Apple Announces Powerbeats Pro, Launching Soon for $250

[socalmark2]

https://www.amazon.com/Bang-Olufsen-Beoplay-Wireless-Bluetooth/dp/B01G48RH20
Had these for 3 years. Perfect for the gym with the right Comply tips.

 

[clerkpalmer]

Disagree. I had PowerBeats 2 and they sounded great. Are you referring to the Sennheiser Momentum? Those are $300 and aren't sweat proof.

Yes the momentum true wireless are sweat proof. And they sound excellent.

 

[haruhiko]

I'm getting this. Airpods / Earpods never fit in my ears. Please open pre-order soon so that I don't have to check often.

 

[Kardinal1911]

The Apple Beats are very mediocre for the price point. Case in point, I purchased and listened to the Apple Beats Solo 3 before I gave them away to my girlfriend. I'm not the target audience for this because I have different standards for headphones. Apple could've branded a new audio division that is unrelated to Beats for their premium sector. The Beats brand to me whether under Apple or standalone is still a hipster lifestyle fashion brand.

Or is it truly because you think it’s “HOOD” obviously these Powerbeats Pro’s are a lot sexier and Apple-ish in design.. so much bias unnecessarily

 

[DevNull0]

This should be fun.

How are all the people who were raving about the amazing high quality sound of the airpods going to work this product into their worldview. How do they figure in their own head how another $90 is justified for better sound quality when in their own heads airpods already had magnificent sound quality.

Ironically, I think the product announcement is great news. I've complained about the abysmal sound quality of airpods from day one, and it's nice to see Apple finally doing something about that. Time will tell, but these may be excellent headphones that are well worth the cost for people who want truly wireless pods.

 

[DeepIn2U]

I would be ok with either Lighting or USB-C. Lightning is a smaller connector, and is better for most existing iPhone and iPad customers, USB-C is probably a bit easier for some non-apple customers.

I think this pretty much solidifies Apple's upcoming iPhone lineup will STILL use Lightning (not Lighting) connector ... for just 1 more year at the very least.

I wonder could I use Comply earphone tips on these instead of the included tips? That would be perfect

Ooooh ... good thinking! I still have a pair from my Jabra Elite Sports, so I'm definitely going to be KEEN if these are compatible with Comply.

Great tip!!

 

[haruhiko]

This should be fun.

How are all the people who were raving about the amazing high quality sound of the airpods going to work this product into their worldview. How to they figure in their own head how another $90 is justified for better sound quality when in their own heads airpods already had magnificent sound quality.

Ironically, I think the product announcement is great news. I've complained about the abysmal sound quality of airpods from day one, and it's nice to see Apple finally doing something about that. Time will tell, but these may be excellent headphones that are well worth the cost for people who want truly wireless pods.

The sound quality of AirPods is truly awful. Probably because it never stays fit in my ears, with completely zero sound isolation.

 

[ipponrg]

This should be fun.

How are all the people who were raving about the amazing high quality sound of the airpods going to work this product into their worldview. How to they figure in their own head how another $90 is justified for better sound quality when in their own heads airpods already had magnificent sound quality.

Ironically, I think the product announcement is great news. I've complained about the abysmal sound quality of airpods from day one, and it's nice to see Apple finally doing something about that. Time will tell, but these may be excellent headphones that are well worth the cost for people who want truly wireless pods.

I think the battery life to these and hooks around the ear make them more attractive than the Airpods. Definitely a better universal fit than the latter.

Sound quality is TBD, but I think if people are expecting Beats sound signature, they will be decently content

Funny thing about all of this is how a lot of people start becoming a headphone/earbud addict once they become a little more curious

 

[DeepIn2U]

Quarter of a grand and they don’t even have wireless charging? Lol nope. And yikes.

THIS!

No wireless charging will be a main no go for many - considering the Samsung Buds, B&O E8 v2's and so many others on the market now featuring these. I'm sure generation II will have wireless charging case - or Apple will sell us a charging case with Qi support in 6mths just in time for the holiday season lol.

Another thing that I found strange is the "b" logo is a button to end calls. I'm not personally a fan of pushing something further than a comfortable fit into my hear canal to end a call ... hopefully these don't do this. Still going to try these out to replace my AirPods: getting annoyed with tis Ivory only choice by Apple and it's seriously playing at a sub-culture reference for elitism.

 

[DevNull0]

The sound quality of AirPods is truly awful. Probably because it never stays fit in my ears, with completely zero sound isolation.

