Bowers & Wilkins has all but solidified its name at the top end of consumer audio.
Known for its sleek, high-quality builds and uncompromising sound production, the company has thrived under the Masimo umbrella.
With humble origins as a radio and television store in West Sussex, Bowers & Wilkins became a key innovator in consumer electronics during the late 20th century, eventually giving rise to the audio powerhouse we’ve come to know.
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The products are often congruent with a brand identity characterised by efficiency of concept and a stellar build quality, one exemplified in Bowers & Wilkins’ expansive range of headphones.
Frequently setting the bar in the field, Bowers & Wilkins’ has a headphone model for everybody, offering sharp designs, incredible technology balanced with practical interfaces and sound quality that can only be expected of the very best.
The brand’s latest effort, the Px7 S2e, seems to offer more of the same excellence, promising to take inspiration from its flagship models to provide a remarkable listening experience.
Bowers & Wilkins claim the ‘e’ in S2e stands for ‘evolved’, so what makes the new Px7 S2e so next-gen? When talking about consumer audio, it is often best to begin with the everyday advantages of cutting-edge headphones like the Px7 S2e.
The headphones arrive in a simple, classy box that screams Bowers & Wilkins in more ways than just the text on the top. Pictures of the product and function and functions of the Px7 S2e are proudly laid out on the back. This is undoubtedly characteristic of the brand and with headphones like these, you need not shroud them in fancy graphics.
Upon opening the box, the fun begins. Your new set of headphones arrives in an inconceivably compact yet sturdy case that promises to feel right at home among the floating arrangement of goodies that plague your desk.
Opening the case reveals the headphones themselves along with a USB-C charging cord and a USB-C to 3.5mm audio cable for the old-schoolers. Even the start-up and safety manuals are perfectly stowed away. A safety manual has never been more enticing.
The careful design of the headphones lends itself perfectly to a modern listener. They are compact, light, and to be completely honest, a work of art. It’s this exact meticulousness and attention to detail that we’ve grown accustomed to from Bowers & Wilkins.
At the end of the day, all this user-friendly pump-up wouldn’t mean a lot if the Px7 S2e didn’t deliver on sound quality. At the risk of wading through the discombobulating maze that is technical jargon, these headphones did not disappoint.
The Px7 S2e pack a powerful punch in the form of two 40mm drivers, a size that has become expected of top-tier consumer headphones. These tried and true drivers allow for the perfect balance between those juicy lows and the wavering highs that lend the Px7 S2e their punchy sound range.
The active noise cancelling is precise as ever, with the headphones providing four microphones to help drown out those unwanted noises that so rudely perturb your listening experience. If you don’t know how active noise cancelling works, don’t worry. Not many do. But it’s very cool and four microphones are more than sufficient to make it work very well.
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Also provided are an extra two microphones for making phone calls and combined with the innovative and industry-leading Qualcomm aptX Bluetooth codec, your phone calls are poised to be as clear as ever. Out of the box, the headphones promise fast charging as well as a battery life of 30 hours of playback.
The Px7 S2e really hold its own in the realm of digital signal processing. The Bowers & Wilkins Music app that is revealed in the (oh so beautifully packaged) Quick Start Guide is as receptive as ever, providing incredible customisation on both noise cancellation and equalisation fronts.
However, this app goes a step further, almost forming its own streaming platform. You can receive personalised music recommendations, build playlists, and even funnel in music from many of your favourite streaming services. The Px7 S2e showcase the best of Bowers & Wilkins’ musical prowess.
Comfortability speaking, these headphones are a treat. It probably goes without saying, but an important trait of modern headphones is the ability to stay on for long periods. These are comfortable, light and feel like an extension of the ears. They also passed the shake-head-aggressively fit test.
These headphones are available in the equally enchanting Anthracite Black, Cloud Gray, Ocean Blue and Forest Green finishes. Seriously… look them up.
What more do Bowers & Wilkins have to prove? They sit contently at the top of the consumer audio industry and if they keep releasing headphones like these, they’ll be sitting there for years to come. The Px7 S2e live up to the ‘evolved’ in their name, and with an effort so eloquently efficient and functional, while still providing the best sound quality in the business, we are reminded why we should trust the experts.
The Px7 S2e retails for $599 at David Jones, JB Hi Fi and selected AV Specialist retailers. To learn more and pick up a pair, head here.
This article was made in partnership with Sounds United.
