Bowers and Wilkins PX7 S3 vs Apple AirPods Max: Does take 3 depose the Max?
Headphone buyers with a bunch of cash burning a hole in their pocket can be known to look for the high-priced, consensus pick model when looking for new ANC headphones. For many, two models will stand out in their research; but what happens when you pit the Bowers and Wilkins PX7 S3 vs Apple AirPods Max? Let’s take a dive into the subject.
How has this article been updated?
This article was originally published on December 30, 2025, and this is the first version.
What’s it like to use the Bowers and Wilkins PX7 S3 compared to the Apple AirPods Max?
The driver element sits fairly low inside the earcups, with the intent that it sits directly over your ear canal.
Though the Bowers and Wilkins PX7 S3 and Apple AirPods Max serve the exact same niche, they’re quite different in many key ways. For example, the Apple AirPods Max (386g) is much larger and heavier than the Bowers and Wilkins PX7 S3, with a modular metallic build that can be a bit much for some users. Though the Bowers and Wilkins PX7 S3 isn’t exactly light at 300g, it’s much easier on the neck than the Apple headphones.
The Bowers and Wilkins PX7 S3 has a mainly plastic build, with angled drivers and earcups. It has a leather-like coating to its ample padding, and the ability to replace said padding if it wears out. It also comes with a reasonably light and travel case, while the Apple AirPods Max… has a very strange magnetic cover that doesn’t really offer much protection or accessory storage.
Seriously, what the hell is that thing?
Neither product has any sort of ingress protection rating, so they’re mainly intended for casual music listening and travel. Commuters will be well-served by either, though neither model should replace your workout earbuds or mixing headphones.
Do the Bowers and Wilkins PX7 S3 or Apple AirPods Max have more features?
As the Bowers and Wilkins PX7 S3 and Apple AirPods Max represent the best that each company has to offer, it’s no surprise that each is loaded to the gills with features. However, because the Apple AirPods Max assumes some platform lock-in, many of its features are only available if you’re already using Apple hardware. If you use an Android phone or Windows PC, many of the advanced features of the Apple AirPods Max will not work.
Like the AirPods Pro, the AirPods Max are compatible with Apple’s own Spatial Audio.
The Bowers and Wilkins PX7 S3 comes with a more-or-less standard range of features like device location, a 5-band equalizer, spatial audio, and little else. Conversely, the Apple AirPods Max (when paired with an Apple device, of course) will allow you to use spatial audio, and a whole host of iOS and MacOS features like Adaptive EQ, hearing and wellness adjustments, and more. But like I said before — and have thousands of times in other articles — these only work with the correct hardware.
How do the Bowers and Wilkins PX7 S3 and Apple AirPods Max connect?
The Bowers and Wilkins PX7 S3 is a very versatile product, as it can use both analog 3.5mm to USB-C and USB-C digital connections. It can also connect to devices over Bluetooth 5.3 via the SBC, AAC, aptX HD, and aptX family of codecs including the aptX Lossless codec for any devices that support Snapdragon Sound.
That port handles power, analog audio, and digital audio.
Conversely, the Apple AirPods Max has a bit of a walled-garden situation going on. Though on paper it can connect to devices over USB-C digital, it can only do so with compatible Apple hardware. Though the Apple AirPods Max has a really great implementation of AAC, the headphones can only connect to devices over Bluetooth 5.0 using SBC or AAC. Though it’s not as big a problem as it once was, users with older computers and phones might notice some performance hiccups that others don’t.
Is battery life better on the Bowers and Wilkins PX7 S3 or Apple AirPods Max?
Under like conditions, the Bowers and Wilkins PX7 S3 posts a better battery life with the ANC on than the Apple AirPods Max does. Running a test track with real music peaking at 75dBSPL, the Bowers and Wilkins PX7 S3 was able to last 31 hours and 55 minutes, while the Apple AirPods Max was only able to last a paltry 20 hours.
While that’s an enormous percentage difference, in your day-to-day life it won’t have much of an impact. However, you will find yourself charging the Apple AirPods Max far more often over the course of a year than you will with the Bowers and Wilkins PX7 S3 — meaning your product’s battery should last longer overall, as well.
Do the Bowers and Wilkins PX7 S3 or Apple AirPods Max block noise better?
In terms of noise canceling performance, the Apple AirPods Max posts a clear win. Though it’s tough to interpret squiggles on a chart, having extra attenuation in the ranges where human ears are most sensitive means that you should perceive less outside noise getting through to your ears. Even with the ANC unit turned off, the Apple AirPods Max is able to isolate you from the outside more effectively by creating a good seal around your ears.
