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We compare products from their published specs and features; the verdicts below are our independent editorial opinions.
If you want one pair of headphones that handles noise cancelling, wireless freedom and long battery life on the move, choose Bowers & Wilkins FP39691; if you need an open-back, wired headphone built for pure sound quality at your desk, choose MEZE Audio.
• Bowers & Wilkins FP39691 — biggest strength: Adaptive noise cancelling with up to 50 hours of wired playback and smart wear sensors that pause your music automatically.
• Bowers & Wilkins FP39691 — biggest trade-off: Bluetooth 4.1 is an older wireless standard, and the 20 Hz–20 kHz frequency range is narrower than the MEZE's.
• MEZE Audio — biggest strength: An open-back dynamic driver covering 5 Hz–30 kHz, with a fully serviceable, repairable design in walnut and zinc alloy.
• MEZE Audio — biggest trade-off: It's wired-only, with no noise cancelling and no battery — you're tethered to your source at all times.
• Who each pick is for: Bowers & Wilkins FP39691 for commuters, flyers and travellers who want quiet and cable-free listening; MEZE Audio for listeners who sit still and want the cleanest possible signal path.
The FP39691 (model PX) is a wireless, over-ear headphone built around travel and daily movement. Its headline feature is adaptive noise cancelling, which the spec sheet describes as customisable to your exact preference — so you can dial in how much of the outside world you let through. If you fly, commute or work in a busy office, that single feature changes how you listen more than any tuning choice will.
The acoustic design borrows its 40mm full-range dynamic drivers from Bowers & Wilkins' P9 Signature headphones, with the drivers subtly angled inside the cups to create a more natural stereo perspective. Impedance is rated at 22 ohms in passive mode, which is low enough to be driven easily by a phone or laptop over the 3.5mm jack if you'd rather not use Bluetooth. Frequency response is listed at 20 Hz–20 kHz.
Where the FP39691 really separates itself is battery and intelligence. The 850mAh lithium polymer cell is rated for up to 22 hours with Bluetooth and ANC running, up to 29 hours with Bluetooth and no ANC, up to 33 hours wired with ANC, and up to 50 hours wired with ANC off. Built-in sensors add a genuinely useful layer: lift an ear cup and playback pauses, put the headphones down and they sleep, pick them up and they resume. Controls are a mix of buttons and touch, and there's a companion app for firmware updates and settings.
Who should buy it: anyone who wants one headphone to do everything — flights, trains, open-plan offices, walks, calls. Who should skip it: purists who only ever listen at a desk from a wired source and want the widest possible frequency range, because the MEZE covers more ground on paper there.
The MEZE Audio 105 Silva is a different animal entirely. It's an open-back, wired over-ear headphone with a 42-ohm dynamic driver rated from 5 Hz to 30 kHz — a considerably wider claimed range than the Bowers & Wilkins. Open-back designs let air move freely behind the driver, which is why the 105 Silva is described as delivering fast, articulate transients and a treble that extends gracefully while the bass stays tight and controlled rather than boosted.
The build is the other half of the story. The ear cups pair walnut wood with a radial grille, and the hardware is cast zinc alloy with PVD coating, a stamped manganese spring steel headband, polycarbonate cups and velour ear pads. Velour is softer and more breathable than leather, which matters over long listening sessions because it reduces heat and sweat build-up. Every part — ear cups, headband, cables, driver — is replaceable with nuts and bolts rather than glue, so the headphone can be maintained rather than thrown away.
Connectivity is wired only, via a 3.5mm jack, using a detachable 1.8m Kevlar-wrapped OFC cable with anodised aluminium housings. MEZE also includes a 3.5mm to 6.3mm gold-plated adapter for desktop amps and a 3.5mm to USB Type-C adapter with an integrated DAC/amp for phones and laptops. There's a hard carrying pouch and a cable pouch. Noise cancelling: none.
Side-by-Side: Which Should You Choose?
• Best for noise cancelling → Bowers & Wilkins FP39691. Adaptive ANC is a core feature; the MEZE has none.
• Best for wireless freedom → Bowers & Wilkins FP39691. Bluetooth 4.1 with aptX-HD versus a wired-only connection.
• Best for battery life → Bowers & Wilkins FP39691. Up to 50 hours wired with ANC off, up to 22 hours with Bluetooth and ANC on.
• Best for widest frequency range → MEZE Audio. 5 Hz–30 kHz against 20 Hz–20 kHz.
• Best for repairability and long-term ownership → MEZE Audio. Every component is replaceable; no glue anywhere in the build.
• Best for all-day comfort in warm rooms → MEZE Audio. Breathable velour pads instead of sealed, padded cups.
• Best for travel and commuting → Bowers & Wilkins FP39691. ANC, wireless, a hard protective case and wear sensors that pause automatically.
• Best for desk listening from an amp or DAC → MEZE Audio. 42-ohm wired design with a 6.3mm adapter and a detachable OFC cable.
If I could only own one, I'd take the Bowers & Wilkins FP39691. In my opinion it's the more versatile headphone by a wide margin: adaptive noise cancelling, Bluetooth, wear sensors and a battery rated for up to 50 hours wired mean it works on a plane, on a train and at a desk without asking you to change anything. The MEZE Audio 105 Silva is the more specialised, more beautiful object, and if you listen seated and want a repairable open-back with a wider frequency range, I'd point you to it instead. But for most people, most of the time, the FP39691 does more. Check the current price on Amazon before you decide.
The Bowers & Wilkins FP39691, clearly. It has adaptive noise cancelling and Bluetooth, while the MEZE Audio 105 Silva is open-back and wired — it lets outside noise in and doesn't isolate at all.
No. The spec sheet lists noise control as "None" and connectivity as wired only, so there's no battery to charge and no ANC. The Bowers & Wilkins FP39691 has both.
The MEZE Audio 105 Silva, at 5 Hz–30 kHz versus 20 Hz–20 kHz for the Bowers & Wilkins FP39691. Wider numbers don't automatically mean better sound, but the MEZE's open-back design is aimed squarely at detail and clarity.
On paper, the MEZE Audio 105 Silva is built for it. Ear cups, headband, cables and driver are all replaceable using nuts and bolts rather than glue. The Bowers & Wilkins FP39691 carries a two-year warranty and ships with a protective case.
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