Bowers & Wilkins Px7 S2e vs Sony WH-1000XM5: which ANC headphones are better?

Just when the Sony WH-1000XM5's lead over rival noise-cancelling headphones looked unassailable, along came Bowers & Wilkins with one aim: to spoil the party with its latest and greatest wireless over-ears. Its Px7 S2e are a sensational pair of ANC headphones, with a lively and insightful sound, strong noise cancellation and a head-turning design.

But is that enough to knock the XM5 from the podium? We've long extolled the many virtues of Sony's finest, which have just taken the What Hi-Fi? Award 2024 in the category. While that might slightly give away our preferred pair, it's a closely fought race and you may well find greater favour with the B&W. Let's dive into the differences to find out...

B&W Px7 S2e vs Sony WH-1000XM5: price

The Sony WH-1000XM5 launched in 2022 at £380 / $399 / AU$550 but in the past year or so have been frequently discounted. During October's Amazon Prime sale, for example, they dropped as low as £258 in the UK, although outside of deals events they tend to linger below the £200 / $300 / AU$500 mark.

B&W's latest challengers arrived in September 2023 with a similar launch price as the Sonys – £379 / $399 / AU$599 – and while it understandably took a while for them to be discounted, we did see them drop to £279 during that same Amazon sale in October. At the time of writing, they pretty much price-match the Sonys.

**Winner: Draw**

B&W Px7 S2e vs Sony WH-1000XM5: design

The Px7 S2e certainly look like an expensive pair of headphones. But then what else would you expect from the iconic British brand? It has consistently produced excellent – and very dapper – audio kit over the years.

The Px7 S2e follow the Px7 S2, which positively oozed class. We're big fans of the successors' Forest Green finish, but they also come in Ocean Blue, Cloud Grey and Anthracite Black. That's two more colour options than the XM5, which are only available in black or silver.

The Px7 S2e have plenty of nice touches to help justify the price. The earcups have a textured finish, gold accents and a cylindrical B&W badge, while the earpads and headband are clad in thick pleather. They're comfy to wear and feel lighter than their 307g. And while their physical buttons might look positively steam-age next to rivals' touch controls, you can't beat them for reliability.

For portability, they fold flat but don't collapse inwards to fit in a pocket, which is the same as the XM5. This is typical of most modern premium pairs, but the tradeoff is a more sophisticated design and feature set.

The XM5 have a "noiseless" design, which basically means they're slimmer than their predecessors with fewer hinges. At 254g, they're a fair bit lighter than the Px7 S2e, although they do feel quite a bit cheaper. They're very well made, though, with the ABS sliders to adjust the headband and memory foam ear cushions proving very comfortable indeed.

**Winner: Bowers & Wilkins Px7 S2e**

B&W Px7 S2e vs Sony WH-1000XM5: features

Now we get to the meat of the comparison. What can these headphones actually do?

The B&Ws certainly aren't a case of style over substance. Their battery life matches the XM5's at 30 hours, and they deliver an impressive seven hours from just 15 minutes of charging.

They support Qualcomm’s aptX Adaptive, one of the higher-quality Bluetooth codecs around. And for a pair of wireless headphones, they're well connected when it comes to cables, with support for both USB-C and 3.5mm. B&W even supplies both cables in the box.

Like the XM5, they can be controlled by an app, but while B&W's Music App is very well done, it's not quite as thorough as Sony's Headphones Connect app. B&W's offering lets you adjust the EQ, assign button functions, tweak the sensitivity of wearer detection, and adjust noise cancelling. It also gives you access to Deezer, Qobuz, Tidal and TuneIn, if you're signed up, with more services coming soon.

Sony's XM5 have many of the same features as the previous XM4. The DSEE Extreme engine upscales compressed music to near hi-res quality, and while they don't support any form of aptX, they do work with Sony's own high-quality LDAC format. Check whether your phone supports LDAC or aptX Adaptive (or 'step-down' aptX HD), as this could be a deciding factor between the two pairs.

The XM5 have plenty of innovative features away from sound quality. Quick Attention lets you lower the volume and have a conversation by covering the right earcup with your hand, while ‘Speak to Chat’ senses when you start talking and pauses playback while engaging the ambient sound mode so you can hear what the other person is saying.

Wearing Detection knows when you take the headphones off and automatically pauses what you're watching or listening to, then resumes when you put them back on. Sony 360 Reality Audio is an immersive audio format, with tracks found in Amazon Music's catalogue, and these Sonys support that too.

Rounding off the feature set is Bluetooth Multipoint, which lets you pair wirelessly with two devices at once and switch between them without having to re-pair. The B&Ws also support this, though.

**Winner: Sony WH-1000XM5**

B&W Px7 S2e vs Sony WH-1000XM5: noise-cancelling

Active noise cancellation (ANC) is one of the biggest selling points of these headphones. So how do they compare?

The B&Ws fare well, but don't excel. Their ANC system comprises six microphones which cancel outside noise, and they do a particularly good job of silencing bassy sounds like bus engines. But the Sonys are more accomplished in this regard, especially when it comes to mid and upper frequencies.

That might be partly down to the fact that the XM5 have two more microphones than the Px7 S2e. Or Sony's processing might simply be more advanced. Either way, the XM5 are the way to go if you want to cut out outside sound.

**Winner: Sony WH-1000XM5**

B&W Px7 S2e vs Sony WH-1000XM5: sound

And so to sound quality, the most important factor of them all.

Here the Px7 S2e pull out all the stops – they're a little less analytical than their Px7 S2 predecessors, with an upgraded DSP and more open soundstage. And they haven't lost any of the detail that made those predecessors a five-star pair, nor the ability to communicate subtle dynamic shifts.

Lower frequencies remain a highlight, with bass depth and punch in head-bopping supply. Bowers has not only aired out the soundstage for greater coherency but also smoothed the presentation to create a sweeter and easier listen.

The Px7 S2e are still an analytical pair, but they now come much closer to the XM5's musicality, which is a strength of the Sony pair.

Indeed, we have regarded the XM5 as the most entertaining cans at their price point for a while now, but with the B&W now similar money and arguably slightly more revealing, it's a really tough call between the two on the sound quality front.

**Winner: Draw**

B&W Px7 S2e vs Sony WH-1000XM5: verdict

The Px7 S2e are a real step forward for B&W's wireless headphones lineup. Their colourful aesthetic and build quality make the XM5 feel rather cheap in comparison, while their musical and insightful sound is really very competitive. We do prefer the Sony's noise-cancelling, however, and on the app and features front the XM5 probably edge it.

Now that the two are very similar money, it isn't quite as easy to hand the Sonys the win, and your pick will likely come down to style vs ANC performance... or perhaps the price is one pair happens to be discounted more than the other.

Needless to say, both pairs are top dogs.

MORE:

Our pick of the best noise-cancelling headphones

Don't necessarily need ANC? Here are the best wireless headphones

See our list of Sony WH-1000XM5 tips and tricks