B&W Px7 S3 Review (vs QC Ultra, AirPods Max, WH-1000XM5, Momentum 4, P100) 🤔

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I’m going to begin this video by saying the B&W Px7 S3 exceeds my expectations. It’s better than good, especially in terms of performance. And you’ll get to see why when I compare them to popular headphones like the Sennheiser Momentum 4, Cambridge Audio P100, Bose QC Ultra, Sony WH-1000XM5 and AirPods Max. I was especially impressed with its noise canceling, but we’re also going to look at other aspects including their sound quality.

Build Quality

First, what really stands out about the Px7 S3 is its build quality. Very generous use of metal from the housing, the buttons, and the headband itself. But in spite of the metal, it only weighs 300g which is heavier than the Sonys, but not as heavy as something like the AirPods Max. In terms of comfort, clamping pressure is a little more on the firm side, but the cushions are plush enough to mitigate that which lets me wear them for hours without a break. I also like that they’ve got a flatter profile so it doesn’t jut out as much when wearing them. But inside the earcups, it’s not so roomy, so it does start to feel hot and steamy quickly.

Microphone Quality

In terms of mic pickup in a quiet setting, it really captures the fullness and richness of my voice. And in noisy, windy situations, the noise-gating is pretty strong. Background noise is reduced to a whisper, and there’s barely any hint of wind, but my voice also comes across as loud and muffled. Definitely not as clear as the Sony and the AirPods Max. However it does cope with this noisy situation better than the Sennheiser, Cambridge Audio and Bose.

👉 Have a listen to the mic quality samples

Active Noise Cancelling

Its active noise canceling performance is outstanding. In many ways very comparable to the best noise cancelers like the Bose QC Ultra and the Sony WH-1000XM5. As you can see from these measurements, the Sonys are the quietest in the midrange, the Bose is the best at canceling heavy noises in the upper bass to lower mids, and the Px7 S3 is about as good as the Bose at canceling upper bass lower mids.

But, it’s better than all the others at muffling the upper mids to high frequencies! This really helps with silence, and when I’m playing music, I can’t even hear a hint of my wife’s beautiful voice.

(That being said, in certain situations, other headphones might outperform it. For example, while on a holiday, I compared the Px7 S3 and the AirPods Max on a plane. The AirPods Max ended up being quieter, as it could react to the plane’s rumbling, droning noises more accurately.)

👉 Have a listen to the ANC quality samples

Transparency Mode

In this grouping, the Px7 S3’s transparency is good, quite comparable to the Sennheisers, and more transparent than the P100. In fact, if we look at the measurements, we can see that it hugs very closely to the base ambient level represented by the white line, up to the 2khz mark, which means ambient sounds are going to be well amplified, and verbal exchanges can be clear even if that person is standing further away.

But you still do get that muffling effect, because it isn’t amplifying much from 3 khz and above so it’s not going to be as transparent as if you’re not wearing headphones. For that kind of transparency, you’ll want the AirPods Max, QC Ultra and Sony Mark 5.

Sound Quality

The Px7 S3 sounds very enjoyable in a… crispy way. It has a similar v-shaped tuning to the popular headphones, more bass boosted than the Harman preference curve, and more sculpted in the upper mids and highs to give a crisper vocal signature. But unlike the Sony, Sennheiser and Bose, these are pretty clarifying.

Transient response is tighter so there’s more texture in things like vocals and strings, and there’s more instrumental crispness and air. It’s a very different, and I would say, refreshing experience from the usual heavy signature, because the bass is tightly controlled, which improves the clarity and separation of the mids.

I definitely prefer its brand of clarity to the AirPods Max, because the AirPods Max exaggerates the upper mids and highs so much, to the point of sounding thin and sanitized. Not so the Px7 S3. So yes, I prefer how revealing it is, and its clarity. But if I want more depth, and a smoother sound, I’d reach for the P100s. It’s more recessed in the vocals, but there’s more body, soundstaging is deeper, while detail retrieval and texturing is just as good as the Px7 S3.

👉 Have a listen to the sound quality samples

You can customize its sound if you need, but more or less manually, because there’s only one EQ preset in the app called ‘True Sound”. As far as I can tell, it enhances the highs a little more than flat, but that’s about it. Now, if you want even better throughput in case you have Hi-Res files on your device, they do support USB-C 24-bit audio just like the Sennheiser, the AirPods Max and Cambridge Audio headphones. However, when I’m listening over USB-C, the audio skips once in a while.

Volume Level

In terms of its volume level, these are easily the loudest headphones in this group. For example, 50% volume on the Bose is like 30% on the Px7 S3. So if you need more muscle behind the drivers, this is the one to go for. But that’s not the only reason to get the Px7 S3. Its multipoint connections is next level seamless. I connected them to my phone and my pc, and they take over INSTANTLY when I press play. Didn’t even have to pause on one device first! Like, wuuuut! 

You should also get them if you want something Snapdragon Sound certified that also supports aptX Lossless, has great sound quality that’s more clarity focused, and has superb build quality with a slim profile. Also get them if you prefer all button controls. Most of these headphones use touch sensors nowadays, which may be harder to operate with gloves.

Verdict

But if you’re looking for something feature rich, with lots of options to customize its sound, spatial audio and all that, you’ll be looking at options from Bose, Sony and Sennheiser because these don’t have that. It’s a very minimalist and straightforward approach. It also doesn’t have LDAC codec support, which is a far more common Hi-Res codec than aptX Lossless among Android devices. But this won’t matter if you’re on iOS or if you prefer a wired connection. Regardless, I like them enough to say that the Px7 S3 is shaping up to be one of the best headphones of 2025.

Check latest price:

B&W Px7 S3 - TBA
Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones - https://amzn.to/3UecNzS
AirPods Max - https://amzn.to/3AoiHX3
Sony WH-1000XM5 - https://amzn.to/4bIqJtZ
Sennheiser Momentum 4 - https://amzn.to/3TAxQOb
Cambridge Audio Melomania P100 - https://amzn.to/4f8HmAL

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