Suffice it to say, the Studio3 wireless headphones have come a long way from when the brand was under Monster. These are on par with the likes of the Bose QuietComfort 35 IIs, and with a suggested retail price of $349.95, they’re not cheap. GearLab is founded on the principle of honest, objective, reviews. Our experts test thousands of products each year using thoughtful test plans that bring out key performance differences between competing products. And, to assure complete independence, we buy all the products we test ourselves. Pressing the play/pause button twice or thrice can also skip tracks forward and back.
Apple users can’t use the included in-line microphone cable or 3.5mm audio port. The Studio3 Wireless have middling sound quality, at best. Full review here) get right – but at least Beats accomplishes the bare minimum.
Apple’s W1 chip makes pairing with Apple devices dead simple. Performs well as a headset for making phone calls and and stacks up well against competing models from a sound standpoint. 2.4 GHz transmission frequency, Bluetooth wireless, around 33 ft. operating range. Manufacturer claims the noise cancellation feature monitors the sounds around the user and adjusts the level of noise cancelation to best match the environment. It is also claimed to evaluate fit and adjust for leakage caused by hair, glasses, the shape of the user’s ears, and movement of the user’s head.
In our testing here we got 10 hours, 12 minutes on 100% volume with ANC turned on, so it isn’t hard to see how you could push these well beyond the 22 hours unless you want to blow out your eardrums. External noise is actively blocked by Pure Active Noise Cancelling . A quality listening experience is preserved via real-time audio calibration. With a battery life of up to 22 hours, you may enjoy full-featured all-day wireless playback. Apple’s W1 processor provides Class 1 Wireless Bluetooth connection while also maximizing battery life.
We’ve personally tested Beats Studio cans in the past, and they’re some of our favorite headphones for music and traveling, due to their rich, clear sound quality. And on top of being genuinely comfortable to wear, they’re also foldable. Once you collapse them, they pack away inside a hard-shelled carrying case to protect them from getting damaged. Sound quality is usually the all-important thing with headphones, but that’s not really the case with noise canceling sets. What you’re looking for with them is something that’s good enough, something that conveys and the emotion and the impact of the music without worrying too much about its purity or realism. Even the B&W PX, my current pick for best-sounding noise-canceling cans, feel quite harsh and less than optimal when listened to in a quiet environment.
Or as fellow CNET editor Ty Pendlebury remarked, “It’s really good headphone for people who listen to pop music.” The electronic circuitry for the noise cancelation function is integrated into headphones earpiece rather than incorporated as a separate module that is integrated into the audio cord. On Jay-Z and Kanye West’s “No Church in the Wild,” the kick drum loop’s attack gets plenty of high-mid presence and retains its sharp attack, allowing it to cut through the several layers of the mix. Thus, those seeking out a mega-boosted bass sound will likely be disappointed with the balanced, crisp Studio3 Wireless. The vocals here benefit from the solid high-mid presence—perhaps things get a tad too sibilant here and there, but this is a clean sound, generally speaking.
The lower the low-frequency response, the stronger and juicier the bass. Water-resistant devices can resist the penetration of water, such as powerful water jets, but not being submerged into water. We’re Back Market, the leading marketplace for renewed devices. To fight e-waste by giving expertly restored devices a second life. Very grateful, because I was skeptical at first due to the bargain.
Meanwhile, the Beats Fast Fuel feature gives you three hours of playback from just 10 minutes of charging. Has a control that turns off the audio, and in the case of noise canceling models turns off the noise canceling function, so that ambient sounds can be heard. Useful for hearing ambience like travel announcements without turning off the audio player or removing the headphones. Moving past the adaptive claims and simply testing the overall NC performance, we got solid results. Listening to the NC itself, with no music, the circuitry does produce a very slightly audible hiss, but this is typical, and you won’t notice the hiss with audio playing.
When you don’t have anything playing, it’s a distractingly loud white noise, though when you do it obviously disappears along with most other things in your environment. I think Sony has hands down the best and most effective noise canceling tech at the moment, and the Beats Studio 3 don’t really beats flex review rival it. I can hear a lot more of the train noise on the London underground with the Beats headphones than I can with the Sony alternative. Even so, drowning out the hubbub of an open-plan office or some other simple task shy of taking a long-haul flight is no problem for the Beats cans.