Overall Score 6.4 Represents average audio ecosystem compatibility score.
Overall Score 6.0 Represents average audio ecosystem compatibility score.
Category | Features | Bowers & Wilkins PI7 | JBL Reflect Aero TWS |
---|---|---|---|
DESIGN | ingress protection (ip) rating | IP54 | IP68 |
weight | 50g | 13g | |
has no wires or cables | ✓ | ✓ | |
wingtips included | ✗ | ✓ | |
sweat resistance | ✗ | ✓ | |
is dust proof and water-resistant | ✗ | ✓ | |
has stereo speakers | ✓ | ✓ | |
SOUND QUALITY | has active noise cancellation (noise control) | ✓ | ✓ |
has passive noise reduction | ✓ | ✓ | |
driver unit size | 9.2mm | 6.8mm | |
lowest frequency | 10Hz | 20Hz | |
highest frequency | 20000Hz | 20000Hz | |
sound pressure level | ✗ | 99dB/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 | ✓ | ✓ | |
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 is the level of protection offered by a casing, against dust and liquids. In the format of IPXX, 'X' represents a number The first value of the IP rating means protection against solids such as dust, while the second refers to protection against liquids (sweat).
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 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 Bowers & Wilkins PI7, JBL Reflect Aero TWS have a rating of IP68 meaning that
JBL Reflect Aero TWS has a higher dust resistance than Bowers & Wilkins PI7
and that of liquids is that,
Bowers & Wilkins PI7 has a lower liquid rating than JBL Reflect Aero TWS
Bowers & Wilkins PI7 have a weight of 50g . We consider a lower weight better for the reason that lighter devices are easier to move with.
JBL Reflect Aero TWS, at 13g
weigh less than the Bowers & Wilkins PI7 by -37g
For a device to be true wireless it should have no cables connecting any part of the device together, Bowers & Wilkins PI7 are true wireless for this matter since they don't have cables. This is an important distinction since wireless earbuds have cables connecting the pair of earbuds .
JBL Reflect Aero TWS also is true wireless since it doesn't have wires connecting the pair of earbuds .
The JBL Reflect Aero TWS come with wingtips, these are commonly used for earbuds for workouts and are usually an optional add-on to each silicone ear tip for a better fit.
JBL Reflect Aero TWS have sweat resistance
The JBL Reflect Aero TWS are both dustproof and water-resistant.
Bowers & Wilkins PI7 have stereo speakers, what this means is that Bowers & Wilkins PI7's speakers deliver sound from separate channels on both left and right sides, this creates a richer sound and a better listening experience.
Both JBL Reflect Aero TWS and Bowers & Wilkins PI7 have stereo speakers
ANC utilises more advanced kind of tech to actively counter noise. How it works, it studies the sound pattern outside and inside the earbud and inverts the soundwaves to cancel it out. In simple terms, it's like having +1 (noise) then producing -1 (counter sound by the device) giving zero hence "diluting" the noise.
The Bowers & Wilkins PI7 have Active Noise Cancellation allowing you to listen at lower levels of volume, causing less ear fatigue since you don't need to crank up the earbuds volume to overcome background sounds.
The JBL Reflect Aero TWS too have Active Noise Cancellation which makes both devices ideal for flights and rush hour travels. The Bowers & Wilkins PI7 and JBL Reflect Aero TWS work with different noise cancellation settings, pick the mode that you prefer for commute or that suites your chill time.
The Bowers & Wilkins PI7 sit well in place, this creates a sound covering that reduces background noise and also prevents the earbuds music from leaking out at the same.
Both JBL Reflect Aero TWS, and Bowers & Wilkins PI7 have passive noise reduction which implies that they reduce ambient noise instead of actively using ANC to cancel it out.
Bowers & Wilkins PI7 have a unit size of 9.2mm in diameter, the bigger the unit the more powerful, therefor producing better bass.
The driver unit is basically a mini speaker that produces sound in the device, the unit size corellates with the loudness of the device.
JBL Reflect Aero TWS driver unit is 6.8mm in diameter,
which means that they have a smaller driver unit than that of Bowers & Wilkins PI7 by 2.4mm
, a common assumption 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 are capable of generating louder sound, but this does not indicate that they deliver better quality sound.
The Bowers & Wilkins PI7's lowest frequency is at 10Hz, low-frequency response measures if and how well a particular audio device generates low frequencies that can be heard, and if it alters the signal on its way through.
JBL Reflect Aero TWS's lowest frequency is at 20Hz, this means that
Bowers & Wilkins PI7 make sound with a juicier bass than the JBL Reflect Aero TWS
The Bowers & Wilkins PI7's highest frequency is at 20000Hz, high-frequency response measures if and how well a particular audio device produces high recognizable frequencies and if it changes to the signal on its way through.
