Bowers & Wilkins PX7 S2

The Bowers & Wilkins PX7 S2 deliver some of the best wireless audio we've ever measured, with a sound signature that's both detailed and musical. Build quality is top-notch, but comfort and noise cancellation are shockingly average, and call quality lags behind. If you can snag them refurbished around $150, they're a no-brainer for audio purists; at full price, the Sennheiser Momentum 4 gives you better all-around value.

Let's start with the good stuff. Those uprated angled drivers deliver a soundstage that feels remarkably wide for a closed-back headphone. In our testing, the PX7 S2 hit a sound score in the 98th percentile—meaning they're among the absolute best right now. The detail retrieval is outstanding, and the tuning is balanced with just a touch of warmth that keeps things musical rather than clinical. With support for aptX HD and aptX Adaptive, you're getting stable high-res streaming from your Android phone, and even on an iPhone with AAC, the clarity is impressive. Listening to well-mastered jazz or orchestral tracks, you can pick out minute textures that many wireless competitors simply gloss over.

The rest of the performance sheet is a bit more down to earth. The 30-hour battery is solid—right around the 73rd percentile—and the quick charge function (7 hours from 15 minutes) is genuinely useful. But active noise cancellation is only in the 72nd percentile; it'll dull the roar of an airplane engine, but it leaves a lot of the midrange chatter on the table. Call quality, at 58.5 out of 100 and just the 78th percentile, is another miss. The dual-mic setup works okay in a quiet room, but introduce some street noise and the person on the other end will let you know. And then there's comfort: a 29th percentile score is frankly disappointing for a pair of headphones this pricey. The 307-gram weight isn't extreme, but the clamp force and ear cup shape don't work for everyone, and we found them getting fatiguing after a couple of hours.

Compared to the Sony WH-1000XM6, the PX7 S2 win on pure sound fidelity and build materials—no contest. But Sony's noise cancellation is a generation ahead, and their ear cups are lighter and more forgiving for all-day wear. The same story plays out with Bose's QuietComfort Ultra: unbeatable comfort and top-shelf ANC, but a sound signature that feels less refined and spacious next to the B&Ws. If you ride public transit or need headphones that vanish into the background, Sony or Bose make more sense. For sound-first listening at your desk or in a quiet room, the PX7 S2 take the crown.

Sennheiser's Momentum 4 throw another wrench in the works. They nearly match the B&W on sound quality, offer a staggering 60-hour battery, and often come in at a lower price. Where they fall behind is in that premium, old-school luxury feel—the PX7 S2 simply look and feel like a more expensive product. The JBL Live 770NC and Technics EAH-A800 are further behind in sound performance, though the Technics do bring better ANC to the table. Ultimately, it's a choice between sound/build and creature comforts like ANC, call quality, and all-day plushness.

Pricing for the PX7 S2 is all over the map. While they originally launched around $400, we've seen them sold for as little as $150 in refurbished condition, and a quick glance across retailers shows some third-party sellers asking a ludicrous $5,822. That spread is a red flag—make sure you're buying from a reputable store. At the $150 mark, these are an absolute steal for the sound quality alone. At full MSRP, however, they go up against the Sony WH-1000XM6 and Bose QuietComfort Ultra, both of which offer markedly better ANC and comfort for the same or even less money. Value-conscious audiophiles should keep an eye out for sales, or check out Sennheiser's Momentum 4, which delivers comparable sound with superior battery life at a lower street price.

The Bowers & Wilkins PX7 S2 are the kind of headphones that make you fall in love with your music all over again. B&W completely redesigned the acoustic system from the ground up, angling the 40mm dynamic drivers and stuffing in a more powerful motor. The result is a sound that's natural, expansive, and packed with detail—easily some of the best we've heard in a wireless headphone. And they look the part too, with a mix of technical fabric, lightweight aluminum arms, and genuine leather that screams premium. For the audiophile who wants wireless convenience without sacrificing that critical listening experience, the PX7 S2 almost seem like the obvious choice.

But here's where it gets interesting. Our lab data paints a picture of a headphone that is all over the place. The sound and build are best-in-class, landing in the 98th percentile, and user sentiment is sky-high at 96th percentile. Yet the same dataset shows comfort down in the 29th percentile, placing it below most competitors. That's a surprising mismatch for a headphone this expensive—a lot of owners report they're comfy, but our measurements suggest the clamp force and weight distribution simply don't agree with every head shape.

So, should you buy the PX7 S2? That depends entirely on what you're willing to trade off. You're getting a taste of genuine high-end audio in a convenient wireless package, but you might be giving up that all-day wearability and class-leading noise cancellation. Let's dig into the numbers and see where these headphones shine and where they stumble.

If you live in your headphones for eight or more hours a day, think twice. Our comfort metrics place the PX7 S2 well below the competition, and the tight clamp can turn a long session into a chore. For all-day wear, the Bose QuietComfort Ultra or Sennheiser Momentum 4 are far kinder to your head. Frequent travelers who rely on top-tier noise cancellation should also skip—the ANC here falls noticeably behind Sony's best, meaning more engine rumble and chatty seatmates in your music. And if crystal-clear call quality is a must, the microphone performance simply doesn't cut it; look to the Sony WH-1000XM6 or Apple AirPods Max instead. Finally, budget shoppers should know that even at a discount, the PX7 S2 can't match the value of a Sennheiser Momentum 4 on sale, which gives you better battery and comfort for less.

If you're a music obsessive who treats every listening session like a little ritual, the Bowers & Wilkins PX7 S2 are easy to fall for. That 98th percentile sound, wrapped in one of the most beautiful headphone designs on the market, makes for an experience that's genuinely special. You'll forgive the middling ANC when you're sitting at home diving into a high-res file, and the physical controls just feel right.

But for everyone else, these are a harder sell. Commuters, frequent flyers, and office workers who need to block out the world should look at the Sony WH-1000XM6 or Bose QC Ultra, both of which outclass the PX7 S2 in noise cancellation and comfort. And if you don't want to gamble on whether the clamp will be a problem after an hour, the Sennheiser Momentum 4 strikes a better balance between sound quality and wearability. The PX7 S2 are a phenomenal second pair for the dedicated listener, but they're not the one we'd recommend as your daily driver unless sound is your absolute top priority.