Bowers & WilkinsPx7 S2e Over-Ear Headphones - Enhanced Noise Cancellation & Transparency Mode, Crystal-Clear Calls, Bluetooth, 30-Hour Playback, Forest Green

Ok. It was Black Friday / Syber Monday 2024 and I figured why not drop some money and help everyone else figure out which headphones are the best. I did not test anything $600 or more. These headphones were mid level, where most buyers are. With incredibly pricing, some of these were downright a steal!I am going to break them down into a few categories (Sound Quality, price value, bluetooth app Connection, comfort, style) and give you the results on each category. I could not test longevity since I just got them all, so I will leave that for other reviewers.The headphones I tested were the:Beats Studio Pro XSony WH-1000XM5Technics WirelessBowers & Wilkins Px7 S2eBose QuietComfort UltraThe overall winner for those who don't want to read why is............. Bowers & Wilkins Px7 S2e. Second Place...... TechnicsSound QualityWinner: Bowers and Wilkins PX7S2eRunner Up: Technics WirelessComments: This one was hard to pick a winner. Bowers and Technics were dang near neck and neck. You can't go wrong with either. I had to go back and forth 10X to finally figure it out with all the songs I played. Some songs, Technics was better, some Bowers better. What it came down to was the immersion of sound. I felt Technics had the better highs and crisp voice sounds so if you are going for vocals, I would say Technics, but Bowers had a better feeling of overall broad balance of sound, lows and immersion.The Bose and Sony were 3rd and 4th. Beats last. Beats are great headphones, but they just didn't have the stable / predictable sound that Bose and Sony had.Price ValueBeats Studio Pro X ($159)Sony WH-1000XM5 ($298)Technics Wireless ($172)Bowers & Wilkins Px7 S2e ($249)Bose QuietComfort Ultra ($329)Winner: Technics WirelessRunner Up: Bowers & Wilkins Px7 S2eComments: For $172 the technics are hands down the best value / bargain of any headphone I have ever had. I have heard they have issues breaking on the hinge, so I can't comment on longevity, but for sound quality and price, there is nothing close to the Technics. I got them on sale, so not sure if they are going to be that price forever. My review on this would change if the price went back up.Bowers and Wilkins at $249 was unreal for the winning headphone. What a great deal. Beats are nice gifts, but nothing I would own now after reviewing these others. Sony was way overprices. Bose, utter disappointment for their pricing. Bose is a solid 8 across the board but never a 10.AppWinner: Technics WirelessRunner Up: Bose QuietComfort UltraComments: I felt the Technics were the best overall app. Super easy for the normal user. Lots of easy sound options to choose from like bass+, vocal, treble+, dynamic. No weird screens. Just easy. I felt Bowers really dropped the ball on the app here and their app seemed a bit complicated with no pre settings to choose from. This was a bummer. Bose is always a steady 8, but never a 10. Good app, but not incredible. Just good and dependable. Sony, meh. they should change their name to always over complicate everything, but if you get it figured out they rock. Beats did a decent job.. Nothing I will remember.Bluetooth ConnectionWinner: All of them. I had zero issues with any, so they all get at least one spot on the winner podium.ComfortWinner: Bowers & Wilkins Px7 S2eRunner Up: BoseComments: Bowers felt the best for sure. They just fit awesome. No doubt about it. Clearly the winner. Bose is a distant second. Beats felt really good actually so it took 3rd place. Technics is fourth but a bit stiff. Not quite as comfortable as the others. Sony was shallow so your ears hit the speaker cloth, which dropped to last place. If not for that, Sony would be number 3.StyleWinner: Bowers & Wilkins Px7 S2eRunner Up: BeatsComments: Bowers hands down looks and feels like quality. Winner for sure. Beats colors are rad and they look amazing. Everyone compliments beats colors so they take runner up. Technics looks kind of cheap but they are not and this frustrates me as they have such a great brand, why cheapen them with such a cheap looking stainless design. Everyone loves the new flat colors and quality builds, not a headphone that looks like an outdated stainless steel refrigerator from the 2010 era.Final thoughts. Overall, Bowers is the best overall headphone, but dang, Technics is really an audio guys headphone if you want to hear certain highs and distant lows that should be your choice. Bose is a 8 out of 10 on everything, never a winner on anything. Sony was a disappointment to be honest. Beats is fine for style but lacking in the areas that matter the most.Long live Bowers & Wilkins Px7 S2e this time around. Good job.

Read on and you'll understand why I reviewed it this way.... My goal was to find the best sounding wireless headphones that were fairly priced after watching 50 hours of video reviews. With a Prime Day price tag around $250 these Momentum 4's were well worth the purchase. I'm going to say that they just aren't gong to work for me because I also purchased a pair of Focal Bathy's ($699), and a pair of Bower's and Wilkin's Px7S2e in the awesome color Blue at ($249) to compare them with. The Momentum 4's functionality is great but they just sound a bit thick, and less refined. This after listening to the others. And they are pretty non from a fashion perspective which I viewed personally as a plus. They are great if you have larger ears! Moving onto the others. After purchasing the Focal Bathy's I quickly came to realize that they were not the headphones that I was going to walk around town wearing. They are on the larger side, and present with some flashiness. That aside though, they are absolutely awesome sounding and BLOW AWAY the Momentum 4's. So if that's the comparison you're looking for, then there is your answer. I am keeping them as my "reference" wireless headphones. And with the cabled DAC connectivity it's a no brainer! Not even a second thought. Well maybe. For just a moment that happened after I listened to the Px7S2e cans and thought about the price difference. They, the Px7S2e headphones are absolutely pleasurable to listen to. The sound stage is remarkable, really really. And at ($249) on Prime Day they were certainly the best electronics purchase that I had made in years. I also think that they be worth it at full price. Smaller than both the others and with a build quality and design that warrants the full price. Also worth noting is that I did listen to the Bose UC's and I am intrigued by the spacial audio feature and the overall, well almost weightlessness of the headphones. They just weren't priced well enough for me to justify purchasing them and aside from their dominance in the noise cancellation department they just review as "pretty good" on sound quality. I would say to me they sounded on par with the Momentum 4's. I don't get too caught up in the "app" features as they can drastically improve with one update. I will mention that none had me shaking my head in either direction. And lastly, this journey all started with a pair of refurbished AirPods Max headphones. It made sense since I am in the Apple ecosystem. However I was very surprised at how uncomfortable they were as soon as I put them on my head. I was like wow, really. I felt as though they were going to dent my big head. LOL. I did like the "crown control dial" quite a bit I have to say. If you're shopping for wireless headphones and you stayed with me here you should just keep in mind that deciding on speakers and headphones is so very subjective from a sound perspective. We all hear a bit differently. You'll know it when you put "THE" pair on, raise your eyebrows, and say WOW. Fashion statements are a whole other sub topic. AND if you're thinking what about the Sony XM5's, all I'm going to say is that I am turned off by the over functionality of the Sony apps. From their cameras to their headphones and beyond. The end.

So far these headphones have wowed me! I looked at Sony's, Bose's and many other leading brands and settled on these, due to look and how they seemed to have very little flaws, and I have been amazed at them! I think the color is really nice, and I do not have any complaints about sound and battery life. One thing I will say is that they are kind of heavy and get a good grip on your head, which for the first 8 hours or so gave me a headache but after that the band has stretched out a bit and I have no issues now. The case is really good, and I love the cord storage in the middle section, with provided usb-c to 3.5mm adapter and usb-c to usb-c charging cord. One small thing with the case, is to make sure that you put in the right earcup on the right and the left on the left, otherwise the earcups will be right up against the zipper.