Overall Score 6.4 Represents average audio ecosystem compatibility score.
Overall Score 6.2 Represents average audio ecosystem compatibility score.
Category | Features | Bowers & Wilkins PI7 | Beats Studio Buds |
---|---|---|---|
DESIGN | ingress protection (ip) rating | ip54 | ipX4 |
weight | 50g | 5.1g | |
has no wires or cables | ✓ | ✓ | |
sweat resistance | ✗ | ✓ | |
has stereo speakers | ✓ | ✓ | |
SOUND QUALITY | has active noise cancellation (noise control) | ✓ | ✓ |
has passive noise reduction | ✓ | ✓ | |
driver unit size | 9.2mm | 8.2mm | |
lowest frequency | 10hz | 20hz | |
highest frequency | 20,000hz | 20,000hz | |
sound pressure level | ✗ | 100.5db/mw | |
POWER | battery life | 4.5hours | 8hours |
battery life of charging case | 18hours | 16hours | |
charge time | 3hours | 1.5hours | |
has wireless charging | ✓ | ✗ | |
has a battery level indicator | ✓ | ✓ | |
CONNECTIVITY | has usb type-c | ✓ | ✓ |
bluetooth version | v5 | v5.2 | |
maximum bluetooth range | 10meters | 10meters | |
has aac | ✓ | ✓ | |
has aptx adaptive | ✓ | ✗ | |
has aptx hd | ✓ | ✗ | |
MICROPHONE | number of microphones | 6only | 6only |
has a noise-canceling microphone | ✓ | ✓ | |
EXTRAS | has ambient sound mode | ✓ | ✓ |
has in/on-ear detection | ✓ | ✗ | |
has find earbuds feature | ✓ | ✓ | |
supports fast charging | ✓ | ✓ | |
multipoint count | ✗ | 2only | |
has a mute function | ✓ | ✓ | |
control panel placed on a device | ✓ | ✓ | |
has voice prompts | ✓ | ✓ | |
travel bag is included | ✓ | ✓ | |
See price on Amazon | See price on Amazon |
IP ratings refer to the level of protection offered by an enclosure, against solids and water. The letters 'IP' are followed by two values The first value represents protection against solids such as dust, followed by the one that refers to resistance against liquids (sweat).
Having a value of IPX4, the Beats Studio Buds's rating is read as, the first value of X denotes that no data available to specify a protection rating, and of liquids that they can withstand low pressure spray similar to that of a shower head when tilted at 180° for 10 minutes.
Compared to the Beats Studio Buds, Bowers & Wilkins PI7 have a rating of IP54 meaning that
ingress of dust is not totally prevented but dust does not enter in harmful quantities to interfere with the correct operation or impair safety
and that of liquids is that,
they both have the same rating against liquids
The Beats Studio Buds have a weight of 5.1g . We prefer a lower weight best because lighter devices are more comfortable to carry.
The Bowers & Wilkins PI7, at 50g
weigh more than the Beats Studio Buds with a difference of 44.9g
For a device to be true wireless it should have no cables connecting any part of the device together, Beats Studio Buds are true wireless for this matter since they have no wires. This is an important difference as some wireless earbuds have wires linking the 2 earbuds .
Bowers & Wilkins PI7 also is true wireless since it has no wires connecting the 2 earbuds .
Beats Studio Buds are resistant to sweat
Beats Studio Buds have stereo speakers, devices with stereo speakers deliver sound from separate channels on both left and right sides, creating a richer sound and a better listening experience.
Both Bowers & Wilkins PI7 and Beats Studio Buds have stereo speakers
Active noise cancellation utilises more advanced kind of tech to reduce unwanted ambient sounds. How it works, it detects and analyzes the sound pattern outside and inside the earbud and after generates a mirror signal to counter it. Simply put, it's like taking +1 (sound from your surrounding) and producing -1 (inverted noise) to make 0 which results in a reduced level of noise.
