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Updated January 10, 2024·
If you prioritize excellent overall sound quality and noise isolation for air travel or city use, the Bowers and Wilkins Pi7 S2 would be better due to their better scores in these areas. However, they might not be optimal for gaming or watching TV because of higher latency. The Sennheiser 450BT headphones are suitable for a variety of use cases like gaming, calls, and music due to their balanced scores and have a significant advantage in battery life. Additionally, the Sennheiser offers a detachable cable for wired listening and foldable design for easier portability, but are heavier than the Bowers and Wilkins Pi7 S2. If cost is a concern and you're seeking value for a wide range of activities, you may lean towards the Sennheiser 450BT. However, if the higher price point is not an issue and you prefer top-notch sound quality with great noise isolation, the Pi7 S2 might be the better choice. 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 S2
Good for music
Advantages of the Sennheiser 450BT
Very good for gaming
Very good for TV and video
Excellent for air travel
Good for podcasts and audiobooks
Key differences
Music
7.5/10
6.2/10
The Bowers and Wilkins Pi7 S2 is good for music, while the Sennheiser 450BT is only fair.
Gaming
5.3/10
8.8/10
The Sennheiser 450BT is very good for gaming, while the Bowers and Wilkins Pi7 S2 is poor.
Phone Calls
5.2/10
6.9/10
The Sennheiser 450BT is only fair for phone calls, while the Bowers and Wilkins Pi7 S2 is poor.
Podcasts and Audiobooks
5.6/10
7.9/10
The Sennheiser 450BT is good for podcasts and audiobooks, while the Bowers and Wilkins Pi7 S2 is poor.
TV and Video
6.0/10
8.1/10
The Sennheiser 450BT is very good for TV and video, while the Bowers and Wilkins Pi7 S2 is only fair.
Noise Reduction
8.3/10
9.1/10
The Sennheiser 450BT is excellent for noise reduction, while the Bowers and Wilkins Pi7 S2 is very good.
Battery
5.0 Hours
27.5 Hours
The Bowers and Wilkins Pi7 S2 has 5 hours of battery life. The Sennheiser 450BT has 27.5 hours of battery life.
Cost
$127
$139
$0
$50
$100
$150
$200
The Bowers and Wilkins Pi7 S2 has a price of $127 and the Sennheiser 450BT costs $139.
Build Quality
8.9/10
8.0/10
The Bowers and Wilkins Pi7 S2 and Sennheiser 450BT both have very good build quality, though the Bowers and Wilkins Pi7 S2 has somewhat better build quality.
"While the overall sound quality is great, these earbuds fall short in terms of battery life, customization and ANC performance. Bowers & Wilkins’ ability to consistently deliver pristine sound isn’t enough to make up for what the Pi7 S2 lacks, which is unfortunately quite a bit."
"The Sennheiser HD 450BT is a very good pair of headphones for the price, noise canceling is good and sound quality is great—quite rare at this price point. Like any product, this headset isn’t without its faults."
Get a great deal on the Bowers and Wilkins Pi7 S2 or the Sennheiser 450BT
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 Sennheiser
A family-owned company, Sennheiser is a German, high fidelity, audio equipment manufacturer founded in 1945. Their consumer audio division is now owned by the Swiss hearing aid and cochlear implant manufacturer Sonova. Sennheiser offers a wide variety of, very high quality, audio equipment solutions, from headphones to earbuds, full sets of monitoring speakers, amplifiers and microphones. They also make what is widely regarded as the best, and most expensive, headphones in existence, the HE-1 Orpheus, costing a whopping $59,000 dollars.
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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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Joe is an entrepreneur and lifelong electronics enthusiast with a Ph.D in Economics from the University of Michigan.
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