Beats Studio Pro Review

Our Beats Studio Pro Headphones Experience

The Beats feel cheaper than we expected for the price, failing to measure up to the similarly priced competition when pulled from the box. They come with a soft case that isn't as substantial as the hard cases we see in others, and they include a USB-C charging cord and a 3.5 mm audio cable.

The Beats aren't the most comfortable option. The design has two major flaws: it does not work well with glasses, and it has a folding hinge joint that captures hair and pulls it out. While they managed to stay on fairly securely while working out and moving, we still prefer earbuds over headphones for sweaty or energetic pursuits.

The Beats Studio Pro aren't the best for user experience and ease of use. The headphones have intuitive controls, but their customizations are limited, and they lack basic features such as Head Detection, Passive Playback, and Multipoint connection. If they were more budget-friendly, this might be acceptable, but their price puts them in a category of contenders with far more features and better performance.

Making calls with the Studio Pro is frustrating. While the calls didn't drop, it was hard for others to hear us and for us to hear them. The busier the background got, the worse the calls went. We ended up not using them for meetings at all, and calls were only taken if mandatory, and using the phone would have been harder for some reason.

Sound Quality

The Beats Studio Pro sound is forward, almost punching you in the face with its powerful presence, creating an exciting and dramatic listening experience. The volume cranks up loud and maintains most of its outstanding clarity, though the trebles can strike a bit too high on the maximum setting.

The bass is where these headphones shine. It is elevated and plays a defining role in the mix, adding that boom that many users drool over. Despite their power, our testers say, “They never become distorted or blown dramatically out of proportion.” Alternative, pop, and hip-hop songs from Teddy Swims, Cardi B, and Tyler the Creator were all pleasant to our ears, though some bass heads might feel they could use a little more oomph.

The mids don't sound as dominant in the mix, but they're warm, full, and developed. After listening to Taylor Swift's “Guilty as Sin?” our expert ear says, “There's a richness to the mids that adds a depth and earthiness to the sound, making it feel organic and vulnerable. Each instrument comes through cleanly and cohesively without muddiness.” The highs are forward and clean, providing an exciting listening experience across pop, rock, and even classical tracks by Tove Lo, Little Richard, and Finghin Collins. However, harmonicas, cymbals, or vocalists hitting high notes with a fortissimo sometimes sound slightly sharp.

The Studio Pro's frequency response confirms our audio experts' takeaways. The results mirror the shape of our Target Response Curve well. The lows and highs are gently scooped upwards, providing a pleasing sound mix that complements a wide range of genres, though pop stood out the most.

Most consumers associate Beats with powerful boomy bass, and it's there, but it is not the most forward-facing frequency in the response curve. The highs are the most elevated, adding an added layer of excitement and explaining why they sometimes hit too sharply.

Soundstage

The clarity and balance of the sound are good, but the space feels somewhat closed off.

Individual instrumental voices can be pointed to on a virtual stage, and there is some sense of atmosphere and space, but it lacks a huge, wide-open sound. Beats offers an option for upgraded immersion using Apple's Personalized Spatial Audio feature, but you'll need an iPhone to take advantage of it.

Comfort and Fit

We achieved an average of four hours of comfortable wear time with the Studio Pro. The materials don't feel as pillowy-soft as other competitors' but are adequate. The foam cushion is somewhat stiff and presses uncomfortably with a strong clamping force.

The headphones weigh 266 grams, and the earcups measure 59 x 40 millimeters, which should ensure a good fit for the average listener, provided they can tolerate the stronger clamping force. The force works in their favor, creating a stable and somewhat sweaty gym companion.

Noise Cancellation

Studio Pro offers good, but not amazing, noise cancellation. We could still hear the jet engine on an airplane and a fair amount of background noise at the gym. Keyboards, ceiling fans, and muffled conversations were dulled but not enough.

On average, the Studio Pro reduces sound by 17 decibels, which isn't much compared to similarly priced options that block 27+ decibels.

While the ANC is unimpressive, the Beat's Transparency mode is outstanding. The sound is so crisp and natural that we could hear a phone gently placed on a desk. Therefore, if staying in touch with your surroundings is important, the Studio Pro excels in this regard.

App and Controls

The Beats take a hybrid approach to customization, offering an app for Android users and integrated iOS controls for iOS devices. They're nearly identical, but Apple users gain access to Personalized Spatial Audio, which tailors the sound to your ear shape for a 3D listening experience. They can also track head movements to make you feel like the virtual speakers are moving wherever you go.

Controls

The Beats have some of the coolest controls we've ever tested. They have the sleek look of a modern touchpad but the reliability of old-school buttons. We loved the physical controls, which are very straightforward, but click loudly. Unfortunately, they lack automatic play/pause functionality when the headphones are removed or placed on your head, and don't provide wired passive playback in case the battery dies.

Customization

Unlike its competitors, the Studio Pro doesn't offer in-app EQ adjustments. However, connecting them to your iPad, iPhone, or Mac with the USB-C cable allows you to toggle between three EQ-optimized sound profiles. The Signature profile is balanced for music, the Entertainment profile is designed for movies and games, and the Conversation profile optimizes voices for podcasts. It's a nice feature, but you may need a USB-C to Lightning adaptor to access it. Similarly, the Pro also supports USB-C Lossless Audio for improved audio quality when in wired mode, but you'll need access to lossless audio content (and potentially an adaptor for Apple) to enjoy it.

Connectivity

The Beats have a unique dual ecosystem chipset that grants access to Apple One-Touch Pairing and Google Fast Pair, saving time and frustration when connecting. The connection was reliable, even with multiple users and devices.

Unlike nearly all of the headphones in our lineup that support Class 2 Bluetooth, the Beats supports Class 1 Bluetooth, which promises a longer range and more stable connection. Our measured range was 116 feet, which is below average, but the connection was stable.

Despite the dual chipset, Apple-only perks are limited when you add a second device. The Pro supports iCloud pairing, automatically linking to other devices in an iCloud account. But it lacks Multipoint, so you'll be stuck manually swapping audio between paired Apple devices. Also, the Pro doesn't support Apple Audio Share, so you can't share content with nearby Apple devices.

Android users experience fewer restrictions, allowing access to Android Audio Switch, which automatically swaps audio between devices linked to a Google account. However, multi-OS users cannot simultaneously connect one Apple and one Android device due to the lack of Multipoint.

Battery

The Studio Pro outperformed many competitors in terms of battery life, boasting a 28-hour runtime, but it can't compete with others that last up to 50 hours.

However, for an ANC product, the Studio Pro's run time is fairly average.

Call Quality

The Beats performed poorly in terms of call quality, struggling to relay our voices loud enough for them to be clearly understood. In mock calls from noisy or quiet settings, the Studio Pro were incredibly muted. The Pro live calls sounded slightly better, but the sound was still quiet and somewhat muted.

During loud subway station calls, the Studio Pro did a superb job of removing chaotic background sounds, but it also removed much of the caller's voice. We had to crank up the volume to hear them. Similarly, background sounds from a vibrant office space are almost entirely removed, but the caller's voice is once again muffled.