[dubbzy104]

Hi guys. Last Saturday I was coming back from a conference in Germany, on the road back from the airport to home I stopped at a restaurant to eat something and some person somewhat revealed all my luggage in my car trunk with a NLJD, broke the glass and stole my laptop my watch, my backpack, my home keys and my Bowers & Wilkins PX. damn.

So I'm searching for a new good Bluetooth headset, preferably with noise canceling. The sound quality on the B&W PX was amazing but the comfort was not so good. Also, I think the sound signature was a little bit dark and muddy for me. Have you got any suggestions? I was looking for the Sony 10000xm3, they seem nice, but I don't know much about their sound quality. The build quality seems poor and they're not as beautiful as the PX.
I am also considering the Bang & Olufsen H9i. They are beautiful, but I don't know if the anc is good, and mostly I think they do not support high quality Bluetooth codes (the PX have aptXHD and the Sony have the LDAC, B&O have the AAC but I don't know if it's supported by Android).
Have you got any suggestions?

Sorry to hear about that! I picked the 1000XM3's over the PX. They were way more comfortable, the ANC was better (and the sound quality doesn't change at higher levels, unlike the PX), and they sound great. I only applied a little change using the sony app's equalizer (I'm using an iphone so my connection stays AAC). Other people over in https://www.head-fi.org/threads/sony-wh1000xm3-better-than-qc35-in-noise-cancelling.887797 use other apps to get their equalizer settings the way they want. Once it's set to your liking, they are a great pair of headphones.

I did have to warranty-exchange my first pair (they lasted about 5 months) because the left side started creaking. The replacement process took about two weeks, and my new pair have (minor) driver flex (like a small popping sound when the headphones get jostled a bunch).

 

[hifi80sman]

Sorry to hear about that! I picked the 1000XM3's over the PX. They were way more comfortable, the ANC was better (and the sound quality doesn't change at higher levels, unlike the PX), and they sound great. I only applied a little change using the sony app's equalizer (I'm using an iphone so my connection stays AAC). Other people over in https://www.head-fi.org/threads/sony-wh1000xm3-better-than-qc35-in-noise-cancelling.887797 use other apps to get their equalizer settings the way they want. Once it's set to your liking, they are a great pair of headphones.

I did have to warranty-exchange my first pair (they lasted about 5 months) because the left side started creaking. The replacement process took about two weeks, and my new pair have (minor) driver flex (like a small popping sound when the headphones get jostled a bunch).

That's pretty much what I did as well. I couldn't end up wearing the PX for hours on end and the ANC drastically changed the sound from awesome to a nasally nightmare. ANC off, the PX are hard to beat, but whilst traveling, the XM3 were absolutely fantastic.

 

[Asspirin]

I have the XM3 here for a week and will post my impressions soon. Little spoiler here: The Sony can't even remotely compete with the PX when it comes to sound quality. The comparison is quite difficult, because these two models have very different sound signatures and the brain needs a few minutes to adjust after each change. Same goes for the PX' noise cancelling btw.. On airplane mode, it really sounds weirdly nasal and horn-like, but the brain will adjust after a couple of songs. When switching to the XM3 then, the Sony's lack of directional cues and detail becomes very apparent. So when it comes to noise cancelling you currently have the choice between nasal tube sound (B&W) and sloppy bass + no mids + splashy treble (Sony). Pick your poison! With the PX, you can at least enjoy true HiFi-Sound when switching off the NC (or have it in office mode, which is enough for city and public transport). More Impressions to come.

 

[JohnnyCakes]

am i the only one who LOVES the fit and feel of these cans?

i love how surgical and precise it fits and presses around the ear. i find for traveling and wearing around in public, the tight fit gives me extra confidence that they will stay in place and not fall off. they fit like a bespoke tailored suit.

 

[dubbzy104]

I have the XM3 here for a week and will post my impressions soon. Little spoiler here: The Sony can't even remotely compete with the PX when it comes to sound quality. The comparison is quite difficult, because these two models have very different sound signatures and the brain needs a few minutes to adjust after each change. Same goes for the PX' noise cancelling btw.. On airplane mode, it really sounds weirdly nasal and horn-like, but the brain will adjust after a couple of songs. When switching to the XM3 then, the Sony's lack of directional cues and detail becomes very apparent. So when it comes to noise cancelling you currently have the choice between nasal tube sound (B&W) and sloppy bass + no mids + splashy treble (Sony). Pick your poison! With the PX, you can at least enjoy true HiFi-Sound when switching off the NC (or have it in office mode, which is enough for city and public transport). More Impressions to come.

