Technology

#Gorgeous headphones with big bass

#Gorgeous headphones with big bass

The Bowers & Wilkins PX5 and PX7 might be the most beautiful noise-canceling headphones I’ve laid my eyes on.

I know, I know, headphones should be about sound first and foremost, especially from a self-professed audiophile like me. And we’ll get to that. But more often these days, headphones are fashion accessories as much as they are audio products, so design merits some talking about.

The PX5 is the smaller, cheaper($299) on-ear variant, while the PX7 is B&W’s noise-canceling flagship($399). Both are follow-ups to the company’s PX headphones, which sounded great but had a few usability flaws.

I also thought the PX was one of the prettiest headphones on the market, but that model was undeniably flashier, especially in its shiny blue-on-gold colorway. The new models are more understated, trading the shiny metal cup arms for a carbon fiber composite that might feel a little less premium, but looks quite beautiful with a subtle marbling. The earcups do still feature some metal, and this time around the earpads are significantly more plush.

#Gorgeous headphones with big bass

I personally found both headphones comfortable to wear for hours, though they do have some significant clamping force that loosens over time. Crucially, the earcups in the full-size PX7 are larger this time around, giving my ears more room to breathe and providing a better seal than its predecessor. The PX5 are of the on-ear variety, but I found the flush faux leather earpads quite comfortable (I personally like the earmuff vibe of on-ears, but your mileage may vary).

Both models provide a solid amount of passive isolation, as well as pretty darn good noise-canceling as well that doesn’t change the sound signature too dramatically. A Sony WH-1000XM4 this is not, but it’s more than good enough for me.

Mercifully, you can control everything via hardware buttons as well, allowing you to switch between high, low, auto, and transparency modes. B&W does have an app that lets you tweak a bunch of settings, but there is a glaring lack of an equalizer.

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