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Do Beats still sound terrible? Studio3 any good?

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Sep 25, 2010
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Beats headphones have that reputation of sounding unbalanced with an overemphasis on bass, terrible frequency response and having barely any soundstage whatsoever, not to mention being overpriced for what you get. Is this still true for the new Studio3?

I'm using Sennheisers at home and would like to get something portable as well. So far I'm considering either the PXC 550 or the HD 4.50 BTNC but at the same time I also don't want to be closed minded especially with everyone running around with b logos nowadays.
 
MICHAELSD said:
Beats’ Solo3 is better if you can tolerate on-ear headphones.
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Are you saying their lower priced ON EAR model has better sound quality than their higher priced OVER EAR model? o_O

Like are they better or are they actually good? I’ve never tried on ear headphones but in ears are very uncomfortable for me while over ears fit me well. I’m assuming they’d be in between? Do they have noise cancellation? That’s kind of important to me.
 
Sven11 said:
Are you saying their lower priced ON EAR model has better sound quality than their higher priced OVER EAR model? o_O

Like are they better or are they actually good? I’ve never tried on ear headphones but in ears are very uncomfortable for me while over ears fit me well. I’m assuming they’d be in between? Do they have noise cancellation? That’s kind of important to me.
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Yes! It also measures better with audio testing equipment. You can use a site like rtings.com to compare.

I enjoy them a lot but the bass is slightly over-exaggerated so the mid-range isn’t the cleanest. For me I have no issues with comfort long-term (some pain afterwards but not while using) and the ear pads actually isolate more for me than the noise cancellation on the Studio3.
 
MICHAELSD said:
I enjoy them a lot but the bass is slightly over-exaggerated so the mid-range isn’t the cleanest. For me I have no issues with comfort long-term (some pain afterwards but not while using) and the ear pads actually isolate more for me than the noise cancellation on the Studio3.
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Can’t that be solved using an equalizer? I’ve just read that the Solo3’s don’t have noise cancellation so does that mean the ANC on the Studio3 is completely ineffective?

What made you decide to go for the Solo3’s and what do you use at home? I’m using HD 660’s at home so audio quality is very important to me but I’m pretty sure nothing with Bluetooth comes even close to it so maybe it does make sense to go for Beats solely because of the W1 chip?
 
Sven11 said:
Can’t that be solved using an equalizer? I’ve just read that the Solo3’s don’t have noise cancellation so does that mean the ANC on the Studio3 is completely ineffective?

What made you decide to go for the Solo3’s and what do you use at home? I’m using HD 660’s at home so audio quality is very important to me but I’m pretty sure nothing with Bluetooth comes even close to it so maybe it does make sense to go for Beats solely because of the W1 chip?
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The equalizer in iOS isn’t comprehensive but you can definitely use the “Bass Reducer” EQ to clean up the bass.

ANC on the Studio3 is average but I find that I get a better fit with the Solo3 and that the ear pads do a good job at isolation.

I went for the Solo3 for the W1 chip expecting the sound to suck but it actually ended up being really enjoyable.

At home I use the Audeze EL-8 Titanium. I also have Sennheiser HD1 Wireless which may appeal to you if you enjoy Sennheiser’s house sound. The problem with the HD1 is that it doesn’t support the AAC Bluetooth codec so it isn’t the best choice to use with an iPhone. Honestly my favorite wireless headphones are AirPods, but it sounds like you need some isolation which they don’t provide.

By the way, I know how stressful shopping for headphones is!
 
MICHAELSD said:
At home I use the Audeze EL-8 Titanium. I also have Sennheiser HD1 Wireless which may appeal to you if you enjoy Sennheiser’s house sound. The problem with the HD1 is that it doesn’t support the AAC Bluetooth codec so it isn’t the best choice to use with an iPhone. Honestly my favorite wireless headphones are AirPods, but it sounds like you need some isolation which they don’t provide.
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What about the PXC 550 and HD 4.50 BTNC? Do they support it though?

I don’t think the AirPods are an option for me due to the reason you just mentioned plus I don’t expect them to sound that much better than the EarPods which I think are terrible and they’re also too uncomfortable for my taste. I don’t like things inside my ears.
 
Sven11 said:
What about the PXC 550 and HD 4.50 BTNC? Do they support it though?

I don’t think the AirPods are an option for me due to the reason you just mentioned plus I don’t expect them to sound that much better than the EarPods which I think are terrible and they’re also too uncomfortable for my taste. I don’t like things inside my ears.
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Nope, none of Sennheiser’s wireless Bluetooth headphones support it.

