Was at Target buying groceries and of course had to make my usual stop at electronics. I was surprised to see that they replaced the Studio3 demo with the Decade Edition model, especially since my local store doesn’t sell that colorway... or any colorway other than white since they pulled the rest. That was also the most solid unit I’ve played with, I still do notice some minor manufacturing improvements such as the adjustment mechanism being more solid and actually clicking on every notch. Unfortunately the sound is exactly the same. Really not bad overall though.
Considering Target still prominently markets the Studio3 despite pulling most colorways I think a case can be made that it will lead their Black Friday collection later this year just as the PowerBeats 2 did in 2016 at $99 and the Studio Wireless at $149 in 2017. (Where the headphones previously sat is just a totally empty row.)
Also played around with the Sony XB headphone (too muddy/dark) and the Skullcandy Crusher since I’ve had a craving for some more basshead headphones, even if the Crusher is a toy. Never liked Skullcandy as a brand but I give them props for the Crusher wireless. It really is a decent package for the price for its intended market. (AAC/40 hours battery life/over-ear, etc.) Would honestly consider trying the Crusher as a gimmicky headphone since it regularly goes on-sale for $99-$149. They only have one song on the demo but I could tell it still has decent mids/treble. Not a bad price to pay for the tactile motor for the visceral unrealistic effect. Also Target’s “exclusive” Heyday $59.99 over-ear headphone’s were on demo and their build quality was better than I expected for the price range. Sound quality had no glaring faults from a 30-second demo of funnily enough “The Middle” which Target has heavily featured in its commercials. Not particularly great sound quality but serviceable for the price and the average consumer. Uneven bass presentation that surprisingly had elevated sub-bass, decent mids, and what seemed like a slightly veiled treble. Would consider in a pinch if I needed “cheap” headphones or as a gift.
In backwards order, thanks for the impressions on the Heyday 'phones -- noticed them at Target just last week, but no demos at this Target store I went to.
I'm assuming the $149 Studio Wireless on sale last year was the older model, not the Studio3? That's a great price! For that price, I'd consider it if it goes on sale again.