Ever since
Beats by Dr. Dre severed its relationship with Monster , we've been waiting for the company to come out with a new version of its signature headphones, the Beats Studio, which were released in 2008 and became a cultural phenomenon. Now, five years later, we get the new, "reimagined" Studio headphones, at $299.95 (direct), is the second version of the original pair made by Monster (Beats is no longer associated with Monster, and HTC, which had a controlling interest for a while, is now also jumping ship). Equipped with some decent noise cancellation, the signature glossy look, and the deep low-end that made this lineup famous, or infamous, the new Studio will appeal to bass lovers and repel purists.
Design and features
Visually, the Beats lineup is possibly the most recognizable headphone design made since the 80s, even if that makes audiophiles cringe. You've seen them on the heads or resting around the necks of pro athletes and pop stars during press conferences and music videos—and that familiar look is a brand unto itself at this point. In other words: Beats isn't going to mess with the formula too much. The Beats Studio looks, to the casual observer, like most other Beats pairs that came before it, offered in shiny red, white, or black, with a bright red lowercase B logo on each ear.
The circumaural (over-the-ear) design features large, exceedingly comfortable earpads and a well-padded headband. Even over long listening sessions, the earpads don't get uncomfortable or too hot, and the same can be said for the headband. The headphones do not fold down flat, which is something much of the competition now does to allow for easier stowing.
The famously red cable is detachable from the left ear, and
the Beats Studio 2.0 ships with two of them—one with an inline three-button remote control and mic for controlling playback, volume, and answering calls on mobile devices, one without. There's also a red USB charging cable (it connects to the right ear)—this represents a leap for the redesigned headphones, as they now run on an internal rechargeable lithium ion battery and not AAA batteries, a minor victory for the environment. Beats claims an approximate battery life of 20 hours, but this will largely depend on how you use your headphones—specifically, how loud you listen to your tunes.
The left earcup has a Mute function—if you want to pause or play, use the remote on the cable, as the left ear's button will simply mute your audio while it's still playing. A Power button on the right ear activates the noise cancellation, and holding it down for a prolonged period powers them down. The power button can also be pressed and held for a shorter period to activate an LED display that shows how much battery life you have left—five dots is good, one dot is on the verge of death.
Annoyingly, you cannot listen to music on the Beats in passive mode without activating the noise cancellation, so the battery life will always be impacted by the noise cancellation circuitry when you're using them. You can also (quite easily) unintentionally leave the noise cancellation activated—it will remain on even if the cable is removed if you don't shut it off, as there's no auto-off function like you find in some competing models. It doesn't help that the Power button is tiny and easy to forget about.
The headphones also ship with a zip-up hard shell carrying case, a Beats decal, and a cleaning cloth.
Performance
The original Studio model led to the rise of headphones that overemphasize the bass and wasn't really true to its name ("studio" headphones are supposed to be accurate). And while the new Studios may not be true audiophile headphones like the Sennheiser Momentum ($350 list), they don't overwhelm you with bass. I'd describe the sound as "exciting" -- lots of detail and bass energy. If anything, there's some treble push.
Compared with the Momentums, the Studios aren't as accurate, but they're still a lot of fun to listen to, and one of the better-sounding active noise-canceling models I've heard. The Momentum headphones have less emphasis on detail, so they sound more natural.
Bass-wise the Studio pair certainly delivers -- it's powerful, but the Momentums' bass sounds better-balanced. Vocals sound more natural on the Momentum headphones (the Studios lack some of the richness that makes voices sound human).
As noted, the new Studio and original Studio models sound very different. The originals have less treble detail push, but there's a hollow, canned character that just sounds odd.
The new Studio headphones have no such aberration, and offer much-improved overall clarity; they're radically better-sounding.
Just like most of the other noise-canceling headphones we've tried, the Studio's built-in electronics introduce a small amount of hiss to the sound that's barely audible in quiet rooms. Of course you don't need noise cancellation in quiet rooms, but you can't turn the noise-canceling circuitry off and get any sound out of the headphones; it has to be engaged for them to work.
The noise cancellation worked well in the New York subway and city streets, but isn't as quite as effective as that of, for example, the Bose QuietComfort 15 headphones. In other words, if taming environmental noise is your first priority, the Bose QC 15s remain the headphones to get. That said, the Studios sound more dynamic than the Bose QC 15 headphones, which have a creamier, less detailed sound.
Interestingly, the Studio headphones' more forward and detailed sound does have some advantages in that it "cuts" better in noisy environments. In the quiet of your home, the hyped treble emphasis may be a turnoff to some (for instance, listening to Spoon's track "You Got Yr. Cherry Bomb," the tambourine playing throughout the tune ends up overwhelming the vocals). However, in noisier environments that treble push seems less evident, so the headphones sound better overall.
Yes, that sounds a little strange, but headphones do sound different under different listening conditions, and these seem to have been tuned for more on-the-go listening.
Comfort
The Studio's leather earpads are very comfortable and let less sound leak out than the previous version of the Studio headphones. Although the oblong pads are soft and the headband tension is excellent, these headphones don't provide the roomy cave-like experience that the Bose QuietComfort15's do, nor are they sculpted like the Logitech UE6000, which feel like they give ears a bit more space. The speakers are placed very close to your ears, so you'll feel the fabric that covers them.
Noise Cancellation
The Studio's rechargeable battery keeps the noise cancellation and audio going for up to 20 hours per charge, but like the Bose cans (which are rated to last 35 hours), the Beats stops playing audio when the power runs out. With the Bose, you can simply swap out the AAA battery, but the Beats requires an outlet or portable charger. That's a major concern for many listeners on long trips where they may not have access to power outlets or USB ports. The UE 6000, by comparison, is rated for 40 hours with its dual AAA batteries, and you can still listen to music when you run out of juice.
The noise cancellation on the Beats Studio operates in two modes. With the cable plugged into the earcup, the noise cancellation is less active, letting you hear a bit of what's going on around you; unplug the cable (and turn the power on if the headphones are in Auto Mode) and the noise cancellation gets a tiny bit stronger. Still it isn't particularly impressive in either mode, and although it's slightly better than the Logitech UE6000, the Studio doesn't come anywhere close to the Bose QC15's nearly black silence.
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