[MICHAELSD]

Against my better judgement I ended up purchasing an Ivory pair. I’ve got to say I do like Powerbeats Pro a bit more than I was expecting, but that’s not to say it’s perfect. The aesthetic looks nice and I could tell I stood out from a sea of AirPods, Beats Studio, and Bose headphones — I caught a few people staring at them in the gym. You definitely are paying a premium for style with these.

The main difference over AirPods for me is that Powerbeats Pro has a semi-open design with a carefully-constructed amount of passive noise isolation. It’s just enough to let users focus on the music, without blocking out the environment. Being that I don’t like to be completely isolated, this was a plus to me over AirPods Pro. It’s designed well for fitness purposes.

Surprisingly I got a good fit and seal with the medium tips out of the box. I’d like to experiment with the large to be sure. I do wish they had the same ear tip test as AirPods Pro so I can be sure I’m getting an optimal seal.

Onto sound: I do think Powerbeats Pro is a quality product. It’s almost reference quality. In fact, Beats did a complete 180 and put their focus on the mids and highs. It does reach those sub-bass notes with authority, but I found usually when I expected a bass drop that I was familiar with I expected a bit more. It’s tight, defined bass — I just wish there was a little more of it. But keep in mind I’m used to listening to sound systems with 10-20dB+ boosted bass. The mid-range is clear and adequately natural, perhaps a tad too intense on the upper mids and sibilants but it still lends itself to detail and a relatively fun sound signature. Still, I remember Solo Pro sounding better overall. It’s just the convenience factor of truly wireless that’s difficult to give up.

I will test the larger tips and see if they produce more bass. In the meantime, my only real issue with them is when I’m walking they rub against my glasses and produce audible noise. That won’t be acceptable for runs. They also do take some effort to put on, but that’s how they’re designed. Other than that, I just realized I didn’t have any complaints regarding comfort during my workout which is a good sign. I do like Powerbeats Pro and think it’s a good product. Consumers are for the most part getting their money’s worth.

 

[LarryMagoo]

That’s a bold statement to compare $249 MSRP truly wireless headphones to $999 reference quality IEM’s with a “low pass filter.”

I can see how the fit would be similar to Audeze’s IEM’s. I’ve thought that design would be well-suited to truly wireless, so I’d love to see a truly wireless iSine. (Audeze does make a Bluetooth attachment with a cord, but I’ll take TW for convenience any day.)

The TW part of the PBP is what I was really impressed with as these were my first TW. I think Apple's H2 chip in the iPhone that brings out the SQ so much.....whatever it is I cannot see myself ever going back to wires for portable use! And yea I think they sound simply remarkable for $250!

 

[MICHAELSD]

I’ve been hearing over and over that Powerbeats Pro has bass that resonates in your chest at/near max volume, so I enabled Sound Check (which normalizes the volume of each song to keep it consistent, and also keeps it a few decibels away from its true max volume which I’m sure is over 100dB) and maxed out the volume. They were right. Just as advertised in the press materials, the piston driver has virtually no distortion. It delivers deep, rich, clean bass. That level is over 90dB per the Headphone Audio Levels in the Health app, but surprisingly it wasn’t ear-ringing and I didn’t experience the concert sensation afterwards. Part of that is because I’m working out and breathing heavily so my ear won’t really try to protect itself, which has its pros and cons but I digress. I’m not sure that it’s sustainable to listen at that level, and I’d also be curious to know the frequency response curve and how it contributes to the decibel level. Technically bass can contribute to hearing loss, but I don’t mind it as much as opposed to having mids/treble at over 80dB.

As far as fit, I’m still struggling a bit with getting them to stay in place with glasses. They do move a bit (and I’m using the two-handed twist method to put them in) which adds noise when walking/running. The critical flaw of BeatsX was that the wire would hit against the back of a user’s neck while running, which would cause very audible noise and made them unusable for that purpose. I don’t really feel I need the ear hook (which gets in the way with glasses and affects the fit in my case) since AirPods fit my ears stably, but by design it isn’t removable.

 

[Monstieur]

Sound Check results in clipping in some songs. The algorithm is buggy.

 

[LarryMagoo]

I wear SunGlasses when I walk my dog and the beats ear piece slides right past the glasses ear steams without any issue...it took me a few times to master the fitting of the combo but no longer any issues. Still amazed how great they sound!