Have you tried any EQ settings on the XM3s? Either in the Sony app or another method? Heads up: if you use the Sony app, you can only use certain audio codecs (I believe just AAC and SBD).

 

[Asspirin]

Have you tried any EQ settings on the XM3s? Either in the Sony app or another method? Heads up: if you use the Sony app, you can only use certain audio codecs (I believe LDAC, AAC, and SBD).

Yes I did and fortunately, the XM3 responds well to EQing. Wish B&W would implement the same feature. It is possible to dial back the XM3's bass and bring out the mids a bit more, but the bass stays boomy and the treble stays in the 50$ class, no matter what you do.

 

[XRcrush]

am i the only one who LOVES the fit and feel of these cans?

Nope, same here. I think they are perfect. I can wear them for hours and hours with no issues at all.

But you know how it is, people with gripes, frustration or disappointment are usually 20 x more vocal than content customers/users. One of the joys of the supposedly 'unbiased' internet...

I just returned from some business trips with the PX as my trusty companion. Love them to bits. A colleague has XM3s and we switched cans for a day. Yes, the ANC on the XM3 is better. But... to me that is of little value compared to the PXs A-game, their hifi sound quality. Outside an airplane cabin I never use ANC. The moment the wheels touch ground it's off and stays off. The passive NC on the PX is excellent. In the middle of London or Amsterdam but also in an office environment. I really don't get why you would use ANC outside an airplane.

Without ANC, the soundquality from the PX is clearly better than the XM3 in my ears. Their natural, spacious and balanced sound wins hands down listening to a variety of music. Although this is much less apparent with a lot of modern music created on computers without even the scent of a real instrument. At the end of the day my colleague was somewhat less happy with his XM3s. The look & feel of the PX is in a different universe from the plasticy Sony's too imo.

To me the PX still are perfect wireless hifi cans with ANC as a bonus on airplanes.

 

[Herman]

Could ‘t agree more. To me PX are the best wireless over ears as well. And in ear the sennheiser MTW. If sennheiser would only solve the battery drain issue.

 

[Tenlow]

I‘m a bit late to the party here in this thread but I bought the PX a little after they became available in Germany and loved them. I had comfort issues at first and found the sound rather „bad“ out of the box but as has been discussed thoroughly that improved significantly after many hours of burn in. I then sold them just because I wanted something new and needed a bit of extra cash when the hype train on the internet arrived for the Sony XM3. I had the XM3 just for a week I think. They were very comfortable and had very good ANC but that was about everything I liked with the Sonys. Well that and that they charged via USB-C.

Their sound was so bassy which was not even the main problem (I loved the V-Moda M100 back in the day) but the bass was of bad quality, not really tight and controlled and for my ears that just sounded wrong. The mids were ok and they highs were also lacking spaciousness and clarity so as far as sound was concerned I didn‘t really like them and thought they were overpriced and overhyped. The main issue, however, was the plastic build that started to creak heavily on the left side somewhere between the earcup and the hinge and all things considered I immediately returned them and have never looked back.

I then also shortly tried the Sennheiser PXC 550 as they were on sale in Germany and didn‘t like them either for two simple reasons: 1. the volume didn‘t go loud enough over Bluetooth - they were significantly quieter than all other Bluetooth headsets I have tried and to make things worse they have a tendency towards being harsh sounding/sibilant on many recordings. So they went back as well.

After listening to the Bose QC 35ii when a friend borrowed me his pair for a couple of days (they were ok but nothing more than that as far as sound quality is concerned mainly) I bought another pair of the PX again lol. They sound so good with aptx HD on my LG V30 in comparison that for me the sound quality is not even close to either of the mentioned headphones (with ANC off or in office mode that is). The construction and build is excellent and they look so stylish (well that‘s highly subjective of course) - I will definitely keep them this time around as they are the best sounding wireless cans for me and I have learned my lesson

That is until B&W release a PX2 or something like that - let‘s see

 

[kismetsky]

I‘m a bit late to the party here in this thread but I bought the PX a little after they became available in Germany and loved them. I had comfort issues at first and found the sound rather „bad“ out of the box but as has been discussed thoroughly that improved significantly after many hours of burn in. I then sold them just because I wanted something new and needed a bit of extra cash when the hype train on the internet arrived for the Sony XM3. I had the XM3 just for a week I think. They were very comfortable and had very good ANC but that was about everything I liked with the Sonys. Well that and that they charged via USB-C.

