[navdra]

Just stumbled on Amazon.es offer:

https://www.amazon.es/gp/aw/d/B07574TYWW/
25% off! Space grey for 300 EUR!!
Ordered a pair

Edit: ...and the deal is gone

 

[BigBobbie87]

Just stumbled on Amazon.es offer:

https://www.amazon.es/gp/aw/d/B07574TYWW/
25% off! Space grey for 300 EUR!!
Ordered a pair

Nice! I hope they drop in price in Canada as well for Black Friday.

 

[icerider2001]

New to the forum but here goes –

Years ago I was looking for headphones and fell in complete love with the P7’s but really couldn’t sell myself on not buying an ANC pair for travel. This basically had me looking at the Bose QC15’s then along came the Phiaton MS 530’s. All the reviews raved about the Phiaton’s so I figured why not. Well they have served me well without fail and look completely new even after work taking me around the world 40% of the time by plane. I now tell all my friends they shouldn’t envy the person with the legroom but the person with the ANC headphones.


When I bought the Phiaton’s I made myself a promise that when B&W would come out with an ANC pair I would buy it. Done deal on the PX’s then right? Nope – all these reported issues and my concern for clamping force that I remembered on the P7’s raised flags. You see I travel a lot by plane and can tell you that analog isn’t exactly dead. Problem with Bluetooth is not just the battery drain on the streaming device but that moment when you see a movie on that you want to watch on the flight. So you end up searching through your cases for cables rendering Bluetooth nothing more than a nice-to-have for a person like me.


So what did I do this time? I bought the Bose and the Bowers & Wilkins!


The sale right now on the Bose QC25 makes them $179 (complete steal), approaching half the cost of the QC35’s that offer little more to me. I decided to buy them to see how they would stack up to the cost, ANC, and sound differential with the B&W’s for $399. I mean could the PX’s really sound 120% better? Here are some notes so far on both.


Bose QC25

· Comfort like you would expect from Bose but the profile of my head has me adjusting them to their shortest height and I’m 6’2. The Bose design might not be great for all face shapes.

· Maybe 5-10% better ANC reduction than the PX’s but nothing drastic and I’m talking about with music off and ANC on. Music on it’s nearly even.

· Surprisingly decent highs and typical Bose mids. Bass comes across a tad bit muddy to my ears. Reminds me of the bass from an Acoustimass module vs. a typical down firing ported subwoofer.

I score these headphones a 90% when you factor in price into the mix. Anyone who doesn’t know what an audiophile is should stop reading now and buy the QC25’s.


B&W PX

· Right out of the box I had no more setup issues than with any BT device I’ve ever connected.

· Bose does comfort, B&W does fit and finish but they didn’t skimp much here. The ear pads engulf the ears vs. the Bose that cocoon them. Completely different but the only notable mention is that only those with dumbo size ears might have issues with room. Also those who have noted pressure issues with the headband need to try adjusting it because the moment I experienced this I merely slacked the bands slightly and all pressure points were muted.

· ANC does a great job and even in Flight mode it sounded no less than 90% as good as the Bose. On Office mode the tradeoff in sound was barely noticeable vs. being off. The passive sound insulation of the PX is seriously impressive to the point that of making me wonder if my years with the Phiaton were merely an acoustic placebo effect.

· Sound quality is nearly as good as the P7’s which I would rank just under the truly reference quality, amplified headphones, at the $600-800 price point. If I had to pick one area where I would still rank the P7’s ever so slightly higher it would only be in separation but this could change with time on the PX's.

I’m scoring these a 99% because they can always be better but right now there’s nothing better in an ANC and these are seriously impressive. Coming anywhere near reference quality with ANC for under $1000 is a massive feat.


I’ll keep both pairs for a few weeks then decide which I will keep but I’ll be shocked if I don’t keep the PX’s. Small wonder B&W did away with the P7. That said the Bose is a great deal/gift for those who that extra 10% in sound quality doesn’t matter much for or even for a beater pair of ANC’s.

 

[NHarmonia]

They did, I bought them from The Source for $383.99 + 13% ON tax a couple days ago. Got them today, they sound amazing! I believe the Space Grey ones are still available! They don't take returns on headphones though, so do make sure you want them before you open them.
https://www.thesource.ca/en-ca/audio-and-headphones/headphones/wireless-headphones/bowers-and-wilkins-px-wireless-headphones-–-space-grey/p/108071963


Just a question for you guys, these are my first pair of headphones I've ever had(Have tried a few before). To test out the ANC I turned it on, and connected to my laptop and played a youtube video on my phone through the speakers. I could still hear everything. Is that how it's supposed to be?
Thanks!

