Bowers & Wilkins Px7 S3

Bowers & Wilkins Px7 S3 and Px7 S2 – The Differences

The Px7 success story is reflected in our all-time most-read articles on headphonecheck.com. For the brand-new Px7 S3—on test for just over a week—B&W has not only incorporated technical upgrades but also brought notable improvements to the housing design. In short: the 2025 edition of the Px7 S3 is lighter, slimmer, and ups the sonic game.

Already with the Px7 2e, B&W generously passed down the bio-cellulose drivers from the flagship Px8; these continue to perform admirably in the S3. Most striking are the significantly flatter cups and revamped controls.

Microphones no longer sit in the outer cover but in a finely crafted lattice ring, which not only saves space but also markedly benefits noise cancelling and call quality. More on that later.

Key Facts of the Bowers & Wilkins Px7 S3

• New DSP with integrated headphone amp/DAC enables 24-bit/96 kHz audio over the supplied cables
• USB-audio in 24-bit/96 kHz via the included USB-C cable
• Five-band EQ (vs. two-band on the S2) plus TrueSound preset in the app
• Bluetooth 5.3 with aptX Lossless, aptX Adaptive, aptX HD, aptX Classic, AAC, SBC
• Eight microphones total
• ADI Pure Voice algorithm for improved speech intelligibility

First Fit – Wearing Comfort

Thanks to a complete chassis overhaul, the Px7 S3 also gains in wearing comfort. Although weight drops by only 1 g, the slimmer form is visible. The soft padding and inner cup shape remain identical to the Px7 S2 and still offer ample room for larger ears. My glasses slipped easily between pad and temple without noticeably affecting passive isolation.

Reworked Controls

The control scheme is improved: the power/pairing slider now sits on the left, while the right cup hosts three buttons for volume and a smaller, raised multi-function toggle for play/pause, call, and track skip—easier to locate than before. The ANC/Transparency switch on the left cup is also reliably reachable.

Convincing ANC and Transparency Mode

By redesigning the capsules, noise cancelling clearly benefits. The six outer mics can now be distributed more effectively, since moving parts no longer get in the way. Side-entry noise is damped more efficiently. Where the Px7 S2 still let the drone of a highway 800 m away seep through, the Px7 S3 silences it almost entirely.

The transparency mode is likewise improved: the pass-through ambience is virtually indistinguishable from the original, with voices rendered flawlessly.

Sound of the Bowers & Wilkins Px7 S3 – Top-Tier Performance

We compared the Px7 S3 directly with its predecessor Px7 S2e and competing Apple AirPods Max and Sonos Ace. All four have been on our test bench; the AirPods Max is also my daily driver thanks to its comfort, Apple integration, “reference-like” sound, and superb ANC/transparency.

The Sonos Ace dethroned the AirPods last year and exposed the limits of the Px7 S2e. The Px7 S3 feels like B&W’s answer: it adds a touch more warmth than the S2e, whereas the Sonos Ace carries a shade more brilliance. These are matters of taste, not quality.

Listening to “If I Rise” (Dido & R. Rahmen) in AAC via Apple Music, the Px7 S3 gives the wooden bass a hair more tone than the S2e—subtle but perceptible. Bass lovers can now tailor low frequencies more delicately via the 5-band EQ, but I prefer the factory tuning. The new EQ is a major plus; you can store presets or recall the TrueSound default.

Whether over USB-audio at full resolution or via Bluetooth with aptX Lossless, differences were barely audible. Even an external hi-res player feeding the analog cable into the Px7 S3’s USB jack produced negligible changes.

A Full Day on a Charge

B&W rates battery life at 30 hours with ANC on, which testing confirmed. A 30-minute coffee break recharged our sample from 10 % to 87 %. The battery can be replaced by authorized service centers.

High Voice Quality for Calls and Content Creation

Voice quality via the built-in mics is excellent. All eight microphones collaborate to filter noise and deliver speech clearly. Recording a podcast over USB-audio yielded highly usable results, thanks to the ADI Pure Voice tech.

Streamlined App with New 5-Band EQ

The app remains tidy, avoiding feature overload. Wear sensors and auto standby are configurable, and integrated streaming services (Tidal, Amazon Music, Qobuz, Deezer, SoundCloud) are accessible—often a paid extra elsewhere.

Conclusion – Product Refinement at the Highest Level

The Bowers & Wilkins Px7 S3 is an extremely successful update to this premium over-ear series. Visually slimmer and technically enhanced, it scores with improved ergonomics, a new DSP offering 24-bit/96 kHz playback, and a finely adjustable 5-band EQ. The optimized ANC sets new benchmarks, while the transparency mode delivers near-natural environmental sound.

With eight microphones and ADI Pure Voice technology, voice quality is excellent. Sonically, the Px7 S3 offers a slightly warmer tuning than its predecessor, with impressive detail. Against rivals like Sonos Ace or AirPods Max, it holds its own.

Overall, the Bowers & Wilkins Px7 S3 presents a mature, audiophile package with future potential thanks to the promised Spatial-Audio support.