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When it comes to audio performance, Bowers & Wilkins is on a hot streak. The company manages to consistently offer balanced and detailed sound across its line of headphones and earbuds. The Px7 and Px8 lines have been mainstays on our best headphones list for a while now, primarily for their outstanding audio quality. With the Px7 S3 ($449), the company updated a previous model with changes to its sound platform and some subtle design tweaks. And that combination continues an upward trajectory that shows no signs of slowing down.
Bowers & Wilkins/Engadget 83 100 Expert Score Bowers & Wilkins Px7 S3 Bowers & Wilkins continues its run of making devices with exceptional sound quality, but it’s time to switch up the formula in terms of design and features. Pros Excellent sound quality
Comfy fit
Sophisticated design Cons Expensive
Awkward button locations
A lack of advanced features $449 at Macy's Explore More Buying Options $449 at Amazon$450 at Verizon
What’s good about the Px7 S3?
Bowers & Wilkins has been crafting a superb mix of sound and design for a while now. That run of form continues on the Px7 S3 with an audio platform that’s powered by 40mm bio cellulose drivers, discrete headphone amplifiers and a 24-bit audio connection. There’s also support for the full suite of aptX codecs (Lossless, Adaptive, HD and Classic) as well as TrueSound mode. That latter item is a dedicated audio profile that the company says “allows you to hear music and movies with the striking accuracy and realism of the original recording, with nothing added and nothing taken away.”
All of that combines for some truly stellar audio performance on the Px7 S3. The sound is crisp and detailed, even offering nuance to more bass-heavy and chaotic genres. I heard some particular elements in the percussion on Turnstile’s “DULL” that I hadn’t noticed before on other headphones or earbuds. You can also hear the band’s use of guitar effects to a greater degree on this model (hello reverb and chorus). Plus, even at their most raucous, tracks have nice separation so that all of the instruments gain an airy, atmospheric quality rather than sounding compressed.
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