Where they actually differ
The most decisive specs, ranked by how much they matter — before the full spec table.
| Spec | Bowers & Wilkins - Px8 | Sony - WH-1000XM5 |
|---|---|---|
| Weight | 320 g | 250 g |
| Driver size | 40 mm | 30 mm |
| Spatial audio | false | true |
| LDAC | false | true |
Between the Px8 and WH-1000XM5, the Px8 comes out ahead in driver size, while the WH-1000XM5 wins on weight / spatial audio. Overall, the Px8 scores 70.8 and the WH-1000XM5 scores 69.4 on our Mars Score.
Which should you buy?
These two are nearly even on the Mars Score (70.8 vs 69.4). The decision is not about overall quality — both clear the bar — it is about which specific trade-offs fit your use.
Pick the Px8 if you care most about driver size. The biggest gaps in its favor are driver size. The single most decisive one: Driver size — 33.33% more. 40 mm vs 30 mm.
Pick the WH-1000XM5 if you carry the device everywhere and weight or thickness has been the deciding factor before. Its strongest claims are weight, spatial audio, ldac. The single most decisive one: Weight — 70.00 g less. 250 vs 320.
Both ship with comparable battery life, active noise cancellation, multipoint, so those specs do not separate the two — focus on the differences below.
Bottom line: there is no wrong answer here — match the spec advantages to how you actually use the product. The Mars Score parity says both are well-rounded; the differences are about trade-offs, not quality.
Which should you buy: Bowers & Wilkins - Px8 or Sony - WH-1000XM5?
Bowers & Wilkins - Px8 leads the current Mars Score by 1.4 points.The more useful decision is the trade-off behind that result: compare driver size, weight against the way you will actually use the product.
Choose Bowers & Wilkins - Px8 if…
Bowers & Wilkins - Px8 has the measurable edge on driver size mm.
Choose Sony - WH-1000XM5 if…
Sony - WH-1000XM5 has the measurable edge on weight g, has spatial audio, supports ldac.
This is a structured comparison of the published catalog values. It is not a claim of identical real-world performance across every workload; use the linked spec drill-downs and methodology page to inspect the inputs.
Why Bowers & Wilkins - Px8 wins
- ▲Driver size — 33.33% more. 40 mm vs 30 mm.
Why Sony - WH-1000XM5 wins
- ▲Weight — 70.00 g less. 250 vs 320.
- ▲Has Spatial audio.
- ▲Has LDAC.
Spec comparison
Design
| Spec | Bowers & Wilkins - Px8 | Sony - WH-1000XM5 |
|---|---|---|
| Type | over-ear | over-ear |
| Weight | 320 g | 250 glead |
| Water resistance | none | none |
Audio
| Spec | Bowers & Wilkins - Px8 | Sony - WH-1000XM5 |
|---|---|---|
| Driver sizeⓘ | 40 mmlead | 30 mm |
| Impedanceⓘ | 32 Ω | 48 Ωlead |
| Sensitivityⓘ | 111 dBlead | 102 dB |
| Active noise cancellationⓘ | true | true |
| Transparency mode | true | true |
| Spatial audioⓘ | false | truelead |
Battery
| Spec | Bowers & Wilkins - Px8 | Sony - WH-1000XM5 |
|---|---|---|
| Battery lifeⓘ | 30 h | 30 h |
| Fast chargeⓘ | true | true |
Connectivity
| Spec | Bowers & Wilkins - Px8 | Sony - WH-1000XM5 |
|---|---|---|
| Bluetoothⓘ | 5.2 | 5.2 |
| Multipointⓘ | true | true |
| 3.5mm jack | true | true |
| LDACⓘ | false | truelead |
| aptX HDⓘ | truelead | false |
Frequently asked
Which has better battery life, Px8 or WH-1000XM5?+
WH-1000XM5 lasts 30 hours vs 30 hours.
Do Px8 or WH-1000XM5 have active noise cancellation?+
Both models have active noise cancellation.
Which supports LDAC, Px8 or WH-1000XM5?+
WH-1000XM5 supports LDAC; Px8 does not.