Apple's New Wire-Free 'Powerbeats Pro' Pop Up in iOS 12.2

[H3LL5P4WN]

If these continue Apple's trend of correcting the awful Beats bass-heavy, listening-through-a-wet-blanket EQ, then I just might be interested.

Beats sound fine, and I prefer having a cord with the Beats X over the Airpods (it just feels safer for me when walking on a subway platform), but the Beats microphone really is subpar compared to the Airpods. I hope Beats gets better with that.

No, they don't. At all. Unless you're speaking of the BeatsX, which aren't bad but definitely are not neutral or natural.

 

[bigjnyc]

I don’t currently have wireless headphones. I run a lot and really could use some, so I bought the new Airpods on launch day before these were announced, even though I’m pretty disappointed they aren’t available in black or space grey.

Did I make the wrong choice?

A lot of people claim the airpods fit them well for running but for me personally they come loose as soon as I start walking. I would try them out as soon as you receive them and return them if they aren't a good fit for your running.

 

[M.PaulCezanne]

A lot of people claim the airpods fit them well for running but for me personally they come loose as soon as I start walking. I would try them out as soon as you receive them and return them if they aren't a good fit for your running.

Thanks. My wife has the current beats (w/ back wire) and I noticed the sound isn’t great. Not the fidelity but the connection. Sometimes it sounds analog (static). Has anyone experienced this? Does anyone think the new version includes tech to improve whatever is causing this?

Also, she had 2 pairs fail on her during the return periods for both. The third pair has not failed for about a year but it didn’t inspire confidence in the beats brand.

 

[rmsanger]

For $50 you can get a pretty good pair of wireless Bluetooth IEMs of amazon.

 

[zulkiflim]

Why? they have AAC.

aptx is Qualcomm (not going to happen)
LDAC is Sony

Codecs and Bitrates Comparison

• AAC: 250 kbps
• SBC: 328 kbps
• aptX: 352 kbps
• aptX HD: 576 kbps
• LDAC: 990 kbps

Apple supports only AAC / SBP.
If Apple truly loves music then it should upgrade Apple Music to ALAC.

For those who say only the discerning few would tell the difference between 320kbps an 990kbps , I would ask you ,if you have compared between Edge/ 3G voice call vs LTE / WiFi voice call.

Apple have made huge innovation in the screen and the speakers audio, but sadly for for wireless music it stuck a decade ago.
Imagine the IPhone 3G vs IPhone XS Max screen today , our eyes can CLEARLY tell the difference.
Between LDAC / aptX HD VS Apple SBC .....Anyone’s ears can clearly tell the difference.
It is that glaringly obvious the gap .

It will make you love music again .
And the best part , the price of these non- Apple products is at the same price as Apples beats/ AirPods .

 

[honglong1976]

Codecs and Bitrates Comparison

• AAC: 250 kbps
• SBC: 328 kbps
• aptX: 352 kbps
• aptX HD: 576 kbps
• LDAC: 990 kbps

Apple supports only AAC / SBP.
If Apple truly loves music then it should upgrade Apple Music to ALAC.

For those who say only the discerning few would tell the difference between 320kbps an 990kbps , I would ask you ,if you have compared between Edge/ 3G voice call vs LTE / WiFi voice call.

Apple have made huge innovation in the screen and the speakers audio, but sadly for for wireless music it stuck a decade ago.
Imagine the IPhone 3G vs IPhone XS Max screen today , our eyes can CLEARLY tell the difference.
Between LDAC / aptX HD VS Apple SBC .....Anyone’s ears can clearly tell the difference.
It is that glaringly obvious the gap .

It will make you love music again.
And the best part, the price of these non-Apple products is at the same price as Apples beats/AirPods.

I understand the various codecs and bitrates, thanks for the breakdown. Itunes songs have a bit rate of 256 Kbps which I would imagine are sent as 256kbps to the Bluetooth headphones. I can't imagine Apple transcoding from 256 to 250.

Most film bit rates are the same or lower, so again, AAC is sufficient. If you want to play Hires, obviously, the higher the bit rate the better. But, for Apple's ecosystem, and the bitrates their apps support, AAC is suitable.

 

[AlphaGuitarist]

I got my Powerbeats 3 on Amazon about 5 months after release for $150. They are currently available at Best Buy for $100.

I've been casually looking around for truly wireless earbuds and will definitely pick these up when they are released. A friend of mine just got the Galaxy Buds and let me test drive them. The sound quality is excellent, but compatibility issues with iOS are concerning.

 

[mdelvecchio]

I prefer Apple's Beats products over Apple's Apple branded offerings at this point. The sound is richer and of course we have many more options. PowerBeats are okay. The new ones look very sleek. Studio 3 are fantastic. Looking forward to this one.

I still think AirPods look ridiculous...

So, so ridiculous.

 

[bigjnyc]

I really wish they have removed the ear loop.. I had the wired version for a while and it was so annoying putting them on and taking them off.... it would take me a while to get the loop on right and adjusting it. whereas with the Jabra elite's I have now you slide it in your ear and go. Plus they stay in there no matter how rigorous I am exercising. I wish they would have streamlined the design a little and removed the loops or at least made them optional.

