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Beats headphones are among the most iconic over- or on-ear headphones in the modern era, having launched in 2006 with a direct partnership with Dr. Dre. These headphones sported a unique look, with the lower-case “b” logo proudly emblazoned on each ear cup. In fact, thanks to their bold colors and flashy exterior, they were often seen as a fashion accessory first and an audio listening device second.
These early versions relied so heavily on their hip-hop pedigree and fashion-forward design that many audiophiles lamented that they didn’t sound all that good. Recently, the brand has seen something of a resurgence, focusing on releasing high-quality products with balanced audio and tons of solid features for today’s on-the-go listener. There are also several models that are considered excellent choices for different segments, like the flagship-focused Studio Pro with its 14,000-strong 4.5-star Amazon rating or the sport focused Powerbeats Pro 2. If you’re in the market for a pair, consider checking out this Beats buying guide. But what do reviewers and users say about Beats today?
The original Beats’ muddy legacy
One of the principal criticisms of the original Beats headphones was that the sound felt overly bloated and muddy. But what does that actually mean? Because Beats headphones were tuned in partnership with one of the biggest names in hip-hop, it would make sense that there’s an emphasis on bass. And with Sony’s “extra-bass” technology a big part of the headphone market in those early days, it’s something that Beats probably thought would be popular in the market.
And with a solid market share and plenty of celebrities swearing by those early Beats Studio models, that bet paid off. But from an audiophile perspective, the sound profile could definitely feel a little bottom heavy. When there’s too much bass in a pair of headphones — particularly ones that go over your ears — it can crowd out a lot of the upper and mid-level frequencies. So if you’re looking for detail, clarity, and a balanced soundstage, then too much bass can actually get in the way and make the sound feel flat. It’s this sound profile that led many discerning listeners to write off the brand’s early models.
The well-reviewed newcomers
In 2014, the Beats brand was acquired by Apple, and with that, we saw the launch of a few models that employ Apple’s H1 chip for instant pairing and unique software features. This first model under this new stewardship was the Powerbeats Pro, and 82,000+ Amazon reviewers lauded them for their comfortable fit and balanced, workout-friendly audio quality. This was something of a signal to the larger consumer audio space that Beats headphones were here to provide excellent quality for even picky listeners.
In the past few years, Beats have built on this success with a few other interesting models. First there’s the second generation of the Powerbeats Pro offering a new bright orange colorway, noise-cancelling technology, and even more refined audio, which we loved in our review here on BGR. Amazon reviewers also love this new addition for its high-quality design and easy-to-use on-device controls. Other users were pleasantly surprised with how good the sound and noise-cancellation was, on-par with the AirPods Max.
It’s the Beats Studio pro, though, that really brings Beats into the flagship space. Competing with flagship models from Sony and Bose, the Studio Pros are loved by real users for their superb sound that is plenty loud enough and more comfortable to wear over time than Apple equivalents. They also earned high marks in our hands-on Studio Pro review.
