There was a time (not so long ago) when young people only had ears for themselves. Most often Ferrari red in color, swinging arrogant bass, Beats Audio headphones were in the 2010s the “ must have » to show off his hipness in the street. With his new helmet Studio Prothe brand of American producer Dr. Dre (bought by Apple in 2014) wants to show that it still has something under its belt.
But faced with fierce competition and products at the same price that border on excellence from Sony or Bose, can Beats Audio stand out? 20 minutes tested the latest descendant of the Beats siblings.
Premium colors, orders a little less…
No more red. Make way for sand, midnight blue, mocha and black, colors considered “more premium” by Beats. Six years after its Studio 3 headphones, the subsidiary of the Apple brand is back with a high-end headphone.
Beautifully made, this Studio Pro revisits the manufacturer’s emblematic design, with a refined headset whose “b” engraved on the earcups recalls its DNA. Pretty and well finished, it asserts its identity. And looks more adult.
Foldable, discreet in its supplied carrying case, the Studio Pro remains light with only 260 g. Aural circumference (its pads surround the ears), it firmly encloses the skull. A little too much, perhaps, not to be embarrassed after several hours of use.
Beats has favored mechanical buttons for controls, rather than tactile areas. A choice which we welcome (as the tactile zones often generate confusing commands), but which, from the first listens, has its downside. At the slightest press on the “b” of the left earcup (for Play/Pause, or take a call, for example), or at the top and bottom of the crown which surrounds it (to adjust the volume), a A little too pronounced plastic noise is heard. Not very premium…
Much more balanced sound
No more bass, too. Where Beats has long been accused of deliberately overdosing on the low frequencies of its headphones to appeal to juvenile ears, this Studio Pro shows much more moderation. Of course, the trademark is still there. When listening, the bass remains extremely present. But a much better balance was found with the mids and highs.
Our various listenings highlight a very warm sound reproduction, not devoid of details, with a fairly dull rendering, without shine, but which knows how to be appreciated. Hip/Hop; rap; pop, remain Beats’ favorite registers, but with the Studio Pro, we can also venture into rock and jazz without fear of damaging our eardrums. For the finesse of the classic, on the other hand, there is no salvation.
Spatial Audio compatible (the equivalent of Dolby Atmos at Apple), with head movement tracking (the artist’s voice remains positioned in its original place, as if he were on a stage, even if you turn the head), the Studio Pro is indeed an Apple offspring, these particular functions being very popular with Tim Cook’s brand. This is confirmed by the Studio Pro’s sole compatibility with AAC and SBC codecs (like on an iPhone). Here, no aptX or LDAC (less compressed).
Obviously, we would have appreciated an equalizer to adjust the original sound signature of the headset. None of this is offered.
Compatible with iOS and Android, the Studio Pro only offers an application for its second obedience, only for basic settings. With an iPhone, the smartphone control center offers the same functions, therefore very limited.
Paradoxically, it is by using it wired, connected via USB-C to a smartphone (Android for the moment, while waiting for the iPhone 15) that the Studio Pro offers three listening profiles: Music, Film, Podcast. And another paradox: used in USB-C, the headset interrupts its noise reduction. Too bad, this one is really good. It is finally and only via USB-C that we can listen to uncompressed music (24 bits at 48 kHz).
Almost perfect noise reduction
No more noise, yes, or almost. The noise reduction quality of the Studio Pro is to its credit. Benefiting from a very relevant Transparency mode to remain aware of your sound environment in the street, the headphones also manage to perfectly attenuate most urban noise. As with many of its noise-canceling competitors, the noise hustle and bustle of a subway train will be difficult to muzzle, but the device nevertheless manages to immerse us in a bubble of tranquility in most situations. Even in the office where the sound of surrounding discussions, although inaudible, remains slightly perceptible. About 80% of our fingers on our computer keyboard disappear.
Record autonomy
No more questions of autonomy at last. The Beats Studio Pro even surprised us. Announcing up to 40 hours of autonomy without noise reduction (24 hours, with), the headphones which accompanied us on numerous occasions during the summer, exceeded these promises by a few hours. You can therefore easily use it for a week to go to work and enjoy a little sound to relax without having to recharge it. A very good point.
No more competition, then? No. Because it sells for 399 euros, the Beats Studio Pro headphones will have to fight hard to silence two strong competitors. First, and at a lower cost, the Bose Headphones 700 (currently sold for 219 euros), a maestro in noise reduction.
But above all, Sony’s WH-1000XM5 headphones which, at the same price as the Studio Pro, surpass it on many points: better wearing comfort (everything can remain very subjective in this area!), but also an extremely precise application which allows you to perfectly customize your listening and adjust the noise reduction. Probably 50 euros too expensive, the Studio Pro may have difficulty standing out. Unless we also choose it, as was (too) long the case, for the looks.