Are the Beats Studio Buds Good Workout Headphones?
Beats Studio Buds are the latest earbuds from Apple and Beats. How well do they perform as workout headphones?
High Level Impressions
The Beats Studio Buds aren’t the best standalone workout headphones. If you’re looking for headphones exclusively for exercise, you can get better headphones for a similar price. You can also get better earbuds generally that work just the same at the gym.
The Beats Studio Buds cost $150. As of the time of this writing, you can get better workout headphones, like:
Powerbeats Pro: $200 (although they’re often on sale for $180)
That’s not to hate on these. Headphones are an accessory, and the Beats Studio Buds definitely look cool. If you’re in it for the style and brand, they’re not bad headphones.
Beats Studio Buds at the Gym:
These are good (but not great) gym headphones. If you’re mostly lifting, they’ll stay in your ears, and the noise cancelling helps drown out gym sounds.
Beats Studio Buds for Running:
The Beats Studio Buds are a risk when running. They’re not designed for working out and have no hooks, so they might fall out of your ears and get scratched. If you’re running hard or long distances, they might not stay in comfortably.
You can get a much better experience with any of the Powerbeats line, Beats Fit Pro, or other headphones designed for workouts.
Sound Profile
The Beats Studio Buds sound solid, but they don’t sound incredible. They’re Beats, and they have a bass forward sound-profile, which is a plus when working out to music like pop and hip hop. They’re missing a bit of clarity on meds and highs, which is unusual because Beats provides a more refined sound profile on the Powerbeats and the Powerbeats Pro. The Studio Buds are a step backwards compared to the Powerbeats line, but they sound fun, and that’s a good energy to bring to a workout.
Noise Cancelling & Transparency
The Beats Studio Buds have active noise cancelling, which is really nice if you’re in a loud gym. They also have a transparency mode, if you want to amplify external sound when on a run or walk.
The fit on the ear tips isn’t so aggressive that they block out all sound, so if you’re outside on a walk or run, you can turn off the noise cancelling and get good enough exposure to your surroundings.
Comfort, Fit, & Stability
The Beats Studio Buds are small, light, and comfortable. They’re not going to get in the way when you’re doing things like lifting and yoga.
They don’t have hooks like the Powerbeats, and they’re held in just by the ear tips. The seal is is more comfortable than firm, so you can wear these for hours and not get tired of them.
The tradeoff is they don’t feel stable. They might fall out if you’re doing intense work. I took them on a run and they constantly felt like they were on the verge of falling out onto the asphalt. Now, they never actually fell out, maybe because they’re so light, but I pushed them back into my ears frequently because I couldn’t bring myself to let them drop onto concrete. Again, they look nice.
Connectivity & Controls
The controls and connectivity are lacking. These are third-party headphones for Android and Apple users, so they don’t have any first-party integrations like the Google Pixel Buds or AirPods.
Apple owns Beats, but they stripped the W1 Chip and the H1 Chip that is in the Powerbeats and the AirPods. The Studio Buds lose all of the first-party features that come with being a part of the Apple ecosystem. There’s no “Hey, Siri” controls In the earbuds which means you need your phone or an Apple Watch in shouting distance, which is not as responsive.
The hands-free experience is a step down from being able to change music hands-free with some of the other Beats headphones tailored to the gym. There’s no dedicated button to bring up a smart assistant like Siri or Google, so if you rely on that when working out, you need to keep your device on hand.
You can only connect to 2 devices: if you want to use the Beats with a phone and a smart watch, that’s probably enough, but if you want to connect them to a third device like a computer, you’ll have to repair them to the first two devices.
BAttery & Case
They have 8 hours of battery life, and you get 2 charges out of the case for 24 hours of play time. So you can keep the in your pocket throughout the day if you’re using them as multipurpose headphones and not have to worry about charging them all the time. Unlike the Powerbeats Pro, the case is small and compact.
Sweat Resistance
Like most earbuds, the Beats Studio Buds are sweat resistant.
Conclusion
Overall, as workout headphones, they work. There’s nothing about them that stands out as special, especially when compared to the Powerbeats line or the Jabra Elite Active 75t, but they’ll get the job done.