Tech head-to-head
Bose QuietComfort Ultra HeadphonesvsBowers & Wilkins Px7 S2e
Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones edges Bowers & Wilkins Px7 S2e, 8.1 to 7.6. The 5 axes split 3-2, widest on Ease of use at 1.6.
The most convincing low-frequency isolation here, wrapped in the most comfortable clamp.
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, Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones ahead 8.4 to 6.8. They come closest on Durability, 8.4 to 7.8. Left of center is Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones, right is Bowers & Wilkins Px7 S2e.
Which one to pick
Take the Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones
Leads on Performance, Value and Ease of use.
- Aircraft cabins and train carriages are your normal listening environment
- You wear headphones for six hours at a stretch
- Glasses make most clamping headbands unbearable
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
Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones
- You want deep EQ control rather than presets
- aptX is irrelevant to you and the premium is hard to justify
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
| Spec | Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones | Bowers & Wilkins Px7 S2e |
|---|---|---|
| Type | Over-ear, closed | Over-ear, closed |
| Codecs | SBC, AAC, aptX Adaptive | SBC, AAC, aptX Adaptive |
| Battery | About 24 hrs with ANC on | Up to 30 hrs with ANC on |
| Folding | Folds flat and inward | — |
| Quick charge | — | 15 min for about 7 hrs |
Rankings they both appear in
Questions
- Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones or Bowers & Wilkins Px7 S2e — which should I buy?
- Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones leads on Performance, Value and Ease of use. If Durability and Design matter more to you, take the Bowers & Wilkins Px7 S2e instead.
- Is 0.5 a real difference?
- Barely. Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones averages 8.1 and Bowers & Wilkins Px7 S2e averages 7.6, and the total is the plain average of 5 axes, so 0.5 is what one axis moving 2.5 looks like after averaging. The axis split, 3-2, tells you more.
- 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", Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones at #3.