While the Bowers and Wilkins PX7 S3 is no slouch at noise attenuation, it’s just not on the same level as that of the Apple AirPods Max. The results we recorded in the lab put it much more in line with 2nd-tier options than the Apples, Boses, and Sonys of the world. If canceling the most noise possible is a serious concern for you, then the choice here is clear.
Do the Bowers and Wilkins PX7 S3 sound better than the Apple AirPods Max?
In terms of sound quality, the Bowers and Wilkins PX7 S3 isn’t bad, but it’s not quite as good as the Apple AirPods Max.
Objective Measurements
Using our state-of-the-art testing head, we measured several aspects of headphone performance for both headsets. Most important among them being the frequency response of each product.
As you can see in the chart, the Bowers and Wilkins PX7 S3 has a wild overemphasis in the lows that sounds far off of what we think sounds normal. Additionally, the highs will sound a bit weird with that 8kHz peak so much louder than the rest of the response. Though this will sound a bit weird, it’s far better than some other Bowers and Wilkins headphones we’ve seen, so fans of that brand may be happy with the PX7 S3.
A “normal” fit may not be your ideal fit, so definitely experiment a bit to get used to how the headphones should sit on your head.
However, anyone who isn’t coming from Bowers and Wilkins will likely prefer the more even response of the Apple AirPods Max. Not only will the bass sound more “normal,” but the highs will be slightly less annoying. I say “slightly” because this can change depending on fit, as the active systems of the headphones will change the response depending on the seal. If you wear glasses or have a lot of hair, the response will change to something like the below.
When you have an “ideal” fit, the highest octave will be much louder than it “should” be compared to the rest of the response. When you can an imperfect seal, the sound will be better, paradoxically.
How would most people rate the sound from 1 to 5?
What do the Multi-Dimensional Audio Quality Scores mean?
- Timbre (MOS-T) represents how faithfully the headphones reproduce the frequency spectrum and temporal resolution (timing information).
- Distortion (MOS-D) represents non-linearities and added noise: higher scores mean cleaner reproduction.
- Immersiveness (MOS-I) represents perceived source width and positioning: how well virtual sound sources are defined in three-dimensional space.
With a powerful machine learning algorithm that uses an Everest of data collected from real people in hundreds of listening tests, we can predict how a large group of people would rate the sound of the Bowers and Wilkins PX7 S3 and Apple AirPods Max. On the whole, the Apple AirPods Max fares much better, even if overall the score isn’t much higher. Specifically, the Bowers and Wilkins PX7 S3 has worse performance when it comes to distortion — which could be annoying to some users.
Do the Bowers and Wilkins PX7 S3 or Apple AirPods Max have a better microphone?
Both the Bowers and Wilkins PX7 S3 and Apple AirPods Max, as top-of-the-line audio companions, have microphone arrays that allow you to take voice calls. But how do they stack up? By using a controlled environment with calibrated noise fields, we’re able to directly compare how each performs in set conditions.
Bowers and Wilkins PX7 S3 microphone demo (Ideal conditions):
Apple AirPods Max microphone demo (Ideal conditions):
Bowers and Wilkins PX7 S3 microphone demo (Windy conditions):
Apple AirPods Max microphone demo (Windy conditions):
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Just remember that the samples above represent a best-case scenario, as your network and client can affect sound quality. Specifically, some will bandwidth-limit your audio to ensure no dropped calls, call stability, or noise reduction.
Bowers and Wilkins PX7 S3 vs Apple AirPods Max: Price and availability
The Bowers and Wilkins PX7 S3 is a newer product, so it’ll likely not go on sale for less than its MSRP of $449 for quite a while. The Apple AirPods Max, on the other hand, has been on the market for many years now, and sometimes goes on sale lower than its $549 price point. If you can only find these headphones for full price, it’s hard to ignore the $100 savings you’d get by picking up the Bowers and Wilkins PX7 S3.
The AirPods Max may be ancient, but they’re just about everywhere.
Both of these products befit their price point, but American readers might run into issues with tariffs affecting the price of some goods. The Bowers and Wilkins PX7 S3, as a product of a UK company with manufacturing some of its products in China, may see prices change to fit new realities. Though Apple manufactures its products in other countries as well, as a US-based company, the prices should remain a little more stable.
Should you get the Bowers and Wilkins PX7 S3 or Apple AirPods Max?
If you’ve read this far, it should be pretty obvious which headphones suit your needs better. However, because the upper-end of ANC headphones is so close in terms of performance, here’s a quick rundown for those interested.
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