T3 - UK (2020-04)

78 T3 APRIL 2020

Te s te d

See more of the best noise cancelling headphones: bit.ly/ncht3

WE’RE IMPRESSED Simply brilliant value for

money; great noise cancellation and sound quality.

WE’D IMPROVE We don’t love the control setup;

some (minor) connection foibles.

WE’RE IMPRESSED Good looking; excellent

sounding; very good noise cancellation...

WE’D IMPROVE ...but not quite the best in the

business; sound balance may be too rocky for some.

NOISE CANCELLING HEADPHONES

VERDICT VERDICT

£159, philips.co.uk £349, bowerswilkins.com

DESIGN & FEATURES

Well-specced for the price. You get up to 30 hours

of playback, plus a five-min charge for two hours

of use, though it’s annoying that it’s micro-USB,

not USB-C. Bluetooth 5 connectivity was solid

overall. They only really lack a smart pause.

USABILITY

They’re comfortable and light, but we’re not keen

on the controls here – a mix of buttons, an odd

switch and a touch panel. It’s too easy to change

the NC mode while putting them on. They also

sometimes struggled to reconnect to our phone.

SOUND QUALITY

While these won’t blow you away, they sound

superb for the money. The balance tends towards

quite a naturalist approach (compared to the PX7),

with rich bass and twinkling treble providing a

fulsome sound. Impressive stuff.

NOISE CANCELLATION

In most common cases (such as an office or on a

train) the noise cancellation here is as good as the

PX7, for half the price. Wind noise is its bane, but

that’s normal. There’s an ambient mode too,

naturally, and it all works incredibly well.

DESIGN & FEATURES

These are the better-looking of the two here.

Thirty hours of playback is great, as is USB-C

charging and a 15-min charge for five hours. They

auto-pause when you take them off or lift an

ear-cup. And there’s app connectivity, too.

USABILITY

The physical controls here are easy to get used to,

and the lighter weight and softer cushioning

compared to the B&W PX (which they replace) are

very welcome. The auto-pausing works great –

totally reliable, with no connection issues.

SOUND QUALITY

Compared to the more open and neutral Philips (or

Sony’s WH-1000XM3 competitor), these lean

towards a more rocky sound by default, punching

up the bass especially. The detail, liveliness and

power within that are all top-notch, though.

NOISE CANCELLATION

The noise cancellation here is just – just – behind

the Sony WH-1000XM3 for NC quality, though it’s

close enough as makes little odds. It handles wind

better than the Philips do, but otherwise they’re

largely on a par – both very good indeed.

Philips PH805

Bowers &

Wilkins PX7

2nd 1st