Bowers & Wilkins PX

An impressive first noise‑canceling effort

$399 From Bowers & Wilkins, bowers-wilkins.com Features Active noise cancelation, smart controls, aptX Bluetooth, 22-hour battery life, three environment filters

Wireless noise-canceling headphones feel like the pinnacle of private listening technology. In this regard, B&W’s PX headphones are a massive success.

The feature-set covers all the bases of a modern pair of headphones. Charging by USB-C? Check. A standard, non-proprietary 3.5mm jack? Check. A complete set of physical button controls? Check. A respectable 22 hours of battery life? Check.Bluetooth aptX HD support? Check.

Even more impressive is the ability of the headphones to understand when you’re using them and when you’re not, turning off when you remove them from your head. You can even pause by lifting just one of the earcups.

Occasionally the technology can misfire. There were a couple of moments when we paused our music with the headphones still on our head, only for it to resume playing after a couple of seconds in confusion. But these problems were few and far between, and it’s possible to change the sensitivity of this feature in the PX’s companion app.

We tried the PX on a subway train during rush hour using the default (“Flight”) noise cancelation setting, and it performed admirably, with a level of cancelation that’s up there with the likes of Bose and Sony.

If you want more control, there are three noise-canceling modes to choose from in the companion app, each designed to cancel and let through certain frequencies. The “City” setting is designed to let through traffic noise, so you can walk the streets in safety while using the headphones. “Office” lets through the higher frequencies of the human voice, so you can hear colleagues talk to you, while “Flight” focuses on eliminating the low rumble of a plane.

We love the functionality and noise cancelation of the PX, but its sound quality doesn’t quite hit the same heights that we’ve come to expect. The biggest problem is the mids and trebles, which have a fuzziness to them that means complex soundstages can end up feeling a little squashed.

Listen to the likes of Radio Protector by 65daysofstatic and, when the song really gets going, the headphones make the sound feel messier and noisier than it should be. Overall this leads to a loss of detail.

At the bassier end, the cans fare a great deal better. Play Freeze Me by Death from Above 1979, and its driving bass line is present in spades. It’s tight, punchy, and given the space to hold the song together.

It feels odd to complain about the PX’s sound quality, but it’s a sign of just how mainstream noise-cancelation technology has become that at this price we’re able to expect premium sound quality in addition to everything else the headphones offer.

The bottom line. B&W may be late to the noise cancelation party, but the wait has been worth it. Jon Porter