Odi Productions
In this article, I’m going to share my HONEST experience with the Sony WH-1000XM6 vs Bowers and Wilkins Px7 S3 and tell you which is better, after personally owning both products. I have thoroughly tested each of these headphones for hundreds of hours, and aim to offer a critical opinion from the perspective of an audiophile and professional music producer.
I’ll be comparing these two head to head on categories like price, comfort, features, battery life, noise cancelling performance, and sound quality.
Then at the end, I’ll share which is the best overall value for the money, and my overall recommendation on which you should buy.
I’ve also conducted a separate in-depth Sony WH-1000XM6 Review and Bowers and Wilkins Px7 S3 Review, for those who are interested in reading more detailed thoughts about each headphone after. (Links open in a new tab.)
Key Takeaways
- Sony WH-1000XM6 is lighter, more flexible sound quality due to its EQ, and a better noise cancelling implementation without any quirks.
- Bowers and Wilkins Px7 S3 has superior build quality with more premium materials, comparable noise cancelling but with quirks, and better technical sound quality but a less-effective EQ.
- The Sony XM6 about the same price at $449 as the Bowers & Wilkins Px7 S3, based on current market prices.
Watch the Full Comparison on YouTube!
Have any QUESTIONS for me?
Leave it in the YouTube COMMENTS and I’ll do my best to get back to you 🙂
Sony WH-1000XM6 vs Bowers and Wilkins Px7 S3 Price Compared
Overall, the Sony WH-1000XM6 is about the same price as the Bowers & Wilkins Px7 S3 at current market prices for brand new. They can be much closer in price depending on current sales, and whether you’re buying new, renewed, or used.
Sony WH-1000XM6 Prices
- Retail: $449.99
- New: $448
- Used: $443 (save up to $5!)
Bowers and Wilkins Px7 S3 Prices
- Retail: $449.00
- New: $449
- Renewed: N/A
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Comfort
On my scale, the Sony XM6 is 45.5 grams lighter than the Bowers and Wilkins Px7 S3:
- Sony WH-1000XM6 weight: 252.8 grams
- Apple AirPods Max weight: 298.3 grams
The weight difference is immediately noticeable, and I prefer the lightness of the XM6.
What I prefer on the Px7 S3 is more interior earcup space for my ears to be free.
There’s a little more clamping force than I’d like on the Px7, so I hope this loosens up over time.
The cushioning seems slightly cheaper than the previous generation Px7 S2e and of course, the more expensive flagship Px8.
The XM6 has a lot of clamping force from the factory, a lack of cushioning, and less interior earcup space, so my ears are pressing against the fabric inside.
Sony improved the headband design over the XM5 so it has less top of head pressure than before.
That said, I expect the clamping force to loosen up over time like the previous-generation XM5. After this, the XM6 should settle into being one of the more comfortable headphones in its class, due to its light weight.
Overall, these are two of the more comfortable headphones in this class, but not quite perfect.
Sony WH-1000XM6 Comfort: 4.5 out of 5
Bowers and Wilkins Px7 S3 Comfort: 4.5 out of 5
Winner: Tie
Features / Build Quality / Battery Life / Noise Cancelling
Features
These are both modern headphones with roughly the same features such as built-in microphones for calls, Active Noise Cancelling, and Transparency Mode.
But one feature I love about the Sony XM6 is a new “Cinema Mode” that adds its own spatial audio effect that is perfect for watching movies, TV, and even just YouTube.
The XM6 folds and collapses into a compact hardshell case, while the Px7 S3 doesn’t fold, but also includes a hardshell case that is slightly bigger than the XM6 (pictured above).
Build Quality
The Bowers and Wilkins Px7 S3 has the superior build quality and slightly more premium materials to the XM6, utilizing metal on the earcups and buttons, fabric on the exterior headband and earcup, but plastic in the hinges it seems.
The Sony XM6 feels very similar and plasticky to the XM5, with a slight upgrade to the hinges with the addition of a small aluminum piece that is supposed to reinforce them, hopefully fixing the “broken hinge issue” of the XM5.
The XM6 simply feels cheap for $450 headphones, and I’d feel more confident in the Bowers and Wilkins in the long-term.
Looks
I like the sleeker look of the Px7 S3 which they slimmed down in the earcups and made them more streamlined over the previous generation of Bowers and Wilkins headphones.
The XM6 is just a bit too blocky in the earcups for my liking, but it’s slightly improved over the XM5 from an aesthetic standpoint.
Sony WH-1000XM6 vs Bowers and Wilkins Px7 S3 Battery Life Compared
The Sony XM6 has about the same battery life as the Bowers & Wilkins Px7 S3 on a single charge and with ANC on.
