Beats Studio3
May 8, 2018 at 3:34 PM Post #646 of 904
Hey MICHAELSD, why did you delete your post? I got a notification on a post from you where you said that you purchased the Shadow Grey Studio 3s and that with the firmware upgrade, you now rank them above the 1000XM2 and QC35 II. Do you still hold true to this?

Because I decided I needed more time to gather impressions, but yes. For the purpose of ANC headphones I think Studio3 ranks above 1000XM2 and QC35 II as I had tried them previously with some minor changes Beats made. Will post more details later. I think they fixed what they could on this model after listening to early impressions.
 
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May 8, 2018 at 3:38 PM Post #647 of 904
Ok, I have a confession: call me crazy or stupid, but I actually impulsively bought Studio3 again when I saw Shadow Gray was on sale for $249.99 a week ago after trying it out in the store and noticing I was able to get a better fit than I had previously. Gotta say, there are improvements. My new unit actually has clamping force which means I get bass, stability, and isolation. One of my original knocks against them was that they would not stay on my head. No creaking when moving my head on this unit. Plus the firmware was updated to 2.2.1 (at launch it was 2.0.6) which potentially brought some improvements to the sound. Lower mids seem slightly less muddy. Plus the ANC hiss isn’t as noticeable. Still missing sub-bass for my taste though.

Nicely done, Beats in making some improvements. It sounds like they listened to early feedback and made some minor adjustments to both the manufacturing and firmware. Also, the unboxing experience for Shadow Gray is absolutely second-to-none. I would be thrilled to receive it as a gift based on packaging alone. With the changes I would easily pick Studio3 over the QC35 or WH-1000XM2. Too little too late? Maybe. With Mobius coming out next month I’m not sure I can justify keeping Studio3 unless I can work it into my gym routine, which I’d consider if earpads were replaceable. I still stand by my 3-star rating though I’d be more likely to recommend Studio3 over other ANC headphones at this price range.

Now that I can wear Studio3 without them falling off of my head and with a solid seal, I can see how they could be a solid pick for a noisy environment, particularly one where you’re actively moving around like a city. They’re by far the most stylish ANC headphone, and I feel the new firmware performs better than ever in ANC performance. They feel tuned for a city environment where you’re constantly moving rather than sitting appreciating the music, and for that they do a good job. As ANC headphones they’re now quite adequate and do their job better than Bose or Sony in preserving sound quality with ANC enabled.

Still not perfect. I think the earpads could be larger and sub-bass is still lacking but it’s clear Beats has been listening to feedback and adjusting their products after launch.
 
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May 8, 2018 at 4:58 PM Post #648 of 904
Screen Shot 2018-05-08 at 4.58.23 PM.png

I still think they sound way better with this simple EQ.
 
May 8, 2018 at 7:55 PM Post #649 of 904
As happy as I am that Beats did make some improvements, I still don’t think the SQ alone is good enough for me to want to keep them. At least I scratched the itch wanting to try them again so I’m happy for that. I was going to see if I could fit them into my headphone rotation since I do see value in the Shadow Gray design and the W1 chip but unfortunately I don’t really need ANC and Studio3 doesn’t offer enough for those who don’t truly need that level of isolation. As an ANC headphone though, I think it does its job well. SQ just isn’t fun or detailed enough. I think I prefer AirPods for their cleaner sound but I’ll continue testing.

Edit: To me it sounds like Beats took a standard third-party driver and didn’t add any specialized tuning, all the value is in the brand, design & W1 chip. I’ve tried audio products twice in the past and sometimes end up liking them more the second time. Solid as an ANC headphone, I will give it credit this time since my unit has actual clamping force which lets me experience the isolation.
 
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May 10, 2018 at 6:14 PM Post #650 of 904
Hey MICHAELSD, why did you delete your post? I got a notification on a post from you where you said that you purchased the Shadow Grey Studio 3s and that with the firmware upgrade, you now rank them above the 1000XM2 and QC35 II. Do you still hold true to this?
When was the Firmware upgraded? What's the signature like now out of the box?
 
May 10, 2018 at 7:07 PM Post #651 of 904
When was the Firmware upgraded? What's the signature like now out of the box?
The firmware was upgraded a couple of months back. It did improve the signature slightly in my opinion. It's a little closer to the Studio 2 now to my ears. They slightly reduced the low mids and added a bit more sub bass; although the sub bass still isn't to the level of the Studio 2s. These are slightly cleaner sounding to my ears than the Studio 2s.
 
May 10, 2018 at 7:29 PM Post #654 of 904
The firmware was upgraded a couple of months back. It did improve the signature slightly in my opinion. It's a little closer to the Studio 2 now to my ears. They slightly reduced the low mids and added a bit more sub bass; although the sub bass still isn't to the level of the Studio 2s. These are slightly cleaner sounding to my ears than the Studio 2s.

Glad I’m not the only one who noticed this. It does sound less muddy with a touch more bass. I reached out to rtings to see if they notice a difference. My new pair, manufactured in January, came with 2.0.6 so the update must have been fairly recently.

More importantly, they listened to the early feedback! While not perfect and sound is still pretty average, they have admittedly fixed most of the issues in my review. That deserves some applause. In the modern age of headphones a firmware update can fix the sound signature. While I don’t think they were aggressive enough with the adjustment, probably not to alienate earlier buyers who may prefer the muddier signature, it’s reassuring to see audio companies large and small take user feedback to heart.
 