 

[Radical_53]

I needed to get some Comply tips for them to fit right, even two different sizes before I liked the fit. The wired IEMs I used before weren't as comfortable, but the seel seemed to be tighter.
These still stay in place nicely when working out or running, even with sunglasses and/or hat they work nicely.

To me, the sound is great for a mobile, wireless solution. Nothing more I could wish for when on the move

 

[MICHAELSD]

I needed to get some Comply tips for them to fit right, even two different sizes before I liked the fit. The wired IEMs I used before weren't as comfortable, but the seel seemed to be tighter.
These still stay in place nicely when working out or running, even with sunglasses and/or hat they work nicely.

To me, the sound is great for a mobile, wireless solution. Nothing more I could wish for when on the move

I like them, but I still don’t get the most stable fit with the ear hooks over my glasses (even if I try to put the Powerbeats Pro on first). I suppose that’s the risk with a one-size-fits-all approach. Ironically the standard AirPods don't move at all when I have them in my ears. I found the ear hooks don't really get in the way of the glasses as much as I thought, but it seems like the inner part doesn't securely fit 100% in my ear. I have tried the various ear tips, and came back to the default medium tips as being the best overall. Sound quality might have been slightly better with the double flange tips, but they weren't as comfortable.

I wish they would have tested an innovative approach with the ear tips, since it's impossible to know if I'm getting the most optimal seal possible. I also see this all the time in reviews that complain about the sound quality: those people are either not testing the various tip sizes or none of them fit their ears properly. Sound quality varies widely based on the fit of the tips. Apple addressed this on AirPods Pro with an ear tip fit test built into the Bluetooth menus. I don't really care for ANC or the sensation it brings about, but the newest firmware update looks like it really improved the active calibration and bass response so I would be curious to try AirPods Pro again in a store demo or possibly at home.

That being said, the sound quality of Powerbeats Pro is very good. Balanced, with a powerful bass on songs that are already bass-heavy without imparting too much color to songs that weren't mixed with a heavy bass. If I had to nitpick a bit, the mid-range (particularly vocals) to my ear could sound slightly more natural on some tracks.

 

[tmarshl]

I like them, but I still don’t get the most stable fit with the ear hooks over my glasses (even if I try to put the Powerbeats Pro on first). I suppose that’s the risk with a one-size-fits-all approach. Ironically the standard AirPods don't move at all when I have them in my ears. I found the ear hooks don't really get in the way of the glasses as much as I thought, but it seems like the inner part doesn't securely fit 100% in my ear. I have tried the various ear tips, and came back to the default medium tips as being the best overall. Sound quality might have been slightly better with the double flange tips, but they weren't as comfortable.

I wish they would have tested an innovative approach with the ear tips, since it's impossible to know if I'm getting the most optimal seal possible. I also see this all the time in reviews that complain about the sound quality: those people are either not testing the various tip sizes or none of them fit their ears properly. Sound quality varies widely based on the fit of the tips. Apple addressed this on AirPods Pro with an ear tip fit test built into the Bluetooth menus. I don't really care for ANC or the sensation it brings about, but the newest firmware update looks like it really improved the active calibration and bass response so I would be curious to try AirPods Pro again in a store demo or possibly at home.

That being said, the sound quality of Powerbeats Pro is very good. Balanced, with a powerful bass on songs that are already bass-heavy without imparting too much color to songs that weren't mixed with a heavy bass. If I had to nitpick a bit, the mid-range (particularly vocals) to my ear could sound slightly more natural on some tracks.

All I can say is that these IEMs may require a lot of tip-rolling. After trying the PBP provided ear-tips, Comply Foam ear-tips, Spin-Fit CP360, Spin-Fit CP240, and Symbio hybrid ear-tips, I finally came up with a great solution (for me). Symbio in the left ear and Spin-Fit CP-240 double flange in the right ear. The fit is great, the comfort is great, the sounds is great. So I would encourage you not to give up until you find the right combination.

 

[MICHAELSD]

All I can say is that these IEMs may require a lot of tip-rolling. After trying the PBP provided ear-tips, Comply Foam ear-tips, Spin-Fit CP360, Spin-Fit CP240, and Symbio hybrid ear-tips, I finally came up with a great solution (for me). Symbio in the left ear and Spin-Fit CP-240 double flange in the right ear. The fit is great, the comfort is great, the sounds is great. So I would encourage you not to give up until you find the right combination.

