Bowers & Wilkins Px7 S2e vs Sony WH-1000XM5: which ANC headphones are better?
Bowers & Wilkins Px7 S2e
Inputs: USB-C
Bluetooth: 5.2 (SBC, AAC, aptX Adaptive)
Battery life: 30 hours
Weight: 307g
The Px7 S2e set a new benchmark for detail and insight at this level, and they're a beautifully crafted pair of headphones. But the competition is fierce, and the Sony XM5 remain our pick for now, especially considering their lower price.
For
Full, lush sonic character
Benchmark insight
Entertaining delivery
Solid specification
Against
Tough competition
Don’t fold away completely
Sony WH-1000XM5
Inputs: USB-C
Bluetooth: 5.2 (SBC, AAC, LDAC)
Battery life: 30hrs
Weight: 250g
The XM5 are as compelling as ever, even in the face of such stiff competition. They feel cheap next to the new B&Ws, but their sound quality, feature set and excellent noise cancelling place them among all-rounders at this level.
For
Sensational sonic clarity
Punchy delivery
Precise, agile bass
Nice to use
Against
Build seems a little less premium than before
Don’t fold away completely
Just when the Sony WH-1000XM5's lead over rival noise-cancelling cans looks unassailable, along comes Bowers & Wilkins with one aim: to spoil the party. The Px7 S2e are a sensational pair of wireless headphones, with a lively sonic character, insightful sound and solid all-rounder status.
But is it enough to knock the XM5 from the podium? We've long extolled the many virtues of Sony's finest, and with the brand fresh from a clean sweep of the headphones categories in the 2023 What Hi-Fi? Awards, Sony is looking unbeatable at the moment. Can it hold off B&W?
B&W Px7 S2e vs Sony WH-1000XM5: price
The Sony WH-1000XM5 launchedin 2022 at ￡380 / $399 / AU$550, but have recently started to drop in price. During October's Prime Big Deal Days sale, they dropped as low as ￡258, and at the time of writing are currently selling for ￡315 / $350 / AU$550.
B&W's new challengers launched in September 2023 at around the same price (￡379 / $399 / AU$599), but being a new model, that price continues to hold firm and is likely to stay there for the near future.
The big question is, are they worth the extra?
**Winner: Sony WH-1000XM5**
B&W Px7 S2e vs Sony WH-1000XM5: design
The Px7 S2e certainly look like an expensive pair of headphones. But then what else would you expect from the iconic British brand? It has consistently produced excellent – and very dapper – audio kit over the years.
The Px7 S2e follow the Px7 S2, which positively oozed class. We're big fans of the successors' Forest Green finish, but they also come in Ocean Blue, Cloud Grey and Anthracite Black. That's two more colour options than the XM5 (which are only available in black or silver).
The Px7 S2e have plenty of nice touches to help justify the price. The earcups have a textured finish, gold accents and a cylindrical B&W badge, while the earpads and headband are clad in thick pleather. They're comfy to wear and feel lighter than their 307g. And while their physical buttons might look positively steam-age next to rivals' touch controls, you can't beat them for reliability.
For portability, they fold flat but don't collapse inwards to fit in a pocket, which is the same as the XM5. This is typical of most modern premium pairs, but the tradeoff is a more sophisticated design and feature set.
The XM5 have a "noiseless" design, which basically means they're slimmer than their predecessors with fewer hinges. At 254g, they're a fair bit lighter than the Px7 S2e, and feel quite a bit cheaper. But they're very well made, with the ABS sliders to adjust the headband and memory foam ear cushions proving very comfortable indeed.
**Winner: Bowers & Wilkins Px7 S2e**
B&W Px7 S2e vs Sony WH-1000XM5: features
Now we get to the meat of the comparison. What can these headphones actually do?
The B&Ws aren't a case of style over substance. Their battery life matches the XM5's at 30 hours, and they deliver an impressive seven hours from just 15 minutes of charging. They support Qualcomm’s aptX Adaptive, one of the higher-quality Bluetooth codecs around. And for a pair of wireless headphones, they're well connected when it comes to cables, with support for both USB-C and 3.5mm. B&W even supplies both cables in the box.
Like the XM5, they can be controlled by an app, but while B&W's Music App is very well done, it's not quite as thorough as Sony's Headphones Connect app. B&W's offering lets you adjust the EQ, assign button functions, tweak the sensitivity of wearer detection, and adjust noise cancelling. It also gives you access to Deezer, Qobuz, Tidal and TuneIn, if you're signed up, with more services coming soon.
Sony's XM5 have a lot of the same features as the Award-winning XM4. The DSEE Extreme engine upscales compressed music to near hi-res quality, and while they don't support any form of aptX, they do work with Sony's own LDAC format.
They have plenty of innovative features away from sound quality. Quick Attention lets you lower the volume and have a conversation by covering the right earcup with your hand, while ‘Speak to Chat’ senses when you start talking and pauses playback while engaging the ambient sound mode so you can hear what the other person is saying.
Wearing Detection knows when you take the headphones off and automatically pauses what you're watching or listening to, then resumes when you put them back on.
Rounding off the feature set is Bluetooth Multipoint, which lets you pair wirelessly with two devices at once and switch between them without having to re-pair.
**Winner: Sony WH-1000XM5**
B&W Px7 S2e vs Sony WH-1000XM5: noise-cancelling
Active noise cancellation (ANC) is one of the biggest selling points of these headphones. So how do they compare?
The B&Ws fare well, but don't excel. Their ANC system comprises six microphones which cancel outside noise, and they do a particularly good job of silencing bassy sounds like bus engines. But the Sonys are more accomplished in this regard, especially when it comes to mid and upper frequencies.
That might be partly down to the fact that the XM5 have two more microphones than the Px7 S2e. Or Sony's processing might simply be more advanced. Either way, the XM5 are the way to go if you want to cut out outside sound.
**Winner: Sony WH-1000XM5**
B&W Px7 S2e vs Sony WH-1000XM5: sound
And so to sound quality, the most important factor of them all. Here the Px7 S2e pull out all the stops – they're a little less analytical than their predecessors, with an upgraded DSP and more open soundstage. And they haven't lost any of the detail that made the Px7 S2 a five-star pair, nor the ability to communicate subtle dynamic shifts.
Lower frequencies remain a highlight, with bass depth and punch in head-bopping supply. Bowers has not only aired out the soundstage for greater coherency, but also smoothed the presentation to create a sweeter and easier listen.
The Px7 S2e are still an analytical pair, but they now come much closer to the XM5's musicality. Which is certainly saying something, as the XM5 are some of the best-sounding cans at this level. With greater clarity and a more open presentation than their Award-winning predecessors, along with a more precise low end, they remain the headphones to beat.
**Winner: Sony WH-1000XM5**
B&W Px7 S2e vs Sony WH-1000XM5: verdict
The Px7 S2e are a real step on for B&W. The build quality and finish make the XM5 feel cheap, while the feature set is impressively stacked. But with a lower price, more comprehensive app, better sound and more effective noise cancelling, the Sonys remain top dog in the world of over-ear ANC headphones.
MORE:
Sony WH-1000XM5 vs Bose 700: which are best?
Our pick of the best noise-cancelling headphones
See our list of Sony WH-1000XM5 tips and tricks
