Bowers & Wilkins PI7
See price on AmazonOverall Score 6.4 Represents average audio ecosystem compatibility score.
JBL Live Free 2
See price on AmazonOverall Score 5.5 Represents average audio ecosystem compatibility score.
Category | Features | Bowers & Wilkins PI7 | JBL Live Free 2 |
---|---|---|---|
DESIGN | ingress protection (ip) rating | IP54 | IPX5 |
weight | 50g | 9.8g | |
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 | 11mm | |
lowest frequency | 10Hz | 20Hz | |
highest frequency | 20,000Hz | 20,000Hz | |
sound pressure level | ✗ | 102dB/mW | |
POWER | battery life | 4.5hours | 7hours |
battery life of charging case | 18hours | 28hours | |
charge time | 3hours | ✗ | |
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 |
Ingress protection ratings is the rank of protection offered by an enclosure, against solids and liquids. The letters 'IP' are followed by two values The first value of the IP rating represents protection against solids such as dust, while the second refers to protection against liquids (water).
Scoring IP54, the Bowers & Wilkins PI7's rating for solids indicates 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 the second value of 4 means that they can withstand low pressure spray similar to that of a shower head when tilted at 180° for 10 minutes.
Compared to the Bowers & Wilkins PI7, JBL Live Free 2 have a rating of IPX5 meaning that
no data available to specify a protection rating
and that of liquids is that,
JBL Live Free 2 has a higher liquid rating than Bowers & Wilkins PI7
The Bowers & Wilkins PI7 have a weight of 50g . We take in account a lower weight better because lighter devices are easier to transport.
JBL Live Free 2, at 9.8g
weigh less than the Bowers & Wilkins PI7 by -40.2g
True wireless devices have no wires connecting any part of the device together, Bowers & Wilkins PI7 are true wireless for this case since they have no wires. This is a key difference since wireless earbuds have wires linking the 2 earbuds together.
JBL Live Free 2 also is true wireless since it doesn't have cables linking the two earbuds together.
JBL Live Free 2 have sweat resistance
Bowers & Wilkins PI7 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.
The JBL Live Free 2 also have stereo speakers
Active noise cancellation makes use of advanced technology to reduce ambient sounds. How it works, it studies the sound pattern of incoming noise and after inverts the soundwaves to cancel it out. Simply put, it's like taking +1 (sound from your surrounding) then adding -1 (inverted noise) to make 0 which results in a reduced level of noise.
The Bowers & Wilkins PI7 have ANC enabling you to listen at lower levels of volume, good for your ears since you don't need to crank up the earbuds volume to outcompete background noise.
The JBL Live Free 2 too have Active Noise Cancellation which makes both earbuds ideal for flights and rush hour commutes. Each work with different noise cancellation types, pick the mode that suits your travel or that suites your relaxation time.
The Bowers & Wilkins PI7 stay well in place, creating an acoustic covering that tones down background noise while preventing the device music from leaking out .
Both of these devices have passive noise reduction which means that they reduce ambient noise without using ANC to cancel it out.
Bowers & Wilkins PI7 driver unit is 9.2mm in diameter, the bigger the unit the more powerful, therefor producing better bass.
A driver unit is the component that makes sound in the device, the unit size determines the loudness of the device.
JBL Live Free 2 driver unit is 11mm in diameter,
making them have a larger driver unit than that of Bowers & Wilkins PI7 by 1.8mm
, many people have a misconception that driver units of a bigger size automatically produce better sound quality.
However, large drivers find it difficult to produce high frequencies so yes, larger drivers can generate louder sound, but this does not mean that they produce better quality sound.
Bowers & Wilkins PI7's lowest frequency is at 10Hz, low-frequency response measures if and how well an audio component generates low audible frequencies and if it alters the signal on its way through.
JBL Live Free 2's lowest frequency is at 20Hz, this implies that
Bowers & Wilkins PI7 make sound with a juicier bass than the JBL Live Free 2
Bowers & Wilkins PI7's highest frequency is at 20,000Hz, high-frequency response indicates how well an audio device generates high audible frequencies and if it changes to the signal while at it.
JBL Live Free 2's highest frequency is at 20,000Hz, this implies that
both devices can generate equal treble
The sound pressure level, is the level of pressure of sound, in decibels, dB, JBL Live Free 2's measurement is 102dB/mW. Devices with a higher sound pressure level are generally louder when supplied with any given audio source.
The Bowers & Wilkins PI7's battery life is 4.5 hours, these last less than 5 hours of listening which is considered average for a single charge. A device's battery life is given by the manufacturer, and with longer battery life, you get to use it for longer and requires fewer chargings.
