[Radiorog]

Unless B&W is saying that the firmware update was intended to adjust the sound, it makes no sense to believe that it is. The idea that companies use firmware to fix sound without admitting it is essentially the stuff of conspiracy theories. It takes on person who believes in these things to update the firmware, "hear" a noticeable difference, post about it online and start the chain of suggestion and suddenly lots of people "hear" the difference.

This happens all the time, people claim to hear differences, you look at what the company states the firmware update addressed and see not a single mention of sound quality, and yet once somebody convinces themselves it is true, there is no dislodging them off that belief. I have even seen this happen when the company publicly states there are no sound fixes and yet people simple double down on their assumption and become convinced that the company is just trying to hide the need to fix the sound so they fail to disclose that was part of the firmware update.

I am not saying that a firmware update can't address known sound quality issues, but to assume that one does without the company who authored the firmware update disclosing it publicly is problematic.

It is problematic absolutely, without a company admitting they have adjusted the eq. It will only ever be hearsay.
I can assure you the sound from 1.1 to 1.2 is very different. The recessed vocals and less attack of drums on 1.1 was so evident. When my firmware changed, i have not had a recessed vocal since, and drum attacks on songs i critically listened to multiple times(the white stripes)and was gutted at the lack of attack, with the update, the drum attack is right there. I critically listenwd to the headphones when i first got them, many tracks and passages of tracks over and over, becasue i was either amazed or disappointed. When the formware updated i could go back to these tracks and passages, and easily hear they were very different.
I dont find myself wanting to listen to the ypdated headphones as much any more, they just arent as fun.
Just release a proper EQ bowers, youre cheapening yoursleves by not. These headphones are so capable, but peopel withbthe carbon 1.2 will never know exactly how capable.

 

[fumagalli]

Hello all, I have been trying the Momentum 3 for about 10 days and can notice some static and intermittent crackling in the right earcup when using the ANC for 1h+. It is a known bug due to condensation, and I am thinking of returning my pair to either try another M3 (the sound is excellent!) or try out the PX7. However, there seems to be many concerns regarding a "clicking" noise with the PX7 which seems awfully similar to my crackling... is this clicking also an ANC-related issue?
Also, for those who tried the M3 and the PX7: how would you compare comfort (wearing it for hours)?

Thanks for the insights!

 

[fumagalli]

Hello, I just purchased the carbon version and would like to know if this is WAD: I cannot mute the headphone when wired with a USB-C cable. I listen to some music, reduces the output volume to zero, and still can hear it. That's a shame as the PX7 sounds much better wired, but if I cant mute my computer it is pretty cumbersome at work! :/

 

[matteventu]

Hello all, I have been trying the Momentum 3 for about 10 days and can notice some static and intermittent crackling in the right earcup when using the ANC for 1h+. It is a known bug due to condensation, and I am thinking of returning my pair to either try another M3 (the sound is excellent!) or try out the PX7. However, there seems to be many concerns regarding a "clicking" noise with the PX7 which seems awfully similar to my crackling... is this clicking also an ANC-related issue?
Also, for those who tried the M3 and the PX7: how would you compare comfort (wearing it for hours)?

Thanks for the insights!

I personally found the Momentum 3 to be more comfortable than the PX7.

 

[JBean]

I have a newfound love with the PX7s (and many TWS earbuds as well) after playing around with Wavelet. For those that don't know about Wavelet, it is a free app for Android phones that come with EQ profiles for your headphone type, known as Auto EQ. It also contains many frequency bands for even more fine-tuning (graphic equalizer).

My goal was to achieve a sound that I consider to be neutral or balanced - free of harshness and fatigue for prolonged listening sessions. Wavelet has an Auto EQ preset for the PX7s. Turn on the Auto EQ for the PX7s. The sound is definitely more "neutral" than its stock tuning, but quite bright and harsh for my taste. I then made further adjustments to the frequency response within the Graphic Equalizer, of which I will have the values posted below.

Important: Both Auto EQ for PX7 and Graphic Equalizer toggles must be turned ON in order to achieve the same results I have.

Graphic Equalizer settings: 75Hz: +2.8, 150Hz: +2.2, 300Hz: +1.6, 600Hz: 0, 1.2kHz: -1.3, 2.4kHz: -1, 4.8kHz: 0, 9.6kHz: 0, 19.2kHz: -5

I am curious to hear what folks have to say after giving this a try!

