Overall Score 5.3 Represents average audio ecosystem compatibility score.
Overall Score 3.6 Represents average audio ecosystem compatibility score.
Category | Features | Shure Aonic 40 | Bowers & Wilkins PX7 S2 |
---|---|---|---|
DESIGN | weight | 311g | 307g |
has a detachable cable | ✓ | ✓ | |
can be folded | ✓ | ✓ | |
has a tangle free cable | ✓ | ✓ | |
cable length | ✗ | 1.2meters | |
has an over-the-ear foam | ✓ | ✓ | |
has stereo speakers | ✓ | ✓ | |
SOUND QUALITY | has active noise cancellation (anc) | ✓ | ✓ |
has passive noise reduction | ✓ | ✓ | |
lowest frequency | 20Hz | ✗ | |
highest frequency | 20000Hz | ✗ | |
driver unit size | 40mm | 40mm | |
POWER | battery life | 25hours | 30hours |
charge time | ✗ | 2hours | |
has a battery level indicator | ✗ | ✓ | |
has a rechargeable battery | ✓ | ✓ | |
CONNECTIVITY | can be used wirelessly | ✓ | ✓ |
bluetooth version | v5 | v5.2 | |
has usb type-c | ✗ | ✓ | |
has aptx adaptive | ✗ | ✓ | |
has aptx hd | ✗ | ✓ | |
has bluetooth aptx | ✓ | ✓ | |
has aac | ✓ | ✓ | |
maximum bluetooth range | ✗ | 10meters | |
has a 3.5mm male connector | ✓ | ✗ | |
supports bluetooth pairing using nfc | ✗ | ✓ | |
MICROPHONE | number of microphones | ✗ | 6only |
has a noise-canceling microphone | ✗ | ✓ | |
EXTRAS | has ambient sound mode | ✗ | ✓ |
has in/on-ear detection | ✗ | ✓ | |
has a mute function | ✗ | ✓ | |
control panel placed on a device | ✓ | ✓ | |
can be used as a headset | ✓ | ✓ | |
travel bag is included | ✓ | ✓ | |
See price on Amazon | See price on Amazon |
Shure Aonic 40 have a weight of 311g, these weigh below 320g, which we consider as the highest average a headphone should weigh for comfort during long use.
We prefer a lower weight best for the reason that lighter devices are more comfortable to move with.
The Bowers & Wilkins PX7 S2, at 307g
are lighter than the Shure Aonic 40 with a difference -4g
Detachable cables are cables that have connectors on both ends. One end goes into your headphone cups, while the other end is inserted into a source device. Some new headphones, and not just the expensive ones, are coming with detachable cables, Shure Aonic 40 are one of those.
With a detachable cable, Bowers & Wilkins PX7 S2 too can use alternative cables and if the cable is pulled, it will pop out instead of breaking.
Shure Aonic 40 are foldable, which makes them more portable. Foldable headphones are easier to transport and take up less storage space.
The Bowers & Wilkins PX7 S2 too can fold up, foldable headphones can reduce their size by 60% to 70% when folded.
Twisted headphone cables can be a great source of annoyance and inconvenience, Shure Aonic 40's cable is designed to minimize tangling. Constant twisting of the cables can also lead to bends in the copper wires, affecting sound quality, or
completely damaging your headphones.
Bowers & Wilkins PX7 S2 too have a cable designed to help prevent tangles.
A long cable ensures more freedom of movement, but remember that every cable based on the conducting material used has a certain amount of parasitic resistance, inductance, and capacitance. How much depends on the length and construction. Bowers & Wilkins PX7 S2 comes with a 1.2meters cable.
Over-ear headphones have larger earpads that fit around your entire ear Shure Aonic 40 have a comfortable full-size form with earcups that fully enclose your ears. This design is loved for its increased sound isolation and the fact that it won't leak sound to your neighbors.
Bowers & Wilkins PX7 S2 with this design offer potential for maximum bass and loudness levels.
Shure Aonic 40 have stereo speakers, what this means is that Shure Aonic 40's speakers deliver sound from independent channels on both left and right sides, this creates a richer sound and a better listening experience.
The Bowers & Wilkins PX7 S2 also have stereo speakers
Active noise cancellation uses more advanced technology to reduce unwanted ambient sounds. How it works, it listens to the sound pattern of incoming noise and then inverts the soundwaves to cancel it out. In simple terms, it's like taking +1 outside (noise from your surrounding) and adding -1 inside (counter sound within the device) to make zero resulting in a reduced level of noise.
Shure Aonic 40 allow you to listen at lower volume levels, causing less ear fatigue as you don't have to crank up the volume to overcome background noise.
Bowers & Wilkins PX7 S2 too have active noise cancellation making both devices ideal for plane rides and morning commutes. Each may work with different noise cancellation modes, pick the setting, mode, or noise cancellation type that suits your commute or that enhances your relaxation time.
Passive Noise Cancellation uses well-designed ear cups to seal out unwanted noise. This is used for both in-ear earphones and over-ear headphones where the headphone itself will keep surrounding noise out.
The Shure Aonic 40 sits tightly in place, creating an acoustic seal that reduces background noise and prevents your music from leaking out.
Both of these devices have passive noise reduction which means that also the Bowers & Wilkins PX7 S2 isolates you from ambient noise instead of actively using technology to cancel it out.
Low-frequency response measures if and how well a particular audio device reproduces low audible frequencies and if it makes any changes to the signal on the way through. Shure Aonic 40's lowest frequency is at 20Hz, the lower the low-frequency response, the stronger and juicier the bass.
