Overall Score 6.4 Represents average audio ecosystem compatibility score.
Overall Score 5.1 Represents average audio ecosystem compatibility score.
Category | Features | Bowers & Wilkins PI7 | JBL Tour Pro 2 |
---|---|---|---|
DESIGN | ingress protection (ip) rating | IP54 | ✗ |
weight | 50g | ✗ | |
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 | 10mm | |
lowest frequency | 10Hz | 20Hz | |
highest frequency | 20000Hz | 20000Hz | |
POWER | battery life | 4.5hours | 10hours |
battery life of charging case | 18hours | 30hours | |
charge time | 3hours | ✗ | |
has wireless charging | ✓ | ✗ | |
has a battery level indicator | ✓ | ✓ | |
CONNECTIVITY | has usb type-c | ✓ | ✓ |
bluetooth version | v5 | v5.3 | |
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 |
Ingress protection ratings is the rating of protection offered by an enclosure, against solids and water. In the format of IPXX, 'X' represents a number The first value of the IP rating refers to protection against solids say dust, followed by the one that refers to resistance against liquids (water).
Having a value of 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 number of 4 means that they can withstand low pressure spray similar to that of a shower head when tilted at 180° for 10 minutes.
Bowers & Wilkins PI7 have a weight of 50g . We consider a lower weight best because lighter devices are more comfortable to move with.
For a device to be true wireless it must have no cables linking any part of the device together, Bowers & Wilkins PI7 are true wireless for this matter since they have no cables. This is a major difference as some wireless earbuds have cables linking the pair of earbuds together.
JBL Tour Pro 2 also is true wireless since it doesn't have cables connecting the pair of earbuds .
JBL Tour Pro 2 have sweat resistance
Bowers & Wilkins PI7 have stereo speakers, what this means is that Bowers & Wilkins PI7's speakers deliver sound from independent channels on both left and right sides, this creates a richer sound and a better listening experience.
Both JBL Tour Pro 2 and Bowers & Wilkins PI7 have stereo speakers
Active noise cancellation uses more advanced technology to reduce unwanted ambient sounds. How it works, it detects and analyzes the sound pattern of incoming noise and after generates a mirror signal to cancel it out. Simply put, it's like taking +1 (sound from your surrounding) and producing -1 (counter sound by the device) to make zero hence "diluting" the noise.
The Bowers & Wilkins PI7 have Active Noise Cancellation enabling you to listen at lower volume levels, good for your ears since you don't have to crank up the device volume to outcompete background noise.
The JBL Tour Pro 2 too have Active Noise Cancellation making both devices ideal for plane rides and rush hour commutes. Each work with different noise cancellation modes, pick the noise cancellation type that you prefer for travel or that enhances your relaxation time.
Bowers & Wilkins PI7 stay well in place, creating an acoustic seal that reduces your environment noise and also prevents the device music from leaking out .
Both JBL Tour Pro 2, and Bowers & Wilkins PI7 have passive noise reduction this means that they tone down ambient noise without using ANC to cancel it out.
The 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 basically a mini speaker that produces sound in the earbuds, its size dictates the loudness of the device.
JBL Tour Pro 2 driver unit is 10mm in diameter,
making them have a larger driver unit than that of Bowers & Wilkins PI7 by 0.8mm
, 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 yeah, larger drivers are capable of generating louder sound, but this does not indicate that they deliver better quality sound.
Bowers & Wilkins PI7's lowest frequency is at 10Hz, low-frequency response measures if and how well a particular audio component produces low frequencies that can be heard, and if it alters the signal on its way through.
JBL Tour Pro 2's lowest frequency is at 20Hz, this implies that
Bowers & Wilkins PI7 can produce a juicier bass than the JBL Tour Pro 2
Bowers & Wilkins PI7's highest frequency is at 20000Hz, high-frequency response measures if and how well a particular audio device produces high audible frequencies and if it adjustments to the signal while at it.
JBL Tour Pro 2's highest frequency is at 20000Hz, this implies that
both devices can produce equal treble
Bowers & Wilkins PI7's battery life is 4.5 hours, these last less than 5 hours of listening which is considered average before recharge. A device's battery life is given by the manufacturer, and with longer battery life, you get to use it for longer and have to charge the device less often.
