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

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.

First pair of BW headphones. I wouldn't say I'm a full-fledged audiophile but close, a very avid music listener and like all kind of genres from rap to country, classic rock to jazz to classical and Opera. Let's just say, I DO know good sound when I hear it without spending $1,000 on a pair of headphones. The sound is very well balanced, slightly boosted on the bass end but definitely not overbearing the mids and top end makes up for- all of the sound is very clear at any volume. The bass is tight not muddied whatsoever even at louder volumes, the high end I think is just right and not overbearing and comfortable to listen to for hours without any kind of sound fatigue. Sound stage is wider than some other headphones I listen to, but not as wide as an open back headphone but plenty to satisfy. The headphones have some space to let some air out almost like a semi open back but just short of that I believe. Probably is why the sound stage is improved when listening on these. Instruments are properly placed on the stage as well. I compared them to my son's Airpod Max, Sony xm3&4 and I like the sound of these much better imo. Construction is of high quality a nice weight and very comfortable for listening for hours with no fatigue from the weight or from the sound. I'm using a Samsung Ultra to play my music with Bluetooth and corded, as I prefer corded slightly better sound to me. The phone drives the headphones very well, though I do use a small dongle dac/amp which does clear up the sound to my liking and adds a boost of volume as well. I paired with the IFi Go Link for corded phone listening. When using Bluetooth mode, they pair very easily with no issues and I'm able to use it walking all around the house and outside in the yard and have had no issues with loss of sound or signal. Battery seems to last a good 6-8 hours with regular play (though I have not ran the battery completely discharged yet). From a near dead charge to full charge takes about4-6 hours, never really timed it but takes a minute since using a fast charger does not speed up charging. Excellent build quality and sound quality for the price! I really like the fact that removing the headphones pauses the music, and then resumes play when you put them back on, handy little feature. If you're looking for a high quality, great pair of headphones with excellent sound for your music I highly recommend these!