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Updated January 10, 2024·
If you're looking for high-quality sound and active noise cancelling for a premium listening experience, especially during air travel or in noisy environments, the Bowers and Wilkins PI7 would be a superior choice, despite being more expensive. Keep in mind, the Sony Linkbuds lack active noise cancelling, which could make them less suitable for noisy situations. Give Feedback
this description is based on the product variant with some specs and product variant with some specs. At the time of writing, the variant with some specs cost some dollars and the variant with some specs cost some dollars.
Advantages of the Bowers and Wilkins PI7
Very good for gaming
Very good for air travel
Advantages of the Sony Linkbuds
Good for exercise
Good for podcasts and audiobooks
Key differences
Gaming
8.1/10
5.5/10
The Bowers and Wilkins PI7 is very good for gaming, while the Sony Linkbuds is poor.
Phone Calls
5.1/10
6.8/10
The Sony Linkbuds is only fair for phone calls, while the Bowers and Wilkins PI7 is poor.
Podcasts and Audiobooks
4.8/10
7.8/10
The Sony Linkbuds is good for podcasts and audiobooks, while the Bowers and Wilkins PI7 is poor.
TV and Video
6.8/10
5.4/10
The Bowers and Wilkins PI7 is only fair for TV and video, while the Sony Linkbuds is poor.
Noise Reduction
8.3/10
2.5/10
The Bowers and Wilkins PI7 is very good for noise reduction, while the Sony Linkbuds is poor.
Battery
3.0 Hours
5.5 Hours
The Bowers and Wilkins PI7 has 3 hours of battery life. The Sony Linkbuds has 5.5 hours of battery life.
Cost
$399
$178
$100
$150
$200
$250
$300
$350
$400
The Bowers and Wilkins PI7 has a price of $399 and the Sony Linkbuds costs $178.
The Bowers and Wilkins PI7 and Sony Linkbuds are both only fair for music.
Build Quality
8.9/10
9.3/10
Although they have very similar scores, PerfectRec considers Sony Linkbuds to have excellent build quality, while the Bowers and Wilkins PI7 has very good build quality.
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How the Bowers and Wilkins PI7 and the Sony Linkbuds compare to other earbuds and headphones
"The primary selling point of the Bowers & Wilkins PI7 is the charging case that can transmit audio from any analog source to the earbuds. If you have a very specific and clear need for that feature, then the Bowers & Wilkins PI7 is for you."
"The Sony LinkBuds is definitely the most unique audio product to release so far in 2022, and it largely executes well on it's unoccluded design. However, it's hamstrung by all the same things as other unsealed earbuds."
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About Bowers and Wilkins
Bowers and Wilkins is a British audio equipment manufacturer with a focus on innovation and product development. It was founded by a couple of real-life James Bonds, the co-founders John Bowers and Roy Wilkins, who met while working for MI6 during World War II. The company keeps being favored by enthusiasts due to their sound quality, craftsmanship and signature aesthetics.
About Sony
Sony is a multinational corporation, based out of Japan, with over 75 years of experience in the consumer electronics industry. In the audio market, Sony has been a trendsetter several times throughout its history. In 1979 they released the first-ever portable music player, the Sony Walkman, followed by the Discman 20 years later. Today, Sony is one of the leaders in the wireless headphone and earbud market, especially in terms of Active Noise Cancellation technology.
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This information was produced and vetted by the PerfectRec earbuds & headphones team. We are a product research and recommendation organization that meticulously reviews and evaluates the latest earbuds or headphones information and makes it digestible for you.
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About the Earbuds or Headphones team
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Joe is an entrepreneur and lifelong electronics enthusiast with a Ph.D in Economics from the University of Michigan.
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