 

[iMi]

how many earphones do you need - they usually last very long ... well before apple we had them very long - no idea how it is nowadays

They last a long time. I have BeatsX for everyday use and Powerbeats 3 for working out. I also have Studio 3 which I use mainly for traveling. I just like them.
[doublepost=1553626476][/doublepost]

So, so ridiculous.
View attachment 828543

They always remind me of the scene with Ben Stiller...

https://gfycat.com/agedreasonableinsect

 

[zulkiflim]

I understand the various codecs and bitrates, thanks for the breakdown. Itunes songs have a bit rate of 256 Kbps which I would imagine are sent as 256kbps to the Bluetooth headphones. I can't imagine Apple transcoding from 256 to 250.

Most film bit rates are the same or lower, so again, AAC is sufficient. If you want to play Hires, obviously, the higher the bit rate the better. But, for Apple's ecosystem, and the bitrates their apps support, AAC is suitable.

Agreed since Apple Music supports only AAC.
But that where we consumers should prod Apple to actually try to improve the user experience.

With Tidal and Now Qobuz entering the streaming service, the users are spoilt for choice.

I do not wish to jump ship to Android that natively support aptX HD and LDAC , but I love music more .
Given Apple offering are sub standard at best , I just wonder how they can say they LOVE music ?

Imagine you buy a live recording of an artist that you attended before on Apple Music , and you wanted the nostalgia / “feel” ...and find it dismally offending ....

The worst is when the new Apple adoptee , especially the young are thinking , “oh so this is what music is” ..

So Apple need to innovate , if it can’t support aptX HD or LDAC , then it should come out with its own wireless high resolution codec.

 

[Greenmeenie]

The question is will beats 3 have Hey Siri support

 

[honglong1976]

Agreed since Apple Music supports only AAC.
But that where we consumers should prod Apple to actually try to improve the user experience.

With Tidal and Now Qobuz entering the streaming service, the users are spoilt for choice.

I do not wish to jump ship to Android that natively support aptX HD and LDAC , but I love music more .
Given Apple offering are sub standard at best , I just wonder how they can say they LOVE music ?

Imagine you buy a live recording of an artist that you attended before on Apple Music , and you wanted the nostalgia / “feel” ...and find it dismally offending ....

The worst is when the new Apple adoptee , especially the young are thinking , “oh so this is what music is” ..

So Apple needs to innovate, if it can’t support aptX HD or LDAC , then it should come out with its own wireless high-resolution codec.

I think AAC is good enough to be honest. You would be hard pushed to tell the difference between bluetooth AAC 256 and using a wired connection playing Hi Res audio. Sure, you can have 32 bit and higher Khz, in your mind you think it's better but it's more of a psychological thing where you know there is more data and perceive it to be better. Take a blind listening test and I bet you can't tell the difference.

However, 128kbps MP3 was awful.

 

[Mw0103]

Given that these look to come in matte black and white and that they are completely wireless, I am willing to bet that these are where the rumor of black Airpods with new finish came from. Probably errors in translation and assumptions. In other words: there was never going to be black matte AirPods. If these have any health monitoring features, we’ll know for sure that these are actually the product described in the AirPod rumors.

 

[euvnairb]

I own a pair of powerbeats3 and they are horrible if you sweat a lot. I've gone through 3-4 pairs (warranty) and have stopped using them for working out because the warranty period is over. Apple seriously needs to address the water resistance on these because they are extremely bad for those who sweat a lot while working out -- which is what this product is for. For now, I use cheap amazon headphones because they seem to work better.

 

[roblognick]

I'm taking back the AirPod 2s today and going to get these as soon as they're released. I hope it's sooner rather than later.

Noise cancellation is a big thing for me and AirPods just don't have any. I thought I'd try and see if I could cope with it but I can't. It's especially annoying when trying to listen to podcasts or audiobooks.

The AirPods never fell out when I wore them but the slightest knock would dislodge them and they never felt absolutely secure in my ear. I was always very conscious they were they and felt very precarious. PowerBeats or other earphones of the same design (I currently using some Anker Spirit X earphones ) never make me feel this way.

I love the design of AirPods and they're really lovely, but I realise I would be compromising what I wanted from a pair of earphones to keep them.

 

[Soccertess]

I had these before airpods, and I found them uncomfortable and fragile. I have never had an airpod fall out of my ear once in the while I have had them.

True! My Bose has the rubber outside peel off. Same with yours?

AirPods: I have had them fall out during a run, but it wasn’t a common occurance. Really excited for AirPods 3.0, which if they make them water proof and add noise canceling, will make tbem take a huge lead!

 

[abrantes09]

True! My Bose has the rubber outside peel off. Same with yours?

AirPods: I have had them fall out during a run, but it wasn’t a common occurance. Really excited for AirPods 3.0, which if they make them water proof and add noise canceling, will make tbem take a huge lead!

I had the exact same issue. They were like a banana for me, peeling and peeling...

 

[zulkiflim]

I think AAC is good enough to be honest. You would be hard pushed to tell the difference between bluetooth AAC 256 and using a wired connection playing Hi Res audio. Sure, you can have 32 bit and higher Khz, in your mind you think it's better but it's more of a psychological thing where you know there is more data and perceive it to be better. Take a blind listening test and I bet you can't tell the difference.

However, 128kbps MP3 was awful.

Disagree.

I tried a few friend who listened to Apple Music and Qobuz track, THEIR pleasure is palpable .

Of course you should not be using ANY of Apple audio offering , getting a GREAT quality IEM for the same price as the AirPods, IS NO brainer.

Sony WMX 1003 or even 1002 is so much better than any of Apple offering.

To any iOS users , check the codec before buying !
Music is only as good as the quality of the source file.