 

[rstark18]

As I posted earlier (post1263), this is my view from a total novice perspective and my views have changed quite a bit.

So I threw my new PX’s in the garage for two days hooked up to an old iPhone playing a playlist of different burn in tracks (Headphones Burn In Cycle) at just slightly higher than medium volume.
I have no skin in the game as far as whether burn in is a thing or not but I have to say that the PX’s are much better for me after doing this. And I mean MUCH better. They really opened up in all areas especially bass. I tried them at 1 day of burn in and didn't really notice much difference between newly opened. After two days it's completely different. I truly didn't expect to hear any difference at all.

So I then did another A/B comparison with my new (not burned in) P7W’s. For what I’m looking for (fun, lively) the P7W BARELY wins. I do like the clarity in the mids on the PX but they are just lacking a little punchy fun for me, and I mean just slightly.
If I didn’t have the P7W’s to compare them with then I would certainly be keeping them. They are SO MUCH closer now than when I first opended them and listened to them. As I write this I honestly keep going back and forth trying to figure out which I like better as they both have charecteristics that I like.

Just an example of the type of music I was using to test them with where both sound very good in different ways:
All ACC 256kbps downloaded to an iPhone 7.

The Smiths - Half A Person
Spandau Ballet - True
Genesis - Misunderstanding
Styx - Too Much Time on My Hands
Van Stephenson - Modern Day Delilah
Carly Simon - You're So Vain
Stevie Ray Vaughan - Little Wing
Shirley Bassey - Light My Fire
LANY - Super Far
Jamiroquai - Cloud 9
Busted - On What You're On
Youngr - Monsters
Fujiya & Miyagi - Uh

 

[BigBobbie87]

They did, I bought them from The Source for $383.99 + 13% ON tax a couple days ago. Got them today, they sound amazing! I believe the Space Grey ones are still available! They don't take returns on headphones though, so do make sure you want them before you open them.
https://www.thesource.ca/en-ca/audio-and-headphones/headphones/wireless-headphones/bowers-and-wilkins-px-wireless-headphones-–-space-grey/p/108071963


Just a question for you guys, these are my first pair of headphones I've ever had(Have tried a few before). To test out the ANC I turned it on, and connected to my laptop and played a youtube video on my phone through the speakers. I could still hear everything. Is that how it's supposed to be?
Thanks!

The deal seems to be over. The price is back to 479.99. Was it in store only?

 

[NHarmonia]

The deal seems to be over. The price is back to 479.99. Was it in store only?

Nope, I bought it online. And I can still see it's running. It's probably a EPP account only deal then. If you have a GoodLife membership, you can sign up for it on TheSource's website to get a 20% discounts on a lot of things.

 

[TheWalrus]

I have now had my PX for three days and I am very pleased with them!


I chose between B & W PX and Sony WH-1000XM2. When I listened to both of these cans in the store (spent about 5 minutes on each can), I thought Sony sounded the best! Sony had a sound that was very easy to like. There was nothing in the sound that bothered me in a negative way. I guess it has a bit of a V-shaped sound.

Sony also had the best NC. Very good indeed.

But I do not like how the Sonys looks. They looked very big on my head.

B & W PX on the other hand looks very good. And they sounded very good too. However, I was a little worried about a "boxy/tube" sound I experienced on certain frequencies (the mids).


For me, the most important thing is good sound! But also the look of the cans is important. I mean, I will go around with these on my head every day. NC would be a good bonus.


When I scrutinized Sony's sound a bit more, I found that the soundstage was not as good as on thePX. The sound is good and easy to enjoy but it was not great.

I therefore ordered the B & W PX.


surprisingly, I liked PX sound straight out of the box. I did not hear the boxy sound, I had experienced when I listened to them in the store. They sounded amazing so I've decided to skip the burn-in phase. The burn in will come with time by itself.

After a few days with PX, my experience is that the sound is very detailed. And have good separation. I hear all the instruments without any problems and the soundstage is very good and wide. It feels like sitting in the room with the musicians.


If anything, they may be too detailed. You hear all the errors in the music. And voices with strange effects and hard compression will sound just like that. A song with bad production will sound worse in the PX. I guess maybe that's what I experienced as "boxy" on some songs.

If you listen to songs with good production, they will sound wonderful. I listen a lot to indie music and lo-fi recordings. Such songs will not sound the best in PX when you suddenly hear that the musicians used bad microphones etc.


The Sony cans sound a bit smoother and I guess that's why it's easy to like them at first sight. They are more forgiving for all kinds of music. But the sound overall is much better on the PX, according to me.


I like the bass on the PX. It is not exaggerated as it is on some other cans. But where the bass is needed, it is enough of it.

The mids are pronounced. Perhaps too pronounced for some tastes.

