The Bowers & Wilkins PX Wireless are decent mixed-use headphones with great isolation for commuting and a sturdy premium design. They're outstandingly well-built and have a very warm sound profile that delivers extra boom to mixes. Unfortunately, they're slightly bulky and heavy, and they're uncomfortably tight on the head at first. They won't be the ideal over-ears for all listeners, but they're a suitable premium option for commute and travel.
Our Verdict
The Bowers & Wilkins PX Wireless are decent for mixed usage. They have a sturdy and high build quality and great isolation for noisy environments and busy commutes. They sound above-average depending on the noise isolation profile selected, but they won't sound as balanced as some of the other wireless over-ear, and they have no EQ. Unfortunately, they're a bit too tight out-of-the-box which may be an issue for some listeners. On the upside, it makes them somewhat stable enough for jogging. Overall, they're decent for most uses but are best used as premium traveling headphones or at the office, thanks to their strong isolation and low leakage. They won't be the most comfortable option for long listening sessions.
- Great build quality.
- Easy to use controls.
- Great isolation and low leakage.
- A bit too tight on some heads.
- Slightly bulky and cumbersome design.
- Bass delivery varies significantly across users. Sensitive to glasses.
The Bowers & Wilkins PX Wireless are passable for neutral listening. The sound profile changes quite a bit when using different noise cancelling profiles. They pack a good amount of bass, but their mid-range is a bit muddy, and their treble range lacks a bit of brightness. Overall, their slightly cluttered and dark sound might be a little disappointing for more neutral listeners. They also can't create the soundstage of open-back over-ears despite having fairly spacious ear cups and angled drivers. On the upside, they should sound good enough for most, and you can always sacrifice a bit of isolation for a better sound by changing the noise cancelling profile or disabling it. Unfortunately, they're tight on the head, which may be an issue during long listening sessions, and it also feels like a missed opportunity that they don't have an equalizer included in their app.
The Bowers & Wilkins PX Wireless are very good for commuting. These headphones have great noise cancelling for noisy commutes, have easy-to-use controls, and barely leak, so you can mask even more ambient noise by playing your audio at higher volumes. Unfortunately, they're a bit bulky and tight on the head, which might not be as comfortable as the Bose QuietComfort 35/QC35 Wireless 2016 on long flights.
The Bowers & Wilkins PX Wireless are satisfactory for sports. They're tight enough on the head to be stable for jogging, and they're wireless with an easy-to-use control scheme. However, they're also bulky headphones that will hinder your movements during more high-intensity workouts, and they don't have the most breathable design for sports.
The Bowers & Wilkins PX Wireless are good for office use. They have a good noise isolation performance, and they don't leak much, meaning that they can block a lot of noise in a lively office environment and not distract your colleagues at higher volumes. Unfortunately, they're very tight on the head, which can get a bit uncomfortable to wear during long listening sessions at work.
The Bowers & Wilkins PX Wireless are disappointing for gaming. These headphones have a good wireless range, and they're easy to use. Unfortunately, they have a subpar mic that isn't compatible with consoles, aren't as customizable as most gaming headsets, and the high latency will be a deal-breaker for gaming.
Changelog
- Updated Jun 11, 2021: Changed USB Audio results for clarity.
- Updated Feb 18, 2020: Converted to Test Bench 1.4.
- Updated Nov 21, 2019: Converted to Test Bench 1.3.1.
- Updated Nov 21, 2019: Converted to Test Bench 1.3.
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Compared To Other Headphones
The Bowers & Wilkins PX are great noise cancelling headphones with a sturdy and premium build quality but a tight fit. They have a warm sound profile but lack an EQ, so you can't customize their sound profile to your liking. They cancel a lot of noise and barely leak, making them a very good choice for commuting and traveling. Unfortunately, their tight fit might be a bit of an issue for some.
See our recommendations for the best wireless headphones, the best noise cancelling headphones, and the best headphones for bass.
The Bowers & Wilkins PX7 Wireless and the Bowers & Wilkins PX Wireless are two very similar headphones, but the PX Wireless have a small edge if you like their fit. Their sound profile is more neutral, which some users may prefer, their ANC performance is noticeably stronger, blocking more ambient noise. On the other hand, the newer PX7 have a better battery life with over 10 extra hours of continuous playback and their padding is plushier.
The Sony WH-1000XM3 Wireless are slightly better wireless noise cancelling headphones than the Bowers & Wilkins PX Wireless. The Sony are a lot more comfortable than the B&Ws out of the box. They're lighter and have better-padded ear cups that do not clamp your head like the PX. The Sony also have a longer battery life, a better noise cancelling performance and a more customizable app that makes them a bit more versatile for different listeners than the PX. The PX, on the other hand, are much better-built, look a bit more premium, and feel more durable. They also leak a less at high volumes, so they're a bit more suitable for noise-sensitive environments like using them at the office.
