Beats Studio Pro wireless headphones will feature 24-bit hi-res support, but there’s a catch
The latest Beats over-ears wireless headphones are almost here. Apple’s plans for its newest Beats model were previously leaked online via macrumors.com, but we now have full confirmation, as well as plenty of juicy details, that the Studio Pro wireless over-ears are officially here and ready to go.
We’ve been somewhat critical of Beats headphones' recent performances in the sound department (see the Beats Studio Buds + for proof), so this is an area in which we feel the Studio Pro have to step up if they’re to compete with the likes of the Sony WF-1000XM5 and or the Bose QuietComfort 35 II.
To give themselves a fighting chance, the Studio Pro are equipped with Beats’ custom acoustic platform for an “immersive listening experience”. Each 40mm driver promises optimised clarity and near-zero distortion, with a claimed improvement of up to 80 per cent compared to Pro’s predecessor. There’s also an integrated digital processor to maximise the frequency response for a powerful, detailed and balanced sound profile. We’ll be the judges…
The usual touch controls and ANC options are all locked and loaded as you’d expect. Fully adaptive Active Noise Cancelling continuously monitors the noise around you in real time, while Transparency mode gives you an awareness of your surroundings by letting in essential environmental noise.
Connections, meanwhile, come via Bluetooth, USB-C for lossless audio and simultaneous charging, as well as a 3.5mm analogue input for wired audio sources. If you’re listening via the USB-C cable, the cans will offer three listening modes. Firstly, Beats Signature profile gives the most balanced experience for all genres, whereas the Entertainment profile offers an expressive soundscape for games and movies. Lastly, Conversation Mode optimises voices for phone calls and podcasting.
Spatial Audio is supported, with dynamic head tracking for “theatre-like sound” from Dolby Atmos, something which can be customised from your phone. Upgraded mics tease high-quality calls that enhance human speech for up to 27% better clarity than the Beats Studio3 Wireless cans.
Beats also furnished us with the details regarding hi-res support, and there’s some good news and bad news. An internal 24-bit/48kHz DAC can play 24-bit tracks from hi-res services such as (Amazon Music, Apple Music and Tidal), but only via a wired USB-C connection. The Studio Pro can support lossless over the 3.5mm headphone port, but that uses the DAC in the source device as normal. 24-bit/lossless over wireless isn’t supported as the cans only support standard SBC and AAC codecs.
9to5mac hypothesised that the Studio Pro wouldn’t use an Apple-designed chip, instead opting for a custom-made Beats chip to facilitate cross-platform support for both Apple and Android. This seems to be the case, as features such as Fast Pair and Find My Device will now be available for Android users, as well as seamless Audio Switching and a dedicated Beats app for Android devices. Apple acolytes, conversely, will enjoy One-touch pairing, automatic software updates, Siri compatibility and Find My Headphones based on their last known location.
Battery life is an important consideration for wireless headphone users these days, and the Beats Studio Pro supposedly boast some impressive numbers. You’ll hopefully enjoy 40 hours of listening without ANC and Transparency Mode, dropping to 24 hours with either of said modes activated. You’ll also receive 4 hours of playback from a 10-minute charge courtesy of the Beats’ handy Fast Fuel feature.
The Beats Studio Pro will be ready to order starting August 9th, with shipping and on-shelf beginning August 10th. Coming in four colours - Black, Deep Brown, Navy and Sandstone - they’ll be available from apple.com and will set you back ￡349.99 (further prices pending).
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