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I have off handedly mentioned in past videos that I personally think the Sony H.ear On 2 are a great alternative to the Beats studio3’s at a lower price. Before you buy the Beats Studio3 at least consider Sony H.ear On 2 first. Sure they might have some quirks but I think you might be better off with these than the beats.
Just so you know, this isn’t a full review on either of these headphones. I’m just trying to point out the most important differences between them so I can help you with your purchase decision. If you want to learn more about either of these headphones watch their full reviews. Like I mentioned earlier the Sony H.ear on 2 are slightly cheaper than Beats studio3. The Beats studio3’s typically retail for $349.99 and the H.ear On 2 retail for $299.99, but I got these for $249.99. and both of these headphones come in multiple color ways. If you want to pick either of these headphones up I’ll have links in the description below and I’ll keep them updated so you can get the best deal possible. I suggest you check them out cause sony products routinely go on sale. And It also helps out the channel.
Both of these headphones charge via a micro USB port and they both have a 3.5 millimeter audio jack for wired listening. But only the H.ear On 2 can be used passively with a wired connection. So even if you want to use a wired connection with the Beats they have to be powered on. But more importantly the Beats studio3’s come included with a hard shell carrying case where as the H.ear On 2 don’t they come with a carrying pouch. So if you plan on traveling a lot with either of these headphones thats something important to consider. Also, both of these headphones can only fold up… they cant be laid flat. Which might make storing them in your bag a little harder.
But when you pick either of these headphones up the first thing you’ll notice is that the H.ear on 2 are slightly heavier than the Beats studio3’s. The H.ear On 2 weigh in at 291 grams and the Beats studio3’s weigh in at 260 grams. And thats because the Beats studio3’s have thinner plastic panels and quite frankly I feel the build quality on the Beats isn’t as good as the Sony. Theres less squeaking and crackling on the H.ear On 2 when you flex them than the Beats. But keep in mind both of these headphones are mostly made out of plastic and their build quality isn’t as good as the Bose QC35 Series 2. Now when it comes to overall design it really comes down to your personal preference. They’re both stylish and they both come in multiple stand out colors. I think they both look good but if I had to pick one on looks alone then I would pick the Beats over the h.ear on 2, they’re more low profile.
But the biggest design difference between these headphones are the ear cups. The ears cups on the beats studio3 are supposed to go over your ears but they still end up resting on your ear lobes and on the top potion of your ear. When wearing the Beats you’ll notice your ears are much more cramped. But the ear cups on the H.ear on 2 do a far better job of encasing your ears. They don’t rest on any portion of your ears and they give you more room. Theres also much less padding in contact with your head when you wear the H.ear On 2. The ear cup design is my favorite feature on these headphones cause it means much less heat build up after prolonged use sessions. The H.ear on 2 are also more comfortable to wear than the Studio3’s and thats because the ear cups on the Sony’s also have more range of motion than the beats. The beats have more clamping force and the ear cups on the Beats don’t pivot as much so when you wear them they might cause some discomfort in the jaw area if you have a bigger head. The ear cup design alone is one of the main reasons why I prefer the H.ear On 2 over the Beats Studio3.
And the H.ear on 2 also has a better battery life then the Studio3’s with Noise cancelation turn on. The H.ear on 2 average 28 hours of playback time with noise cancelation turned on and the Studio3’s average 25 hours of playback time. But with noise cancelation turned off the H.ear on 2 are good for 35 hours while the Studio3’s are good for a staggering 47 hours of playback time. And the studio3’s have far better quick charging. If you’re running low on battery and if you plug them in for 10 minutes you’ll get 3 hours of battery where as the sony will only get you 70 minutes of battery.
The beats studio3 also uses Apple’s W1 chip, and this is more important than you might think. With the beats studio3’s you can easily and quickly switch between either of your apple devices. But the Sony h.ear on 2 can only be paired to one device at time. So you cant hot swap as easily. So if you want to switch from your phone to your laptop on a regular basis like I do, you’re going to have to mess around with the bluetooth settings every time. Its pretty annoying. I guess this why I end up using a wired connection when editing video on my laptop and when using the h.ear on 2.
