Design & Construction

The Bowers & Wilkins PX is the company first ever venture into the world and industry of noise-cancelling headphones. But does it live up to the hype and standard of its company's sound legacy? Let's find out! Built with hard-wearing ballistic nylon, soft leather and metal, the PX is no slouch in using premium-feeling materials, the earcups swivel and turn gracefully to fit each and every type of head shape. On the right earcup has the (From Back-Front): Volume + button, Multi-function button, Volume - button, Noise-cancelling button, Power Button, LED indicator, 3.5mm input and USB Type-C port. The multi-function button allows for play/pause with a single press, skipping forward with a double press and triple press for skipping backwards. Proximity sensors are also built into the earcups which allow for more natural response. Lifting one earcup instantly pauses your music so you can catch up with a friend or ask for directions. After you are done, put the earcup back on and everything retracts to normal. The Noise-cancelling button can be used to switch on/off the noise-cancelling manually. Both earcups bear the Bowers And Wilkins logo and have very thick cushions which is meant for providing a comfortable experience. The headphones have a little clamping force and may require a few hours to break in. Weighting in at 335g, it is quite a heavy pair of headphones as supposed to its competitors. On the headband, there is also cushioned headrest which unfortunately didn't help ease the pain. After an hour of wearing, pain could be felt at the crown of the head. The exterior of the headphones gives off this classy matte colour scheme while the earcups has a textured-like finish. The headphones also resist fingerprints smudges very well. The hinges of the earcups conceals the exposed wire while the earcups pivot left and right and folds flat for easy storage. 

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Sound Quality

The 40mm headphone drivers certainly live up to what one can expect when picking up a product from this price points. They produce an extremely clear sound signature which audiophiles can look forward to listening. Based on user experience, the noise-cancelling is comparable to competitors of its price point. I could not hear my surroundings when there was no music on. Bowers & Wilkins have also revolutionised the abilities of its noise-cancelling. With the Bowers & Wilkins Headphones App, available for download on the App Store and Play Store, you may control the amount of ambient sound to let in when outside. Alternatively, you may use the presets like Office, City or Flight. Each has different levels of noise-cancelling and ambient sound mode. Users can also change the senstivity of the headphones porximity sensor or turn off that feature and check the battery life left on the headphones. Moving on to sound qualty, the PX seem to work really well with all genres of music ranging from soothing jazz to bass-heavy EDM tracks. Highs and mids come off as balanced and bass is slightly boosted which gives off a nice thump in your ear. Call quality was okay, the caller manage to hear me on the other end but the mics on the headphone do pick up my surrounding noise. If you have the money, I recommend you to get one for daily use.

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Connectivity & Portability

The headphone operates both passively and wirelessly. In wireless mode, it supports AptX HD codec and Bluetooth Version 4.1 for clear audio transmission. The mic and controls on the earcups do not work in wired mode and users cannot charge the headphone and use it at the same time. The battery life peaks at 22 hours with Bluetooth and Noise-cancelling on and 29 hours with only Bluetooth on. The headphones' connectivity to the app is 100% perfect as I never experience connectivity issues. The headphones stow flat into a luxurious fabric pouch that has a magnetic clasp.  The package also includes a USB Type-C cable for charging, a 3.5mm cable for wired use. Honestly, I would have preferred a hardshell carry case to better protect the headphone from drops but the soft carrying pouch still looks and feels very premium in the hand.

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PROS

• Clean, Bright Sound Signature

• Controls For Music Play & Calls

• Premium Build

• Strong Noise Cancellation

• Ambient Sound Pass-Through

• AptX HD Codec Support

• Proximity Sensor Convenience

• Luxurious Carry Case

• Dual Colour Options

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CONS​

• Requires Power Even In Passive Operation

• Bulky & Heavy

• Mic and Controls Not Available In Wired Mode

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The Bottom Line

The Bowers & Wilkins PX is a stylish noise-cancelling headphone housing customisable noise-cancelling, 40mm balanced drivers, decent 22 hours battery life and easy to use controls.  It is highly recommended for daily commutes and long flights. Two colours are available to fit users of different gender.