Beats Studio Buds have Active Noise Cancellation allowing you to listen at lower levels of volume, causing less ear fatigue since you don't have to crank up the earbuds volume to overcome background sounds.
The Bowers & Wilkins PI7 too have Active Noise Cancellation which makes either of the earbuds ideal for plane rides and rush hour travels. The Beats Studio Buds and Bowers & Wilkins PI7 operate with different noise cancellation settings, pick the setting that you prefer for travel or that suites your chill time.
The Beats Studio Buds sit well in place, this creates an acoustic seal that tones down your environment sounds and also prevents the earbuds music from leaking out at the same.
Both Bowers & Wilkins PI7, and Beats Studio Buds have passive noise reduction this means that both limit ambient noise without using ANC to cancel it out.
The Beats Studio Buds driver unit is 8.2mm in diameter, bigger drivers are more powerful, therefor producing better bass.
A driver unit is the component that produces sound in the device, its size determines the sound made by the device.
Bowers & Wilkins PI7 driver unit is 9.2mm in diameter,
making them have a larger driver unit than that of Beats Studio Buds by 1mm
, as many tend to believe that driver units of a bigger size automatically produce better sound quality.
However, large drivers find it difficult to produce high frequencies so it's true that, larger drivers are capable of generating louder sound, but this does not imply that they deliver better quality sound.
Beats Studio Buds's lowest frequency is at 20Hz, low-frequency response inidcates how well an audio device generates low audible frequencies and if it makes any changes to the signal while at it.
Bowers & Wilkins PI7's lowest frequency is at 10Hz, this implies that
Bowers & Wilkins PI7 produce a juicier bass than the Beats Studio Buds
Beats Studio Buds's highest frequency is at 20,000Hz, high-frequency response tells how well an audio device generates high human frequencies and if it changes to the signal while at it.
Bowers & Wilkins PI7's highest frequency is at 20,000Hz, this implies that
both devices produce equal treble
SPL, is the level of pressure of sound, in decibels, dB, Beats Studio Buds's measurement is 100.5dB/mW. Devices with a higher sound pressure level are generally louder when supplied with any given audio source.
Beats Studio Buds's battery life is 8 hours, these last longer than 5 hours of listening which is considered average before recharge. A device's battery life is commonly given by the manufacturer, and with more battery hours, you get to use it for longer and requires fewer chargings.
Bowers & Wilkins PI7's battery life is
less than that of Beats Studio Buds by 3.5 hours
. Each time you recharge your earbuds, they get a little less listening time. The effect is not noticeable at first, but over time, your wireless earbuds will no longer play for long like they used to.
This is given by the vendor, and Beats Studio Buds's case has a charge of 16 hours. A charging case with a longer battery life enables you to recharge your earbuds on the go multiple times before having to recharge the case itself.
Bowers & Wilkins PI7's charging case has a battery life of 18 hours,
more than that of Beats Studio Buds by 2 hours
It takes 1.5 hours to fully charge the Beats Studio Buds's battery. It is highly adivsable to charge fully the battery before using the earbuds for the first time.
Bowers & Wilkins PI7 takes 3 hours to fully charge the battery,
more than that of Beats Studio Buds by 1.5 hours
Bowers & Wilkins PI7, the device supports wireless charging. To charge the device, you just put down on a supported charging pad.
The Beats Studio Buds have a battery level indicator, an indicator alerts you when the device has a low battery. The battery indicator lights indicate the charging state of your earbuds and case.
Bowers & Wilkins PI7 too have a battery level indicator, charging indicators enable you to tell the charging state of your earbuds, if charged fully, or having a low battery.
Beats Studio Buds support USB TYPE-C, an industry-standard connector for transmitting both data and power through a single cable.
Bowers & Wilkins PI7 too have USB TYPE-C. This USB-C plug is part and parcel of most current electronics.
Beats Studio Buds have Bluetooth version of 5.2, Bluetooth is a wireless technology standard that enables data transfers between devices placed in range, using short-wavelength, ultra-high frequency radio waves.