May 10, 2018 at 7:50 PM Post #655 of 904
That being said, the Studio3 now isn’t at all bad. I actually find the fit to be more of an issue than the sound since the earcups are a tad small for me. I think some early comparisons to the ATH-M50x are probably more warranted than ever. They’re decent starter/ANC headphones at $249.99. Fairly clean sound without a significant bass emphasis that could still be improved by toning down the low-mid bump further.
 
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May 10, 2018 at 7:55 PM Post #656 of 904
Glad I’m not the only one who noticed this. It does sound less muddy with a touch more bass. I reached out to rtings to see if they notice a difference. My new pair, manufactured in January, came with 2.0.6 so the update must have been fairly recently.

More importantly, they listened to the early feedback! While not perfect and sound is still pretty average, they have admittedly fixed most of the issues in my review. That deserves some applause. In the modern age of headphones a firmware update can fix the sound signature. While I don’t think they were aggressive enough with the adjustment, probably not to alienate earlier buyers who may prefer the muddier signature, it’s reassuring to see audio companies large and small take user feedback to heart.
How do you update the firmware? The update tool doesn't work with the W-1 chip line (from what I can tell).
 
May 10, 2018 at 7:57 PM Post #657 of 904
How do you update the firmware? The update tool doesn't work with the W-1 chip line (from what I can tell).

They update automatically when connected to an iOS device. You can check the firmware version in Settings - General - About - Studio3.
 
May 10, 2018 at 7:57 PM Post #658 of 904
Glad I’m not the only one who noticed this. It does sound less muddy with a touch more bass. I reached out to rtings to see if they notice a difference. My new pair, manufactured in January, came with 2.0.6 so the update must have been fairly recently.

More importantly, they listened to the early feedback! While not perfect and sound is still pretty average, they have admittedly fixed most of the issues in my review. That deserves some applause. In the modern age of headphones a firmware update can fix the sound signature. While I don’t think they were aggressive enough with the adjustment, probably not to alienate earlier buyers who may prefer the muddier signature, it’s reassuring to see audio companies large and small take user feedback to heart.
To me, when comparing sound quality strictly in wireless mode, the Beats Studio 3 more than holds it's own when compared to the top wireless headphones out there. What I've always liked about Beats is that they have their own unique sound. I personally have never picked up another headphone and said these remind me of Beats. No other headphone brings out the emotion of aggressive music like Beats do. It is my favorite headphone to put on, crank the volume, and just bob to the beat. If I was a dancer, I'm sure it would make me want to get up and dance. But as I've stated before, I'm a drummer and I play mostly aggressive music. I'm not a classical, country, blues, or soft jazz guy. If those were my primary genres, I'd probably not be as high on Beats. But for what I listen to, I prefer the Beats to my M50X, B&W PX, and Bose QC 35 II (No longer own). The only 2 wireless headphones I sometimes prefer to the Beats depending on what day it is LOL, are my Crossfade II Wireless, and my Sony 1000XM2. A few months back I had picked up the H.ear On 2s and fell in love with their sound. However, a few weeks ago the 1000XM2 went on sale at Best Buy and I decided to pick them back up and compare for a second time to the H.ear On 2s. I discovered that the sound really wasn't that much different between the two. The H.ear On 2 has a slightly boosted treble which gives it a slightly cleaner, more detailed sound. The 1000XM2s has more bass. Slightly deeper. A bigger sound if that makes sense. I ended up selling my H.ear On 2s and keeping the 1000XM2s so that I could have a really good pair of ANC headphones. I felt the 1000XM2s fit into my collection better than the H.ear On 2s. The H.ear On 2s ended up competing against the Studio 3s in it's use case and loss.
 
May 10, 2018 at 8:08 PM Post #659 of 904
@Maukey, how do the Studio3 compare to the Crossfade 2 Wireless? On paper, the Crossfade 2 Wireless should have more bass and a cleaner sound. Do you still listen at about two notches above halfway? I tried turning the volume all the way up since that’s how people I know who own the Studio3 use it (irresponsible I know) and the sound/bass opened up but of course this is still quite loud even though it’s a wireless headphone so I toned it back down to about 10/16.

I don’t know why (maybe still coming down to fit or some needed burn-in), but I don’t feel the Studio3 has a lot of impactful, punchy bass. Bass is there and present, but I’m not blown away by the punch or definition. It may be the lack of sub-bass I’m still hearing.

Headphones are a hobby for me so I don’t mind spending some money/going through returns to constantly keep my collection fresh. Couldn’t get my mind off of the design of the Shadow Gray Studio3 and while the headphones themselves are improved I’m not sure I like them more than I liked say the M-100 or Solo3.
 
May 10, 2018 at 8:12 PM Post #660 of 904
To me, when comparing sound quality strictly in wireless mode, the Beats Studio 3 more than holds it's own when compared to the top wireless headphones out there. What I've always liked about Beats is that they have their own unique sound. I personally have never picked up another headphone and said these remind me of Beats. No other headphone brings out the emotion of aggressive music like Beats do. It is my favorite headphone to put on, crank the volume, and just bob to the beat. If I was a dancer, I'm sure it would make me want to get up and dance. But as I've stated before, I'm a drummer and I play mostly aggressive music.

I think part of that Beats magic is the over-extension of the bass region, which sacrifices some clarity to pummel you over the head with the fundamentals of the melody.

Studio3 is a relatively tame headphone with about a 3dB bass boost, but in my mind the Beats sound is a 7-8dB emphasis from 20Hz ending at about 250Hz, or a few Hz higher than audiophiles would prefer. Though that house sound changes with every single headphone Beats releases.
 
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