materials and better durability on these headphones and its actually 7 grams less than the PX7 S2… but with these headphones, you can notice them shifting around when you’re walking around with them on and you never really forget that you’re wearing them when you’re sitting at your desk, in bed or if you’re flying with your headphones. Overall, these headphones fit well… but there are other headphones out there that are lighter, first looser, and have more spacious and cooler ear pads… but what really makes the PX7 S3’s special is their design, they truly look like art and they have better materials and better build quality without being super overweight like lets say the AirPods Max.
But now lets talk about tech specs, when it comes to battery life the PX7 S3’s have an advertised battery life of 30 hours with their ANC turned on, which is the same as the PX7 S2’s and that’s pretty good battery life. And with both of these headphones you can always extend their battery life by using them with their ANC turned off.
And both of these headphones charge via a USB C port as they should. And with both of these headphones you can use them while they are cahegning and you can always uses these USB C ports as a wired connection, making them a good option if you plan on gaming with these headphone. And even though these headphones don’t have an audio jack, you can still use them with an audio jack connection cause they come included with a USB C to audio jack cable… so if you plan on flying with these headphones, they will have you covered.
However, even if you want to use these headphones with a wired connection, they have to be powered on, you can’t use these headphones passively, which I feel is a big deal for someone that might plan on flying with these headphones or for content creation. Buy something that I do like on the PX7 S3 is that they changed the position of the USB C port… it stick directly down now, so its more comfortable. Where as with the PX7 S2 since its angled towards the back, if you tried to use it with a wired connection then the cable would dig into your neck.
But when it comes to bluetooth connectivity, these headphones can be connected to any two bluetooth devices at the same, making them a great option for any power user out there that likes to hot swap between lets say your PC and iPhone… and latency is not an issue for these headphones so you can use them to watch videos with on your phone. But when it comes to audio codecs, bowers and Wilkins went all out cause these headphones have support for SBC, AAC, APTX Classic, HD,Adaptive, and Lossless… now in order to use APTX you do have to be an android user cause iPhones top out at AAC, but regardless these headphones sound great even with just AAC.
But now lets talk about sound quality, the Bowers and Wilkins PX7 S3’s sound good and they preform better than the Bowers and Wilkins PX7 S2. Now the PX7 S3’s are going to give you a very technical listening experience, as in they are going to try to sound as balanced and as neutral as possible… so if you’re someone that likes a more dynamic listening exepraicne with prominent vocals and hard hitting bass, then you’ll might want to go with the AirPods Max. Where the PX7 S3’s really execel is istneumnet separation and balance, and with their stock EQ, the bass on these headphones does a really good job of resonating and almost engulfing you. But if you’re someone that likes a little more kick in your bass, then you’ll might want to go in and raise the bass on these headphones and just bring the highs down a little bit. I kind of feel that the PX7 S3’s sound like the Sony 1000XM6’s but with more resonance in their bass, giving you that missing piece. And when comparing the PX7 S3’s to the PX7 S2’s, the main difference is going to be clarity in the higher and better resonance in the bass. Its a notiabel difference, but not enough to upgrade if you already have the PX7 S2’s.
And when it comes to the media controls on these headphones, the PX7 S3’s have a physical buttons, kind of staying on theme of featuring a premium design language cause analog is where its at. So with these buttons you can quauikly and easily pause and play your music, you can skip through your music and you can easily adjust your volume. It just works.
However, the PX7 S3’s also have wear sensors, so they will automatically pause your music when you take them off and they’ll start playing your music again when you put them back on. Now personally I don’t really care for wear sensors on my headphones so thankfully you can turn them off, but the important thing here is, the wear sensors on the PX7 S3’s are accurate cause Bowers and Wilkins does have a history of having finicky wear sensors.
Now when it comes to the active noise cancelation on these headphones… well I just hope that active noise cancelation isn’t very important to you cause the ANC on these headphones performs like the ANC that you’ll find on a pair of mid tier ANC headphones. Not premium ANC headphones like these are priced at. But so that you can see for yourself we’re going to jump into an ANC test.
ANC Test
So like you may have just seen, if active noise cancelation is very important to you, then I wouldn’t go with the PX7 S3’s cause these headphones just can’t compete with the Sony 1000XM6 which are the top dog right now. Now the ANC on the PX7 S3 will help while on a bus or slightly chatty office, but this type of ANC performance can be found on mid tier ANC headphones which cost half as much. And when compared to the PX7 S2’s the PX7 S3’s do a better job of blocking out lower frequency sounds… but higher frequency sounds are just able to easily get through… so that means lots of chatter.
And when it comes to the ambient mode on these headphones, it gets the job done, but it sounds super artificial and this microphone array does like to pick up a lot of wind noise when walking out doors. And again, there are plenty of mid tier or entry level ANC headphones who’s ambient modes sound much better than these, aliibet they might not look as good.
Mic S2 Quiet
But finally here’s the microphone test, and well, the mic on the Bowers and Wilkins PX7 S3 is pretty good and it has been improved from the PX7 S2.
Mic S3 quiet
Now while in a quiet room, these microphones sound daily similar to one another and they are both good enough to take phonically with while in a quiet room.
Mic S3 road
But what separates these microphones from one another is their ability to deal with noise pollution, cause the mic on the Bowers and Wilkins PX7 S3 is doing a good job of dealing with all of this road noise, cause for comparison sake, if we were to switch over to my lapel microphone you’re going to clealery hear all of this road noise, but if we were to switch back over to the Bowers And Wilkins PX7 S3, it is reduced with minimal interferce going on with my voice.
Mic S2 road noise
Where as with the Bowers And Wilkins PX7 S2, you can hear a lot of road noise in the back ground, you can still understand me, but you can also hear everything else.
Mic S2 Chatter
And when it comes to blocking out chatter, it the same thing, you can still understand me, but you can still hear everything else.
Mic S3 Chatter
Where as with the Bowers And Wilkins PX7 S3, these are doing a much better job of dealing with this noise pollution, cause for comparison sake, if we were to switch over to my lapel microphone again you can clealery hear all of this chatter, but if we were to switch back over to the Bowers And Wilkins PX7 S3, it is reduced. So overall the Bowers and Wilkins PX7 S3 actually have a good performing mic on them to take phone calls with, and they actually put other headphones out there to shame.
But with all of that being said, Now the Bowers And Wilkins PX7 S3 don’t have the best active noise cancelation and they don’t have the best sounding ambient mode… and they just fit okay and they do have a pretty large case… so these might not be the best headphones to travel or to fly with. But where they really excel is when it comes to sound and design. Sound quality wise these headphones give you a balanced listening experience with very good instrument separation and openess… but they also have deep resonating bass which truly engulfs you… and if you like a lot of bass in you music, then these headphones have you covered. I think the Bowers And Wilkins PX7 S3’s sound like an improved version of the Sony 1000XM6. And then there’s just the design of these headphones, they look like a fashion statement all on their own… but also they are using finer materials and they have improved durability as well… and in a world where more and more products are designed to fail… the Bowers and Wilkins PX7 S3’s are built to last.