Photo by Billy Steele\/Engadget<\/p>\n<\/figure>\n
Inside, Beats swapped out the drivers for new 40mm units. A two-layer diaphragm combines with micro vents and fine acoustic mesh to streamline the airflow and minimize distortion. The company says the new drivers can provide \u201cnear-zero\u201d distortion even at high volumes, which is an up to 80 percent improvement from the Studio 3. That claim holds true as the Studio Pro doesn\u2019t distort when you crank it up to the eye-watering full volume. However, what the new components have done to improve clarity while providing a more balanced sound profile is more impressive.<\/p>\n
In its early days, Beats had a reputation for being too heavy-handed with the bass. While that hasn\u2019t been the case for a while, the company still has a propensity to highlight low-end. For the Studio Pro, there\u2019s still ample bass when a track calls for it, but that boom doesn\u2019t come at the sacrifice of mids and highs \u2013 or more importantly detail. Even the driving thump of the kick drum on TesseracT\u2019s \u201cWar of Being\u201d has noticeable texture throughout the song. It\u2019s not just a repetitive boom.<\/p>\n
Overall, the attention to clarity and the even-handed tuning across the EQ curve gives the Studio Pro quite immersive sound out of the box. Everything seems open and airy, with even the instruments in chaotic metal tracks remaining perfectly discernible. Turn on something softer like Charles Wesley Godwin\u2019s Live From The Church <\/em>or Nickel Creek\u2019s Celebrants <\/em>(country and bluegrass, respectively), and you immediately hear the layers of acoustic instruments and finer detail unique to each. Those records can sound like you\u2019re in the room while they\u2019re being recorded on the best-sounding headphones, and there\u2019s a sense of that on the Studio Pro. As you might expect, this latest Beats model excels with hip-hop tracks. The droning bass lines on albums like Killer Mike\u2019s MICHAEL <\/em>lay a thick foundation for the rest of the song to be built.<\/p>\nWhile Spatial Audio returns, chances are it won\u2019t sway your buying decision. The integration is similar to previous Beats and Apple earbuds and headphones, with Personalized Spatial Audio added in this time around. The technology still simulates the sound of 64 speakers, capable of moving with you if you have head tracking enabled. If you\u2019ve experienced Spatial Audio before, you know exactly what to expect: slightly louder, more airy tunes where the technology\u2019s immersive nature can vary from album to album and genre to genre. When it hits though, like on Pearl Jam\u2019s \u201cEven Flow,\u201d older tracks have new life. With boygenius\u2019 The Record <\/em>though, I can\u2019t tell the difference when Spatial Audio is on. I\u2019m also less sold on the dynamic head tracking Beats added on the Studio Pro.<\/p>\nPhoto by Billy Steele\/Engadget<\/p>\n<\/figure>\n
Then there are the new USB-C EQ profiles. When you\u2019re connected to a computer or other compatible device, ANC and Transparency mode are disabled. Instead, the power button on the Studio Pro cycles through wired presets for music, entertainment and calls. That 5-LED array below the power control indicates which profile you\u2019re on and will be essential until you memorize the audible tones for each one. Signature and Conversation work best for music and calls respectively, while I\u2019m less impressed by the Entertainment setting. All three are fine, but those two are the ones I found myself coming back to in wired mode. Like Spatial Audio content in Dolby Atmos, mileage can vary listening to lossless tunes via Apple Music. Some albums are noticeably better with wired USB-C, while others sound nearly identical to streaming over Bluetooth.<\/p>\n
Although Beats doesn\u2019t quantify with a number, it says ANC performance is improved on the Studio Pro when compared to the Studio 3. Fully adaptive active noise cancellation uses outward facing mics to monitor your environment while inward pointing units catch any sounds that might sneak through due to fit. The company explains that the ANC boost is also partially due to updated microphones all around as they have higher sensitivity and a better signal-to-noise ratio. While the Studio Pro doesn\u2019t beat the noise-blocking powers of Bose or Sony, the ANC on the Studio Pro is noticeably better than the Studio 3 \u2013 especially for things like television noise and human voices. And similar to the previous model, the latest Beats headphones analyze audio up to 48,000 times per second to maintain pristine clarity.<\/p>\n
Lastly, let\u2019s discuss Transparency Mode. While I welcome the inclusion here over not offering ambient sound at all, I did have higher hopes. It works fine, but lacks the natural clarity of Apple\u2019s AirPods Max or AirPods Pro. I thought Beats might come close since it works closely with Apple on several aspects of its products, but that\u2019s not the case. Apple remains truly unmatched when it comes to Transparency Mode. It often sounds like you\u2019re not even wearing headphones at all, mostly due to how natural your own voice sounds fed back through those devices.<\/p>\n
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