Buy Beats Headphones
Jimmy Iovine is just as important to the Beats story as Dr. Dre. The Interscope records co-founder started the company alongside the rapper/producer in 2006. Beats initially focused on headphones and speakers, and in 2012 the company would grab 64% of the $100-and-up headphone market. But as the industry inched its way into the streaming age, it would follow in early 2014 with Beats Music.
buy beats headphones
Of course, Beats has that massive headphone and speaker business -- it's not all about turning Beats Music into Apple's own service. After joining Apple, the company would release new headphones, but the fruits of the relationship didn't blossom until fall 2016. As part of the iPhone 7 reveal, Beats announced that it had three new headphone options in the works. All three would feature the W1 chip that powered Apple's own true wireless AirPods. The Powerbeats 3, Beats Solo3 Wireless and the eventually delayed BeatsX would pack in quick-pairing features, improved battery life and Fast Fuel rapid charging. Apple had benefited from Beats' streaming service, and now Beats headphones were benefiting from Apple's engineering smarts. The company would follow up a year later with a fourth model that leveraged the power of the W1 chip: the noise-canceling Studio3 Wireless.
Beats headphones have been (rightfully) criticized for too much bass, and for their cheaper build quality that relied more on brand recognition than good design. In recent years though, that's changed. The tuning on the Studio3 wireless, specifically, stood out to me as a new sound profile for Beats. There was still plenty of bass but it was no longer overpowering, and thus the headphones were much more enjoyable to use.
"We thought we were pretty good until we got to Apple, and then we started learning what 'good' really was," Beats President Luke Wood told TechRadar last month. "Apple had so much incredible discipline and rigor around product quality." He would go on to explain that in the early days of Beats, "no one was making headphone products to articulate the bottom end." However, the company didn't ignore its critics, and Wood noted that the bass-heavy reputation was "absolutely taken into consideration" when the company was building its first true wireless model: the Powerbeats Pro.
In a lot of ways, Powerbeats Pro epitomizes how being part of Apple has affected Beats products. The W1 chip has been replaced by the H1 found in the latest AirPods. In addition to fast pairing, quick charging and more-reliable connectivity, the H1 chip enables Siri to be always listening -- without you having to press a button to summon it. The sound quality on the Powerbeats Pro is also much improved: better tuned to keep plenty of bass, while not sacrificing the detail from the mids and highs. It's hands-down the most well-rounded, best-sounding set of Beats headphones.
Overall, Beats products have improved over the past five years, and Apple can take most of the credit. Of course, better Beats headphones now affect its own bottom line and will do so for the foreseeable future.
In five years, Apple caught Spotify in the US, and its 40 million subscribers (likely way more at this point), are paying off the investment in Beats. More important, the company is a major player in music streaming, the medium that accounts for nearly half of global revenue industrywide. Sure, Beats headphones are better, but Apple was primarily interested in Beats Music, which it has successfully transformed into its own service.
Perfect for studying, workdays and workouts, Kim K x Beats Fit Pro Bluetooth headphones provide up to six hours with ANC/Transparency on (24 hours with charging case). Get up to seven hours in Adaptive EQ with ANC/Transparency off (30 hours with charging case).
The crown jewel of the Beats headphones, so to speak, the Studio 3 headphones are immersive over-ear headphones made to drown out outside noise and give you top-tier audio quality. Unlike the Solo 3, Studio 3 is outfitted with Active Noise Cancellation and Transparency Mode, so you can switch back and forth between how much sound you wish to let in at any given time. With noise cancellation on, they pack up to 22 hours of battery life (a seriously long time for ANC to stay on) and, when off, up to 40 hours of battery life. Similar to Solo 3, Studio 3 has on-ear play, pause, and skip controls.
Powerbeats Pro are the fitness earbuds that keep on giving. They are most known for their secure hook design, which helps hold the earbud in a locked-in position through the most intense workout sessions. Powerbeats Pro also has a long nine-hour battery life and sweat and water resistance. The one thing the Powerbeats Pro doesn't have is Active Noise Cancellation, but they make up for it with an Apple H1 chip, which helps ensure more seamless pairing with Apple devices and features like audio sharing and Siri assistance. The Powerbeats Pro comes with voice call capability too, as well as a charging case that powers for up to 24 hours.
