Bowers & Wilkins (B&W) has announced the Px7 S3, a third-generation over-ear model that the company positions as its “most advanced and capable” wireless headphone to date. The new design replaces 2023’s Px7 S2e and brings several firsts to the line, including a discrete on-board headphone amplifier, an upgraded eight-microphone active-noise-cancellation (ANC) system, and upcoming support for both spatial-audio processing and Bluetooth LE Audio with Auracast broadcast mode.

Hardware Changes

New 40 mm biocellulose drivers

B&W says it re-worked the driver chassis, voice coil, suspension, and magnet to reduce distortion and improve dynamics. The drivers remain angled in the earcups to maintain a consistent path length to the ear.

Dedicated analog amplifier

Instead of relying on the system-on-chip for power, the S3 uses discrete amplification. The company claims the change delivers “more scale and energy,” though it hasn’t published power specs.

Wireless & Wired Connectivity

The Px7 S3 ships with Qualcomm’s aptX Adaptive (24-bit/96 kHz) and the newer aptX Lossless codec. A 3.5 mm analog cable and a USB-C cable for both charging and audio are included. Bluetooth LE Audio—and its LC3 codec—will arrive in a firmware update later this year, alongside the brand’s first implementation of spatial-audio processing.