The over-ear Bowers & Wilkins PX Wireless are better mixed-usage headphones than the Bowers & Wilkins PX5 Wireless. The PX are better-built, more stable on the head, provide a better-balanced and far more spacious listening experience, and block out more ambient noise. Conversely, the PX5 have a longer battery life, a superior integrated mic, lower wireless latency, and a more comprehensive control scheme.
The Sony WH-1000XM2 Wireless are a slightly better wireless noise cancelling headset than the Bowers & Wilkins PX Wireless. The Sony are a bit more comfortable and not as tight on the head as the PX. They also have a more customizable app that gives them a lot more control over their noise cancellation, and a better sound profile than the Bowers & Wilkins. On the upside, the Bowers and Wilkins are better built and look and feel more premium than the Sonys. They also have a lower leakage level, which makes them more suitable for noise-sensitive environments than the WH-1000XM2.
Test Results
The Bowers & Wilkins PX have the same design language as the rest of their lineup but with an updated frame design that looks sturdier and more luxurious. They have dense and slightly rounded ear cups with decently thick pads. The headband is generously padded and wide. They come in two color schemes: a dark gray matte finish that looks elegant and high-end and a slightly flashier gold that still works for some and looks very premium. However, the headband isn't as low profile as other wireless headsets like the Bang & Olufsen Beoplay H9 Gen 1 Wireless or the V-MODA Crossfade 2 Wireless, so they do stick out quite a bit once on your head.
The Bowers & Wilkins PX are very tight on the head but decently well-padded. They have large oval ear cups that are fairly deep and spacious enough to be comfortable around most ears. The headband and ear cups are also well-padded with genuine leather that feels nice on the skin. Unfortunately, the PX are slightly heavy and uncomfortably tight out-of-the-box. The ear cup pads are thick enough to make the clamping force less noticeable after wearing them for a while, but they will still be slightly too tight on some heads, even with the headband fully extended. They won't be as comfortable as the Bang & Olufsen Beoplay H9 Gen 1 Wireless for long listening sessions, and this might be a deal-breaker for some.
The Bowers & Wilkins PX, like the rest of the wireless B&W line, have a simple and efficient control scheme. They have a straightforward three-button setup for volume control, call/music, and track skipping. They also have a similar power switch to the Bowers & Wilkins P5 Wireless that doubles as the Bluetooth pairing button if you press and hold. They have a dedicated noise cancelling button to enable and disable the noise cancellation feature, but unfortunately, there's no aware/talk-through mode. Overall, it's an easy-to-use control scheme with decent feedback.
These headphones get fairly hot once on your ears. They have decently roomy ear cups, and also have leather pads and a tight fit that seals your ears within the cups and makes them sweat a bit more than average during long listening sessions. They won't be the best headset to work out with or for running in terms of breathability, but they should be okay for regular casual listening.
The Bowers & Wilkins PX, like most relatively large over-ears, don't fold into a more compact format. The ear cups lay flat, which may come in handy in some situations, but they're still a bit too cumbersome to comfortably carry around on your person without a bag.
These headphones come with a well-made pouch that will protect them from scratches and scuffs in your bag but won't shield the headset from impacts or water damage. Considering the price of these headphones, a simple pouch instead of a hard or even a soft case feels a bit cheap.
The Bowers & Wilkins PX's build quality is outstanding. They feel very durable, and they're made with a good combination of high-end plastic and a sturdy aluminum alloy frame that can easily withstand a couple of accidental drops and impacts. The ear cups are dense and durable. Unlike other premium wireless headsets like Sony WH-1000XM2 Wireless or the Sony WH-1000XM3 Wireless, they do not have any folding joints, which means they're less likely to break under physical stress when carried in your bag. The ear cup pads magnetically attach to the cups so you can quickly swap them out for new ones if ever the original set gets worn out. The headband isn't as malleable as the Bowers & Wilkins P7 Wireless and unfortunately, all that metal does make them a bit heavy.
The Bowers & Wilkins PX are wireless and quite tight on the head, so they're stable for most activities. They won't be the best headphones to take to the gym, and they're bulky, so they can move a bit when tilting your head. They should be stable enough for most casual uses and even jogging, but the ear cups are heavy and can sway a bit when you run, which is not ideal. On the upside, the lack of a cable means they won't get yanked off your head because the audio cable got hooked on something.
The Bowers & Wilkins PX have a sub-par frequency response consistency. In the bass range, the maximum amount of deviation at 20Hz is more than 18dB. However, most of the deviation was measured on the human subjects who wear glasses. On the upside, the treble delivery is much more consistent and doesn't change significantly across different positions and re-seats.
The bass is okay. LFE (low-frequency extension) is at 10Hz, which is excellent and the low-bass range, responsible for the thump and rumble in music, is within 1dB of our target. Mid-bass, responsible for the body of bass guitars and punch of kick drums, is over our neutral target by more than 2dB. High-bass, responsible for warmth, is very overemphasized makes the overall bass a bit boomy and muddy sounding.
Their bass delivery varies significantly across users and is sensitive to the quality of fit, seal, and whether you wear glasses. The response here represents the average bass response, and your experience may vary.
