Overall Score 6.4 Represents average audio ecosystem compatibility score.
Overall Score 4.9 Represents average audio ecosystem compatibility score.
Category | Features | Bowers & Wilkins PI7 | Skullcandy Indy Fuel |
---|---|---|---|
DESIGN | ingress protection (ip) rating | IP54 | IP55 |
weight | 50g | 57g | |
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 | 6mm | |
lowest frequency | 10Hz | 20Hz | |
highest frequency | 20000Hz | 20000Hz | |
sound pressure level | ✗ | 105dB/mW | |
POWER | battery life | 4.5hours | 3hours |
battery life of charging case | 18hours | 27hours | |
charge time | 3hours | 0.3hours | |
has wireless charging | ✓ | ✓ | |
has a battery level indicator | ✓ | ✓ | |
CONNECTIVITY | has usb type-c | ✓ | ✗ |
bluetooth version | v5 | v5 | |
maximum bluetooth range | 10meters | ✗ | |
has aac | ✓ | ✗ | |
has aptx adaptive | ✓ | ✗ | |
has aptx hd | ✓ | ✗ | |
MICROPHONE | number of microphones | 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 an enclosure, against solids and water. In the format of IPXX, 'X' represents a number The first value represents protection against solids say dust, while the second refers to protection against liquids (water).
Having a value of IP54, the Bowers & Wilkins PI7's rating is read as, the first number of 5 denotes 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.
In comparison to the Bowers & Wilkins PI7, Skullcandy Indy Fuel have a rating of IP55 meaning that
they both have the same rating against dust
and that of liquids is that,
Bowers & Wilkins PI7 has a lower liquid rating than Skullcandy Indy Fuel
Bowers & Wilkins PI7 have a weight of 50g . We consider a lower weight best for the reason that lighter devices are easier to transport.
Skullcandy Indy Fuel, at 57g
weigh more than the Bowers & Wilkins PI7 with a difference of 7g
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 wires. This is a major difference as some wireless earbuds have wires linking the two earbuds .
Skullcandy Indy Fuel also is true wireless since it has no cables linking the pair of earbuds together.
The Skullcandy Indy Fuel come with wingtips, these are reserved for earbuds for workouts and come as an optional add-on to the separate silicone ear tip for a more secure fit.
Skullcandy Indy Fuel have sweat resistance
Skullcandy Indy Fuel 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 Skullcandy Indy Fuel and Bowers & Wilkins PI7 have stereo speakers
Active noise cancellation utilises more advanced kind of tech to actively cancel noise. How it works, it detects and analyzes the sound pattern of incoming noise and then inverts the soundwaves to cancel it out. In simple terms, it's like taking +1 (sound from your surrounding) and adding -1 (counter sound by the device) giving zero thus "diluting" the noise.
Bowers & Wilkins PI7 have ANC allowing you to listen at lower volume levels, causing less ear fatigue since you don't need to crank up the earbuds volume to outcompete background noise.
The Bowers & Wilkins PI7 stay well in place, creating an acoustic seal that reduces background noise well as preventing the device sound from leaking out at the same.
Both of these devices have passive noise reduction this implies that both reduce ambient noise instead of actively using technology to cancel it out.
The Bowers & Wilkins PI7 have a unit size of 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, the unit size corellates with the sound made by the device.
Skullcandy Indy Fuel driver unit is 6mm in diameter,
which implies that they have a smaller driver unit than that of Bowers & Wilkins PI7 by 3.2mm
, 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 yeah, larger drivers can generate louder sound, but this does not imply that they produce better quality sound.
The Bowers & Wilkins PI7's lowest frequency is at 10Hz, low-frequency response inidcates how well an audio component produces low frequencies that can be heard, and if it alters the signal while at it.
Skullcandy Indy Fuel's lowest frequency is at 20Hz, this implies that
Bowers & Wilkins PI7 make sound with a juicier bass than the Skullcandy Indy Fuel
The Bowers & Wilkins PI7's highest frequency is at 20000Hz, high-frequency response tells how well a particular audio device produces high audible frequencies and if it makes any adjustments to the signal on its way through.
