• Update: Hey, why are you reading this? It's 2020! Check out the latest and greatest instead…
• Best noise cancelling headphones
The British audio brand Bowers & Wilkins has just announced its first noise cancelling wireless headphones - meet the PX.
The PX promise best-in-class sound quality, as well a the ability to intelligently respond to your behaviour (basically, it'll pause when you take them off and start again when you put them back on).
It's clear the PX look absolutely fantastic, but it's not just form over function, every element of the headphones’ design is focused on optimising sound quality.
Inside the PX’s is derived from B&W's reference quality P9 Signature headphones. The company has refined the active noise cancelling to provide optimum isolation without ‘crushing’ the music – a process that took thousands of hours of development and testing, apparently.
You'll be able to choose between three adaptive noise cancelling modes with the companion app, either ‘City’, which allows through traffic noise so you can cross roads safely, ‘Office’ which allows through voices so you can hear colleagues when they talk to you, or ‘Flight’, which completely cancels ambient engine noise.
As well as ANC, the headphones also use the latest aptX HD Bluetooth for wireless 24-bit audio resolution.
Bowers & Wilkins have also spent time developing a natural user interface. For example, the PX turn on when you pick them up, 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.
It's sounds really cool, and will be genuinely useful if it works reliably…
The large battery provides 22 hours of playback in wireless noise cancellation mode or 33 hours in wired noise cancellation mode.
The Bowers & Wilkins PX are available today in either Space Grey and Soft Gold (my personal favourite). The will cost £329.99.
