Apple-owned Beats has been slapping the phrases ‘Studio’ and ‘Professional’ on its headphones since Dr Dre’s inaugural 2008 launch. However anybody who’s taken a passing curiosity within the model’s lineup is aware of that Beats headphones are for on a regular basis use – fitness center periods, travelling leisure, listening within the workplace – not for the recording studio.
Nonetheless, the most recent Beats Studio Professional headphones are snug and boast an thrilling, bass-heavy sound and glorious ANC. Additionally they pack trendy options reminiscent of spatial audio with head monitoring and lossless audio by way of USB-C. Audiophiles ought to look elsewhere for his or her repair, however even ‘professional’ listeners shouldn’t scoff at these slick cans for informal listening. They’d be far too straightforward to suggest if that they had only a few extra options.
How snug are the Beats Studio Professional?
The Studio Professional’s understated aesthetic follows earlier Beats fashions, with the ‘b’ brand current on the skin of every cup. A hinged, plastic design helps you to fold the headphones into the included carry case for cover and portability, which we discover helpful in our travels. It doesn’t make for the strongest headband design however, after six weeks of rigorous use, we’re but to detect any indicators of breakage.
The scarf is snug and simply adjustable, too. By way of our hours of listening, the UltraPlush earcups hardly ever turn out to be uncomfortable. Nevertheless, different reviewers with different-sized ears bemoan the one-size method right here. The earpads aren’t replaceable both, which is a disappointment – if the leather-based begins to deteriorate after the guarantee expires, you’ll be compelled to purchase a brand new pair.
The stripped-back design additionally extends to the tactile buttons – urgent the emblem on the left cup will play/pause a monitor, whereas buttons above and under handle quantity. The system button is on the correct cup – we’ll dive into the features of that shortly.
Do the Beats Studio Professional sound good?
Assessment channel Snazzy Labs slams the Beats Studio Professional for his or her poor sound however, keep in mind, these aren’t audiophile headphones or studio reference headphones (regardless of the identify).
For £350, they nonetheless pack a strong sound to our ears. Punchy, deep bass and a crisp excessive finish, the sound profile will swimsuit the goal demographic – film and TV watchers, online game gamers, and music listeners eager about a various vary of genres.
Kaytramine’s Ok&A sounds superior on the Beats Studio Professional – the bassline is extremely deep, whereas Aminé’s vocal stands out properly. Comparatively, Shure’s similarly-priced AONIC 50 GEN 2 boast a extra pure sound and, because of this, Aminé sounds much less sibilant however the general monitor is much less thrilling. With the £999 Dali IO-12, we hear way more element within the combine and spot that the Beats’ headphones sound slightly compressed compared.
Fleetwood Mac’s Goals shines with the Studio Professionals. The kick drum and bassline punch via from the off, and Stevie Nicks’ vocal sounds familiarly stellar. The monitor’s refrain is vivid however slightly busy within the excessive finish when in comparison with the meticulous Dali IO-12 – these additionally give a a lot better stereo picture. The Shure AONICs are just like the Studio Professionals right here, however noticeably lack the depth within the bass.
For dance music, we check the Studio Professionals with deadmau5’s Alone With You. Curiously, the kick drum that begins the monitor sounds extra flat than on the AONIC, which higher accentuates the load of the drum. However, admittedly, all the combine sounds extra vigorous on the Studio Professionals. After all, it sounds its greatest on the Dali headphones.
The Studio Professionals pack spatial audio capabilities with head-tracking. This works as anticipated, however whether or not you utilize spatial audio can be a matter of style; it’s a pleasant characteristic to have, notably for motion pictures and TV reveals.
For lossless listening, you should use the offered USB-C cable to hook up with a tool with a USB-C port. From right here, you possibly can select from three EQ modes – Signature, Leisure, and Dialog. Signature is the basic Beats sound, whereas Leisure boosts the high-mids and the lows. Dialog successfully cuts the bass for when it’s good to chat with folks close by. It’s also possible to use the three.5mm analogue enter for different wired connections.
How good is Beats Studio Professional Lively Noise Cancelling?
Truthfully, the ANC on these headphones is great. Trains, planes and the outside are subdued with satisfaction on the Studio Professional. It’s no match for our Nuraphones, however in comparison with the Shure AONICs, it’s a transparent winner. As Soundguys factors out, although, if these don’t suit your ears in addition to they match ours, your expertise would possibly differ.
You’ll be able to toggle ANC on iPhone and macOS via your audio choices, or by way of the System button on the underside of the correct can. You additionally use this to energy on the headphones and swap between listening modes when related by way of USB-C – the a number of makes use of of this button turn out to be slightly irritating, but it surely’s alright when you’re used to it.
Observe additionally that they’ve slightly sound leakage, so in the event you plan on cranking them up on a quiet practice, these round you would possibly have the ability to hear your music.
Beats Studio Professional – Apple’s greatest headphones?
Marques Brownlee reckons the Beats Studio Professional could possibly be Apple’s greatest over-ear headphones but, regardless of not having Apple’s in-house H2 chip discovered within the AirPods Max. You’ll nonetheless get just a few of the Apple-esque options – quick pairing, for instance – however, frustratingly, there are some options that Beats’ Studio Professionals are lacking that you just’ll discover not solely on Apple’s AirPods Max, however in loads of competing headphones.
For one, multipoint connectivity is just for Google Android customers. For Apple customers, it is a letdown and means you’ll should manually join the Studio Professionals each time you wish to change your audio gadget. For a product that could possibly be seamlessly baked into the Apple ecosystem, that is simply annoying. There’s additionally no devoted app, as discovered on Android telephones, for adjusting settings. You’ll be able to use Siri and the Discover My characteristic with Apple units, at the very least.
Nevertheless, the Bluetooth connectivity is Class 1, supplying you with glorious connection vary. The 24-hour battery life (40 hours with out ANC) is commonplace however they take some time to enter standby mode – as an alternative, they deplete battery for some time whenever you take them off. Additionally they don’t auto-pause your audio whenever you take away them out of your head, which many different headphones on this worth bracket do. Apple’s fast-charge is on provide, at the very least, supplying you with 4 hours of playback on 10 minutes of cost.
Do you have to purchase the Beats Studio Professional headphones?
The Beats Studio Professional can be a superb match for anybody who desires a easy, classy-looking and fun-sounding pair of headphones for varied makes use of. They’re so near being wonderful, however sadly fall brief on lacking only a few options. And in the event you can attempt the Beats Studio Professional on before you purchase to get a way of the match, undoubtedly try this.
For a similar worth, there are many different choices that may pique your curiosity. It’s value having a look at Bose’s QuietComfort headphones and Sony’s respected WH-1000XM5 in the event you’re not sure.
We wouldn’t use them for any crucial listening periods or for producing music, however the Studio Professionals have been completely dependable for travelling, taking a stroll, and different easy-going environments. We’ve already seen the Studio Professionals out within the wild on trains, metropolis streets and on planes. We had been even sat in between two different passengers on a flight sporting them as we had been. You’ll be able to count on to proceed recognizing that iconic ‘b’ brand in your travels, too.
Key Options
- Beats Signature sound
- Spatial Audio compatibility
- Lively Noise Cancelling with transparency mode
- Lossless audio by way of USB-C with three EQ modes
- 3.5mm analogue enter
- Foldable design
- Carry case included
- 40 hours of battery life or 24 hours with ANC enabled
- Class 1 Bluetooth
