The True Wireless mania shows no signs of stopping. Only in
the last few weeks we have tried the excellent Sony WF1000-XM4, together with
the particular Nothing ear (1) , very different products
in terms of characteristics and price range. There are now dozens of model
on the market, for an evident saturation but which has brought health
competition.
Now it's time to talk about Beats Studio Buds, a well-known
name on the technological scene and which has always focused on a trendy design
and very powerful bass. There is no shortage of interesting ideas, from
the perfect integration with the iPhone marketingmediaweb to the possibility of using them also
on Android, not at all obvious since Beats is owned by Apple. Then we find
the cancellation of sounds and full compatibility with Dolby Atmos on iOS, all
elements that make up a convincing product even if not perfect.#@!
Lightweight
and comfortable, perfect headphones for fitness
Beats has
fully embraced green themes for the packaging of these Studio Beats, made
entirely of paper. The approach is less obvious than that seen divinebeautytips in the Sony WF1000-XM4 review , but this is a positive
aspect, because the package is perfectly usable even once opened. The Sony
box in fact did not close after the first opening, in the case of the Beats
instead the contents of the sales pack can be kept inside.
The bundle
includes a USB Type C charging cable and nanobiztech two rubber pads, in size S and L,
while the M is already pre-installed on the earphones. Nice idea of
explaining the use of the accessories through the writings printed directly
in the box of the package, while in the bundle the three months of free subscription to Apple Music stand out .
The charging case has small dimensions and is available techcrunchblog in different colors, we
tried the white, less flashy than other shades. The Beats logo is stamped
on the front and a small status LED can be seen, while the USB Type C port for
charging is installed at the bottom. The plastic used is of decent quality
but nothing more, in this respect we have seen better in this price
range. Once the cases has been opened, you will immediately notice the two
earphones, imprinted with the Beats logo, and the button to activate pairing
with the smartphone. In the case of iOS this happens as soon as the lid of
the package is lifted, as if we were in front of a normal pair of AirPods.
The first thing that amazes as soon as you pick up globalmarketingbusiness one of the earphones is the
weight, very low, as well as the dimensions, lower than other models we have
tried recently. The Beats Studio are discrete earphones ,
the smaller than average size allows them to be hidden almost inside the ear,
moreover the rubber offers a high adherence, just choose the one of the most
suitable size for your ear.
This allows you to use them even during sports, from running to weightlifting,
without the headphones falling off. Another element that leads us to
recommend them for sport is the IPX4 certification, which makes them resistant
to splashes of water.
Charging
connectors are available in the lower part of the earphones. The earphones
are magnetically anchored to the case, however it took us a while to understand
how to put them correctly in the package, it takes a moment of practice but then
the positioning becomes natural.
Under the Beats logo, in both earphones, we find two physical buttons , a rarity in an industry
that has made touch controls a mantra. With a short click you can start or
pause playback, with a double click you go to the next track and with three
clicks to the previous one. Alternatively, a long press allows control of
sound suppression or activation of Siri.
It is not
possible, at least for now, to raise or lower the volume, a function that Beats
seems to introduce at a later time via a firmware update. This is an
important shortcoming, because it forces you to pick up the phone or use the
smartwatch to do so.
Furthermore, the commands cannot be modified in any other way, different
functions cannot be associated with the three types of clicks and with
prolonged pressure. Too bad also for the absence of the proximity
sensor , which would have allowed to pause the music
automatically when the earphones are removed.
Good sound, but the ANC is to be reviewed
Ambient
noise cancellation technology has found its best in the recent Sony WF1000-XM4,
which manage to accomplish this process in a very convincing way. The
Beats Studio Buds also offer this technology, but we must say that the
effectiveness is not the same. The feeling is that the passive
cancellation of sounds, therefore that given by the earpiece rubber, is much more incisive than the active one , that
is obtained through the microphones and the processing of the audio
signal by the software.
The final
effect is still positive, the ambient noise is very attenuated, but does not
reach the level seen by the competition. It should be noted that the Beats cost € 149 , against the € 265 required
for the WF1000-XM4, a high price difference that fully justifies the difference
in the effectiveness of the ANC. The Beats do their job but do not stand
out from the crowd in short.
On the software side, the sound suppression can be set in three ways, enable,
disable or transparency. When the "Transparency" mode is
operational, external sounds are diffused into the ear through the headphones,
a useful function if you want to talk to someone without removing the
earphones. In fact this is the only software option available: on iOS it
can be found in the Bluetooth settings menu, on Android instead a dedicated
application is available.
These Beats work well on Android but we see that they were born with iOS in
mind, where the equalization is customizable through the Apple Music options,
and where there is full compatibility with spatial audio, with the Dolby Atmos
standard. It is therefore a pity that we cannot take advantage of the
streaming service's loseless audio, available for now only using wired
headphones on the iPhone. Even on Android, high quality audio is not present,
simply because Beats Studio Buds are not compatible with
loseless audio codecs .
The connection to the smartphone takes place with Bluetooth 5.2 with AAC or SBS
codec, no aptX or LDAC, which would have allowed high quality streaming with
compatible devices. The presence of Bluetooth 5.2 however allows a great
stability in the connection, a high range of use, even away from the phone, and
the absence of lag when watching videos.
On the audio
quality front, the Beats do a good job, thanks to a sound spectrum in which the
bass is present but without exaggerating. In the past, the American
company had made bass a real trademark, here they can be heard but are not
overwhelming. Much obviously depends on the equalization chosen, but by
setting the parameters in Flat mode the sound that comes out of these Studio
Buds is quite balanced. Don't get us wrong, the bass is remarkable but you
can contain it, just play with the equalizer.
It is interesting to listen to the songs in Dolby Atmos from Apple
Music, a mode far from the needs of an audiophile but which allows a
general public to discover a new dimension of sound. Tracks in Dolby Atmos
greatly expand the soundstage, instruments and voices are more separated and
placed in space in order to amaze the listener. We tried both classic and
new songs, and the effect is much better in the latter, especially in those
made specifically to take advantage of Dolby Atmos.
Even in call the Beats defend themselves well, we are not at the highest levels
but the voice is clearly perceived by the interlocutor, even in noisy
contexts. The declared autonomy of 24 hours, obtainable by adding the
charge of the headphones to that of the case, depends on the use of the ANC,
which affects consumption, but you can easily make 7 hours with a single
charge.
