Figured I'd post my review of the Shure vs. PX7 vs. Dali. I provided my feedback on reddit but copying it here.
Summary
In short, I think the B&W PX7 is the most polished and premium pair of the bunch. It is not as resolving as the Shure and doesn’t have an EQ but is better built, looks better, has better connectivity/ease of use, and battery life. They do have a better sound stage than the Shure and sound more lively/dynamic. However, clamping force may be an issue for some.
The Shure is for those who want the best sounding pair of cans (better transient response/ resolution) and an EQ but are willing to give up a bit in terms of battery life, connectivity/ease of use, build quality, and aesthetics relative to the B&W PX7.
Frankly, I didn’t like the Dali and for those who enjoy their sound signature, you should just get the Shure AONIC 50. Let me put this plainly; the Shure render the Dali largely irrelevant.
Will score all cans on the following factors out of 10.
Sound:
Shure AONIC 50: 9 – the Shure sounded very flat and were quite resolving in the high end. The vocals were very pleasant and had a level of transparency I didn’t quite get from the PX7. The low end was also quite tight though a bit light relative to the PX7. The sound stage was okay – nothing to write home about. If you want a pair of resolving cans with solid transient response, these will do well. It’s a fun pair of headphones but is not as lively/punchy/dynamic as the PX7.
Admittedly, at their standard “flat” EQ, I found the highs a bit difficult to deal with at high volumes. Fortunately, the app allows you to change to other EQ settings or make your own EQ curve and save it to the cans. The cans retain the EQ settings even when the app isn’t loaded and will keep them when running from another device, like your computer. The EQ here works great. I increased the low end and rolled off the highs a bit to get it more to my taste. It retained the qualities it had in the flat preset after EQing.
B&W PX7: 8 – These were the cans I liked most by default as their frequency response was in line with what appeals to me in headphones. If the H7s had a better sound stage, were more lively/dynamic, and had more precision in the low-end, they would sound like the PX7. They are a bit more resolving than the H7 in the high end but not as resolving as the Dali or Shure. The app doesn’t have an EQ.
Dali IO-4: 6 – Similar to the Shure but have no app, EQ, or smart features. I had a real issue with sibilance with these cans when the volume was turned up. It doesn’t show up all the time, but some recordings are frankly unlistenable for me. One major issue I noticed was how sensitive these cans are to positioning on your head. Tilting the cans even slightly while on my head would clearly indicate that the seal around my ears was weak and the sound would become hollow as a result. These formed a better seal without my glasses. How this issue was not spotted by Dali is beyond me. Frankly, if you have glasses and they have thick arms, best to skip these headphones. Even when I got them positioned just right, these cans just sounded off to me. I have no clue what people mean when they say these sound “natural” but these were outliers to me- the soundstage was just off and I found vocals recessed at odd times and overly prominent at others. These cans are incoherent and finicky. This is Dali’s first attempt at making headphones and it shows.
B&O H7: 6 The sound is pretty generic here. Follows the typical Harman curve many folks like. Rolled off highs, slightly elevated lows. Generally, a very coherent sound but lacks detail.
Comfort:
B&O H7: 9- relatively light cans at ~270g. Clamping force is light but may be too light as it’s the least secure on the head. I can watch a film wearing these and only feel a slight bit of pressure on the head after the session. They do get a bit warm with the lamb-skin earcups.
Dali IO-4: 8 I have no clue why these headphones are 320 grams. It’s likely due to the enormous battery. It doesn’t feel too heavy and the clamping force is completely reasonable. Weight distribution is great. The cutouts for the ear are large circles rather than ovals. Your ear doesn’t touch the inside of the cans at all. However, those cutouts may be the problem -see my comments about their sound above.
Shure AONIC 50: 7.5 The weight distribution is great and these are very plush. But they are 335g, making them the heaviest of the bunch. You do feel a lot of padding touching the sides of your head and scalp. These are the least low-profile of the bunch in that there is quite a bit of contact between your skin and these cans.
B&W PX7: 7 These are the most low-profile cans of the Dali, Shure and B&W. Not a lot of contact between the cans and your skin. These are 310g and do feel lighter than the Dali or Shure. However, if you’re sensitive to clamping force and are inclined to get headaches easily, these may not be the cans for you. They are an improvement over their prior cans but there’s still room to reduce the clamping force.
Durability
B&O H7: 10 I’ve yet to find better built headphones. Aluminum, fabric, leather. Extremely elegant but built like a tank. You’d have to pretty darn negligent to damage these cans.