- Sony WH-1000XM6 Battery Life: Up to 30 hours (with ANC on)
- Bowers and Wilkins Px7 S3 Battery Life: Up to 30 hours
In my testing, I found both of these manufacturer’s battery ratings to be accurate.
These figures are about average for the class, but both are overshadowed by the Sennheiser Momentum 4 at 60 hours.
Sony WH-1000XM6 vs Bowers and Wilkins Px7 S3 Noise Cancelling Performance: Which is better?
One area that I expected to be a clear win for the XM6 over the Px7 S3 is the noise cancelling performance.
But to my surprise, Bowers and Wilkins has improve the noise cancelling a significant amount over the previous generation S2e and Px8. Perhaps they read the complaints and feedback and invested into this area more.
When it comes to pure strength and effectiveness of the noise cancelling, the Px7 S3 seems close to the XM6, or at least in the same realm.
But where the XM6 has an advantage in the noise cancelling department is that it has no “quirks” with its ANC implementation. No hiss, no pressurized feeling, just consistent performance with less intrusiveness.
The Px7 S3 has a “pressurized” feeling when ANC is set to ON. It’s not as bad/noticeable as the previous generation, but it’s definitely still there.
Also, if you’re moving around a lot or walking, the Px7’s ANC seems to be “adjusting” more than the XM6. Another reason the XM6 is so solid and the “safe” choice here.
Both headphones have excellent Transparency modes, some of the best I’ve heard to date.
Sony WH-1000XM6 Features / Battery Life / Noise Cancelling: 5 out of 5
Bowers and Wilkins Px7 S3 Features / Battery Life / Noise Cancelling: 5 out of 5
Winner: Tie
Sony WH-1000XM6 vs Bowers and Wilkins Px7 S3 Sound Quality Comparison
On the Stock Sound…
Out of the box, the Bowers and Wilkins Px7 S3 jumps out as having the superior fidelity and technical sound quality over the Sony XM6.
Simply put, the Px7 S3 has more detail, separation, and layering, with less sibilance in the treble compared to the XM6.
Surprisingly, the stock sound profile of the XM6 is actually more neutral with more mid response than the V-shaped Px7 S3, which is very consumer-friendly out of the box, focusing almost exclusively on bass and treble.
This is a bit uncharacteristic compared to the previous generation S2e and Px8, both headphones with wonderful mids.
Now where things get much more interesting is AFTER EQ, as the Sony has a new and improved 10-band EQ, while Bowers and Wilkins also improved the Px7 S3 to a 5-band EQ (much better than the simply 2-band EQ of before).
The rest of this comparison will be using the EQ settings linked below.
Links to Latest Equalizer Settings
Links open in a new tab. Scroll down to the “Sound Quality” portion to see the settings.
Comparing Sound Quality After EQ…
So what I think a large majority of this sound quality comparison really boils down to is actually each headphones’ EQ, with the Sony 10-band being superior, allowing the XM6 to be a bit more versatile overall.
Don’t get me wrong, the Px7 S3 still has the better technical sound quality, both out of the box, and after EQ’ing both to taste.
But, there is some kind of “training wheels” on the Bowers & Wilkins 5-band EQ that is limiting users from truly altering the sound in a significant way.
I’m still able to get an appreciable difference, and focusing mainly on filling back those mids from the stock V-shape, but I can just tell the EQ isn’t having the same impact as other EQ’s in this class (Sony, Bose, Sennheiser, etc.)
On the good side, the Px7 S3 already sounds so good out of the box, that this is more of a matter of being critical to what its potential could be.
What I prefer on the XM6 is that it has more versatility, despite lesser hardware. I currently have 3 separate EQ settings for different genres and moods, and it’s able to do a fine job of molding itself for the occasion.
Also, the mids are fuller and more detailed on the XM6, whereas the Px7 continues to have its V-shaped bass and treble DNA, even after EQ.
The XM6 has better timbre due to these mids, but the Px7 S3 has the much better treble detail without the sibilance of the XM6 that it really struggles with.
So the Px7 S3 is smoother yet more detailed than the XM6.
They both have huge bass response that reaches down low to the sub-bass frequencies with ease, but again, I like being able to shape this with the Sony’s EQ.
They seem to have about equal soundstage, both are decently wide but not expansive or super “open-sounding”. Both are a little on the intimate side, especially for depth.
One last thing, the “Cinema Mode” on the XM6 is excellent for media OTHER than music, like TV, movies, podcasts, and YouTube. It deserves a shoutout for that.
Overall, these are two of the best-sounding wireless ANC headphones under $600 today.
