Sony WH-1000XM6 vs Bowers & Wilkins Px7 S3: what I learned while testing 2025’s best premium wireless headphones

The Sony WH-1000XM6 and Bowers & Wilkins Px7 S3 are easily among the best headphones we’ve seen come out in 2025. If you’re looking to buy a pair of the best noise cancelling headphones around, both models should certainly be up for consideration, with each offering excellent features, audio performance and build quality.

If you’re a little unsure on which model is right for you, it’s your lucky day! I’m here to break down the absolute best and worst (spoiler, there’s barely any of that) aspects of these headphones, to help you make the best possible choice.

The Bowers & Wilkins Px7 S3 got an incredible five-star review from us, thanks primarily to their jaw-dropping sound-for-pound quality. But we adored the Sony WH-1000XM6 too for their best-in-class ANC and upgraded design. I’ve tested both models side by side for weeks on end, and I’ve learnt a lot about their capabilities, so we’ll take a look at what precisely sets them apart. Let the battle begin!

Sony WH-1000XM6 vs Bowers & Wilkins Px7 S3: price and availability

The Sony WH-1000XM6 launched in May 2025, just a few weeks after the release of the Bowers & Wilkins Px7 S3. Sony’s new cans cost $449 / £399 / AU$699, which is by no means cheap.

But what do you know, the Px7 S3 cost the exact same amount as the Sony cans in each territory – though we have seen them on sale in the UK at one stage for just under £370. Both models, it’s fair to say, are comfortably in the premium tier as far as wireless headphones are concerned.

Each model comes in three different color options: Black, Midnight Blue, or Platinum Silver for the Sony WH-1000XM6; and Anthracite Black, Canvas White or Indigo Blue for the Px7 S3. For reference, I’ve been using the Platinum Silver and Canvas White options in my testing.

Sony WH-1000XM6 vs Bowers & Wilkins Px7 S3: specs

Sony WH-1000XM6 vs Bowers & Wilkins Px7 S3: features

Both the XM6 and Px7 S3 are packed with the standard features you’d want from a pair of modern headphones – think fast-pairing, multi-point connectivity, wear detection and, of course, active noise cancellation. But there’s something of a chasm in terms of the amount offered by each rival.

Let’s start with Sony, which, for me, is supplying one of the most complete, detail-oriented user experiences on the market right now through the Sound Connect app. There are some awesome options such as scene-based listening, Cinema and Background Music modes for creating spatial audio from stereo sound, head-gesture monitoring (for accepting or rejecting calls), and Bluetooth Auracast.

The real standout, though, is the noise cancelling. If you haven’t already seen me rave about this elsewhere, I’ll be clear – the WH-1000XM6 are the king of ANC right now. None of the rivals I’ve tried – not even the Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones – can top Sony’s flagships when it comes to crushing external noise. That’s because the XM6 harness the power of 12 microphones and fine-tune them in real time to enable a distraction-free listening experience.

Whether I’m traveling on public transport, walking near a busy road or working in a chatter-filled office I’m always treated to silence, or at least, near-silence. Honestly, it’s made it hard to go back to any other headphones.

Now, the Px7 S3 are good when it comes to noise cancelling – definitely an improvement over their predecessors. That’s thanks to a new ANC platform, which Bowers apparently built from scratch. It uses a total of eight mics to monitor the output of the drivers as well as outside noise in an effort to serve up its best-ever ANC.

And it works well, dulling almost all sounds effectively. But I just don’t get that same level of silence that the XM6 induce – the hum of a train sounded more prominent when using the Px7 S3 and traffic noise seeped through a little more.

Still, the Px7 do put forward a good passthrough ‘transparency’ mode, which enables you to be a bit more aware of your surroundings if, say, you’re walking in a super built-up area. Sony’s passthrough mode is a little more developed – you can adjust the level of noise that sneaks in with a slider and trigger it with a Speak to Chat option, or by covering the right earcup with your hand.

One final note on noise cancelling, though: both of these models are fantastic at maintaining excellent audio quality, even with ANC on. So regardless of which headphones you opt for, have no fear – you can still get a top-tier listening experience while shutting out your surroundings.

The only point of distraction I sometimes encountered was wind noise, which could be fairly prominent when using the Px7 S3, but wasn’t all too much of an issue with the XM6.