I'm not sure I want to fall down the rabbit hole of trying third-party ear tips (I'll stick with the tips it was designed to use, since it can affect the sound signature). Interestingly enough, the ear hooks are adjustable so I'm going to try to shape them to my ears to see if that helps. I like the style and I've found myself banging my head along to the beat here at my desk, so hopefully I can get them to stop moving around when I'm walking/running since that produces unwanted noise.

 

[tmarshl]

Aside from the need to tip-roll to find a comfortable tip that seals well, my only other concern with the PBPs is the size of the charging case: it just doesn't fit comfortably into a pocket. Since the PBPs have a run time of 9 hours, I find that they can survive well outside of the charging case for quite a while. So I found an IEM case on Amazon that fits the PBPs nicely when they are snuggled together, and which fits into my jeans pocket, while protecting the buds. This case is made from ballistic nylon and has a zipper closure.

 

[LarryMagoo]

Aside from the need to tip-roll to find a comfortable tip that seals well, my only other concern with the PBPs is the size of the charging case: it just doesn't fit comfortably into a pocket. Since the PBPs have a run time of 9 hours, I find that they can survive well outside of the charging case for quite a while. So I found an IEM case on Amazon that fits the PBPs nicely when they are snuggled together, and which fits into my jeans pocket, while protecting the buds. This case is made from ballistic nylon and has a zipper closure.

Sweet looking case.....thanks for the post!!,

 

[MICHAELSD]

Pretty important to note: the ear hooks are adjustable by putting pressure on the stem. I've found it helps to have a tight seal where the ear hook wraps around the top of the ear. It definitely makes a difference in stability, but I’m still not crazy about the overall fit. I’m going to see if it adjusts itself over time to become more comfortable/stable now that I’ve adjusted it so it fully wraps around my ear.

 

[MICHAELSD]

Another note regarding fit: I figured molding the earhooks to my ear would create a better fit, which it did to an extent, but it also lost the tight seal which provided deep bass and a solid amount of isolation. It's been adjusting back, and I find if I use two hands to put them on with a focus on the inner-ear part being properly-inserted so it has a semi-open fitment it fits and sounds better. A large part of getting a proper fit is making sure the angle is correct and that the ear tips aren't being inserted too deeply. The ear hooks still tend to rub against my glasses even with an adjusted fit, which is a bit funny because AirPods fit my ears perfectly with no stability issues.

Solo3 has a stronger bass (which can benefit some bass-heavy tracks), but Powerbeats Pro is more balanced and sounds better overall for a variety of music.

 

[MICHAELSD]

Hmm, I’m considering switching to AirPods Pro. I’m curious how they would sound with a proper seal that passes the ear tip test. I really like Powerbeats Pro, but I’m not 100% happy with it. I’m pretty sure AirPods Pro would have a more consistent fit that’s just as stable if not more so. I get 60 days to return it with my RedCard surprisingly, but I’ll probably return them sooner if I decide to do so. Hopefully Target refurbishes and re-sells returns, I keep them in mint condition so much so the point they usually assume I haven’t opened products I return. (I even saw them put a product I used back out on the floor as new and had to let them know.) Thankfully I rarely return headphones despite how often I want to impulsively try them.

On a side note, Powerbeats Pro has quality drivers so it responds well to EQ. Treble Reducer or “Small Speakers” both provide a stronger bass response at louder volumes without completely ruining the rest of the frequency range. Oddly I had the volume blasted with the Small Speakers EQ and noticed a staticy pop on the right earbud. It didn’t affect the sound afterwards. I inadvertently went to the gym during peak hours today and had a more difficult time hearing my music, especially the bass, without blasting it.

 

[LarryMagoo]

One of the best features of the PBP is that they can be controlled on the ear piece...both of them...with the APP, you have to dig your phone out of your pocket to simply change the volume! I am continually blown away by the sound quality of the PBPs! I never thought having wireless headphones would be such a big deal...but after many hours on my PBP's I simply love the freedom of no cables. I use Sien's 800S and Dan Clarks' Aeon Closed at home and wish one of them would work on a wireless setup that still has the same FR as the wired ones...I'd buy'em in a heartbeat!