Name: Px7 S3
Brand: Bowers & Wilkins

STEREO GUIDE verdict

93%

93%

New design, better technology, better sound: the Bowers & Wilkins Px7 S3 aims to do everything better than its predecessors. And it succeeds. It appears more polished in every respect. Its abysmal, powerful bass blends more harmoniously into the sound and if you like drums or church organs, you will hardly find a more impressive pair of headphones.

Pros

Enormously powerful, deep bass
Very effective ANC
High touch quality, good wearing comfort
Playback via Bluetooth, USB and analog cable connection

Cons

Battery life behind some competitors

Usability / Connectivity
9.4
Price/Performance
9.2
Tonal balance / transparency
9.2
Bass / Dynamics
9.5

The Bowers & Wilkins Px7 S3 remains true to the distinctive, elegant design language of the British luxury brand. However, the Bluetooth over-ear has been visually and functionally revised. The new industrial design is visibly slimmer, more modern and more elegant. Frequent listeners in particular will benefit from the new ergonomic headband and the even softer ear pads made from high-quality memory foam. The supplied carrying case with its compartment for the supplied USB-C and 3.5 mm jack cables has also been made smaller and more space-saving.

The choice of materials and workmanship are still at a premium level: metal accents, fabric structure and soft imitation leather give the Bluetooth headphones their characteristic high-end look. Available in Anthracite Black, Indigo Blue and Canvas White, the Px7 S3 is already the fourth generation of the popular over-ears with Active Noise Canceling (ANC). After the Px7 S2 that we reviewed, Bowers & Wilkins launched the Px7 S2e with modified DSP sound tuning.

Technology and sound architecture

With the new B&W Px7 S3, however, the British manufacturer has also taken a major step forward in terms of hardware. Almost every component inside the high-end Bluetooth headphones has been redesigned. Although the 40 mm biocellulose diaphragms have been retained, the magnetic structure, the coil suspension and the chassis of the forward-tilted drivers, which ensure a natural listening experience, have been revised. In addition, Bowers & Wilkins now uses particularly high-quality discrete headphone amplifiers – a first in this series. The aim of this development was to achieve an even more low-distortion, dynamic and detailed sound with a deep sound stage.

The new “True Sound” mode, accessible via the corresponding app, is designed to deliver a particularly authentic sound image.

Connectivity and codecs

Bluetooth 5.3 is now on board – the Px7 S2 still used Bluetooth 5.2 – with the extended codecs aptX Adaptive and, for the first time, aptX Lossless, which enables wireless high-res playback at up to 24 bit / 96 kHz. As with its predecessor, both an analogue jack input and a USB-C connection are available for wired connections – both cables are included in the scope of delivery. The USB-C input processes digital Hi-Res signals directly at up to 24 bit / 96 kHz.

Noise canceling & microphone technology

The active noise cancellation has been fundamentally revised. Instead of four microphones as in the S2, the Px7 S3 now uses an array of eight microphones which, in combination with a new B&W DSP platform, ensures particularly effective ANC performance that is gentle on the sound.

Speech intelligibility during calls has also been improved by a technology called ADI Pure Voice – phone calls should be transmitted clearly and intelligibly even in noisy environments. And the B&W Px7 S3 achieved this very well in practice during our review.

Operation & app functions

The headphones continue to be operated via physical buttons on the ear cups – including a freely assignable multifunction button on the right-hand side. The app connection via the Bowers & Wilkins Music app, which is available free of charge for iOS and Android, has been expanded: In addition to the 5-band equalizer with additional presets, there is the option to individually configure the quick access button on the left ear cup for changing ANC modes or calling up the voice assistant.

Also new, as already mentioned, is the “True Sound” mode – a sound profile curated by the acousticians at the B&W headquarters in Southwater.

Wearing comfort & battery life

Wearing comfort has been further optimized compared to the Px7 S2. The new headband presses less, the ear pads enclose the ears very tightly with a certain amount of pressure, but still provide a pleasant wearing sensation, which is also due to the skin-friendly, high-quality surface.

The battery life of around 30 hours with ANC activated is the same as that of the S2. Practical: the quick-charging function provides enough energy for 7 hours of playback in just 15 minutes.

Future-proof & features

Bowers & Wilkins promises future software updates with 3D audio from its own development for more natural listening with a spatiality that is supposed to go in the direction of loudspeakers, as well as Bluetooth LE Audio with Auracast. The latter allows simultaneous streaming of a source to multiple headphones – practical for shared listening sessions.

Bowers & Wilkins Px7 S3 vs Sony WH-1000XM6 — Bowers & Wilkins Px7 S3 (left) in comparison with the Sony WH-1000XM6. (Photo: Stefan Schickedanz)

B&W Px7 S3 review with author Stefan Schickedanz — Bowers & Wilkins Px7 S3 (left) in comparison with the Sony WH-1000XM6. (Photo: Stefan Schickedanz)

Bowers & Wilkins Px7 S3: Sound quality

What becomes apparent after the first few bars of music in the sound test: the third generation of the popular over-ear headphones remains true to the tried and reviewed line: the Px7 S3 focuses on great cinema. In hi-fi circles, this means sparkling clean, finely chiseled highs and powerful, abysmal bass. The Bowers offers both to such an extent that, depending on your taste in music and listening preferences, you can be either enraptured or reminded of gimmickry.