Skullcandy Indy Fuel's highest frequency is at 20000Hz, this implies that
both devices can generate equal treble
The sound pressure level, is the pressure level of sound, in decibels, dB, Skullcandy Indy Fuel's measurement is 105dB/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.
Skullcandy Indy Fuel's battery life is
less than that of Bowers & Wilkins PI7 by 1.5 hours
. Every time you recharge your device, they get a little less playing time. The effect is barely noticeable at first, but over time, your wireless earbuds will have shorter listening time.
This 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 many times before having to recharge the case itself.
Skullcandy Indy Fuel's charging case has a battery life of 27 hours,
more than that of Bowers & Wilkins PI7 by 9 hours
It requires 3 hours to fully charge the Bowers & Wilkins PI7's battery. It is recommended to fully charge the battery before using the earbuds for the first time.
Skullcandy Indy Fuel takes 0.3 hours to fully charge the battery,
less than that of Bowers & Wilkins PI7 by 2.7 hours
Bowers & Wilkins PI7, the device supports wireless charging. To charge the device, you simply place down on a supported charging pad.
Skullcandy Indy Fuel also support wireless charging, always look out for the charging standard of the earbuds.
The 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 state of your device and case.
Skullcandy Indy Fuel too have a battery level indicator, charging indicators allow you to determine the charging state of your earbuds, whether fully charged, or the battery is running low.
Bowers & Wilkins PI7 use USB TYPE-C, an industry-standard connector for transmitting both data and power in a single cable.
The Bowers & Wilkins PI7 have Bluetooth version of 5, Bluetooth is a wireless technology standard that allows data transfers between devices placed in close proximity, using short-wavelength, ultra-high frequency radio waves.
Skullcandy Indy Fuel has a Bluetooth version of 5,
equal to that of the Bowers & Wilkins PI7
. Newer versions provide faster data transfers.
Bowers & Wilkins PI7 have a 10meters distance to connect via Bluetooth.
Bowers & Wilkins PI7 support AAC, a codec used for Bluetooth audio. It supports 24-bit audio at 250kbps. Because it uses psychoacoustic modeling, it provides 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 fine with your iPhone. If you are planning 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 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.
The Bowers & Wilkins PI7 have a noise-canceling type of microphone, these microphones are designed to reduce noise from the earbuds' sound.
Bowers & Wilkins PI7 support ambient sound mode, which uses microphones to channel ambient noises to still be heard even while wearing the earbuds
The Bowers & Wilkins PI7 support 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 be found in your bag, Bowers & Wilkins PI7 have a find earbuds feature.
The Bowers & Wilkins PI7 support fast charging. Most often, technologies like MediaTek’s Pump Express, are used to reduce the amount of time it takes to fully charge a device.
The Skullcandy Indy Fuel support fast charging. It's very similar to regular charging, just that the battery is filling up much faster. Say, with Quick Charge 3.0, the battery can be charged to 50% in 30 minutes.
Bowers & Wilkins PI7 have a mute function, they support the feature to mute/unmute a conversation directly from the earbuds.
The Skullcandy Indy Fuel too have the mute function. The mute function means that you unilaterally turn off the device's microphone, but still hear the other party talk.
The Bowers & Wilkins PI7, so you can easily access the volume control, pause, play, mute, etc whichever functions are supported on the earbuds.
Skullcandy Indy Fuel too have a control panel on them.
The Bowers & Wilkins PI7 have voice prompts. Automatically receive information through audio messages, say if there is a problem with the connection.
The Skullcandy Indy Fuel also have voice prompts meaning the device notifies you if the battery is running low, and you need to recharge the device.
The Bowers & Wilkins PI7 come with their own special case. Carrying earbuds without a case, or placing them inside your pockets without a cover may easily put them at risk of getting damaged.
Skullcandy Indy Fuel also have a case included, which is useful for safe transportation.