And its also worth noting if you plan on watching a lot of videos with these headphones on then you might want to go with the beats as well. The beats have almost no delay between video and audio so everything is in sync. Where as the sony have just a little latency. Its negligible but its still there.
When it comes to sound quality between these headphones, I have to give it to the H.ear on 2. The Beats Studio3 sound decent enough to please your typical consumer. They have a good amount of bass with out being over powering but their mid’s and instrument separation isn’t the best. Where as with the h.ear on 2 the first thing you’re going to notice is that they have a much wider sound stage, the mid are much more pronounced, and they have far better instrument separation.
And with the h.ear on 2 you can adjust their EQ settings through Sony’s app. You can either choose from a few pre made ones or you can make your own. So you can adjust the sound of these headphones to better suit your type of music. Where as with Beats you’re limited to Apple’s pre made EQ settings unless you use a third party app.
But whats pretty cool about the H.ear son 2 is that it has touch controls on the right ear cup. Tap or double tap to play or pause, swipe front or swipe back to skip or go back a track and swipe up or swipe down to raise or lower your volume. And tap and hold to activate your voice assistant. The touch controls on the h.ear on 2 are easy to use and are very accurate. Where as the Beats Studio3’s are still using buttons, theres nothing wrong with using buttons but Sony’s solution is far sleeker. But the coolest thing about the touch pad on the h.ear on 2 is quick attention. If you fully cover the touch pad then the head phones will lower the volume of what ever you’re listening to and they’ll pump in all of the ambient sound. So this way you can talk to someone without having to take off your headphones.
Both of these headphones also have active noise cancelation. But like I’ve said in past videos, the ANC on these headphones is only worth using in already quite to mildly loud environments. Don’t get either of these headphones if noise cancelation is your main priority. For that you’ll want to look into the Sony 1000XM2. On the beats you can either have the noise cancelation turned on or off, and they will automatically adjust depending on your surroundings. But with the Sony you can choose between having the ANC turned off, or you can have it On so they’ll block everything the best they can, or you can also have them pump in ambient sound so you can still hear your surroundings when walking in the around in the city.
The ANC on the Sony manages perform just a little better than the Beats Studio3, but unless you were able to try them on back to back you wouldn’t be able to tell a difference. But more importantly the h.ear on 2 don’t have any cabin pressure or cause any discomfort on your ear drums when ANC is on. Where as the Beats Studio3 do cause a little discomfort on your ear drums, you might find yourself trying to poop your ears when wearing the studio3’s sometimes. But most people manage to get used to it. Both of these headphones also like to pick up wind noise very easily when ANC is turned on. So if you get hit by a breeze with either of these headphones then you’ll get a WOOSH sound. But the Sony’s does have a Wind noise reduction setting that does help but, it then reduces the amount of sound it will actually cancel out.
remember, this isn’t a full review on either of these headphones. Im just trying to point out the most important differences between them so I can help you with your purchase decision. If you want to learn more about either these headphone then watch their full reviews. But like I said in the beginning. I feel the Sony H.ear On 2 are a great alternative the Beats studio3. Styling aside cause looks are subjective. The h.ear on 2 sound and fit much better. Which are the two most important aspects to consider when choosing a pair of headphones. The ear cups on the Beats studio3 are just so cramped compared to the open feel of the ear cups on the h.ear on 2. The noise cancelation on either of these head phones isn’t amazing but the Sony’s do manage to do a little better than the beats. Like I’ve said in the past, I would only consider the Beats Studio3 if I were going to strictly use them a the gym, their clamping force means they stay in place very well and they’re very low profile. But otherwise I highly advise you at least look in to the Sony H.ear on 2 before buying the Beats studio3.