Feel like your music is good enough to let everyone hear it? That’s the issue the 2013 Beats Studio headphones are plagued with.
What Is It?
The same old Beats headphones that you see every jerk wearing.
What’s Good?
Oh, so comfy.
Also, the bass. It’s deep. You know, like every pair of Beats headphones. There’s a bit missing in the mid-channel, though. Nothing to write home about: it’s the standard Beats’ sound that fans of rap, R&B and dance music seem to love.
We’re giving these a pretty hard time so far, but There are a few nifty features to love on the new Beats Studio headphones.
There’s a noise-cancellation feature on the new Beats, with a gentle hiss being pumped through the headphones to block out the largely annoying tones around you. It’s not perfect, but it’s better than nothing.
The new Studios also come with a stealthy little button on the side of the can that, when you push and hold it, immediately mutes the music and the noise cancelling so you can actually hear whoever is talking to you without removing your cans, although it’s probably a polite thing to do.
That’s about it.
What’s Bad?
Jesus Christ, have you seen what they still look like? David Guetta gets around with these things strapped to his neck, not his ears. Enough said.
Also, these headphones are only passive noise-cancelling. That means they emit a low hiss to block out what’s going on outside of your giant red/purple/white/black ears, but not one that’s enough to overcome the most annoying person on the train.
Actually, strike that: the most annoying person on the train is going to be you if you buy these.
There is so much sound leakage from the Beats Studio headphones that it’s frankly embarrassing. Pump your volume up halfway and you’ll have people looking your way because they can hear exactly what’s going on inside your headset.
Our publisher Danny Allen commented that these headphones bleed so much that they might as well have haemophilia. Harsh, but not unfounded.
Should You Buy It?
Unless you’re obsessed with the fashion statement these headphones represent or are willing to listen to your music below half-volume forever, these are probably best avoided.
For $400, you can get a much better pair of headphones. The Monster Purity Pro headphones we tested have better sound, active noise-cancelling, the same “style” and Bluetooth for less money. The Sony MDR-1RBT headphones are also great because they leak way less sound and also pack Bluetooth and buttons to control your music on the actual headphones themselves.