Beats by Dr Dre Studio 3 Wireless Headphones Review

Our Verdict

Beats W1 chip ways that the functionality of its headphones go along to impress. Battery life is good, connecting them to your phone is simple and straightforward, and build-quality is solid. Even their noise-cancellation is decent, if not grade-leading. Our simply issue with the headphones is their overall sound quality, which lags behind the similarly priced competition.

For

• Great wireless performance
• Solid sound
• Summit battery life

Against

• Soggy mids
• Don't quite evangelize the sub-bass power you may desire

TechRadar Verdict

Beats W1 chip means that the functionality of its headphones continue to print. Bombardment life is good, connecting them to your phone is unproblematic and straightforward, and build-quality is solid. Even their noise-cancellation is decent, if not class-leading. Our only issue with the headphones is their overall sound quality, which lags backside the similarly priced competition.

Pros

• +

  Great wireless operation

• +

  Solid audio

• +

  Top battery life

Cons

• -

  Soggy mids

• -

  Don't quite deliver the sub-bass ability you may desire

The Beats Studio three Wireless are Beats', and therefore Apple'southward, premier full-size wireless headphones, enduring every bit the brand's flagship over-ear headphones since their release in 2017.

These over-ear headphones provide proficient comfort, great wireless connectivity, and excellent battery life; for excellent noise cancelation and sound quality you might want to look elsewhere, though.

The Beats Studio three are $349 / £299 headphones you have to accept every bit a complete package, rather than relying on the quality of their core parts – and even though better noise-cancelling headphones (like the Sony WH-1000XM3, for case) take come onto the scene, there's even so a lot to like virtually these Beats cans.

Design

The Beats Studio 3 Wireless look very similar to the previous generation of Studio Wireless headphones. Those in the know will spot them from 20m. Abstract the design from the brand, though, and it'due south actually tasteful.

These Beats headphones stick fairly close to your caput, which is one of the primal factors in stopping full-size pairs looking lightheaded. Dissimilar early Beats, some versions are nigh monotone as well.

Our all-black pair is nearly as low-fundamental as Beats headphones are probable to get whatsoever time soon. Those later a punchier or gaudy look can have information technology with other finishes that include classic Beats red with silver highlights and white with golden trim.

In other words, these Beats headphones tin can notwithstanding brand you lot expect like an extra from a rap video if that'south the aim.

There's zippo new to see hither in terms of build. Most of the Beats Studio 3 Wireless frame is plastic. The pads employ synthetic leather that, while soft, looks fake from 2ft away.

Unless yous're desperate for headphones made of real leather, aluminum or Alcantara, it doesn't matter too much, though. Beats has been criticized for the build of its headphones over the years, but the Beats Studio 3 Wireless seem perfectly well-built to us.

The plastics don't creak too much. And there's a well-judged bit of resistance in the fold-upwards hinge of the headband that stops the stems from flapping effectually similar broken arms with normal apply.

The Beats Studio 3 Wireless are likewise very comfortable. Oval cut-outs in the pads give plenty room for most ears, and over-ear headphones similar this avoid the ear fatigue issues mutual among on-ear headphones, like the Beats Solo three Wireless and the new Beats Solo Pro.

Connectivity and bombardment life

Apple'south W1 fleck is one of the key changes in the Beats Studio 3 Wireless. This is a custom wireless chipset that takes the wrinkles out of the connection process when hooking upward with an iPhone or iPad.

When yous plow the Beats Studio three Wireless on, you'll see a pop-upward prompt appear on your iPhone with a spinning 3D model of the headphones. You simply tap a button on this pop-upward to connect. iOS 13 already has a great interface for reconnecting to normal Bluetooth headphones, but the W1 fleck makes the interaction seem more direct.

Since the Beats Studio 3 Wireless headphones were launched, Apple tree has improved its wireless engineering to bring us the H1 headphone chip, as seen in the new AirPods Pro and the Powerbeats Pro.

The H1 scrap is still very good though; it also lets you encounter the headphones' battery per cent from the app you're using to stream, which is handy.

Battery life is swell, although with all features engaged stamina is similar to the Bose QuietComfort 35's. You'll get 22 hours with wireless and ANC, or 20 from Bose. Switch active noise cancellation off and the Studio iii Wireless will last upwards to 40 hours: fab.

Like the last Studio Wireless pair, there's likewise a little 5-LED indicator past the ability push to let you see a rough guide of how much juice is left before yous even put them on.

Every bit has become the norm for Beats headphones, wireless performance is simply about perfect whether y'all apply an iPhone or an Android. This isn't something only just get with Beats/Apple. Sony and other manufacturers too fantastic blip-costless wireless these days, but it'southward withal worth celebrating.

The controls on the left cup tin also be used for Androids and iPhones (one Android 8.0 phone struggled, but that'southward likely Android'south mistake). A key Beats logo button acts as play pause, and changes tracks with multiple taps, while the buttons above and beneath modify book. Beats has sensibly stayed away from "fancy" gesture or capacitive controls. They're ordinarily fiddly and rain can stop some working.

