[geoxile]

To get one thing out of the way: There is not one Bluetooth headphone with good microphone quality. Not one. No sane business person would use their Headphone for telephone calls, at least not for business calls. Having a clear and understandable voice is a priority when dealing with clients or customers. Being able to take calls with your headphone is to be considered an emergency solution for urgent/private calls. But even for those I usually deactivate my BT and use the phone itself to take the call.

I take team meetings with my software development team a fair amount of times during a week. Even my M&D MW07+ sounds perfectly fine and no one complains but the PX7 has earned "huh" and "can you repeat that" and asks for me to mute several times already. For some reason it seems to like to pick up background noise more than the TWS IEMs I've tried. Maybe it's the particular sound and chatter in my office but so far the PX7 mic seems to be particularly bad

 

[Xstyle]

I think I am going to go with the Bose 700. They are at their cheapest at £299, whereas the QC35ii is £247.99, it has been that price before.
More of a "deal" on the 700's. Call quality is important, however that's if I use it for that (as I alluded to work calls earlier)
I like this review of the Bose 700 vs QC35ii:
https://www.tomsguide.com/face-off/bose-700-vs-qc-35-II

 

[Xstyle]

Sony XM3 vs Bose 700 vs Bose QC35ii


Bose 700 wins. I like the fact that two devices can also be connected at the same time. I have read and seen a lot of reviews today!!

 

[Toth21]

Well I gave up and got my money back.

My third pair had problems with clicking noises in the right cup as I mentioned earlier in the thread (other 2 had other issues, the second of which I believe was already fix in the app). At first it was when I was walking (every step of my right foot) or turning my head, but after putting pressure on the driver area on the inside that disappeared.... but when I was traveling I got the same noise in the right cup without moving and the ANC on high. Traveling on the bus and the airplane was causing constant clicking noises as the ANC tried to keep up, and was failing miserably (only on the right cup). Being on the bus in particular was bad when traveling over bumps in the road (click click click).

I contacted B&W directly, and they just instructed the reseller who I bought them from to offer me a refund. Not another trade, just a refund. Seriously What? I think the seller was sick of my asking for replacements, but I know it was also B&W because they sent me an email that the reseller would offer me an option.

These things are lemons. I mean maybe they fix this stuff in firmware, or later from the factory, but this is a joke. There is no way a 400 euro ANC headphone should make constant clicking noises either when moving or using the noise canceling.

Sadly there is no other pair out there I want... I need something that handles multiple devices well (I liked that in the app), and something that handles low latency. I guess the M3's are an option but I am not thrilled by the ANC or the battery life.

For the rest of you with this clicking problem... return them until B&W fixes their crap.

 

[ilatimer1]

So I hear a lot of people complaining about the "clicking" noise on these and I have to say that I have had my for a month and have not experienced this. Is there some test I can do to see if I have the problem?

 

[Aeneas]

I compared these to IO6 and M3 here: https://www.head-fi.org/threads/bw-px7-vs-dali-io-6-vs-sennheiser-momentum-3.920050/
In short: PX7 is better in every practical way except sound. But those practical differences, like fit and ANC, are important.

 

[chriscym]

So I hear a lot of people complaining about the "clicking" noise on these and I have to say that I have had my for a month and have not experienced this. Is there some test I can do to see if I have the problem?

wear your headphone on your head, u can turn off the headphone and not playing any songs. Then move/tilt your head left or right to hear any abnormal clicking noise. next test gently press and apply some pressure on left and right side of the cans toward your ear should be able to test these. Mine with slight push on the left can hear the clicking sound like something is not connected properly in the inside . Yesterday I tested was less noticeable, not as bad as the day before. I will test more, it is annoying

 

[Jester0fTortuga]

I compared these to IO6 and M3 here: https://www.head-fi.org/threads/bw-px7-vs-dali-io-6-vs-sennheiser-momentum-3.920050/
In short: PX7 is better in every practical way except sound. But those practical differences, like fit and ANC, are important.