I don’t like IEMs either and find the AirPods to be enough of a difference over the EarPods that they’re listenable. They’re earbuds with no tips so they’re not too intrusive.

A lot of people who returned the Studio3 purchased Bowers & Wilkins PX instead which does support AAC.
 
MICHAELSD said:
Nope, none of Sennheiser’s wireless Bluetooth headphones support it.
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Well, that’s bad. :/ So I guess that means no Apple Music with them?

Wait, the Studio3’s don’t support it either?

MICHAELSD said:
I don’t like IEMs either and find the AirPods to be enough of a difference over the EarPods that they’re listenable. They’re earbuds with no tips so they’re not too intrusive.
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Yeah I know but I still get a weird feeling while wearing them. I’m also concerned with earbuds supposably causing damage to your hearing even at low volumes.
 
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Sven11 said:
Well, that’s bad. :/ So I guess that means no Apple Music with them?

Wait, the Studio3’s don’t support it either?



Yeah I know but I still get a weird feeling while wearing them. I’m also concerned with earbuds supposably causing damage to your hearing even at low volumes.
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Studio3 does support it. You can definitely use an iPhone and Apple Music with Sennheiser’s headphones and it’ll sound good, but it won’t sound as good as a headphone that does support Bluetooth AAC.

All headphones can damage your hearing, and I think that applies more to headphones that fit deeply in your ear.
 
I got Studio 2s for a big discount on Black Friday. I’d say they’re worth what I paid and that’s it. I’d never buy them for over 200 dollars, sound quality just isn’t there.
 
MICHAELSD said:
Studio3 does support it. You can definitely use an iPhone and Apple Music with Sennheiser’s headphones and it’ll sound good, but it won’t sound as good as a headphone that does support Bluetooth AAC.

All headphones can damage your hearing, and I think that applies more to headphones that fit deeply in your ear.
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Oh OK, I thought it wouldn’t play at all. :D

Yeah, but apparently earbuds do it even at low volumes.

Tapiture said:
I got Studio 2s for a big discount on Black Friday. I’d say they’re worth what I paid and that’s it. I’d never buy them for over 200 dollars, sound quality just isn’t there.
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They don’t have the W1 chip though which I think would be the sole reason to even consider Beats in the first place.
 
MICHAELSD said:
I think it sounds like you’ll be happy going with Sennheiser then.
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Yeah probably. I just don’t like the look of the PXC 550 and its leather earcups (it’s real leather right? I’m vegetarian) so I feel like the HD 4.50 BTNC would be the better choice for me which would also save me a few bucks but then again I’m concerned about the audio quality.
 
Sven11 said:
Yeah probably. I just don’t like the look of the PXC 550 and its leather earcups (it’s real leather right? I’m vegetarian) so I feel like the HD 4.50 BTNC would be the better choice for me which would also save me a few bucks but then again I’m concerned about the audio quality.
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They should be pretty similar. If you prefer a warmer sound signature with more bass, I’d spring for the HD1 though I think the earcups on that are genuine leather.
 
MICHAELSD said:
They should be pretty similar. If you prefer a warmer sound signature with more bass, I’d spring for the HD1 though I think the earcups on that are genuine leather.
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Yeah from what I’ve read the HD 4.50 BTNC use synthetic leather (just like the Beats) and I don’t really care about the gestures feature on the PXC 550 so if the audio quality is the same, that’d be awesome especially for the price!
 
Sven11 said:
Yeah from what I’ve read the HD 4.50 BTNC use synthetic leather (just like the Beats) and I don’t really care about the gestures feature on the PXC 550 so if the audio quality is the same, that’d be awesome especially for the price!
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It isn’t quite the same as the PXC550 but I’ve heard positive things about all 3.
 
MICHAELSD said:
Studio3 does support it. You can definitely use an iPhone and Apple Music with Sennheiser’s headphones and it’ll sound good, but it won’t sound as good as a headphone that does support Bluetooth AAC.
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Wait so for AAC sources the Beats would sound better than the Sennheisers?
 
Sven11 said:
OK so to sum it all up the 4.50 are better than the Studio3s in every single aspect except for the W1 chip? Is that correct?
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Honestly I haven’t heard the 4.50. My HD1 is better than the Studio3 besides the W1 chip so I’d assume for the money the 4.50 is as well.
 
MICHAELSD said:
Honestly I haven’t heard the 4.50. My HD1 is better than the Studio3 besides the W1 chip so I’d assume for the money the 4.50 is as well.
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I’m confused now. The Solo3’s are your daily drivers right? Then why don’t you use your HD1 when you think they’re better despite the Beats having the W1 chip?

Wait so for you it’s Solo3 > HD1 > Studio3?
 
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