Bowers & Wilkins, the British speaker brand has announced the launch of PX, the company’s first noise cancelling wireless headphones. The PX responds intelligently to the wearer’s behaviour, for a ‘seamlessly intuitive listening experience’.

The PX drive units are derived from the company’s reference quality P9 Signature headphones and feature the same angled design. Its smart suspension system allows PX to produce high frequencies up to 30kHz, as well as the compliance needed for deep and dynamic bass. Measuring 40mm for each full range driver, the innovative placement of the transducers results in a ‘more natural listening experience and vastly improved stereo performance’.

The active noise cancelling function has been refined to provide optimum isolation without ‘crushing’ the music – a process that took thousands of hours of development and testing. The headphones also use the latest aptX HD Bluetooth technology supporting up to 48kHz 24-bit resolution, and offer full digital audio through a USB connection. Further enhancement of the audio experience is achieved via upsampling and processing the audio at 768kHz.

PX is Bowers & Wilkins’ first smart headphone, with built-in sensors that allow listeners to control music in a way that feels intuitive. PX works by responding intelligently to natural user behaviour. Pick them up and the headphones will switch on immediately and automatically resume playing your music. Put them down and they return to stand-by mode. Lift an ear cup to talk, or hang them around your neck, and PX will pause the music, resuming playback when you’re ready to listen. The class-leading battery provides 22 hours of playback in wireless noise cancellation mode, or 33 hours in wired noise cancellation mode.

Alexander Van Der Heijden, Bowers & Wilkins GM Headphones said: “At Bowers & Wilkins we’ve always believed that the job of acoustic technology is to get out of the way, allowing music to take centre stage. PX takes this principle to the next level. We’ve created not just the best sounding noise cancelling headphones you’ve ever heard, but headphones that are so intelligently designed and so responsive that you might forget you’re wearing them at all.”

To provide an optimum listening experience in different environments, PX has three adaptive noise cancelling modes, which users select with a custom app. ‘City’ allows through traffic noise so you can cross roads safely. ‘Office’ allows through voices so you can hear colleagues when they talk to you. ‘Flight’ suppresses ambient engine noise. The app also allows firmware updates.

The design of PX upholds Bowers & Wilkins’ tradition of using only high-quality materials, while offering a distinctive contemporary look. The headphones feature ergonomically designed elliptical ear cushions for comfort and possible acoustic seal, and come with a soft leather headband and a ballistic nylon ear cup exterior. PX is available in either Space Grey or Soft Gold etched-aluminium finish at SRP of £329.99

Features:

Bluetooth 4.1 with aptX HD

Digital hybrid noise cancellation

Smart sensors for Auto Play / Pause / On / Off

Soft leather removable memory foam cushions

Companion app with environment controls

Smart power

Fold flat design

Inputs: USB-C (Audio, battery charging & FW update), 3.5mm stereo jack, 2x microphones supporting CVC2 algorithm

Drive units: 2x ø40mm full range

Frequency range: 10Hz to 20kHz

Impedance: 22 ohms (passive)

Distortion: <0.3% (1kHz/10mW)

Sensitivity: 111dB/V at 1kHz

Max input power: 1V

Net weight: 335g

Battery Life:

Up to 22 hours Bluetooth and Active Noise Cancelling (ANC) enabled
Up to 29 hours Bluetooth only
Up to 33 hours wired connection with ANC enabled
Up to 50 hours wired connection only

In-box accessories: 1.2m standard audio cable (TRS 3-pole stereo), protective pouch, USB-A to USB-C cable