 

[Knottian]

Hi everyone, longtime lurker to the forum. I’m in the market for a new set of headphones and after reading/watching a ton of reviews, I’m pretty sure the PX7 are the right set for me: I work from home and am primarily concerned with audio quality for music (don’t have a real need for ANC, calls, etc.). Was looking at a bevy of options, including the Airpods Max (as I‘m primarily in the Apple ecosystem), however being a fan of B&W’s general sound, I leaned towards these. Anyway, I had two questions I was hoping you all might be able to answer:

1. Seeing some discourse around the firmware and sound profile differences between the Carbon and non-Carbon variants. Should I be looking at the non-Carbon editions when purchasing?
2. As I’ve seen a lot of sales in the UK, I was hoping to see some in the States but I haven’t seen any Black Friday deals at my usual haunts. Is anyone aware of any deals?

Thanks everyone and looking forward to joining the PX7 ownership club

 

[MSedek]

AirPods Max are much better sounding headphones than PX7 (had both, sold B&W) with wider soundstage, more details and absolutely great ANC - plus they work perfectly with Apple Ecosystem. I use them everyday at online work.

 

[WilcoRoger]

I’d take the above with a great amount of salt… best to test both if you can, before settling for either

 

[mainguy]

AirPods Max are much better sounding headphones than PX7 (had both, sold B&W) with wider soundstage, more details and absolutely great ANC - plus they work perfectly with Apple Ecosystem. I use them everyday at online work.

Depends on the person. I sold both my apm and px7, but apm is my most used BT headphone.

PX7 to me has better timbre, it’s more natural. It also has warmer thicker mids. Apm sucks at vocals.

Apm is more detailed and has more clarity in the treble region and a better treble region overall.

Frankly the B&W P7 wireless is miles better than both imo, so I sold them

 

[tim440]

Hi everyone, longtime lurker to the forum. I’m in the market for a new set of headphones and after reading/watching a ton of reviews, I’m pretty sure the PX7 are the right set for me: I work from home and am primarily concerned with audio quality for music (don’t have a real need for ANC, calls, etc.). Was looking at a bevy of options, including the Airpods Max (as I‘m primarily in the Apple ecosystem), however being a fan of B&W’s general sound, I leaned towards these. Anyway, I had two questions I was hoping you all might be able to answer:

1. Seeing some discourse around the firmware and sound profile differences between the Carbon and non-Carbon variants. Should I be looking at the non-Carbon editions when purchasing?
2. As I’ve seen a lot of sales in the UK, I was hoping to see some in the States but I haven’t seen any Black Friday deals at my usual haunts. Is anyone aware of any deals?

Thanks everyone and looking forward to joining the PX7 ownership club

Amazon Warehouse has some as new for just over 250 dollars.

 

[MSedek]

Depends on the person. I sold both my apm and px7, but apm is my most used BT headphone.

PX7 to me has better timbre, it’s more natural. It also has warmer thicker mids. Apm sucks at vocals.

Apm is more detailed and has more clarity in the treble region and a better treble region overall.

Frankly the B&W P7 wireless is miles better than both imo, so I sold them

Actually Apm sounds much better for me after last few software updates and I really enjoy Dolby atmos tracks on Apple Music (however not everything sounds better in this format). PX7 wireless was quite uncomfortable for me (I wear glasses) - no such problems with Apm (although they’re quite heavy), and I really disliked strange noises PX7 generated with ANC adaptive on (I think they appeared when changing modes automatically but maybe it was just my model). Plus MacBook connectivity was far from perfect (problems with mic, connecting with two devices at same time was a disaster, connecting with app worked only occasionally - and the app has no EQ). Sound signature of PX7 was really nice but too many problems with this model for me .

 

[KopaneDePooj]

Hi,
I'm intending to return my Sony XM4 and get the PX7 in Space Grey. This must happen next week because my return window runs out.
I had the chance to listen to the PX7 for two days some months ago, (i had the Silver version) and I like the sound very much when the mastering is good. I only had problems with the highs for some 80's brighter tracks or some recent mainstream music that is too V-shaped in the studio. I will use them for walks outside in the neighborhood, and due to the greater weight and clamping I was reluctant in getting them then. But with the Sonys I'm on the second pair and they both had clicking/creaking noises from the plastics in the hinges, transmitted into the cups when walking or turning head, which is annoying and unacceptable for a headphone dubbed by some "NC King" when they induce microphonics into the cup. Their plasticky build is thrash and I'm sick of it.