It's hard to exactly pindown where the Powerbeats Pro sit among the Beats earbuds because they're so unique. You can wear these for everyday use, especially if you're a fan of the over-ear hook design, but where the Powerbeats Pro shine is when used for fitness purposes. If you're tired of your earbuds falling short in the gym then a pair of Powerbeats Pros should be added to your gym bag in the near future.
The on-ear and over-ear Beats headphones are best suited for those who are really looking to enjoy their music or podcasts. The Solo 3 has been a mainstay in the Beats lineup for years thanks to its ability to pack deep bass and crisp audio for a friendly price point (only $200). Special features that stand out include a marathon 40-hour battery life; ear cup controls that can pause, play, and skip; and a compact and minimalist design that doesn't take up much space.
If you are looking for a pair of on-ear headphones that you can carry around for everyday use or for travel, then the Solo 3 is a fine choice. As for fitness? It's possible you could wear them working out, but due to the plastic ear cups and on-ear fit, we find the headphones become prone to slipping off and moving around when sweat gets involved. The Solo 3 is also not waterproof, let alone sweatproof.
The Studio 3 Wireless are the most fully featured Beats headphones and have a decent claim to be the best you can buy. This also means they are the most expensive, but their RRP still undercuts similar products from Bose and Sony.
They fit snugly, resulting in solid passive noise isolation and very little chance of them falling out of your ears; this is backed up by both ear hooks and a neck cable which might even be overkill, and do make the headphones difficult to put on and take off.
Apple is apparently in advanced talks to buy headphone maker Beats Electronics in a deal that could be worth $3.2 billion. Many people are puzzled why Apple would want to acquire Beats: reviewers have repeatedly described Beats headphones as average, an attribute that doesn't fit with Apple's mantra to make the best products in the world. Some are arguing that Apple is buying Beats for its streaming service Beats Music, which was launched earlier this year. If so, the question is why Apple doesn't buy Spotify or Rdio, two established streaming services that don't come with the additional weight of a hardware business.From an economic point of view, a $3 billion purchase of Beats doesn't seem like that bad a deal. After all, despite its mediocre reviews, Beats headphones are immensely popular among the youth, as anyone who has recently used public transportation can testify. Running a well-oiled marketing machine, heavily relying on celebrity endorsements Beats managed to make its headphones the hottest brand in the industry. The result of a Spring 2014 survey among American teenagers speaks for itself: 46% of the respondents claimed that their next pair of headphones is going to be a pair of Beats. Ranked second, ironically, at 25% was no other than Apple itself.
But if you're shopping for a pair of earbuds -- whether on Apple's website or at a store -- don't be surprised to find stocks of Beats Studio Buds nearby. The infamous Beats label, which once lived on the ears of every walking athlete and celebrity, was acquired by Apple in 2014. Since then, Apple has been selling Beats-made headphones and earbuds in its own stores.
The Powerbeats Pro might be the go-to pick for workouts, and the Studio Buds are likely your best bet for pure in-ear listening, but the Fit Pro manages to sit right in the sweet spot of these two options and provide a superb experience whatever the occasion.
Beats Solo Pro is a pair of headphones that takes the smarts and noise cancelling of the Studio 3 and puts them in a smaller, on-ear pair of headphones. It's probably the best pair of wireless headphones Beats has made to date.
The headphones themselves feature a premium anodised aluminium arm that slides smoothly in and out of the headband, while the ear cups have memory foam-stuffed padding. It offers more surface contact than its predecessor, thanks to a redesign and new materials. The ear cups are mounted on arms in a way that allows them to move and angle freely to fit each user.
The built-in rechargeable battery can last over 22 hours, and the lightweight build combined with the soft materials used will mean you'll want to keep them on your head for as long as possible. There are controls on the headphones themselves to skip tracks, change volume and accept phone calls.
The Beats Studio are not just one of the most iconic pairs of Beats headphones available, but one of the most iconic pairs of headphones full stop. Soundwise, they're bassy (as you'd expect), but the entire nature of the audio profile seems to have shifted to make it more refined. They can go loud and hard, and the addition of active noise cancellation should only help focus you on the music.
They're the smallest and subtlest of any Beats headphones, with impressive longevity. Battery life totals up to 15 hours with noise cancelling on, or 24 with it disabled, while a five-minute Fast Fuel charge gives up to an hour of playback if you need to dash out the door. 041b061a72