Sony WH-1000XM6 Sound Quality: 9.0 out of 10 (after EQ)
Bowers and Wilkins Px7 S3 Sound Quality: 9.2 out of 10 (after EQ)
Winner: Bowers and Wilkins Px7 S3
Value
At the time of this writing, the Sony WH-1000XM6 retails for $449.99, with the Bowers & Wilkins Px7 S3 retailing at $449.00, so less than $1 difference.
Make no mistake, these are pricy, but not as pricy as the $549 AirPods Max, or $699 Bathys and Px8, or $999 Bang and Olufsen H95.
It is rare to find this combination of comfort, noise cancelling performance, and sound quality, and for that, I think both headphones are worth their price.
Sony WH-1000XM6 Value: 4.0 out of 5
Bowers and Wilkins Px7 S3 Value: 4.0 out of 5
Winner: Tie
Sony WH-1000XM6 Overall Rating
- Excellent sound quality after EQ
- Best noise cancelling available
- Lightweight
- Hinge issue has been improved
- Clamping force
- Small interior earcup space
- Sibilance without EQ
- Smaller soundstage
Bowers and Wilkins Px7 S3 Overall Rating
- Best-in-class sound quality
- Very good comfort
- Competitive noise cancelling
- Solid build quality
- A bit too V-shaped stock
- Bit of clamping force
- Padding got slightly worse
Overall Winner: Bowers and Wilkins Px7 S3
This is one of the closest comparisons to date, and rightfully so.
I wrote in a previous article, “wireless headphones are getting so good these days”, and that statement has never been more true.
The new Bowers and Wilkins Px7 S3 is a step in the right direction for the brand, and they’ve improved upon what were already pretty great headphones in the Px7 S2e and Px8.
Still, the Sony XM6 is one of the safest choices you can make for this class of headphones, with no quirks in its noise cancelling, one of the lightest headphones tested, and very flexible sound quality.
You can’t make a wrong choice here, and it’ll boil down to your preference.
The third headphone that I think competes as an all-arounder is the Bose QuietComfort Ultra, which is superior to both of these in comfort, hence the name.
Also, if you’re in the Apple ecosystem, don’t sleep on the AirPods Max, which still has many passionate fans based on my YouTube comments (lol).
Lastly, the flagship Px8 is actually still the best mids in this class with fairly natural timbre, so if that’s more your style, still worth a look as prices are coming down. Although you may want to wait for the Px8 S2.
Some very Strong Alternatives in this class of noise cancelling headphones are:
- Bose QuietComfort Ultra
- Apple AirPods Max
- Bowers and Wilkins Px8
- Sennheiser Momentum 4
- Bowers & Wilkins Px7 S2e
- Sonos Ace
- Sony WH-1000XM5
- Sony WH-1000XM4
- Bose QuietComfort (2023 model)
- Beats Studio Pro
Some Relevant Comparisons in this class of noise cancelling headphones are:
- Sony WH-1000XM6 vs WH-1000XM5
- Sony WH-1000XM6 vs Bose QuietComfort Ultra
- Sony WH-1000XM6 vs AirPods Max
- Sony WH-1000XM6 vs Sennheiser Momentum 4
- Sony WH-1000XM6 vs WH-1000XM4
- Bose QuietComfort Ultra vs Sony WH-1000XM5
- Sennheiser Momentum 4 vs Bose QuietComfort Ultra
- Sonos Ace vs AirPods Max
I highly recommend you check those out next!
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Order Here for the LOWEST PRICE AVAILABLE (Do NOT pay retail):
Save up to $40 with LIKE NEW!
Disclosure: These affiliate links may provide a discount and in return, give us a commission in order to keep this website 100% independent to ensure honest unfiltered reviews 🙂
How We Tested and Our Methodology
RecordingNOW.com is a 100% independent publisher with over 10 years of experience testing and reviewing consumer electronics and headphones.
We currently purchase all of the products we test with our own money, and are not paid by any company or manufacturer to influence our opinions or decisions.
After purchasing the product, we conduct up to hundreds of hours of detailed hands-on testing in a controlled, acoustically-treated environment. Noise cancelling performance is tested in the real-world, primarily on airplane flights, coffee shops, and walking around large metropolitan city environments.
ODi Productions is our resident expert and author of this article, with 10 years of experience as a professional music producer, audio engineer, musician, tech journalist, and audiophile.
Read Next
Bose QuietComfort Ultra Review
Bowers and Wilkins Px7 S2e Review
Bose QuietComfort Review (2023 Model)
Bose QuietComfort Ultra vs Sony WH-1000XM5
Bowers and Wilkins Px7 S3 Review