Noise cancelation

Pure ANC (Agile Noise Cancelation) is another tweaked feature of the Beats Studio 3 Wireless. The Studio series has had active dissonance cancellation since 2014, merely this new version claims to put an extra layer of smarts between noise and your ears.

It is, seemingly, designed to avoid distortion caused past cancellation of louder sources. We've heard such distortion in pairs from less experienced racket cancelling headphone makers when taking the London Tube, continuing side by side to the door, just oasis't heard any such distortion from the Bose QuietComfort 35.

Pure ANC as well doesn't solve one of the biggest issues with ANC headphones out in the real globe: air current noise. This is where wind whistles around the pinhole mic, which the noise cancellation attempts to correct, in doing so only creating more noise. The Beats Studio three Wireless are slightly more susceptible than some to wind noise, but it affect simply most all ANC headphones to some degree.

The Beats Studio 3 Wireless's racket cancellation is reasonably effective, providing the chief benefits of making cities less stressful and stopping engine noise from ruining your music. Nevertheless, the Bose QuietComfort 35'south cancellation is still significantly improve.

Passing cars aren't "turned electric", reduced to a light whoosh, and the effect isn't eerily detaching like Bose's. Nonetheless, it'south skillful enough that y'all don't have to turn the book upwardly in noisy environments.

Pure ANC also leaves these headphones with a slight low-mid frequency racket bed. Some active dissonance cancellation headphones sound similar digital tinnitus, just the Beats Studio iii Wireless are more similar a tape player in terms of this background dissonance.

Some pairs are a picayune quieter, but this sort of noise is not at all distracting as shortly as there's whatsoever sound coming through the drivers. Don't worry about it, unless your ears are truly anal.

Beats has marketed "Pure ANC" to sound meliorate than just about anything out in that location. Information technology isn't, but information technology's perfectly decent even so.

Sound quality

At that place'due south some of the same effect in the Beats Studio 3 Wireless sound. Buy them, put them on, play a tune or ii and very few people are likely to be too disappointed.

The Beats Studio 3 Wireless practise not audio overly bassy or juvenile. Beats pairs are no longer the headphone embodiment of people who speak generally in reality Telly slang that changes likewise quickly to sink into the Oxford English Dictionary.

There's sound width like to some of the best travel-friendly headphones, and the Studio 3 Wireless take quite a forward presentation. This makes key parts of a mix seem close to your ears, making sure the sound isn't also relaxed.

Relatively bourgeois low or "sub" bass is one potential surprise of the Beats Studio 3 Wireless. The Sennheiser Momentum 2.0 and Plantronics Backbeat Pro 2 are more than ambitious here, making boot drums stand out and seem more than powerful.

So are the Beats Studio 3 Wireless more than "in da Starbucks" than "in da order"? Not quite.

These headphones have another kind of bass accent. It's a thickness in the upper bass and low mids rather than a sub-bass gut punch.

You might retrieve of it every bit a fat, warm or total tone, which is what leaves a sure bassy aftertaste even though the Beats Studio 3 Wireless are not overloaded with genuinely depression frequencies. In a lot of situations this works quite well. Podcasts aren't underpinned by a bass rumble but voices still sound robust.

Switch to vocal-lead music, particularly that with a gravelly old crooner like Leonard Cohen, and you lot can hear how this strategy is not perfect. Certain parts of the Beats Studio 3 Wireless' low-mids end up saturated to the point they sound like wet cardboard, engorged and defective texture.

This gums upwardly the sound, stopping music from sounding properly separated. It can also seem resonant with certain songs, which is abrasive to the ear.

We've heard this mid failing before in Beats headphones and noted how it makes the soundstage seem constrained, fifty-fifty though the problem is in the "eye", not the top and bottom.

This outcome is largely absent in the alternatives from Sennheiser, Plantronics, Bose and, most damningly, the $99 / £85 Urbanista Seattle Wireless. The Beats Studio three Wireless audio improve than the Urbanistas in other respects, but that a headphone a third the cost has more coherent mids is not good news.

The Beats Studio 3 Wireless likewise have slightly safe treble that lacks a little seize with teeth compared to some at the price. But this is very small-scale compared with the somewhat cloying low mids.

Verdict

If you're not too picky almost audio, you'll love the Beats Studio iii Wireless. They look good, are comfortable and sound decent while releasing the pressure level valve of city life with active noise cancelation.

Add neat bombardment life and an Apple W1 chip and y'all have headphones that are very easy to get on with, particularly if you own an iPhone.

However, at that place are sound issues you just don't hear in other skilful headphones at the price. It's non boomy bass but a tire of blubber sitting between the bass and mids makes the Beats Studio 3 Wireless less clear and open-sounding than about alternatives.

• For our other top picks, bank check out our guide to the best wireless headphones, and the best noise-cancelling headphones.

Andrew is a freelance announcer and has been writing and editing for some of the UK's top tech and lifestyle publications including TrustedReviews, Stuff, T3, TechRadar, Lifehacker and others.

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Source: https://www.techradar.com/reviews/beats-studio-3-wireless-noise-cancelling-headphones

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