The treble is sufficient. I have never felt I miss something in the treble.


I make my own music and it is very fun to listen to these songs as they get a whole new life in the PX. I hear sounds that I almost forgot about.


Maybe I should say that I've got a pair of B & W P5 before. I like them. But the PX is much better.


NC is good at removing bass sounds. But does not take away much in the treble. I still hear voices and the TV etc. But they remove all the low noise in background. I'm quite happy with the NC. I will make a longer flight in January and will test them more then.

The sound quality is affected quite a bit by NC. But is still listenable. For me, however, NC is not the most important. I see it as a bonus that is good when I fly for example. In everyday life, I will not use NC because I want the best sound. And the passive noise reduction in the PX is also very good.


If you want to buy new headphones because you want the best NC. Then buy Sony or Bose.

But if the sound quality is most important, I would recommend PX.


Winner: Bowers & Wilkins PX!


Sorry for the long post!

 

[rabass6]

I think the boxy sound comes from positioning it wrong, probably that's caused by the angled driver. It's now instinctive to correct the way I have them on my head when they don't sound right.

 

[scarfacegt]

Im burning mine in,but i do like the sound more and more.I had the P9 earlier this year,and remember them as a little dark sounding and boomy bass,and that resulting in hidding details.I also had the audeze sine at that time,and they where more detailed then the p9s.I did enjoy the p9s for movies,but for music i was a little disapointed.The px seems to spot on for me Only wish they was more comfortable

 

[GrussGott]

To test out the ANC I turned it on, and connected to my laptop and played a youtube video on my phone through the speakers. I could still hear everything. Is that how it's supposed to be?
Thanks!

yes, ANC works for constant-state background noise like a vacuum, hair dryer, or airplane engines but with voices it doesn't do much.

For some people the ANC effect is quite large, for others like me it doesn't do much, so you have to decide if you're willing to trade off sound quality for the benefit of less steady-state background noise.

 

[Fordmustang12]

This one sounds marvelous and so real with px



Bass test

 

[Jabbah]

Interesting talk about "brain burn in" and not wanting to do it seemingly without realising that their brain is already burnt into their existing headphones. I guess if you've already got an ecosystem of headphones with similar signatures then something that doesn't quite jive with that is not going to work out. I'm liking mine even more after a week. However...

Problems with the Wear Sensor. This morning when taking the PXs off, the music paused as it should and then started again straight away. When I put the headphones on again the music paused, pressed play and then took them off and paused and started again. I think it started doing this by some combination of using manual pause play and putting the head phones on / taking them off. Certainly there is still something buggy in the firmware causing auto stop start issues with the wear sensor.

 

[TheWalrus]

Problems with the Wear Sensor. This morning when taking the PXs off, the music paused as it should and then started again straight away. When I put the headphones on again the music paused, pressed play and then took them off and paused and started again. I think it started doing this by some combination of using manual pause play and putting the head phones on / taking them off. Certainly there is still something buggy in the firmware causing auto stop start issues with the wear sensor.

Yes, the wear sensor is a bit buggy. That's the only problem I've experienced so far.

But I still like the feature and I'm gonna continue to use it. For the most of the time it's been working perfectly for me.


But I've had two strange episodes yesterday.

1. The headphones were in standby. I put them on my head and it started and connected to my iPhone. The music started to play for a half second and then paused.

Easy solved by removing the headphones from my head and then back on again. Then the music started playing again.

One time the PX couldn't pause the music on my iPhone at all. Not by removing them from my head or by pressing the pause button on the cans. I had to pause it on the iPhone itself. It was as if the iPhone and PX didn't talkt to each other at all, but the music still played through the cans. When I put the PX back on my head everything started to work as it should again.


2. I connected my PX to my Macbook to listen to som music files via VLC.

The music did not pause when I removed the cans from my head. I tried several times removing/put them back on my head. (Maybe that function only works for specific apps?)

But when I put them on my head again then Spotify on my Macbook started to play music. I heard two songs at the same time from different apps. I closed Spotify and tried again to get the wear sensor on my PX to pause the music from VLC. But then iTunes started instead when I put them back on my head. And iTunes started to automatically play a video.

So just by putting the headphones on my head a few times I managed to start both Spotify and play videos from iTunes but couldent pause the music from VLC.

I'm not sure this is all B&W fault and it may have something to do with the way Apple is managing the bluetooth commands.

 

[redrich2000]

48 hours of pink noise now and out an iphone... these are definitely much flatter than the P7W. It's quite hard to A/B them because they sound so different.
My feeling right now is that I prefer the bass/lower mids of the PX but the treble/high mids of the P7W. The PX has VERY polite treble, I'd actually call them veiled.