The Bowers & Wilkins PX have an okay mid-range performance. The bump in low-mid is the continuation of the high-bass overemphasis. This thickens the vocals and makes mixes sound muddy and cluttered. The mid-mid and high-mid are very flat, though, so vocals and lead instruments are present and detailed.
The Bowers & Wilkins PX's treble accuracy is decent. The response is uneven and consistently under our neutral target. The dips in low-treble and mid-treble negatively affect the level of detail and brightness in vocals, lead instruments, and cymbals.
The imaging is very good. Weighted group delay is at 0.24, which is very good. The GD graph also shows that the entire group delay response is below the audibility threshold. Additionally, the L/R drivers of our test unit were very well-matched in frequency and amplitude response but showed some mismatch in the treble range. This could make the stereo image a bit unnatural but won't negatively affect the placement of objects (voices, instruments, video games effects) in the stereo field. However, our results are only valid for our unit, and your results may vary.
The Bowers & Wilkins PX have a disappointing soundstage. The shape of the PRTF response isn't accurate but does show some amount of activation. This results in a soundstage that is perceived as relatively large but maybe a bit unnatural. Also, due to the closed-back design, their soundstage may be perceived as less open and spacious than open-back headphones.
The Bowers & Wilkins PX have a fantastic noise isolation performance. With ANC (active noise cancelling) enabled and set to Flight, they achieved about 22db of isolation in the bass range, where the rumble of airplane and bus engines sits, which is outstanding. In the mid-range, the reduce outside noise by more than 23dB, which is also outstanding. In the treble range, occupied by sharp sounds like S and Ts, they achieve 36dB of isolation.
The Bowers & Wilkins PX's leakage performance is very good. The significant portion of the leakage is between 1kHz and 3kHz, which is quite a narrow range. This means that the leakage will sound high-pitched and thin. On the upside, the overall level leakage is not very loud either. With the music at 100dB SPL, the leakage at 1 foot away averages at 34dB SPL and peaks at 54dB SPL, just above the noise floor of most offices.
The integrated microphone's recording quality is poor. LFE (low-frequency extension) is at 381Hz. This results in a recorded/transmitted speech that sounds noticeably thin. In the treble range, the response cuts off at 3.5kHz, suggesting speech that lacks detail and sounds muffled.
The Bowers & Wilkins PX's microphone didn't respond normally to our test signal (pink noise), and this resulted in a bump in frequency response around 600Hz, which is not present in the provided speech recording.
The Bowers & Wilkins PX's integrated microphone's noise handling is sub-par. In our SpNR test, they achieved a speech-to-noise ratio of less than 10dB. This means that this mic is best suited for use in quiet environments, and it struggles to fully separate noise from ambient noise in loud and even moderate environments.
Update 07/22/2019: We've retested and updated the charge time for battery life after a user pointed out that there may have been an issue with our initial test. We've updated the review and text accordingly.
The Bowers & Wilkins PX have an excellent battery performance. They last over a day with continuous wireless playback. They also charge faster than we initially measured at 1.5 hours instead of four, putting them in the same ballpark as other noise cancelling headsets with a USB-C charging port. They have an auto-off timer, making them a long-lasting headset that'll easily provide enough music for most use cases and commutes. That said, you may want to consider the Bowers & Wilkins PX5 Wireless if you're looking for premium Bluetooth headphones with longer battery life, though you'll have to put up with their less comfortable on-ear fit.
The Bowers & Wilkins PX have a just okay app. It has a sleek design but very limited functionality. There's an option to switch between the different noise cancelling modes, as well as a toggle for the smart pause feature. When enabled, smart pause will pause music playback when you remove the headset.
The app is available for iOS and Android, and there are no differences between the two. It lacks more advanced features. There's no EQ, no options for room effects, and no power-saving feature.
The Bowers & Wilkins PX headphones remember the previous two devices they have paired with and automatically connect with the most recent of the two when switched on. Unlike the Sennheiser PXC 550 Wireless, there's no NFC support, and pairing is a little more difficult since you have to turn them off before holding the power button to enter pairing mode. They aren't compatible with game consoles.
These headphones have poor latency performance for watching movies and gaming, but on par with other Bluetooth headphones. They do support aptX HD, which improves sound quality but typically has worse latency.
Update 06/11/2021: We have changed USB Audio to 'USB Type A' to reflect the source port instead of the headphones' port. When using their USB cable, the USB-A connector can connect to any device with a USB-A port. The scoring of this box hasn't changed.
The Bowers & Wilkins PX Wireless headphones come with a 1/8" TRS audio cable, but it's only a two-pin connector, so the microphone doesn't work with a PS4 or Xbox One controller. When connected to a PC with the included USB-C cable, audio and the microphone works without an issue while the headphones are charging.
These headphones don't have a base/dock. If you are looking for a versatile headset that you can also use wired, check out the SteelSeries Arctis 7 Wireless 2017.