JBL Tour Pro 2's battery life is
more than that of Bowers & Wilkins PI7 by 5.5 hours
. Each 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 no longer play for long like they used to.
This is given by the vendor, and Bowers & Wilkins PI7's case is said to have a charge of 18 hours. A charging case with more battery hours enables you to recharge your earbuds on the go several times before recharging the case itself.
JBL Tour Pro 2's charging case has a battery life of 30 hours,
more than that of Bowers & Wilkins PI7 by 12 hours
It requires 3 hours to fully charge the Bowers & Wilkins PI7's battery. It is highly adivsable to charge fully the battery before using the earbuds for the first time.
The Bowers & Wilkins PI7, the device supports wireless charging. To charge the device, you just place down on a supported charging pad.
The Bowers & Wilkins PI7 have a battery level indicator, an indicator alerts you when the device has a low battery. Its lights display the charging status of your earbuds and case.
JBL Tour Pro 2 too have a battery level indicator, charging indicators allow you to tell the charging state of your device, if charged fully, or the battery is running low.
The Bowers & Wilkins PI7 have USB TYPE-C, a standard connector for transmitting both data and power in a single cable.
JBL Tour Pro 2 too have 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 movement between devices placed in range, using short-wavelength, ultra-high frequency radio waves.
JBL Tour Pro 2 has a Bluetooth version of 5.3,
newer than that of Bowers & Wilkins PI7
. Newer versions provide faster data transfers.
Bowers & Wilkins PI7 have a 10meters distance connecting via Bluetooth.
JBL Tour Pro 2 have a maximum range of 10meters,
equal to that of the Bowers & Wilkins PI7
Bowers & Wilkins PI7 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.
Since its the highest quality codec that any Bluetooth-supporting Apple product supports, the Bowers & Wilkins PI7 will work well with your iPhone. If you intend on using these with Android you need to pay even closer attention to codec support for if they only have AAC they won't provide the best audio quality possible, ensure that they also support aptX HD, LDAC, or LHDC as well.
The JBL Tour Pro 2 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.
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).
Bowers & Wilkins PI7 have 6 microphones.
While the JBL Tour Pro 2 microphones are 6,
equal to that of the Bowers & Wilkins PI7
. More microphones result in better sound quality and enable the earbuds to filter out background sounds.
Bowers & Wilkins PI7 have a noise-canceling microphone, these microphones are designed to filter out noise from the earbuds' sound.
The JBL Tour Pro 2 too have a noise-canceling microphone. This is useful in noisy environments.
The Bowers & Wilkins PI7 support ambient sound mode, which uses microphones to pass through ambient noises so that they can still be heard even when wearing them
The JBL Tour Pro 2 support ambient sound mode as well, it’s useful when you want to listen to music while being aware of what’s happening around you, say you’re having a jog but still want to hear traffic.
The Bowers & Wilkins PI7 support in/on-ear detection, the sensors in the device can detect when removed from your ears so that the music is paused.
When misplaced in a room, or can't be found in your bag, Bowers & Wilkins PI7 have a find earbuds feature.
The JBL Tour Pro 2 too have the find earbuds feature. Simply use the earbuds app on your smartphone to play a sound from your device to help you locate them.
Bowers & Wilkins PI7 support fast charging. Most often, technologies like Qualcomm’s Quick Charge, are used to lower the time it takes to charge a device.
Also the JBL Tour Pro 2 support fast charging. This kind is 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 thirty minutes.
The Bowers & Wilkins PI7 have a mute function, they have the feature to mute/unmute a conversation directly from the earbuds.
The JBL Tour Pro 2 too have the mute function. It means that you unilaterally turn off the earbuds' microphone, but you can still hear the other party's voice.
The Bowers & Wilkins PI7, so you can access the volume control, pause, play, mute, etc whichever features are supported on the earbuds.
JBL Tour Pro 2 also have a control panel on them.
Bowers & Wilkins PI7 support voice prompts. With voice prompts, you receive information through audio messages, say if there is an issue with the connection.
JBL Tour Pro 2 too have voice prompts meaning the device will notify you if the battery is running low, and it's time to recharge them.
The Bowers & Wilkins PI7 come with their own special pouch. Carrying earbuds without a case, or putting them in your bag without a casing can easily put them at risk of getting damaged.
JBL Tour Pro 2 also have a case included, which is useful for safe transportation.