High frequency response measures if and how well an audio device reproduces high audible frequencies and if it makes any changes to the signal while at it. Shure Aonic 40's highest frequency is at 20000Hz, the higher the high-frequency response, the clearer and crispier the treble.
The driver unit is basically a mini speaker that produces sound in the device, its size dictates the loudness of the headphone. Shure Aonic 40 driver unit is 40mm in diameter, bigger drivers are more powerful and can produce better bass.
Bowers & Wilkins PX7 S2 driver unit is 40mm in diameter,
making both Bowers & Wilkins PX7 S2, and Shure Aonic 40 similar in how loud their sound gets
, as many tend to believe that driver units of a bigger size automatically produce better sound quality.
However, large drivers usually have difficulty reproducing high frequencies so yes, larger drivers are capable of generating louder sound, but this does not mean that they deliver better sound.
If your headphones play wirelessly, cancel ambient noise, or enhance your listening experience with active features, their battery life will reduce over time. The device's battery life is given by the manufacturer, with longer battery life, you get to use it for longer and have to charge the device less often. Shure Aonic 40's battery life is 25 hours
Bowers & Wilkins PX7 S2's battery life is 30 hours. Each time you recharge your headphones, they get a little less listening time. The effect is barely noticeable at first. But over a few years, you may find that your device, no longer plays for long like it used to.
It takes 2 hours to fully charge the Bowers & Wilkins PX7 S2's battery. It is recommended to fully charge the battery before using the headphones for the first time or when they have been unused for extended periods.
Bowers & Wilkins PX7 S2 have a battery level indicator, an indicator shows you when the device has a low battery. The battery indicator lights show the charging status of your headphones.
A rechargeable battery is a type of electrical battery that can be charged, discharged into a load, and recharged many times, as opposed to a disposable or primary battery, which is supplied fully charged and discarded after use.
Shure Aonic 40's battery can be recharged and used over again.
The Bowers & Wilkins PX7 S2 too have a rechargeable battery.
Shure Aonic 40 can be used wirelessly, wireless devices allow users more freedom of movement.
The Bowers & Wilkins PX7 S2 also can be used wirelessly
Bluetooth is a wireless technology standard that allows data transfers between devices placed in close proximity, using short-wavelength, ultra-high frequency radio waves. Shure Aonic 40 has a v5
Bowers & Wilkins PX7 S2 has a Bluetooth version of v5.2. Newer versions provide faster data transfers.
Bowers & Wilkins PX7 S2 support USB TYPE-C, an industry-standard connector for transmitting both data and power on a single cable. The USB-C plug is now part and parcel of most current laptops, phones, and tablets, it features reversible plug orientation and cable direction.
Bowers & Wilkins PX7 S2 support APTX Adaptive, an audio codec for Bluetooth devices that are developed by Qualcomm. It has a variable bit rate (between 279kbps and 420kbps), which means it can adjust the bit rate for different scenarios, such as listening to HD audio or reducing interference from other devices.
The Bowers & Wilkins PX7 S2 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).
Shure Aonic 40 support APTX, a codec used for transmitting audio wirelessly with Bluetooth. It is developed by Qualcomm and supports 16-bit audio at a bit rate of 384kbps.
Bowers & Wilkins PX7 S2 support APTX
Shure Aonic 40 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.
The Bowers & Wilkins PX7 S2 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.
Bluetooth is a short-range wireless technology standard that is used for exchanging data between fixed and mobile devices over short distances. The Bowers & Wilkins PX7 S2 can connect at a 10meters distance via Bluetooth or infrared to another device.
Being an industry standard audio plug, a standard 3.5mm male connector is suitable for use with all MP3 players and computer sound cards. This means that it is commonly used in stereo headphones to your phone or connecting your phone to an external amplifier, sound bars, your car radio, etc. Shure Aonic 40 has this connector giving it a wider range of connectivity with most of the sound devices out there. All plugs have at least a tip and sleeve with the number of rings that stand as a differentiating factor.
Bowers & Wilkins PX7 S2 support fast Bluetooth pairing using NFC so it can communicate with other devices over Bluetooth. You can fastly pair devices without entering a code by simply holding one device next to the device with which it is to be paired.
Bowers & Wilkins PX7 S2 have only 6 microphones, more microphones result in better sound quality and enable the device to filter out background noise.
Bowers & Wilkins PX7 S2 use a noise-canceling type of microphone, these microphones are designed to filter out background noise from the desired sound. Especially useful in noisy environments.
Bowers & Wilkins PX7 S2 support ambient sound mode, which uses microphones to pass through ambient noises so that they can still be heard. 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.
Bowers & Wilkins PX7 S2 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, saving battery life and improving your listening experience while at it.
Bowers & Wilkins PX7 S2 have a mute function, they have an option to mute/unmute a conversation directly from the device. The mute function means that you unilaterally turn off the microphone, but you can still hear the other party's voice.
There is a control panel on the Shure Aonic 40 body, so you can easily access the volume control or remote without having to interact with a cable or another device it's connected to.
The Bowers & Wilkins PX7 S2 too have a control panel on them.
Shure Aonic 40 can be used as a headset.
A headset is one headphone or pair with a built-in microphone. Headsets can be used for apps that require communication i.e. Zoom, Google Meet, Skype, games with voice chat, mobile phones, etc.
Bowers & Wilkins PX7 S2 can be used as a headset. since they have a built-in microphone
Carrying headphones without a case, or putting them in bags without a casing can easily put them at risk of getting damaged. The Shure Aonic 40 come with their own special case or pouch, which is useful for safe transportation.
Bowers & Wilkins PX7 S2 too have a travel bag or case included.