I am in no way an audiophile, but I have to wonder about the people who rave about airpods. Do they have horrible hearing? Do they actively avoid listening to decent headphones ever to avoid shattering their delusion? Do they only listen in extremely noisy environments where they can't really hear the sound anyway? When I was a kid I always used $2 headphones because I was constantly losing and destroying them. Airpods sound pretty good compared to those. But then I grew up and any $50 wired set of headphones can demonstrate what consumer-grade headphones should sound like. At the $160 price point for wireless, airpods are horrendous sound quality.

 

[DeepIn2U]

Maybe these can't fall out of ya ear, but they are ugly. I don't want to look like I'm in the 20th century version of star trek. Also, the price does not help so Galaxy Buds it is......

last reply I think ...

Galaxy Buds was a heavy consideration for me - even without the sweat resistance (splash only and avoid 15 degrees else their dead) yet with no App on iOS to control them to give the full features or toggle between enabling the features ... they fell to the way side once these started to leak early this week.

 

[DevNull0]

I think the battery life to these and hooks around the ear make them more attractive than the Airpods. Definitely a better universal fit than the latter.

Sound quality is TBD, but I think if people are expecting Beats sound signature, they will be decently content

Those things are all important and look a lot better than what you get with airpods. Especially battery life, imo a charging case is poor compensation for a bad battery life.

I'm not a fan of beats, but their typical sound quality would be good in a product like this. Certainly a lit better than the flat tinny sound of the airpods.

Funny thing about all of this is how a lot of people start becoming a headphone/earbud addict once they become a little more curious

That is exactly what happened to me. I starting buying cheap Klipsch buds on sale, then more expensive ones, then Bose SoundSports, and eventually worked up to the $300 Bose over-ears and a set of B&Os. In the end my favourites for price/performance were the SoundSports at around $60.

Right now I'm listening to House of Marley's "Smile Jamaica" wireless headphones that were around $40. They're not as good as the SoundSports, but vastly better than airpods. To be fair, there is a connection between the two ears that goes around your neck so they're not that sleek, and their battery life is terrible. But it's $40 for wireless headphones that makes the $160 airpods sound like total crap.

 

[haruhiko]

I am in no way an audiophile, but I have to wonder about the people who rave about airpods. Do they have horrible hearing? Do they actively avoid listening to decent headphones ever to avoid shattering their delusion? Do they only listen in extremely noisy environments where they can't really hear the sound anyway? When I was a kid I always used $2 headphones because I was constantly losing and destroying them. Airpods sound pretty good compared to those. But then I grew up and any $50 wired set of headphones can demonstrate what consumer-grade headphones should sound like. At the $160 price point for wireless, airpods are horrendous sound quality.

If that thing doesn't stay fit to your ears (i.e. it's loose), not only the sound cannot fully go into your ear canal thus the sound will be weak and there will be no bass at all, the noise from outside actually go through the narrow space between the loose AirPods and your ear into the ear canal, making the noise even louder, so, what I got from the AirPods, especially from my left ear, are weak sound, no bass, and much stronger environmental noise. In order to actually hear anything, I have to crank up the volume level, so the poor sound competes with the awful noises, i.e. a complete disaster driving me mad.

Before the BeatsX, I had Sennheiser in-ear earphones with the price range usually around $50-120, any of them were lightyears ahead in terms of sound quality as compared to the EarPods and AirPods.

 

[Dormammu]

I would really enjoy these for working out since AirPods don’t stick in my ear well enough to stay put during gym sessions. But yikes, for that price I’ll need to pass.
At that price point too I don’t see these flying off the shelf either.

 

[Abazigal]

I am in no way an audiophile, but I have to wonder about the people who rave about airpods. Do they have horrible hearing? Do they actively avoid listening to decent headphones ever to avoid shattering their delusion? Do they only listen in extremely noisy environments where they can't really hear the sound anyway? When I was a kid I always used $2 headphones because I was constantly losing and destroying them. Airpods sound pretty good compared to those. But then I grew up and any $50 wired set of headphones can demonstrate what consumer-grade headphones should sound like. At the $160 price point for wireless, airpods are horrendous sound quality.

I agree that the Airpods have average sound quality, but it’s their convenience and ease of use which has won me over.

I think the critics need to recognise that sound quality isn’t the only thing that matters for headphones. Here’s my headphone collection.

All with better sound quality. I gave them all up for the Airpods without a second thought. That’s how much I prize the convenience the form factor of the Airpods afford.

 

[triton100]

Their beats audio, all their models sound the same, which is low quality and too much bass.