An area that Sony does considerably better in, though, is EQ adjustment. There’s a Find Your Equalizer mode, which creates a sound profile based on your personal taste; a 10-band custom EQ calibrator and some presets too. Meanwhile, the Px7 S3 offer a five band custom equalizer. I should say, though, that they already sounded incredible out of the box.

One area where there’s little-to-no difference, though, is battery life. Both sets of headphones go for 30 hours with ANC on. That’s… all right. There are competitors, such as the Sennheiser Momentum 4 Wireless or Cambridge Audio P100 that can double that – but both the Sony and B&W cans can be charged while in-use, so it should be easy to avoid running out of juice, even if you’re on the move.

Both also harness their microphone systems to plate up great call quality, though the Sony cans are superior here. A combination of beamforming mics and AI sound processing ensure your voice is lifted away from pesky background noises, making for actually crystal-clear calling.

So yes, the Px7 S3 have a lot of nice features to mess around with and more coming. They’ve also made some substantial improvements in the way of noise cancelling and call quality. But the WH-1000XM6 are simply ahead of the competition. You can’t do better features-wise right now, and that’s why they take the edge for me.

Sony WH-1000XM6 vs Bowers & Wilkins Px7 S3: sound quality

As you’d likely expect, both the Sony WH-1000XM6 and the Bowers & Wilkins Px7 S3 plate up excellent audio quality, making significant improvements over their respective predecessors.

The WH-1000XM6 deliver brilliantly clear, detailed audio, right across the frequency range. There’s a more balanced sound out of the box than I heard with both the Sony WH-1000XM5 and Sony WH-1000XM4, in part thanks to input from world-renowned mastering engineers throughout the headphones’ development process.

When tuning into tracks such as Mole Moves House by Count Basic, I was struck by the tonal accuracy and rhythmic precision of each element, with smooth bass, gliding guitar and funky percussion coming through cleanly and cohesively.

The ability of the XM6 to separate out each instrumental element is pretty solid too – no matter the genre, I was never subjected to a bloated, busy interpretation of my favorite tunes.

When I spoke to some of Sony’s sound team at the XM6’s unveiling, they highlighted increased width as one of the largest changes, sonically speaking, over previous models. And don’t get me wrong, that’s definitely noticeable – I mean, there’s even a Cinema mode that upmixes a stereo signal into a more immersive format when you’re watching movies on the go.

But still, I can’t help but feel that the Px7 S3 offer even better width and immersive audio.

From the very moment I placed the Bowers cans on my head and fired up Tidal, I was struck by one thing above all: an open, almost spatial property to audio, which really sucked me into the music.

And despite the phenomenal levels of width and depth they provide – which unlocks a ton of breathing space for each individual instrument to operate – there’s an undeniably stronger coherence to their presentation.

I should mention, too, that the Px7 S3 are set to get a spatial audio upgrade at a later stage, which will be accessible via the Bowers & Wilkins Music app. Sony has some spatial and head-tracking options for the XM6, but these only work on certain devices that support Android’s built-in head tracking, which doesn’t include the best Samsung phones (and obviously rules out Apple devices).

One thing the Px7 S3 are a little more adept at than the Sony’s is the ability to almost air-lift vocal performances out of the mix, push them forward, and allow you to enjoy them in all of their glory. When tuning into Rains again by Solji, which has a real focus on higher-pitched, showstopping singing, I was gripped by the prominent positioning of vocals, which were incredibly crisp and expressive, making for a truly luxury listen.

I want to be clear – the XM6 also perform fantastically well. They just, perhaps, lack the openness of the Px7 S3. Both sets of headphones can reveal a huge degree of intricacies – in part, thanks to the inclusion of LDAC on the XM6 and aptX adaptive or aptX lossless on the Px7 S3.

All in all, these two rivals are wonderfully talented in their own right – but there can only be one winner. And in this case, I have to hand it to the Px7 S3. They may not have quite as many EQ options as the XM6, but that doesn’t matter. They sound fantastic out of the box and I was utterly hypnotized by their sound signature.

Sony WH-1000XM6 vs Bowers & Wilkins Px7 S3: design

I barely have a bad word to say about either of these headphones, especially when it comes to design. Both of these have stunning looks, high build quality and great carry cases, meaning that you can see and feel the luxury nature of your premium purchase.

The WH-1000XM6 have borrowed the aesthetic of their predecessor, the XM5, with a sleek frame and a nice amount of padding on the headband and earcups for comfortable multi-hour listening sessions. They have a slightly wider headband than older Sony models for enhanced comfort and I can easily keep them on for hours on end without feeling irritated.