Great post! I'm not sure I agree that the IO-6 has a wider soundstage though. I agree that it picks up/emphasizes different details and is no slouch on soundstage, but the PX7 to me sounds more expansive and separation is better. There's also a greater sense of depth on the PX7. I find the IO-6 to be more closed in/claustrophobic. I wonder how much of this has to do with the angle of the drivers. The IO-6 is ever so slightly angled, but hardly so. The PX7 is aggressively angled by comparison. Overall, I think it is better to say they are doing different things with the soundstage. I also find the mids are more forward on the PX7, but they are a bit clearer on the IO-6 (but depends on source, the difference here is very minimal when using USB-C). Speaking of wired situations, I was not as floored by the IO-6's passive performance out of my DX220 with the tube amp cartridge. It sounds much better in active mode, I think. But will test more.

I agree with your skepticism about the IO-6 as an ANC headphone. I went on a walk through the city yesterday and was disappointed, the IO-6 with ANC on is significantly worse than the PX7 in terms of what ANC should give you in that situation. I would love to have a flight scheduled during my IO-6 return period, but I think its safe to say I'd be bummed out that I didn't bring the PX7 on that flight. Its almost as if the IO-4 was Dali's original goal when entering the headphone game, and then along the way they decided to purchase some noise cancelling know-how and tack it on and call it the IO-6. I just don't see why you'd design an ANC headphone from the ground up the way the IO-6 has been designed. Truly lovely headphones for sitting and listening to music at home, however! If I didn't have a solid wired headphone that I deeply enjoy for home use and critical listening (the P9), I'd probably keep both the Dali and the PX7 and use the Dalis at home for music. But the PX7 just seems perfect to me for office/city/flight use. It is also infinitely more pleasing for podcasts (warm signatures work great with spoken word, methinks) and for movies/gaming. Honestly, if B&W just put an EQ feature into the app, I am not sure there would be much competition between the PX7 and anything else on the market. They seem to take well to minor EQ touch ups from devices that can do that.

Those with clicking sounds in their ear cups -- a few weeks ago I posted a photo of the area that you need to look at to solve the problem. Basically, the fabric covering the driver on some PX7s comes loose (the adhesive didn't take, or something) and so you need to push it back and hold it there to let the adhesive settle back in. Its an unfortunate production issue, I think, but its solvable at home. That said, I am going to be swapping mine out for another pair.

 

[jagar46]

I compared these to IO6 and M3 here: https://www.head-fi.org/threads/bw-px7-vs-dali-io-6-vs-sennheiser-momentum-3.920050/
In short: PX7 is better in every practical way except sound. But those practical differences, like fit and ANC, are important.

I’ve had the three and still have the IO6 and the PX7, to me the IO6 simply has much better sound, not just a little better but night and day better. I also find the Dali’s to be the most comfortable of the three, the PX7’s and the M3’s fall of my head while leaning back, and that’s no matter how tight the headband is adjusted. The PX7’s are the better cans to travel with, I find the ANC on these to be very good, they do however have a major problem with outside wind noise, so if its walking outside or commuting through a city and even if it is only slightly windy, the PX7,s are useless. If I could only have one pair and with my current lifestyle, I’d choose the iO6’s.

 

[Jester0fTortuga]

I’ve had the three and still have the IO6 and the PX7, to me the IO6 simply has much better sound, not just a little better but night and day better. I also find the Dali’s to be the most comfortable of the three, the PX7’s and the M3’s fall of my head while leaning back, and that’s no matter how tight the headband is adjusted. The PX7’s are the better cans to travel with, I find the ANC on these to be very good, they do however have a major problem with outside wind noise, so if its walking outside or commuting through a city and even if it is only slightly windy, the PX7,s are useless. If I could only have one pair and with my current lifestyle, I’d choose the iO6’s.

I just conducted an extremely scientific test that I will call the More Than a Feeling test*. Comparing the IO-6 wired and wireless to the PX7 (and the P9s just as another reference point). I have to say, I've never heard such an unmoving, lifeless rendition of More Than a Feeling than the IO-6 in wired mode. It sounds like a much clearer version of my MacBook pro speakers, just no body to it. The song hits some very high notes, which the IO-6 does well, but there's absolutely none of the guitar rumble that I love about this and other guitar-heavy tracks. Wireless, the IO-6 has more bass and sense of fullness (?). The PX7 reproduces this song perfectly, IMHO, in a way that gets me really grooving.