Today I heard that there is some sort of mechanical noise with the PX7 too What is that all about?
I also see that supposedly there is a difference in sound between Carbon Edition and older versions? How do they sound different?
As I don't have time to read back so much now, please guys make some summary about possible issues with the PX7, pros and cons that had been discussed here and what I should be aware of. And another question: how are they with wind noise?, because the XM4 cancel the wind noise superbly.
Another thing: as I mentioned, they seemed a bit to heavy and rigid / clampy for walking with them on, I kinda felt the gravity pull on them with every step. What is your take about this, will I get used to the weight?

Thanks a lot!

 

[Denkmal]

Hi,
I'm intending to return my Sony XM4 and get the PX7 in Space Grey. This must happen next week because my return window runs out.
I had the chance to listen to the PX7 for two days some months ago, (i had the Silver version) and I like the sound very much when the mastering is good. I only had problems with the highs for some 80's brighter tracks or some recent mainstream music that is too V-shaped in the studio. I will use them for walks outside in the neighborhood, and due to the greater weight and clamping I was reluctant in getting them then. But with the Sonys I'm on the second pair and they both had clicking/creaking noises from the plastics in the hinges, transmitted into the cups when walking or turning head, which is annoying and unacceptable for a headphone dubbed by some "NC King" when they induce microphonics into the cup. Their plasticky build is thrash and I'm sick of it.

Today I heard that there is some sort of mechanical noise with the PX7 too What is that all about?
I also see that supposedly there is a difference in sound between Carbon Edition and older versions? How do they sound different?
As I don't have time to read back so much now, please guys make some summary about possible issues with the PX7, pros and cons that had been discussed here and what I should be aware of. And another question: how are they with wind noise?, because the XM4 cancel the wind noise superbly.
Another thing: as I mentioned, they seemed a bit to heavy and rigid / clampy for walking with them on, I kinda felt the gravity pull on them with every step. What is your take about this, will I get used to the weight?

Thanks a lot!

For walking outdoors I would not bother with over ear cans at all. There will be wind. There will be movement. And there may be rain.
I have three pairs of good over ear cans and use my Jabra in ears for walking/running. Are they sounding nearly as good as my px7? Of course not. But when moving it is beside the point as they do not induce microphonics, neither do they move nor break from sweat or rain.

Having said all that, the px7 is a very sturdy phone with less creaking or other weird behaviour. I have tried it outdoors and for an over ear can they work ok.

 

[fumagalli]

For walking outdoors I would not bother with over ear cans at all. There will be wind. There will be movement. And there may be rain.
I have three pairs of good over ear cans and use my Jabra in ears for walking/running. Are they sounding nearly as good as my px7? Of course not. But when moving it is beside the point as they do not induce microphonics, neither do they move nor break from sweat or rain.

Having said all that, the px7 is a very sturdy phone with less creaking or other weird behaviour. I have tried it outdoors and for an over ear can they work ok.

I returned my PX7 as it was randomly giving some strong static in ANC mode, which appears to be a common issue.
I got the Beoplay HX during black friday and am very happy with them after 1 week of heavy usage. No noise whatsoever when walking and they are surprisingly comfy despite their round cushions. The sound is better (vocals feel recessed with the PX7) but the ANC is worse.
Anyway, food for thoughts.

 

[KopaneDePooj]

For walking outdoors I would not bother with over ear cans at all. There will be wind. There will be movement. And there may be rain.
I have three pairs of good over ear cans and use my Jabra in ears for walking/running. Are they sounding nearly as good as my px7? Of course not. But when moving it is beside the point as they do not induce microphonics, neither do they move nor break from sweat or rain.

Having said all that, the px7 is a very sturdy phone with less creaking or other weird behaviour. I have tried it outdoors and for an over ear can they work ok.

Everyone has different needs, and I "consume" most of my music when walking outside because I have to combine light exercise with music listening (and I like to). The rest of my time is occupied with other activities. So for me a good closed back over-ear is a must. I used Momentum 2 wired for many years and now I'm switching to Bluetooth for convenience and calls. I was skeptical but once I got rid of the wires during walking I can't go back I also use Jabra 85t but only in summer, because of the heat.

That being said, please others respond to my post above.