Наушники — B&W (Bowers & Wilkins) Px7 S2

The Px7 S2 is a wireless noise-cancelling over-ear headphone from Bowers & Wilkins, launched on 29 June 2022 at USD 399 or GBP 379 alongside the more expensive Px8. It replaced the original Px7 and has since been succeeded by the Px7 S2e, so Bowers & Wilkins now lists it in its archive of earlier models.

Key specs that matter

In each earcup sits a 40 mm full-range dynamic driver whose diaphragm is made of bio-cellulose. Bluetooth runs at version 5.2 and handles SBC, AAC, standard aptX, aptX HD and aptX Adaptive, while the supported profiles are A2DP, AVRCP, HFP, HSP and BLE GATT. Six microphones are fitted, four for noise cancellation and two for calls. The lithium-ion battery gives up to 30 hours of playback, and a 15-minute charge adds 7 hours. Charging and wired digital audio both use the USB-C port. Harmonic distortion is below 0.1% at 1 kHz and 10 mW. The headphone weighs 307 g, and the carry case measures 189 x 63 x 233 mm. Colours are Black, Blue and Grey.

Engineering and use context

Noise cancelling is a hybrid design, combining microphones outside the earcups with microphones inside them to measure and counter ambient sound, and an ambient pass-through setting feeds outside sound to the listener on demand. A wear-detection sensor pauses playback when the headphone is removed. The USB-C connection works as a digital audio input, allowing a laptop or phone to play over the cable instead of Bluetooth, and a 1.2 m USB-C to 3.5 mm cable is supplied for analogue sources. A second cable, USB-C at both ends, is also packed. aptX Adaptive adjusts its bit rate to the quality of the wireless link and supports higher resolution than standard aptX when the phone offers it. The bio-cellulose diaphragm material was chosen by Bowers & Wilkins for these drivers, and they carried over into the later Px7 S2e. Settings for noise cancelling and EQ are made in the Bowers & Wilkins Music app.

Pairing

Android phones with aptX Adaptive connect at the highest quality the codec allows, while iPhones use AAC. For flights and offices, the noise cancelling reduces background sound, and the analogue cable covers aircraft entertainment systems and other analogue outputs. In weight, the Px7 S2 falls between lighter travel headphones and heavier home models.

Alternatives

The Bowers & Wilkins Px8 is the higher model of the same generation, using carbon cone drivers and Nappa leather, weighing 320 g and launched at USD 699.