So after almost 5 years, Apple has finally updated the beats studio pro’s. Now even though I enjoy how these headphones sound and they have a really good microphone on them for phone calls, I feel that these are very hard to justify for premium ANC headphones. And quite honestly, I think these are more in line with a pair of mid teir or entry level headphones… so today we’re going to see how the Beats Studio Pro stack up to both the Sony WH-CH720N’s and the Sony XB910N.
Regarding pricing, the Beats Studio Pro have a retail price of $350… and personally I wouldn’t pay $350 for these headphones. Then there are the Sony XB910N’s which are a pair of mid teir ANC headphones and they have a retail price of $250… but they like to go on sale these days for $180 or less… and then there are the entry level Sony WH-CH720N’s and they have a retail price of $150 but they like to go on sale for $130. Overall, I like and recommend both of Sony’s headphones, but it you want to pick any of these headphones up they’ll be linked down below.
Now first leets talk about the cases that come included with these headphones. Now the Beats Studio Pro’s are a pair or premium ANC headphones that come included with a soft shell case… which I feel is unacceptable… where as the XB910N’s are a pair of mid teir ANC headphones and they come included with a proper hard shell case which is going to protect your headphones if you plan on traveling with them. But then there are the Sony WH-CH720N… and these dont come included with a case… but I think that’s okay cause these are a pair of entry level headphones.
But now, lets talk about the headphones themselves. Regarding fit, this is a big problem for the Beats Studio Pro. First off the Beats Studio Pro’s have a lot of clamping force on them. Making them not big head approved. Where as both of Sony’s headphones are big head approved cause they have less clamping force, giving them a loser and more comfortable fit. But another issue on the Beats studio Pro is the lack of range of motion on their ear cups. These ear cups apply a little more pressure on the front of your ear than on the back… making them feel a little unnatural when they are on your head. Where as with both of Sony’s headphones, their earcups have a lot more range of motion, so their ear cups apply an even amount of pressure around your ears, making them feel more natural. But then there is the padding underneath their headband… the Studio Pro’s have very little padding underneath their headband, so they can create a hot spot on the top of your head. Where as hot spots aren’t an issue for either of Sony’s headphones cause their headbands have a decent amount of padding. But then there are the ear pads themselves. Now the ear pads on the beats are very shallow, so even if you have normal sized ears like me… these ear pads will press down on your ears which can get uncomfortable after awhile. Where as both of Sony’s headphones have much more spacious earpads than the earpads found on the Beats. Now the ear pads on the Sony WH-CH720N’s should be able to accommodate most ear types… but if you have very large ears or ear that stick out a lot, then you’ll want to go with the XB910N’s cause they are the most spacious here. But over all comfort wise, the Sony WH-CH720N’s are my favorite headphones here when it comes to comfort cause of their super light weight. The WH-CH720N’s weigh in at 192 grams… where as the XB910N weigh in at 252 grams and the Beats Studio Pro weigh in at 260 grams. Now both the XB910N and Studio Pro’s weigh an average amount of ANC headphones… but the WH-CH720N’s being so light weight just helps makes these headphones feel even more comfortable cause they are even less noticeable when they’re on your head. So overall, both of Sony’s headphones are way more comfortable than the beats studio pro… but for me, the WH-CH720N’s are the most comfortable headphones here.
But now lets talk about tech specs. The Beats Studio Pro have an advertised battery life of 24 horus with their active noise cancellation turned on and with their active noise cancelation turned off they can go for as long as 40 hours.
Where as the XB910N have an advertised battery life of 30 hours with their active noise cancelation turned on… and with their active noise cancelation turned off, they can go for as long as 38 hours… and with the WH-CH720N’s they have an advertised battery life of 35 hours with their active noise cancelation turned on and with their active noise cancelation turned off, they can go for as long as 50 hours.
And when it comes to charging these headphones, they all charge via a USB C port, as they should. But the really cool thing about the Beats Studio pro is that you can also use their USB C port as a wired connection… where as with Sony’s headphones you can only use their USB C ports for charging.
But if you want to, you can always just use wired connection with any of these headphones cause they all still have a 3.5 millimeter audio jack and they all come included with an audio cable. And this is actually a big deal for the beats studio pro cause I was worried that apple was going to remove the audio jack on these headphones and they were going to charge you extra to use them with a wired connection. Just keep in mind that with the beats you can’t use them passively cause they still need to have a charge even if you’re going to use them with a wired connection. Where as with Sony’s headphones you can use them passively.
Now when it comes to wireless connectivity both of Sony’s headphones can be simultaneously connected to any two devices at the same time so you can easily hot swap between any two devices, making them great for power users who have devices from different eco systems.
Now the Beats Studio Pro’s are also good options for power users cause you can easily switch from one device to another, but switching between devices with the beats isn’t as seamless as with Sony’s headphones.
But when it comes to overall performance, all of these headphones have zero latency across then board when watching movies or videos on your phone whether you’re using an iPhone or an android device… but when it come to audio codecs, the Beats Studio Pro’s and WH-CH720N’s only have support for SBC and AAC. Where as the XB910N’s have support for SBC, AAC, and LDAC, which is Sony’s own in house high res audio codec. Just keep in mind that if you want to take advantage of LDAC you do have to be an android user cause iPhones top out at AAC… and LDAC is also going to take an additional toll on the battery life.