B&W PX7: 9 I wish they stayed with actual leather here. Regardless, they’re built very sturdy and the fabric backing will do better with scuffs and scrapes as opposed to the plastic or metal used in the Shure and Dali.
Dali IO-4: 8 Sturdy construction. The headband is stiff and doesn’t have much give when twisted so that may be an issue. No creaking - the hinges that connect to the earcups may be the only weak spot if bent hard in the wrong direction though that’s highly unlikely.
Shure AONIC 50: 6.5 I do hear creaking when adjusting these cans. The point at which the metal band connects to the cushioned headband doesn’t feel as secure as the other cans. The hinge that connects the arms to the earcups doesn’t have much range of motion- maybe 20 degree. Most hinges creak. I don’t know if these cans will last me several years. Have a feeling they won’t age gracefully.
Aesthetics: Many headphones look great in pictures when not being worn or look great from the side but not head-on. Or they look good for folks with small heads but look dumb with the arms extended to accommodate larger heads like mine.
B&O H7: 10 Again, the most gorgeous headphones I’ve seen. These look great from all angels. Looks are subjective but these are as close to an objectively beautiful pair of headphones as I’ve seen.
B&W PX7: 8.5 The headband extends out in a curved fashion so these may look a bit weird for those with larger heads. Otherwise, they look great.
Shure AONIC 50**: 7.5** These have old-school big-can styling and the brown color is gorgeous. The issue is these cans look great from afar but close up, they do look very plasticky and not so premium. They work just as well with big heads as small heads as the arms tend to extend downward.
Dali IO-4**: 6.5** The earcups for these tend to extend out quite far when viewed head-on. Frankly, I think these are cans that look great when not worn but look dumb when worn head-on.
Connectivity/ Ease of Use:
B&W PX7: 9 Multi-point connection, clear prompts, great button layout, great app, and even auto-pause when the headphones are removed and auto-resume when placed back on. When they don’t get any audio from their source for a while or when not worn, they will disconnect and turn off. They have an ambient mode. The one major omission is an EQ in the app. Supports Aptx-Adaptive (AptxLL & Aptx-HD).
Shure AONIC 50: 7.5 Multi-point connection with clear prompts. However, the switch from one source to the next isn’t seamless. You’ll need to pause one source, wait a moment, then play from the next source. PX7 doesn’t have this issue as it’s seamless. Annoyingly, they don’t auto-disconnect and shutoff when not in use for a while. The app works and the EQ is great. However, the button layout isn’t the best and the buttons aren’t very pleasant and tactile. Supports every codec- LDAC, AptX HD, etc.
Dali IO-4: 6 Doesn’t have an app or EQ. Doesn’t support multi-point connection. Button layout is good. Beyond the support of Aptx-HD, this is a pretty dumb pair of headphones. The IO-6 would have an ambient mode but that’s not much to write home about.
Battery Life: Dali IO-4>>PX7>AONIC 50>H7
Noise Cancelling/ Mic: Haven’t tested each thoroughly enough to make a judgement call here.
Me and my preferences:
Figured I’d tell a bit about myself to provide context as to what my preferences are as I’m sure that’ll color the review so best to know that up front. Again, 80% of my time at home is spent with speakers. I use headphones while in the office, while travelling, and sometimes when at the gym. I prefer speakers to headphones. I don’t have any interest in wired cans – I’m looking for portable cans with top-tier specs. I don’t care much for active noise cancelling as I’ve always found most closed cans do well enough with passive noise cancelling and I’m not interested in complete silence.
I have a big head and wear glasses. My ears stick out a bit. I am very sensitive to cans that rub against my ears so on-ears are out of the question. I’m moderately sensitive to clamping force. I’m not too sensitive to headphone weight as I have a muscular neck and good posture.
I prefer crystal clear highs and a fast low end in speakers so prefer AMT tweeters. I have a tolerance for tilted highs in speakers but frankly am sensitive to increased treble in headphones. I hate sibilance. So in headphones, I prefer something akin to the Harman curve- slightly elevated low end and a gradual roll-off on the high end.
I am switching from B&O H7s. As far as design language, I’ve yet to find headphones designed better than B&O H7s. I have a strong preference for premium materials- metal over plastic and leather over pleather. They’re still the best looking headphones I’ve ever seen and definitely the best built. However, BT 4 and AptX are old. I’m looking for BT 5.0, Aptx-HD and/or LDAC as far as codecs. Multipoint connection and smart features like auto-pause when you remove the cans are also appreciated. As far as sound, I’d like a bit more resolving power in the highs and lows and better dynamics. Sound stage would be great but these are closed cans so I’ll moderate my expectations.
