We compare products from their published specs and features; the verdicts below are our independent editorial opinions.
Updated: 2026-09-30 · 6 min read · Independent comparison
If you want the longest battery life and a wired fallback for zero-latency listening, choose Amazon Renewed Bowers & Wilkins; if you need the most advanced noise cancellation and immersive spatial audio, choose Bose QuietComfort. Both are over-ear, Bluetooth 5.3 headphones with active noise cancellation and a renewed-style buying route — but they solve different problems.
• Amazon Renewed Bowers & Wilkins — biggest strength: 30 hours of playback, plus a quick charge that delivers 7 hours from a 15-minute top-up, and a 3.5 mm jack when you want to go wired.
• Amazon Renewed Bowers & Wilkins — biggest trade-off: It's a "Renewed" unit with a 90-day limited warranty, so the long-term coverage is shorter than a new-in-box purchase, and it skips spatial audio entirely.
• Bose QuietComfort — biggest strength: A three-mode noise-cancellation system (Quiet, Aware, Immersion) with CustomTune personalization and Bose Immersive Audio for a more three-dimensional listen.
• Bose QuietComfort — biggest trade-off: Battery life drops to roughly 24 hours, and down to about 18 hours when Immersive Audio is switched on — and there's no headphone jack at all.
• Who each pick is for: Pick the Bowers & Wilkins if you live on long flights, workdays and playlists and want maximum runtime. Pick the Bose if noise cancellation quality and spatial audio matter more to you than raw hours.
The Px7 S2 is built around stamina and flexibility. Thirty hours of playback from a two-hour charge means you can get through a full week of commutes without thinking about the charger. And when you do forget, a 15-minute quick charge buys you 7 hours — enough for a cross-country flight or a long workday. That combination is the single most practical thing about this model.
The acoustic side is a redesigned, optimized system with an angled drive unit and a more powerful motor, tuned for clarity. Noise cancellation is active and adjustable, and there are two external microphones to sharpen voice pickup on calls. A 20 ohm impedance and a 20Hz–20,000Hz range are standard fare for this class, but the aluminum enclosure and technical-fabric finish give it a more premium feel than the weight (307 g) might suggest. The B&W Music App handles EQ, voice control and ANC mode switching, so you can shape the sound rather than accept it.
Who should buy it: frequent travelers, office workers, and anyone who wants a wired option — the box includes a USB-C to 3.5 mm cable and a USB-C to USB-C cable, plus a protective case. Who should skip it: if you want the newest spatial-audio tricks, or you're uncomfortable with a 90-day limited warranty on a renewed unit, this isn't the one. In my opinion, this is the pick for people who treat battery life and connection options as the deciding factors.
Bose's QuietComfort Ultra takes the opposite approach: fewer hours, more processing. Quiet Mode, Aware Mode and Immersion Mode give you three distinct ways to relate to your surroundings, and Immersion Mode stacks full noise cancellation on top of Bose Immersive Audio for the most enveloping setting. CustomTune analyzes your ear's shape and adapts the sound to it — that's personalization you can't replicate with a manual EQ slider.
Spatial audio is the headline. Bose Immersive Audio moves what you're hearing out in front of you rather than inside your head, which is a genuinely different listening sensation for movies, live recordings and games. The mic array is tuned to isolate your voice and suppress background noise, which matters if you take a lot of calls in loud places. Comfort gets real attention too: soft ear cushions, a band designed to spread pressure evenly, and elevated materials in a White Smoke finish with a metal enclosure.
The trade-offs are clear. Battery life is about 24 hours, dropping to roughly 18 with Immersive Audio running — noticeably less headroom than the Bowers & Wilkins. There's no 3.5 mm jack, so wired listening isn't an option; connectivity is Bluetooth 5.3 within about 30 feet. SimpleSync lets you pair with a Bose smart soundbar to watch TV at your own volume, which is a nice bonus if you're already in that ecosystem. This one suits people who prioritize the quietest possible cabin, the most immersive soundstage, and call clarity above all.
Side-by-Side: Which Should You Choose?
• Best for battery life → Amazon Renewed Bowers & Wilkins. 30 hours versus roughly 24 (or about 18 with Immersive Audio on).
• Best for noise-cancellation flexibility → Bose QuietComfort. Quiet, Aware and Immersion modes give you three distinct settings instead of a general ANC toggle.
• Best for immersive, spatial listening → Bose QuietComfort. Bose Immersive Audio and CustomTune are features the Bowers & Wilkins simply doesn't offer.
• Best for wired or low-latency use → Amazon Renewed Bowers & Wilkins. It has a 3.5 mm jack and ships with both a USB-C to 3.5 mm and a USB-C to USB-C cable; the Bose has no jack.
• Best for call clarity in noisy rooms → Bose QuietComfort. The mic system is explicitly engineered to isolate your voice and filter background noise.
• Best for TV audio at your own volume → Bose QuietComfort. SimpleSync pairs with a Bose smart soundbar.
• Best for buyers who want longer warranty coverage → Bose QuietComfort, in my opinion. As a "Renewed Premium" listing it reads as the more thoroughly refurbished tier, while the Bowers & Wilkins carries a 90-day limited warranty.
If I were buying for myself, I'd take the Bose QuietComfort. Immersive Audio and the three-mode noise cancellation are features the Bowers & Wilkins can't match, and 24 hours is still plenty for most weeks. I'd only switch to the Amazon Renewed Bowers & Wilkins if battery life were my top priority, if I wanted a wired option for zero-latency work or gaming, or if I weren't comfortable with the extra processing the Bose leans on. Both are strong renewed-market choices — check the current price on Amazon for each before you commit, since that's the one variable that can tip the decision.
FAQ
Not universally. The Bowers & Wilkins wins on battery life (30 hours vs about 24) and adds a 3.5 mm jack. The Bose wins on noise-cancellation modes, spatial audio and call clarity. It depends entirely on which of those you weight more.
Bose rates the QuietComfort at up to 24 hours, dropping to about 18 with Immersive Audio on. Bowers & Wilkins rates the Px7 S2 at 30 hours from a two-hour charge, with a 15-minute quick charge giving 7 hours of playback.
The Amazon Renewed Bowers & Wilkins listing includes a 90-day limited warranty. The Bose QuietComfort is sold as "Renewed Premium," a higher refurbishment tier — confirm the specific warranty terms for that listing on Amazon before buying.
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