The P9 of course does this as well. I told myself I'd spend a week with the IO-6 before making any rulings, but meh its not looking good for them. The passive wired mode is just so flat and lifeless that its an irrelevant feature, in my book. Though I recognize some here want that. I do not. My P9s are my preferred wired solution. Overall, my take on the IO-6 is similar to the time I took my P9s to a showroom to compare them to extremely high-end stuff like the Focal Stelia. Stelia was really detailed and clear, but absolutely not engaging. Not something I'd spend $3k on All of the B&W cans are more to my liking: detailed but tuned in a way that is actual fun, and as I said before, more realistic in the sense this is what speakers or live music sounds like.

*Test done on a 24/48 version of More Than a Feeling that I converted down from a DSD copy of Boston's Boston for streaming via AptxHD to Bluetooth headphones

 

[Toth21]

wear your headphone on your head, u can turn off the headphone and not playing any songs. Then move/tilt your head left or right to hear any abnormal clicking noise. next test gently press and apply some pressure on left and right side of the cans toward your ear should be able to test these. Mine with slight push on the left can hear the clicking sound like something is not connected properly in the inside . Yesterday I tested was less noticeable, not as bad as the day before. I will test more, it is annoying

To add to this in regards to the clicking. This was only part of it for me and indeed did get better when playing with putting pressure on the inside of the cup. The clicking while moving disappeared after that, but it DID come back (meaning with movement). Note: this occurs even with the ANC off.

However, that wasn't the killer for me. I had THE SAME clicking noise also on the right side, when using the ANC on high and traveling on the airplane or bus. Basically the noise was the same, but the cause different. I would be sitting still, but the background noise would be rapidly changing (hitting bumps in the road on the bus, turbulence on the plane, or lost of people talking around me) and I would hear the clicking noise sometimes very rapidly as the ANC was changing to respond. I already saw a amazon reviewer describe the same.

I don't understand the cause, but I was surprised when B&W suggested the store NOT make another exchange for me. They are not standing by their product (at least in my country... who knows). Extremely disappointing for 400 euro headphones.

 

[chriscym]

To add to this in regards to the clicking. This was only part of it for me and indeed did get better when playing with putting pressure on the inside of the cup. The clicking while moving disappeared after that, but it DID come back (meaning with movement). Note: this occurs even with the ANC off.

However, that wasn't the killer for me. I had THE SAME clicking noise also on the right side, when using the ANC on high and traveling on the airplane or bus. Basically the noise was the same, but the cause different. I would be sitting still, but the background noise would be rapidly changing (hitting bumps in the road on the bus, turbulence on the plane, or lost of people talking around me) and I would hear the clicking noise sometimes very rapidly as the ANC was changing to respond. I already saw a amazon reviewer describe the same.

I don't understand the cause, but I was surprised when B&W suggested the store NOT make another exchange for me. They are not standing by their product (at least in my country... who knows). Extremely disappointing for 400 euro headphones.

I think your issue is with ANC , but my issue is not with the sound, even power off there is the clicking noise. It has something to do with the loose mechanism inside the padding or driver

 

[Bloodbuzz459]

This is the response I finally received from B&W regarding external DAC's. Its a shame they'll make my Dragonfly redundant. Could they not patch in the to bypass the DAC on a software update? Any precedence for this in the past?

The wired connection to the PX7 will always utilize our DAC so using it in conjunction could offer some benefit though it is not needed as the DAC in the PX7 is a 96/24 DAC. If you would still like to use your Dragonfly DAC this will work though there should be no discernible difference.

 

[Toth21]

I think your issue is with ANC , but my issue is not with the sound, even power off there is the clicking noise. It has something to do with the loose mechanism inside the padding or driver

Yes but that was my point. I had that as well exactly as you describe, which went away after playing with the inside of the cup, and it came back AS well right before I returned them.

The noise I heard with the ANC was IDENTICAL to the one I heard when moving with the power off. I mean same tone, frequency, etc. It's something inside that is bad, but B&W is pretending not.

 

[Jester0fTortuga]

This is the response I finally received from B&W regarding external DAC's. Its a shame they'll make my Dragonfly redundant. Could they not patch in the to bypass the DAC on a software update? Any precedence for this in the past?

The wired connection to the PX7 will always utilize our DAC so using it in conjunction could offer some benefit though it is not needed as the DAC in the PX7 is a 96/24 DAC. If you would still like to use your Dragonfly DAC this will work though there should be no discernible difference.

I think its not entirely pointless -- from the Dragonfly you're getting a better quality signal to the PX7 DAC than over Bluetooth!