JBL Reflect Aero TWS's highest frequency is at 20000Hz, this means that
both devices can produce equal treble
The sound pressure level, is the level of pressure of sound, measured in decibels, dB, JBL Reflect Aero TWS's measurement is 99dB/mW. Devices with a higher sound pressure level are generally louder when supplied with any given audio source.
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 commonly given by the manufacturer, and with more battery hours, you get to use it for longer and requires fewer chargings.
JBL Reflect Aero TWS's battery life is
more than that of Bowers & Wilkins PI7 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 the Bowers & Wilkins PI7's case has a charge of 18 hours. A charging case with more battery hours allows you to recharge your earbuds on the go multiple times before recharging the case itself.
JBL Reflect Aero TWS's charging case has a battery life of 16 hours,
less than that of Bowers & Wilkins PI7 by 2 hours
It takes 3 hours to fully charge the Bowers & Wilkins PI7's battery. It is recommended to charge fully the battery before using the earbuds for the first time.
JBL Reflect Aero TWS takes 1.5 hours to fully charge the battery,
less than that of Bowers & Wilkins PI7 by 1.5 hours
The Bowers & Wilkins PI7, the device supports wireless charging. To charge the earbuds, you just put down on a compatible charging pad.
Bowers & Wilkins PI7 have a battery level indicator, an indicator alerts you when the earbuds has a low battery. The battery indicator lights indicate the charging status of your earbuds and case.
JBL Reflect Aero TWS too have a battery level indicator, these enable you to determine the charging state of your device, if charged fully, or the battery is running low.
The Bowers & Wilkins PI7 support USB TYPE-C, a standard connector for transmitting both data and power in a single cable.
JBL Reflect Aero TWS too use 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 enables data transfers between devices placed in range, using short-wavelength, ultra-high frequency radio waves.
JBL Reflect Aero TWS has a Bluetooth version of 5.2,
newer than that of Bowers & Wilkins PI7
. Newer versions provide faster data transfers.
The Bowers & Wilkins PI7 have a 10meters distance connecting via Bluetooth.
JBL Reflect Aero TWS 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 provides better results than other codecs at the same bit rate.
Since its the highest quality codec that any Bluetooth-supporting Apple product supports, the Bowers & Wilkins PI7 will work fine with your iPhone. If you intend on using these with Android , ensure that they also support aptX HD, LDAC, or LHDC as well.
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 Bowers & Wilkins PI7 have 6 microphones.
The JBL Reflect Aero TWS microphones are 6,
equal to that of the Bowers & Wilkins PI7
. More microphones record better sound quality and enable the device to filter out background sounds.
The Bowers & Wilkins PI7 use a noise-canceling type of microphone, these microphones are intended to reduce noise from the earbuds' sound.
The JBL Reflect Aero TWS too have a noise-canceling microphone. Especially useful in noisy environments.
Bowers & Wilkins PI7 support ambient sound mode, which uses microphones to channel ambient sound to still be heard even when wearing the earbuds
The JBL Reflect Aero TWS support ambient sound mode as well, helpful when you want to listen to music but also be aware of what’s happening around you, for example when you’re having a run but still want to hear traffic.
Bowers & Wilkins PI7 have in/on-ear detection, the sensors in the earbuds can detect when removed from your ears so that the music is paused.
If lost in a room, or can't easily find them in your bag, Bowers & Wilkins PI7 support the find earbuds feature.
Bowers & Wilkins PI7 support fast charging. Usually, technologies like MediaTek’s Pump Express, are used to lower the time it takes to fully charge the earbuds.
The JBL Reflect Aero TWS 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 is charged to 50% in 30 minutes.
The Bowers & Wilkins PI7 have a mute function, they have the option to mute/unmute a conversation directly from the device.
The JBL Reflect Aero TWS also have this function. The mute function means that you unilaterally turn off the earbuds' microphone, but you can still hear the other party talk.
With the Bowers & Wilkins PI7, so you can access the volume control, pause, play, mute, etc whichever functions are supported on the device.
JBL Reflect Aero TWS also have a control panel on them.
Bowers & Wilkins PI7 support voice prompts. Automatically receive information via audio messages, like if there is an issue with the connection.
The JBL Reflect Aero TWS too have voice prompts .i.e the earbuds notifies you when the battery is running low, and it's time to recharge the earbuds.
The Bowers & Wilkins PI7 come with a special case. Carrying earbuds openly, or placing them inside your pockets without a cover may easily put them at risk of getting damaged.
JBL Reflect Aero TWS too have a case included, which is useful for safe transportation.