JBL Live Free 2's battery life is
more than that of Bowers & Wilkins PI7 by 2.5 hours
. Every time you recharge your earbuds, they get a little less playing time. The effect is not noticeable at first, but over time, your wireless earbuds will have shorter listening time.
The battery life of the charging case is given by the vendor, and Bowers & Wilkins PI7's case has a full charge of 18 hours. A charging case with a longer battery life allows you to recharge your earbuds on the go multiple times before having to recharge the case itself.
JBL Live Free 2's charging case has a battery life of 28 hours,
more than that of Bowers & Wilkins PI7 by 10 hours
It requires 3 hours to fully charge the Bowers & Wilkins PI7's battery. It is recommended to charge fully the battery before using the earbuds when they have been in storage for extended periods.
Bowers & Wilkins PI7, the device supports wireless charging. To charge the earbuds, you just put down on a compatible charging pad.
The Bowers & Wilkins PI7 have a battery level indicator, an indicator alerts you when the device has a low battery. The battery indicator lights display the charging state of your earbuds and charging case.
JBL Live Free 2 too have a battery level indicator, these allow you determine the charging state of your device, if charged fully, or having a low battery.
Bowers & Wilkins PI7 support USB TYPE-C, an industry-standard connector for transmitting both data and power in a single cable.
JBL Live Free 2 too support USB TYPE-C. This USB-C plug comes along with most current electronics.
The Bowers & Wilkins PI7 have Bluetooth version of 5, Bluetooth is a wireless technology standard that allows data movement between devices placed in range, using short-wavelength, ultra-high frequency radio waves.
JBL Live Free 2 has a Bluetooth version of 5.2,
newer than that of Bowers & Wilkins PI7
. Newer versions provide faster data transfers.
Bowers & Wilkins PI7 have a 10meters distance to connect via Bluetooth.
JBL Live Free 2 have a maximum range of 10meters,
equal to that of the Bowers & Wilkins PI7
Bowers & Wilkins PI7 support AAC, a codec that is 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 Bowers & Wilkins PI7 will work fine with your iPhone. If you are planning on using these with Android , ensure that they also support aptX HD, LDAC, or LHDC as well.
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 Bowers & Wilkins PI7 have 6 microphones.
The JBL Live Free 2 microphones are 6,
equal to that of the Bowers & Wilkins PI7
. More microphones result in better sound quality and help the device to filter out background sounds.
The Bowers & Wilkins PI7 have a noise-canceling microphone, these microphones are designed to filter out noise from the desired sound.
The JBL Live Free 2 too have a noise-canceling microphone. Especially useful in noisy areas.
The Bowers & Wilkins PI7 support ambient sound mode, which uses microphones to pass through ambient sound so that they can still be heard even while wearing the earbuds
The JBL Live Free 2 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, say you’re having a run but still want to be able to hear traffic.
The Bowers & Wilkins PI7 support in/on-ear detection, the sensors in the device can detect when they are removed from your ears .
When misplaced in a room, or can't be found in your bag, the Bowers & Wilkins PI7 have a find earbuds feature.
The Bowers & Wilkins PI7 support fast charging. Commonly, technologies like Qualcomm’s Quick Charge, are used to reduce the time it takes to charge a device.
The JBL Live Free 2 support fast charging. It's very similar to regular charging, just that the battery fills up much faster. For example, with Quick Charge 3.0, the battery can be charged to 50% in just 30 minutes.
The JBL Live Free 2 support multipoint of 2 connections, this feature allows you connect to more than one Bluetooth device and switch between them. For example, you can easily switch calls from one device to another without manually disconnect and reconnect.
Bowers & Wilkins PI7 have a mute function, they have the option to mute/unmute a conversation directly from the earbuds.
The JBL Live Free 2 too support this function. The mute function means that you unilaterally turn off the device's microphone, but you can still hear the other party's voice.
With the Bowers & Wilkins PI7, so you can easily access the volume control, pause, play, mute, etc whichever features are supported on the earbuds.
The JBL Live Free 2 too have a control panel on them.
Bowers & Wilkins PI7 have voice prompts. With voice prompts, you receive information via audio messages, like if there is an issue with the connection.
JBL Live Free 2 also support voice prompts .i.e the earbuds will notify you if the battery is low, and you need to recharge the device.
Bowers & Wilkins PI7 come with their own special pouch. Carrying earphones without a case, or placing them inside your bag without a casing can easily damage them.
JBL Live Free 2 too have a case included, which offers safe transportation.