But let’s take a closer look at the key points of the sound tuning. The bass range is particularly in the spotlight. I sent the Px7 S2 back to the manufacturer after our review in the fall of 2022. But the bass foundation is now so powerful that even after three years there is no doubt: The British have sharpened their profile in the interests of their regular customers.

The dainty over-ear is without question emulating the legendary B&W 801, which made a name for itself as a monitor in leading recording studios, above all Abbey Road in London. For me, it was the gateway drug for audiophile music reproduction when I heard it at the first High End trade fair in a Düsseldorf hotel with organ and saxophone and believed from the outside that the instruments were really behind the door. I described these long-ago experiences in the official Swiss Volvo blog.

Still got the blues

The memory gave me an idea: why not listen to Arne Domnerus’ “Antiphone Blues” on the Px7 S3 after an eternity? Although I had bought the record at the trade fair back then, it’s a long way to the headphones, and the only way is via cable. Very practical: Qobuz, my preferred streaming service, actually has the album released in 1976 in its range and I can stream it directly from my smartphone to the Bowers & Wilkins via Bluetooth or USB connection. To use the app, however, Bluetooth must also be activated for playback via cable.

As far as the church organ is concerned, I can’t think of any headphones at the moment that can do it so authentically. This doesn’t just apply to what the ears perceive in the lowest octaves, but also to the perceptible sound pressure around the ears. And it also applies to the overtones of the organ and the reverb, which really gives the impression of being in a church. The saxophone also sounds very airy, but I miss a dash of fundamental warmth that makes up that inimitable note of the woodwind instrument, which is made of metal but produces the notes with a wooden reed.

At this point, a comparison with the slightly warmer Sony WH-1000XM6 was an obvious choice. However, the Japanese speaker seemed to take out some pressure at the bottom and top with a kind of soft focus and soften the treble a little. While there was a clear winner in the bass in this round, the truth in the mid-high range was more in the middle between the two comparably priced top listeners.

Bowers brings bombastic beats

After the switch to pop, it remains a close duel. Take “Unfinshed Sympathy” by Massive Attack, for example. Here, the two opponents don’t give each other much in terms of bass pressure and drive. Once again, the mid-high range shows that the Sony is a little warmer and the Bowers & Wilkins a little fresher in the highs and slimmer in the mids. In an ideal listener, you would want the full-bodied character of the Sony and the transparency of the B&W.

If you like the bass a little crisper and less dominant, you don’t need to use the equalizer in the Bowers & Wilkins app. With a USB connection, the British speaker sounds a good deal crisper. But I have to say: depending on the type of music and your personal taste, you may prefer the full-bodied Bluetooth playback in certain situations.

Round thing

As far as the cohesion of the sound image is concerned, Bowers & Wilkins now combines the powerful bass with the fresh treble much more harmoniously with the new “True Sound” tuning, i.e. without leaving a noticeable gap in the slender mids. As a result, the new Px7 S3 reacts less sensitively to different recordings and genres. It is now more suitable for long-term listening. However, you should have a certain amount of fun with bass. Even if bass drums or electro beats really kick and at the same time reveal an astonishing degree of precision, you have to like the powerful pressure waves under the tight-fitting ear pads.

As far as external pressure waves are concerned, the B&W Px7 S3 with its very good, practically noise-free ANC provides excellent shielding against ambient noise – from the low-frequency hum of engines to the mid-high range.

B&W Px7 S3: Conclusion and alternatives

The Bowers & Wilkins Px7 S3 is like a McLaren Artura (which we also reviewed with its B&W sound system): The sports car is very plush on the road, but it also demands certain taker qualities from its occupants with its firm suspension and direct nature. Those who prefer a less uncompromising ride will undoubtedly feel more comfortable in an air-sprung Polestar 3 (also with Bowers & Wilkins sound).

In other words, if you want to listen in a more relaxed way, you’ll find alternatives such as the Sony WH-1000XM6 or the more affordable Cambridge Melomania P100SE, which has the same feel of materials and surfaces as the B&W as the Sony. The Sony is a fantastic all-rounder and I appreciate its wearing comfort and ease of use with great swipe gestures. However, the quickly greasy-looking silk-matt plastic surfaces make it fall behind the two English models both visually and haptically.

You have to have a certain amount of fun with bass to fully appreciate the Bowers & Wilkins Px7 S3. Let’s put it this way: the Bluetooth over-ear is perhaps the most charming and charismatic headphones from the island since Jason Statham. And as far as success with the general public is concerned, both are blockbusters.