Bowers & Wilkins has taken the covers off its latest wireless headphones, and to be honest, we were a little surprised by the announcement.
The new over-ears are the Px7 S3, which we’ve got to admit, we weren’t expecting to see after the previous headphones, the Px7 S2e, which scored a five-star rating and earning the status of being one of our favourite wireless headphones.
But time waits for no one and Bowers & Wilkins have sought to bring more improvements to this latest model, claiming it is theire most advanced wireless headphone yet.
Re-designed drivers = better sound
These advancements come in the form of re-engineered drive units, and although it remains a 40mm biocellulose driver, the chassis has been redesigned along with the voice coil, suspension and magent.
The only aspect that carries over from the previous generation is the cone material, and all these changes add up to what B&W claims is lower colouration and distortion in the sound, with improved resolution and “superior” dynamics.
Each drive unit is powered by a seperate, discrete amplifier for the first time in a B&W headphone, providing more scale and energy to the audio performance. Having a listen to the headphones, those claims have more than a lick of truth to them.
Wired and wireless high-res audio support
There’s support for Qualcomm’s aptX Adaptive with 24-bit/96Hz resolution and aptX Lossless streaming via Qualcomm’s Snapdragon Sound platform. Connect to the Bowers & Wilkins Music app and you’ll also be able to streaming in high resolution sound from the likes of Qobuz and Tidal.
Bluetooth LE Audio and Auracast will be added in a future update.
USB-C audio is also supported, handy for those who want to experience native high-res audio content, as well as being able to play music on a wired connection with the latest iPhone models.
Bowers claims the noise-cancellation technology has taken another step, providing the “most powerful and effective” noise-cancellation that the company has developed. The transparency mode is also said to be better, with both the ANC and transparency modes making use of eight microphones that have been repositioned to deliver better results.
Call quality has been enhanced with new voice processing technology in ADI Pure Voice to ensure your voice comes through with crystal clarity during calls.
Other details include 30 hours of battery life, which is the same as before. Physical buttons for control and Bluetooth pairing that have been redesigned, a new five-band adjustable EQ where you can fine-tune the sound as you like.
And for the first time, Bowers & Wilkins will embrace spatial audio in line with its own ‘True Sound’ philosophy. Don’t think of this as quite like Dolby Atmos audio but more the effect of listening to a pair of stereo speakers in a room with an expanded but natural soundfield. This feature will be rolled out as an over-the-eair update later this year.
And in time honoured fashion, whenever there’s a new Px7 model there’s usually a Px8 to follow. We’ve been told to expect news of a new high-end pair of wireless headphones later in 2025.
How much do the Px7 S3 cost?
Px7 S3 comes in Anthracite Black, Indigo Blue and Canvas White finishes, and to ensure these headphones can last, Bowers & Wilkins say they’ve engineered the new design so that the ear cushions and headband are replaceable by service engineers.
The Px7 S3 is available from 24th April from Bowers & Wilkins site, as well as select third party retailers for £379 / $429 / €429 / AU$699