I’d argue that the earcups do look a little chunky when wearing the headphones, and the carry case – though conveniently magnetic – is ever so slightly bigger than other ones I’ve used.

Meanwhile, the Px7 S3 are even better looking, for me. They have fabric details on the headband as well as the earcups, as well as neat metallic details and generous padding for high comfort. I did initially feel that they were a little tight on my head, but after a few days of listening, they soon adjusted to my liking.

The Px7 S3 opt for a zip-up case, which isn’t as quick and easy to use as the XM6 alternative. But I can’t deny the case’s classy, understated looks, which totally won me over. Again, its not the tiniest case on the market, but there’s a reason for that – these aren’t fully foldable. That’s not ideal if you need compact cans that you can throw in a small bag on the go.

The XM6, of course, are foldable, but use stronger hinges than their ancestor, the XM4 – or the XM5, come to that, which weren’t foldable but had their own hinge issues.

Another thing the Px7 skip out on is touch controls. Now, for some, this may be a blessing. I’ve encountered some people that find touch controls in general to be finicky, unreliable, or too easy to trigger when you’re just adjusting your cans. These instead opt for traditional button controls, which are easy-to-use.

But in honesty, I’d urge touch control haters to give the XM6 a go. They supply the most consistent, intuitive controls I’ve ever tried on any headphones. You can swipe and hold to adjust volume, flick sideways to skip and play tracks, tap twice – rather than once – to play/pause and even cover the right earcup to trigger passthrough mode. I’ve had no issues whatsoever with the XM6’s touch controls, and I much prefer using them to the more old-school approach of the Px7 S3’s physical buttons.

A couple of things before we move on. Neither of these models has any kind of waterproofing – something that’s very much commonplace for the best over-ear headphones, though I’m hoping future evolutions will bring some kind of water resistance to the table.

Both have 3.5mm headphone ports, though, meaning you can indulge in wired listening if you’d prefer. However, only the B&W Px7 S3 can take USB-C lossless Hi-Res Audio over this input.

Overall, I prefer the look and feel of the Px7 S3. Yet I can’t help but find the XM6 to be more practical and pleasing to use, thanks to their foldability and future-facing touch controls. For that reason, I think we’ll call this round a tie.

Sony WH-1000XM6 vs Bowers & Wilkins Px7 S3: value

Despite both of these models coming at, let’s face it, a pretty steep price, I still feel as if they each pack a great amount of bang for your buck.

The WH-1000XM6 are some of the most feature-rich headphones on the market, boasting class-leading noise cancelling, intelligent touch controls, amazing call quality and, of course, upgraded sound. I think, as a pair of all-rounders, they’re arguably the best that money can buy right now.

And as for the Px7 S3, I’m really not sure you could find better sound quality from any other over-ears in this price range. Their open, yet cohesive sound signature is intoxicating, and that’s the true draw here. Because yes, I’d argue the XM6 have superior features and portability. But they can’t quite beat Bowers for pure audio talents.

So I think it’ll come down to what your priority is. If it’s sound quality first, and you’re happy for other features to be very good but not quite best-in-class, then go Bowers. If you want all-rounders with the best ANC you can get, so Sony.

Yes, $450 / £400 / AU$700 is a lot of money to spend on some new headphones. But for the price you pay, you’re getting headphones that are leading the pack in some really crucial areas. Whichever pair you pick, I’m almost certain you’ll love what you see, feel and most importantly, hear.

Sony WH-1000XM6 vs Bowers & Wilkins Px7 S3: verdict

Our battle has reached a truly epic conclusion. As you can see, there’s little to separate these two models overall. And that adds up, because if I learnt one thing from testing the WH-1000XM6 and Px7 S3 side by side, its that they’re both top-tier headphones…but meant for two different kinds of buyer.

If you want all the modern features, great sound quality, top-tier noise cancellation and a highly compact design, then I’d recommend the XM6 all day long. As I mentioned above, they’re an S-tier option if you’re seeking out a true all-rounder.

But if you’re willing to sacrifice a few features and the best sound cancelling in the game for the best sound available, then the Px7 S3 are right for you. I absolutely adore the almost spatial-sounding approach these headphones take – their immersive, well-separated audio just keeps me coming back for more and more.

So, which headphones would fit your needs better? Do you already own one of these models and have some thoughts of your own? I’d love to hear from you, so let’s get chatting down in the comments!

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