Beats Studio Buds + Review

Our Beats Studio Buds + Experience

The Beats case is somewhat see-through, with a look that might be trending toward edgy, but fails to be cool or interesting by missing the mark of being clear; instead, it just looks undone. The buds themselves are slightly more interesting with a clear-ish body, but again, the inner workings aren't actually visible, which is the only reason to bother with this design choice.

The case is oval and smooth, making it awkward to handle. It reminded us of a travel sewing kit, with the expectation of finding a small pair of scissors tucked inside. It is also larger than it should be, with a busy inside view where everything blends when we flipped the top. The buds easily snap into their slots with magnets, but the top gripable part of the bud is slick and hard to pull, making it challenging to pull them from the case. The buds are not labeled, and we frequently attempted to put them in the wrong slot; the only thing stopping us was the silicone tip bouncing the bud back up.

The Studio Buds+ do not have stabilization wings, which means they tend to fall out during high-activity situations if the buds don't fit properly. This makes them unsuitable for activities beyond sitting or slow walking. While we thought they were more comfortable than the hook-style Beats, they don't stand out in terms of comfort compared to competitors. They have four silicone tips to choose from, and changing them was easy.

The Beats Studio Buds+ did not stand out in terms of user experience. They didn't give us any problems with pairing or maintaining a connection, but the app has minimal features, and even when paired with iOS, there wasn't much we could control.

We love how long the battery lasts, taking us most of the way through work and beyond with just a quick five-minute charge, which is enough time to make it through our commute. Placing calls was also a pleasure, with clear voices on both ends in most environments. Even when they failed to silence the background totally, they did a good enough job to keep the conversation flowing.

Our Analysis and Test Results

Sound Quality

We ran the Beats Studio Buds + through two separate types of sound quality tests to obtain the most comprehensive and accurate results. Our audio experts found that while the sound profile aligns closely with our curve, the listening experience suffers from a lack of clarity. There's no particular volume sweet spot where song mixes sound full and clear.


At all volumes, the midrange feels particularly underemphasized, while the bass is quite heavy and demanding. With vocal-heavy songs like “Shine” by Leon Bridges, there is strong sibilance (hissing sound) that is quite distracting from the rest of the mix. However, after removing the glaringly subpar midrange from the track, modern instrumental music offers an interesting and immersive listening experience, with the emphasis on heavy bass creating a punchy energy.

We compared the Beats frequency response baseline against our GearLab House Curve. Taking a look at our frequency response chart, we see that the Studio Buds + follow our House Curve quite closely until it hits some deviation in the midrange.

This confirms our expert's experience that vocals often struggle to be heard clearly in the mix. Bass-heavy instrumental music (not EDM, but actual instruments) can remove the midrange distractions. However, it's hard to recommend these buds for any other music genre.


Soundstage

While we were able to locate individual instruments around us with the Beats Studio Buds +, they don't create a big, expansive soundstage. That means that simple arrangements work much better than big stadium bangers. Sparse songs like “I Want You” by The Hunter Express work beautifully, allowing listeners a closeness to the guitar and lone voice that would get lost in a bigger space or showier production.

It sounds more accurate and authentic because the small details are audible without losing clarity. This is particularly noticeable at 1:16 when the vocalist sings the word “you” with a pronounced “ch” sound and at 1:33, 1:40, or 1:43 when fingers are sliding over the frets. These little imperfections come through cleanly and establish the intimate, unpolished mood the lyrics are trying to evoke.

Comfort and Fit

Overall, these earbuds are comfortable enough for medium-to-large ears; however, being on the heavier side, they may feel a bit insecure for smaller ears. As such, those with smaller ears might find longer listening sessions uncomfortable.

Noise Cancellation

We measured the Beats Studio Buds+ noise-cancelling abilities by finding the best passive seal.

Then we turned Active Noise Cancellation (ANC) on, allowing us to distinguish between the passive and active noise-cancelling abilities. The ANC on these earbuds fell short across all ranges. Although they do manage to block some noise, it isn't much better than wearing a pair of earplugs.

They struggle to block mid to treble-range noise (think cafe or office chatter). Compared to the other competitors, they also don't block bass very well. However, when considering price, they do outperform some of their more expensive competitors. These earbuds are not the strongest performers, but they offer ANC at a significantly lower price point than we typically see.

App Features

The Android app is decent, but simple. There is no EQ customizability or ear fit seal test, but it does have the ability to toggle through active noise cancellation (ANC) modes, but they can't be customized. Apple users don't get an app at all. They pair well with Apple products (Apple owns Beats), but there are still minimal features to explore.

Battery Life

Battery life is where these earbuds really shine, with some of the longest playback times we recorded during testing.


The manufacturer claims that the Studio Buds+ play for around 8 hours, and we measured 9 hours and 40 minutes. It is rare to see performance exceed the manufacturer's claims. The case offers two charges, and a 5-minute quick charge nets another hour. The case does not have wireless charging capability.

Call Quality

The Beats Studio Buds + have outstanding call quality. We recorded how the calls sound in a hushed room, and the call was very clear. During the subway stress test, we could make out the voices clearly, with lower voices sounding louder than higher-pitched voices.

They had excellent, clear mic quality with light background chatter, outperforming some of the most premium earbuds in our lineup. With background office noise, voices remained quite clear despite also being able to hear some of that background.