Sony MDR-1000x Vs. Bowers & Wilkins P7 Wireless: Great Month For Bluetooth Headphones

There are still some people who are upset that the iPhone 7 and 7 Plus don’t have headphone jacks, but there is no need to fear. Several high profile (and expensive) Bluetooth headphones have come out that, according to most sources, make wireless sound more than tolerable.

During the past summer, we had the Bose QuietComfort 35 and the Sennheiser PXC 550 compete with each other. Then, September brought us the Bowers & Wilkins P7 Wireless. The Inquisitr reviewed them when they were released.

“At $399, the Bowers & Wilkins P7 Wireless will certainly take a bite out of your wallet. However, it may be a bite that is completely worth it. The P7 Wireless feel and sound so good that they are hard to take off your ears.”

The review noted that when listening to the song “Hello” by Adele, one could hear instruments they are unable to do with other wireless headphones. PC Magazine was just as impressed and gave the P7 Wireless an “Editors’ Choice” award.

“For $400, the Bowers & Wilkins P7 Wireless sounds, looks, and feels like a luxury product…But there’s no question the P7 Wireless makes up for its price in performance, so it earns our Editors’ Choice for high-end headphones,” says reviewer Tim Gideon, who adds that on tracks with intense sub-bass content, the P7 Wireless delivers serious thunder. Many other critics agree.

The Bowers & Wilkins P7 are primarily made for sound. One feature they left off is noise cancellation. This is where Sony comes in with the release of the MDR-1000X, which some say combines the noise cancellation of the Bose QC35s and the thumping sound of the P7 Wireless. Trusted Reviews gives the MDR-1000Xs a perfect five stars.

“The Sony MDR-1000X have managed to dethrone the legendary Bose when it comes to noise-cancelling headphones, which is a remarkable feat in itself. But Sony not only provides noise-cancellation that challenges the best in the field, it has done so with intelligence.”

The review adds that the Ambient Sound and Quick Listen modes are very useful features that give listeners a lot of flexibility. In terms of sound quality, the review claims that it is outstanding.

TechRadar gives the MDR-1000X four-and-a-half stars. Although they note that Sony’s headphones are $50 more expensive than the Bose QC35s, they offer great noise cancellation with various modes, excellent sound quality, and excellent design. The review also stresses that the headphones offer Hi-Res audio, but that means you must have a Hi-Res compatible device. Still, the MDR-1000X provides the aptX codec for Samsung phones and the AAC codec for iPhones — these codecs give very close-to-wired sound quality.

There are some people on Reddit who already own the MDR-1000X, which went on sale in parts of Europe last week.

“Had mine for about a week and agree with everything said so far in the reviews. The only thing I don’t like so far is when paired to multiple BT devices as it is not easy to switch between them but for ANC, SQ etc they are excellent,” says Pathwayuk.

“I haven’t yet made a phone call while wearing these, but I do listen to Audiobooks on my daily commute. This thing will tune out most of everything to such a degree that it’s no more than a buzzing. I’ve had people talking, construction work, busy traffic around me and not once did it interrupt me from understanding or concentrating on the reader. I imagine phone calls will give you similar results,” says Aiii83.

Those in America will have to wait until October 16 to get the Sony MDR-1000x headphones on their ears. However, the Bowers & Wilkins P7 headphones are available now. Whether you choose Sony or Bowers & Wilkins, you will probably be convinced that Bluetooth headphones have finally hit the sweet spot.

[Featured Image by Michael Buckner/Getty Images]