Oh man I can’t even be bothered to respond

 

[ipponrg]

That is exactly what happened to me. I starting buying cheap Klipsch buds on sale, then more expensive ones, then Bose SoundSports, and eventually worked up to the $300 Bose over-ears and a set of B&Os. In the end my favourites for price/performance were the SoundSports at around $60.

For wireless IEM, it’s a relatively new space for me. I’ve been using my Plantronics Backfit Pro for about 7 years now specifically for the gym. I demoed the Airpods, and I instantly distrust anyone who says that it’s of high quality

But my IEM journey so far otherwise has been Bose Triport -> Klipsch -> Sony/Philips -> HFIMAN re0 -> monster turbine gold -> sennheiser momentum -> telos fujisan -> nuforce edc3 -> 1more

For cans, the list is just as lengthy

 

[Gix1k]

$250!!! My goodness!

 

[bigjnyc]

Take. My. Money.!!!

at $250 for mediocre headphones that's exactly what they are doing, taking people's money.
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The Apple website says this about the sound:

"Powerbeats Pro boast powerful, balanced audio thanks to an entirely redesigned acoustic package that delivers pure sound reproduction, enhanced clarity, and improved dynamic range."

If they have been revamped, then that is promising. I thing Beats sound way better than Airpods regardless, but a more balanced improvement would be really nice.

This is what Beats excels at "MARKETING" and "HYPE" every headphone they release supposedly has some great new technology that enhances sound.

 

[recoil80]

As much as I'd love an in ear version of AirPods I'm not willing to pay so much and the case is quite big. I can put my AirPods in the tiny pocket of my jeans, but the case of PowerBeats would be quite annoying.
I own a pair of BeatsX, love the sound isolation compared to the AirPods but of course I don't like the cable. If they managed to make a truly wireless pair of BeatsX, or an in ear version of AirPods I'd be really interested (only for < $200)

 

[truthertech]

Yikes..... $250 is steep.

9 hours of listening isn’t specified if that’s with case recharge or 9 hours of listening “per charge” for each ear piece. AirPods 2.0 get about 4-5 hours and my AirPods 1.0 get (now) about 1.5-3.0 hours of listening per charge.

So, if Apple are advertising 9 full hours of use “per charge,” and they have improved sound performance over the AirPods, it might be worth a look relative to the $250 tag, but there are a lot of options other once u get over $250.

AirPods at $175 (est.) is a tough sell; these at $250 might be impossible. But what do I know about sales and purchasing lol.

They will sell like hotcakes. You can see Apple's hand in improving the design. Nice!

And, no the AirPods aren't a tough sell, they've been tough to keep in stock since they first came out at $159 and have sold tens of millions.

 

[JustinM80]

Stupid

Nope. You’re just jealous.

 

[sp3k0psv3t]

They will sell like hotcakes. You can see Apple's hand in improving the design. Nice!

And, no the AirPods aren't a tough sell, they've been tough to keep in stock since they first came out at $159 and have sold tens of millions.

They were an easy sell when they first came out yes due to their size, feature set, recharge case, portability, etc. and massive amounts of people gladly paid the cost - myself included for me and my wife.

However, NOW, gen 2 at $189 (I think) with the recharge case and virtually nothing else different from gen 1 (yes small minor differences as listening time is the same, same colors, etc.), people that own the original are gonna be hard pressed to buy the now more expensive gen 2. If u say the price is the same w/o the new recharge case then WHY would u get the new gen 2 if u have the gen 1? The ONLY reason most folks would get them is because the Battery on the gen 1 is TERRIBLE in a short time of use and ownership. I get maybe 2 hours listening now from my gen 1. That being the case, it’s even more reason for ME to not buy the gen 2 knowing the battery is gonna be HALF in a short time using them as before with the gen 1. It’s like that for a lot of people with gen 1 as well. Plus now at almost $200, there are many other products in that price range that are much more competitive now then when the gen 1 came out, without battery issues.

To me, the gen 2 are gonna be much harder to sell compared to gen 1. Not saying they won’t sell millions of them because they will for sure; but when compared to sales of gen 2 vs gen 1; the gen 2 are gonna be a much tougher sell then the gen 1 were.

Of course all that is JMO

 

[beany boy]

Figures I got the Powerbeats 3 last week. They were only $99 though. Hopefully be able to grab a deal on these sometime in the future.

 

[naturalstar]

I like how these wrap on the ear, but I have never owned anything Beats before.

Literally, just picked up the new AirPods, like 10 minutes ago, so will see if these are for me first.

Beats always seem to go on sale eventually anyway.