But now lets talk about sound. First off with the Beats Studio Pro, you can’t directly adjust eerie EQ to your liking… unless you use them with a wired connection through their USB C port… its a whole thing. But if you use them wirelessly you’re going to be stuck with their stock bass heavy EQ. Now the bass on these headphones both resonates very cleanly and it also has a decent amount of kick to it. But more importantly, the beats still have decent instrument separation and the mids and vocals aren’t overpowered by the bass on these headphones. Overall I like how these headphones sound and the bass on these headphones should be able to satiate most people. But then there are Sony’s headphones. Now with both of Sony’s headphones you can directly adjust their EQ to your liking. Now sound quality wise, both of these headphones sound good enough to get the job done, but they dont sound as open as the beats. And with the WH-CH720N’s these dont have nearly as much bass as the beats studio pro. But then there are the Sony XB910N’s, and the stand out characteristics on these headphones is that they have an above average amount of bass. The bass on these headphones will rattle your head way more than the bass that’s found on the Beats Studio Pro… and this extra bass is a lot of fun when you’re listening to music… but it also adds an extra level of immersivness when watching movies with these headphones. Overall yes I will say that the beats studio pro sound better than both of Sony’s headphones here cause they have better instrument separation… but if you want something with legit head rattling bass then youll you want to go with the Sony XB910N’s.
Now when it comes to your media controls, both the beats and WH-CH720N’s are using physical buttons. But the lay out on the WH-CH720N’s is much better cause these buttons are on the side and they’re on the right. Where as the buttons on the Beats are on the left and when you press them in you have to jam these ear cups into the side of your head. But then there are the XB910N’s which are using a touch pad, and this touch pads is very accurate and its very easy to use but I know some people just dont like touch pads on their headphones.
But now lets talk about the active noise cancelation on these headphones… and for a pair of premium ANC headphones… this is a big let down for the Beats Studio Pro. The ANC on the Beats Studio Pro is more in line with the ANC that you’ll find on a pair of mid teir or entry level ANC headphones… but so that you can see for yourself, we’re going to jump into an ANC test
So like you may have just seen, the active noise cancellation on the preimumly priced beats studio pro sits between the ANC on the mid teir Sony XB910N and the entry level Sony WH-CH720N… the ANC on all of these headphones is going to be useful on lets say your bus ride home or if you’re in a slightly chatty office… but none of these headphones would be my top pick if you plan on traveling or flying a lot with any of these headphones. So for me, the ANC On the Beats Studio Pro is a disappointment, where as the ANC on the XB910N and WH-CH720N’s are adequate for their pricing.
But also, all of these all of these headphones have an ambient mode, and they all sound good. But with the beats studio pro, you can’t adjust their ambient mode to your liking like you can with either of Sony’s headphones. And then there are the XB910N’s which have quick attention where if you fully cover their touch pad they are going to lower the volume of your music and pump in all of the ambient sound around you so that you can talk to someone without having to remove your headphones like this.
And then when you let go, the headphones will go back to normal again. And personally I like these types of features on my headphones cause it can be very useful when you’re flying.
But finally here’s the microphone test… now I feel the microphone on the XB910N is passable while in a quite room.
But the microphone on the WH-CH720N’s does do a better job of focusing on my voice
But then theres the microphone on the Beats Studio pro which I feel is the best sounding microphone here.
But also, the microphone on the beats studio pro does the best job here of dealing with noise pollution. Cause right now, this microphone is doing a really good job of reducing this road noise. Cause for comparison sake, if we were to switch over to my lapel microphone you’re going to clearly hear all of this road noise, but if we switch back over to the beats studio pro, it is severely reduced.
Where as with the XB910N, these are trying to block out this road noise but there is some interference going on with my voice.
And with the 720N’s these are letting in a lot of road noise.
But when it comes to blocking out chatter, these are doing a decent job
Where as the XB910N’s are struggling here.
But then there are the beats which are going the best job here of dealing with this chatter. So I feel that if you plan on taking lots and lots of phones calls, the Beats Studio pro would be the best option here cause they do the best job here of dealing with noise pollution.
But with all of that being said, I will admit that the Beats Studio Pro have a decent sounding microphone on them for phone calls, and I like how they sound. But for me it is very hard to justify these headphones and their premium price point. First off their active noise cancelation is more in line with that of a pair of mid teir or entry level headphones. Also, they are very uncomfortable cause of their tight fit, cramped ear pads, ear cups that have a limited range of motion, and headband that create a hot spot very quickly. Also, these dont come included with a hard shell. Peronsally i think both the XB910N and WH-CH720N’s are better pick ups and the Beats Studio pro. Both headphones are way more comfortable than the beats studio pro, but with the XB910N, these are a great pick up if you want something with an above average amount of bass… and the WH-CH720N are a great pick up if you want something affordable… but also super comfortable.