Bowers & Wilkins PI7 has a Bluetooth version of 5,
older than that of Beats Studio Buds
. Newer versions provide faster data transfers.
Beats Studio Buds have a 10meters distance to connect via Bluetooth.
Bowers & Wilkins PI7 have a maximum range of 10meters,
equal to that of the Beats Studio Buds
Beats Studio Buds support AAC, a codec used for Bluetooth audio. It supports 24-bit audio at 250kbps. Because it uses psychoacoustic modeling, it can provide better results than other codecs at a similar bit rate.
Being the highest quality codec that any Bluetooth-supporting Apple product supports, the Beats Studio Buds will work well with your MacBook. If you are planning on using these with Android , ensure that they also support aptX HD, LDAC, or LHDC as well.
The Bowers & Wilkins PI7 support AAC as well. Designed to be the successor of the MP3 format, AAC generally achieves higher sound quality than MP3 encoders at the same bit rate.
The Bowers & Wilkins PI7 support APTX Adaptive, an audio codec for Bluetooth devices that are developed by Qualcomm. It has a variable bit rate (between 279kbps and 420kbps).
The Bowers & Wilkins PI7 support APTX HD, an audio codec for Bluetooth devices that are developed by Qualcomm. It supports high-quality 24-bit audio (at a bit rate of 576kbps).
The Beats Studio Buds have 6 microphones.
Bowers & Wilkins PI7 microphones are 6,
equal to that of the Beats Studio Buds
. More microphones record better sound quality and help the device to filter out noise.
The Beats Studio Buds have a noise-canceling microphone, these microphones are designed to reduce noise from the earbuds' sound.
The Bowers & Wilkins PI7 too use a noise-canceling microphone. Especially useful in noisy environments.
The Beats Studio Buds support ambient sound mode, which uses microphones to channel ambient sound so that they can still be heard even when wearing the earbuds
The Bowers & Wilkins PI7 support ambient sound mode as well, it’s useful when you want to listen to music but also be aware of what’s happening around you, for example when you’re having a jog but would still want to be able to hear traffic.
The Bowers & Wilkins PI7 have in/on-ear detection, the sensors in the device can detect when they are removed from your ears so that the music is paused.
If misplaced in a room, or can't easily find them in your bag, Beats Studio Buds support the find earbuds feature.
Bowers & Wilkins PI7 also have the find earbuds feature. You can use the earbuds app on your phone to play an alarm from your device to locate them.
The Beats Studio Buds support fast charging. Most often, technologies like Qualcomm’s Quick Charge, are used to reduce the time it takes to charge the earbuds.
Bowers & Wilkins PI7 too support fast charging. This kind is similar to regular charging, only that the battery fills up much faster. Say, with Quick Charge 3.0, the battery can be charged to 50% in thirty minutes.
The Beats Studio Buds support multipoint of 2 connections, this feature allows you connect to more than one Bluetooth device and switch between them. Say, you can seemlessly switch calls from one device to another without manually disconnect and reconnect.
Beats Studio Buds have a mute function, they support the option to mute/unmute a conversation directly from the earbuds.
The Bowers & Wilkins PI7 too support the mute function. The mute function means that you are in position turn off the earbuds' microphone, but still hear the other party's voice.
The Beats Studio Buds, so you can easily access the volume control, pause, play, mute, etc whichever features are supported on the device.
Bowers & Wilkins PI7 also have a control panel on them.
Beats Studio Buds support voice prompts. Automatically receive information through audio messages, like if there is a problem with the connection.
Bowers & Wilkins PI7 also have voice prompts .i.e the earbuds will notify you when the battery is low, and it's time to recharge the earbuds.
The Beats Studio Buds come with a special case. Carrying earphones openly, or placing them inside your pockets without a cover can easily put them at risk of getting damaged.
Bowers & Wilkins PI7 also have a case included, which offers safe transportation.