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Tech head-to-head

Apple AirPods MaxvsBowers & Wilkins Px7 S2e

Age hasn't cost the 2020 Apple AirPods Max the lead: it averages 8.1 against 7.6 for the 2023 Bowers & Wilkins Px7 S2e, and takes Ease of use 9.0 to 6.8.

Apple AirPods Max

Apple

8.1

Built like nothing else in the category, priced like nothing else, and only fully useful on Apple hardware.

Price and availability change constantly, so we don't quote them here — the link opens the current Amazon listing.

Bowers & Wilkins Px7 S2e

Bowers & Wilkins

7.6

Built and tuned for listening first; cancellation and app depth are where the money did not go.

Price and availability change constantly, so we don't quote them here — the link opens the current Amazon listing.

Where they diverge

The widest gap is Ease of use, Apple AirPods Max ahead 9.0 to 6.8. They come closest on Value, 5.8 to 5.6. Left of center is Apple AirPods Max, right is Bowers & Wilkins Px7 S2e.

Apple AirPods Max versus Bowers & Wilkins Px7 S2e — axis scores out of 10Horizontal bar chart of editorial scores out of 10 across 5 axes. Bars for Apple AirPods Max run left from the axis labels, bars for Bowers & Wilkins Px7 S2e run right. Apple AirPods Max: Performance 8.4, Value 5.8, Durability 8.2, Ease of use 9.0, Design 9.0. Bowers & Wilkins Px7 S2e: Performance 7.8, Value 5.6, Durability 8.4, Ease of use 6.8, Design 9.2.Apple AirPods Max (left)Bowers & Wilkins Px7 S2e (right)PerformanceApple AirPods Max — Performance 8.4 out of 108.4Bowers & Wilkins Px7 S2e — Performance 7.8 out of 107.8ValueApple AirPods Max — Value 5.8 out of 105.8Bowers & Wilkins Px7 S2e — Value 5.6 out of 105.6DurabilityApple AirPods Max — Durability 8.2 out of 108.2Bowers & Wilkins Px7 S2e — Durability 8.4 out of 108.4Ease of useApple AirPods Max — Ease of use 9.0 out of 109.0Bowers & Wilkins Px7 S2e — Ease of use 6.8 out of 106.8DesignApple AirPods Max — Design 9.0 out of 109.0Bowers & Wilkins Px7 S2e — Design 9.2 out of 109.2Editorial score out of 10 — higher is better

Which one to pick

Take the Apple AirPods Max

Leads on Performance, Value and Ease of use.

  • Everything you own already has an Apple logo on it
  • You want a metal-and-mesh build rather than plastic
  • Automatic switching between Mac, iPad, and phone is a daily need

Take the Bowers & Wilkins Px7 S2e

Leads on Durability and Design.

  • Music is the first reason you are buying and cancellation is the second
  • Physical buttons beat a touch panel for you, in gloves or otherwise
  • Fabric, foam, and metal matter more to you than a feature list

What each one gets wrong

Apple AirPods Max

  • You need a codec better than AAC
  • The sleeve that ships instead of a real case bothers you
  • Android is your main platform

Bowers & Wilkins Px7 S2e

  • You want a multi-band equalizer, since the app offers two tone controls
  • Packing small matters — the cups swivel flat but do not fold inward
  • Aircraft cabin drone is the specific problem you need solved

Specs, side by side

SpecApple AirPods MaxBowers & Wilkins Px7 S2e
TypeOver-ear, closedOver-ear, closed
CodecsSBC, AACSBC, AAC, aptX Adaptive
BatteryAbout 20 hrs with ANC onUp to 30 hrs with ANC on
CaseFabric sleeve, no full case—
Quick charge—15 min for about 7 hrs

Rankings they both appear in

Questions

The Bowers & Wilkins Px7 S2e is 3 years newer. Why does it score lower?
Because the axes didn't move the way the release dates suggest. The 2020 model takes Performance, Value and Ease of use, widest on Ease of use at 9.0 to 6.8. Durability and Design are where the 2023 model answers, and whether that is enough is the whole question.
What did the 2023 model improve?
Durability and Design. Durability runs 8.4 to 8.2; Design runs 9.2 to 9.0. That is not enough to move the average, which stays 8.1 to 7.6.
Which one ranks higher in "When music comes first, build decides the pair"?
Bowers & Wilkins Px7 S2e sits at #1 in "When music comes first, build decides the pair", Apple AirPods Max at #2.