I felt when Studio3 came out there was a constant hiss in the left earcup but with the latest firmware update it’s gradually dissipated across both earcups so it’s less noticeable. It actually has excellent ANC. Still not sure whether my first unit had defective clamping force or if they’ve adjusted it since then but I couldn’t get any isolation out of the Studio3 due to the lack of a good seal which impacted my early impressions.
Beats Studio3
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I felt when Studio3 came out there was a constant hiss in the left earcup but with the latest firmware update it’s gradually dissipated across both earcups so it’s less noticeable. It actually has excellent ANC. Still not sure whether my first unit had defective clamping force or if they’ve adjusted it since then but I couldn’t get any isolation out of the Studio3 due to the lack of a good seal which impacted my early impressions.
Maukey
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I understand. I know people sometimes like to give people a hard time for changing their impressions. But that's why there's initial impressions, and impressions after you use a product for a few days. Things can change like break in, ears adjusting, comfort/seal improving, or a faulty pair. Firmware comes out and can also change things. I knew you were being genuine and not just hating on the Studio 3. You're unbiased just like I am. The ANC and sound has definitely improved on the Studio 3 since release. And I've had it since it launched. Had everything to do with firmware upgrades.
By the way, I contacted Rtings regarding the firmware updates and while the raw FR wasn’t changed they found that the consistency of the calibration system was improved which could be what I’m hearing as I do wear glasses and they found initially that the bass response in particular was reduced significantly for glasses users.
IMO Beats did also make minor manufacturing changes or tightened up the manufacturing processes based on early impressions. I don’t recall when you initially tried Studio3 but I think you should notice more consistency in fit/build quality between the two (or three?) colorways you’ve tried.
“They show about 6dB of deviation both in the bass and treble ranges and are somewhat prone to a drop in bass if the user is wearing glasses.”
While they didn’t formally post test results post-firmware update, initially the Studio3’s sound definitely suffered due to the inconsistent FR between users and fitment. I was in the group that initially on 2.0.6 heard no sub-bass and a weak overall bass which made the muddy mids stand out even more so. Don’t even think I noticed a consistent treble initially.
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Eh, but if the Studio3 doesn't adapt to block as much noise as a competing model, then the bottom line is that it doesn't measure up to the competition. Also, if I'm not mistaken, the WH1000XM2, at least (not sure about QC 35 II), allows you to manually adjust level of ANC, so you have better control of level of ANC than the fully automatic ANC response from the Studio3 -- which again, may make it less effective in certain environments.
Studio3 does do a better job than those headphones at preventing the ANC from degrading the sound quality, so it’s a bit of a give-and-take.
But, in classic Apple fashion, the Studio3 gives you no control over that -- Apple knows best, that's their philosophy and how they design stuff.
Whereas, giving the users the ability to dial in their own preferences, balancing the desires for sound quality and noise cancellation -- that's preferable to me.
But, in classic Apple fashion, the Studio3 gives you no control over that -- Apple knows best, that's their philosophy and how they design stuff.
Whereas, giving the users the ability to dial in their own preferences, balancing the desires for sound quality and noise cancellation -- that's preferable to me.
Yup, it does follow the Apple design ethos and I’m not sure how much control they’d be willing to give up. You’d think maybe they could include adjustable sound presets at least since I get how easy it would be for the average user to screw up the sound with a graphic equalizer but I also get why they don’t.
What we’ll continue seeing in the future from Apple/Beats is sound that automatically adjusts to a track and ANC that automatically adapts to surroundings. Which if it works well enough, then is probably for the best.
I ended up returning mine, I still prefer it to QC 35 II and the 1000XM2, but I guess I wanted something more louder/basee thumping/exciting. My old 2015 Backbeat Pro has that bass which vibrates in your ear.
I also am commited to wireless and I don't find the crossfade line to have been made for wireless, but more of an afterthought. I guess I could give BackBeat Pro 2 a go, or wait for a new release end of this year.
I also am commited to wireless and I don't find the crossfade line to have been made for wireless, but more of an afterthought. I guess I could give BackBeat Pro 2 a go, or wait for a new release end of this year.
The Studio3 is the more exciting headphone of those three, but I think Beats’ main flaw was not making it exciting enough. I see a lot of people comment about returning these, and most of the time it’s due to the sound. It is a compromised sound lacking enough clarity to please audiophiles and also lacking the energy to please Beats fans.
They should have:
A) Kept the bass region the same as it is now as it does lead to more clarity with the sub-bass roll-off but made a smoother transition into the lower mids for more detailed mids/treble. (Probably not the best option for Beats though as this would be too boring.)
B) Made the bass region more linear, then tuned the sound around that. (Edited.)
C) Invested R&D into a new driver design that allows for a bass boost and clarity.
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^ In your opinion.
IMO, more bass would ruin them. I don't listen to the hippity hop that the kids listen to, but for my musical genres: rock, metal, jazz and some classical, I find the bass quantity quite a bit better on the Studio3 than any of the previous models and any more would be too much to my ears.
^ In your opinion.
IMO, more bass would ruin them. I don't listen to the hippity hop that the kids listen to, but for my musical genres: rock, metal, jazz and some classical, I find the bass quantity quite a bit better on the Studio3 than any of the previous models and any more would be too much to my ears.
Too much bass becomes a gimmick, so perhaps I should have just said a more linear bass region. I can see Studio3 being fun for those genres with its mid-bass bump.
Admittedly I’ve lost my taste for overly-emphasized bass, but I’m sure a headphone could come along and change my mind if it had pristine clarity in the other frequencies.
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I think that was just inconsistency in the self-calibrating system I was hearing. There is sub-bass but on the old firmware I heard basically nothing in that region. Studio3 is Beats’ attempt at an audiophile headphone as it does mimick headphones like the ATH-M50x in some ways (the treble is nearly identical) as well as the roll-off in the sub-bass that many hi-fi headphones include.
Maukey
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MacedonianHero, so which headphone do you prefer today as far as sound goes? The QC35 II, 1000XM2, or Studio 3? I know you have that portable headphone thread.
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