In a world filled with opulent, elegant, and premium wireless headphones, one could do worse than Bowers & Wilkins (B&W) and the brand’s latest Px7 S3. While the Px8 unquestionably remains the golden child of the brand, this successor to the Px7 S2e isn’t some watered-down model to be pawned off to the general consumer.
What Am I Looking At?
As with almost brand that manufactures their own personal audio device, B&W isn’t straying very far from its chosen headphones aesthetic. As such, the Px7 S3 looks more or less similar, albeit slimmer, to its predecessor and the slightly more premium Px8 that I reviewed two years ago.
There are some subtle changes to the Px7 S3, particularly with button placement. They’re now located further in, and by that, you can feel them around the edges of the inner rim. The unit I have is in the brand’s Anthracite Black but the headphones do come in two additional colours: Indigo Blue and Canvas White.
In terms of buttons and ports, there’s the power and Bluetooth activation switch, plus the ANC port on the left earcup, while the right earcup hosts the function button and volume rocker. The USB-C port is also located at the base of the left earcup, and serves both charging and wired connectivity functions, the latter through USB-C to USB-C, or USB-C to 3.5mm.
As this is obviously a high-end, premium pair of wireless headphones, the Px8 S3 gets pretty much all the accoutrements that B&W is able to afford it. I am talking a built-in, high performance DSP, 24-bit/96KHz audio, high resolution codecs that includes aptX Lossless, and a 5-band customisable EQ that is accessible via the dedicated B&W app.
What’s Good About It?
While it doesn’t use the same carbon cones that are found in the Px8 or Pi8, the 40mm bio-cellulose drivers in the Px7 S3 are still just as good. There is an elevated focus on the highs and mids but not to the point where one drowns out the other. In Jeff Buckley’s rendition of Hallelujah, you can hear the emotion, feel the weight of each pluck of his guitar, and even feel the warmth in his voice.
The lows of the Px7 S3 are strong and rattle the back of my skull, as headphones should, and with the absence of any distortion. This is evident with Shrike by Hozier, with the steady bass drum throughout the song, the percussions box in Digging My Potato by Yoko Kanno and The Seatbelts, and the walking bass line in Flight of the Cosmic Hippo by Bela Fleck and The Flecktones.
Vocals are crisp, clear, and as I mentioned, warm enough to evoke the relevant emotion in each song. Case in point, I can hear the pain of loneliness in The Reason by Calum Scott, the sadness and grief in Eric Clapton’s voice in his Unplugged version of Tears in Heaven, the brightness in Down To My Last by Alter Bridge, and the despair in Teddy Swim’s voice as he sings Lose Control.
Moving on, the long battery life in the Px7 S3 isn’t false advertising. At 30 hours of playback (with ANC on, to boot), it takes days before I need to recharge these headphones fully. Oh, and the ANC on these cans are strong enough to drown out airplane noise.
On an aesthetic level, the mesh-grille back and asymmetrical yoke gives the Px7 S3 a unique ruggedness and elegance. It’s easy to see why David Beckham would endorse these headphones, and the brand for that matter.
What’s The Catch?
Unlike the Px8 and due to the design of the Px7 S3, the control buttons are less accessible. Rather than have them around the outer rim of the earcups, B&W installed them directly around the inner rim. And I don’t know if this is just my unit, but the volume down button on my Px7 S3 is a bit finnicky, in that pressing it requires a little more effort that pressing the volume up and power button.
On another note, the earcups tend to wear on me over prolonged use, particularly with my right ear, when it digs into the back of it. The cartilage at the back of my ears gets stiff, at which point, I really need to remove the headphones for a bit and take a breather.
The Px7 S3 also do not support Spatial Audio and Bluetooth LE Audio, although these two factors aren’t exactly a dealbreaker for me. Also, these headphones aren’t foldable but to be fair, it is still slimmer and thinner than most other premium headphones out on the market right now.
Should I Buy It?
If you’ve already got the Px8, then give these a skip. While these headphones sound considerably better than its direct predecessor, they still do cost a premium to own. Let me be clear: if you’re switching side from another premium brand, or if you’re planning on jumping up that audiophile ladder, then have at these.
If you’re a first-time premium wireless headphones owner, however, you could do worse than the Px7 S3, and at its asking price of RM2,399, you’re guaranteed a very full-bodied audiophile experience. For me, it certainly exceeded my expectations.
Photography by John Law.
