Beats Studio Pro headphones are 50% off right now - and I can vouch for them

ZDNET's cardinal takeaways

• The Beats Studio Pro is presently connected merchantability for $350
• A beauteous design, compatibility with iOS and Android devices, and a lengthy artillery beingness solidify these headphones' spot successful the premium category
• These headphones person a neutral dependable (to Beats' standards), truthful if you liked the company's dense bass , you won't get it.

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Ever since Apple acquired Beats successful 2014, the company's merchandise rhythm has been stagnant, to accidental the least. But erstwhile caller products are released, they're typically the lone Apple products that entreaty to some iOS and Android users.

Since the merchandise of the Beats Studio 3 successful 2017, a batch has changed with the Beats Studio lineup's design. The Studio Pro is devoid of the flashy, self-branded, chrome metallic plating that utilized to beryllium connected older Beats headphones and, instead, sports a much muted and mature matte finish. The Studio Pro boasts noise-canceling tech, all-day comfort, and a reliable artillery life, offering each the features you'd privation successful a brace of headphones.

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I tested the latest exemplary of the Beats Studio Pro, and the affluent Deep Brown colour and minimalist plan marque them the astir aesthetically pleasing headphones I've ever seen. But the large question present is however bash they dependable and whether oregon not they're worthy their modular $350 asking price. Here's what I think.

I tried the Studio Pro successful Deep Brown, and the affluent colour and minimalist plan marque them the astir aesthetically pleasing headphones I've ever seen. Usually, the Beats Studio Pro retail for $350, placing them connected the higher extremity of the headphones terms range. This year's Studio Pro diagnostic smoothed-out hinges, much subtle colorways, and improved receptor cupful materials. There are immoderate meaningful changes connected the wrong of the headphones, too.

For one, the brace present connection noise-canceling and transparency modes, the second being a archetypal among Beats' over-ear headphones. The Studio Pro is compatible with spatial audio connected iOS via Bluetooth and delivers lossless audio erstwhile connected to a instrumentality via its USB-C port. You tin adjacent perceive to lossless audio portion charging the Studio Pro erstwhile it's connected to an Android phone.  

The Deep Brown decorativeness is discretely unique.

Jada Jones/ZDNET

I volition enactment that there's nary multipoint transportation for Apple devices, though the Studio Pros tin intelligently power betwixt an Android instrumentality and a Chromebook. USB-C-connected listening besides unlocks Entertainment and Conversation audio modes, which heighten the listening acquisition for movie-watching and dependable calls, respectively.

However, lossless audio playback, headphone charging, and Entertainment and Conversation modes via USB-C are incompatible with an iPhone (even with a USB-C-to-Lightning adapter, based connected my failed attempts). So, to entree these features, you'll person to link the Studio Pro to your iPad oregon Mac instead.

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The progressive noise-canceling (ANC) connected the Studio Pro is fantastic, but I'd comparison it to the level of over-ear headphones that outgo astatine slightest $100 less. Without euphony playing, the ANC does a large occupation efficaciously blocking brushed whirring noises, similar a distant lawnmower oregon an overhead fan, but isn't arsenic effectual astatine blocking sharper noises, similar a clicking pen oregon typing connected a keyboard.

Jada Jones/ZDNET

I listened to "Can You Hear The Music" from the Oppenheimer movie people aft connecting the Studio Pro to my MacBook Air, and it sounded arsenic riveting arsenic erstwhile I watched the movie successful a theater.

To beryllium clear, whether you see yourself to beryllium an audiophile oregon not, the quality betwixt lossless audio and accepted high-quality formats is not arsenic melodramatic arsenic it seems. You'll besides request to usage a euphony streaming level that supports the audio format, which astir services necessitate you to subscribe to a premium tier for.

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With the diagnostic turned connected oregon not, the Studio Pro sounds precise good. They nutrient bass successful a controlled manner, and turning up the measurement doesn't pb to unwanted audio distortion. When I listened to Michael Jackson's You Rock My World the bassline and inheritance harmonies were discernible and enjoyable.

That said, the customized 40mm drivers successful the Studio Pro present a dependable truthful balanced that it tin consciousness muted and dull for some. You're not getting the aforesaid heart-pumping, bass-heavy output arsenic older Beats headphones with this year's model.

Jada Jones/ZDNET

It doesn't assistance that determination aren't galore nonstop ways to set the EQ settings for the Studio Pro, if astatine all. The headphones are not compatible with Apple's autochthonal headphone audio level settings, and this whitethorn beryllium partially owed to the Beats' deficiency of Apple's H1 chip. So, your lone enactment is to tweak the EQ settings successful your preferred euphony streaming app.

Phone calls dependable precise wide connected the Studio Pro, and I had nary occupation proceeding oregon being heard by the idiosyncratic connected the different end.

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The Beats Solo 3 headphones I've owned for astir 4 years are made of synthetic leather that, aft each this time, has begun to rip and detach from the metallic portion of the receptor cup. That's wherefore I was gladsome to spot that the Studio Pro don a caller receptor cupful cushion worldly that Beats calls UltraPlush, which is representation foam covered by faux leather. 

The Beats Studio Pros are fitted with UltraPlush receptor cups.

Jada Jones/ZDNET

The UltraPlush offers much comfort, but the receptor cups are somewhat smaller than those of different over-ear headphones I've tried. I'd accidental the Studio Pro toed the enactment betwixt an on-ear and over-ear fit, prompting maine to instrumentality a interruption earlier than I would with different over-ear headphones.

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With transparency mode oregon sound canceling on, you tin perceive to the Studio Pro for astir 24 hours; with neither mounting active, for 40 hours. Apple says Fast Fuel charging tin springiness you 4 hours of foodstuff with a 10-minute charge, which is successful enactment with what I was seeing.

ZDNET's buying advice

The Beats Studio Pro are a large brace of over-ear headphones that connection immoderate luxury features to some Apple and Android users. It's hard to find specified qualifications erstwhile buying audio products from the Apple store. 

For their archetypal $350 terms tag, I would person passed connected the Studio Pro due to the fact that they're missing high-end features similar multipoint transportation and deterioration detection. But if they're connected merchantability (which they often are), I would 100% urge them. If you're looking for a brace of casual, great-sounding, comfortable, and inclusive headphones, the Studio Pro has the close sound, look, and idea.