Their sound was so bassy which was not even the main problem (I loved the V-Moda M100 back in the day) but the bass was of bad quality, not really tight and controlled and for my ears that just sounded wrong. The mids were ok and they highs were also lacking spaciousness and clarity so as far as sound was concerned I didn‘t really like them and thought they were overpriced and overhyped. The main issue, however, was the plastic build that started to creak heavily on the left side somewhere between the earcup and the hinge and all things considered I immediately returned them and have never looked back.

I then also shortly tried the Sennheiser PXC 550 as they were on sale in Germany and didn‘t like them either for two simple reasons: 1. the volume didn‘t go loud enough over Bluetooth - they were significantly quieter than all other Bluetooth headsets I have tried and to make things worse they have a tendency towards being harsh sounding/sibilant on many recordings. So they went back as well.

After listening to the Bose QC 35ii when a friend borrowed me his pair for a couple of days (they were ok but nothing more than that as far as sound quality is concerned mainly) I bought another pair of the PX again lol. They sound so good with aptx HD on my LG V30 in comparison that for me the sound quality is not even close to either of the mentioned headphones (with ANC off or in office mode that is). The construction and build is excellent and they look so stylish (well that‘s highly subjective of course) - I will definitely keep them this time around as they are the best sounding wireless cans for me and I have learned my lesson

That is until B&W release a PX2 or something like that - let‘s see

Great description and impressions. Thanks for taking us through your journey and welcome back to the club!

 

[Tenlow]

Great description and impressions. Thanks for taking us through your journey and welcome back to the club!

Thank you!

One general question though for the PX.

Is it supposed to be „normal“ that the leather headband looks as used (for the lack of a better expression in English) as in my picture here after just a couple of days of real use? When you take it out of the box the leather of the headband is smooth without any wrinkles/crimps/scars - I don‘t know how to explain it since English isn‘t my mother tongue But I think you can see what I mean as I took the picture in an extreme angle and with good lighting to overexaggerate the „issue“. It‘s probably normal anyway but since not all leather headbands of other headphones are like this, I just wanted to ask the others how their headband looks like Thanks!

 

[kismetsky]

Thank you!

One general question though for the PX.

Is it supposed to be „normal“ that the leather headband looks as used (for the lack of a better expression in English) as in my picture here after just a couple of days of real use? When you take it out of the box the leather of the headband is smooth without any wrinkles/crimps/scars - I don‘t know how to explain it since English isn‘t my mother tongue But I think you can see what I mean as I took the picture in an extreme angle and with good lighting to overexaggerate the „issue“. It‘s probably normal anyway but since not all leather headbands of other headphones are like this, I just wanted to ask the others how their headband looks like Thanks!

Natural leather certainly does show a patina and wrinkles with normal use. Mine does look somewhat similar but the lighting may make it more exaggerated than mine. It may also depend on how wide the headphones are stretched in normal use. I have a fairly large head .

 

[Asspirin]

Thank you!

One general question though for the PX.

Is it supposed to be „normal“ that the leather headband looks as used (for the lack of a better expression in English) as in my picture here after just a couple of days of real use? When you take it out of the box the leather of the headband is smooth without any wrinkles/crimps/scars - I don‘t know how to explain it since English isn‘t my mother tongue But I think you can see what I mean as I took the picture in an extreme angle and with good lighting to overexaggerate the „issue“. It‘s probably normal anyway but since not all leather headbands of other headphones are like this, I just wanted to ask the others how their headband looks like Thanks!

Completely normal!

 

[Tenlow]

Thanks for the replies. Yes, I figured it was normal but wanted to ask anyway (since for example my old P7s never looked like that, although PX and P7s use a different kind of leather). And yes, as I mentioned, the picture overexaggerates a bit how the leather of the headband looks in real life but that was on purpose.

Do any of you use leather conditioner or something like that for the PX (or any other real leather headphones for that matter; e.g for the earcups or the headband)? Or is that supposed to do more harm than good?

 

[dannydj]

Thanks for the replies. Yes, I figured it was normal but wanted to ask anyway (since for example my old P7s never looked like that, although PX and P7s use a different kind of leather). And yes, as I mentioned, the picture overexaggerates a bit how the leather of the headband looks in real life but that was on purpose.

Do any of you use leather conditioner or something like that for the PX (or any other real leather headphones for that matter; e.g for the earcups or the headband)? Or is that supposed to do more harm than good?

Just let it be as you will do more harm then good as you say. Learn to appreciate the aged look of leather as they will get more unique with time. As you say the P7s stay pretty smooth over time but I like the look of my used Pxs.

If all fails you could always inject some botex into them