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Beats Studio Buds + Review

Niche, upper-mid-range earbuds that come with premium features and solid call quality
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Beats Studio Buds + Review
Credit: Abriah Wofford
Price:  $170 List
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Manufacturer:   Beats by Dre
66
OVERALL
SCORE


RANKED
#14 of 25
  • Sound Quality - 40% 5.9
  • User Experience - 20% 6.1
  • Noise Cancellation - 15% 5.6
  • Battery life - 15% 8.5
  • Call Quality - 10% 9.2

Our Verdict

The Beats Studio Buds + offer some premium features like noise cancellation and top-tier call quality at a not-so-premium price point. That said, their sound signature is somewhat compressed and thin, and their active noise-cancelling (ANC) is not much better than many of the best earbuds in our lineup. Their fit is also a bit awkward across ear types. Their best qualities are their stellar battery life, especially for earbuds with active noise cancelation, and excellent call quality that tops most other premium earbuds we tested.
REASONS TO BUY
Clear case looks awesome
Great microphone
Strong battery life
REASONS TO AVOID
No equalizer settings
Unimpressive spatial sound
App includes few features

Compare to Similar Products

 
beats studio buds +
Awards  Editors' Choice Award
Best Wired Earbud
 Best Buy Award
Best Budget Wireless Earbuds
Best Buy Award
Best Wireless Earbuds on a Tight Budget
Price $170 List
$149.99 at Amazon
$18.00 List
$17.97 at Amazon
$22 List
$23.99 at Amazon
$150 List
$109.95 at Amazon
$50 List
$49.99 at Amazon
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Star Rating
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Bottom Line These earbuds include a good microphone and other premium features for under $200Forgoing flash for a great fit and impressive sound at a great price, these wired earbuds are hard to argue withTrades wireless ease for great sound, comfort, and a pleasantly low priceThese buds offer an impressive soundstage and sturdy construction — if they fitIf you don't need noise cancelation or top-notch audio, these are a good deal
Rating Categories Beats Studio Buds + UliX Rider - 3.5mm Linsoul KZ ZSN Pro X Jaybird Vista 2 Amazon Echo Buds
Sound Quality (40%)
5.9
8.1
7.3
7.8
5.0
User Experience (20%)
6.1
5.6
4.0
6.4
6.2
Noise Cancellation (15%)
5.6
2.5
5.3
3.6
2.3
Battery life (15%)
8.5
10.0
10.0
6.0
5.7
Call Quality (10%)
9.2
8.8
9.0
7.6
6.7
Specs Beats Studio Buds + UliX Rider - 3.5mm Linsoul KZ ZSN Pro X Jaybird Vista 2 Amazon Echo Buds
Active Noise Cancelling Yes No No Yes No
Earbud Location Tracking Yes No No Yes Yes
Measured Battery Life 9.7 hr N/A N/A 6.3 hr 5.9 hr
Waterproofing IPX4 N/A N/A IP68 IPX2
Measured Weight 0.19 oz 0.62 oz 1.06 oz 0.24 oz 0.18 oz
Quick Charging 5 mins = 1 hrs N/A N/A 5 mins = 1 hr 15 mins = 2 hrs
Charges Per Case 2 N/A N/A 2 3
Wired Charging Port USB-C 3.5mm jack 3.5mm jack USB-C USB-C
Wireless Charging Option No No No Yes No
Claimed Battery Life 8 hrs N/A N/A 8 hrs 5 hrs
Charging Carrying Case Yes N/A N/A Yes Yes
Transparency Mode No No No Yes No
Multipoint Yes No No No No
In-ear Detection Yes No No Yes Yes
Multiple Ear Tips Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes

Our Analysis and Test Results

The Beats Studio Buds + fit a niche in the market for affordable noise-cancelling earbuds, but unless you're a Beats loyalist, it might be worth saving up a little for other options that do it all better.


Performance Comparison


beats studio buds + - utilizing a panel of expert listeners and a bruel and kjaer 5128-b...
Utilizing a panel of expert listeners and a Bruel and Kjaer 5128-B head, we tested and scored the sound quality of each of our earbuds.
Credit: Abriah Wofford

Sound Quality


We ran the Beats Studio Buds + through two separate types of sound quality testing to get the most comprehensive, accurate results. We had a panel of audio experts listen to them under a variety of performance conditions. The experts found that while the sound profile follows our curve pretty well, the listening experience suffers from a lack of clarity. There's no particular volume sweet spot where song mixes sound full and clear.




At all volumes, the midrange feels particularly underemphasized, while the bass is quite heavy and demanding. With vocal-heavy songs like “Shine” by Leon Bridges, there is strong sibilance (hissing sound) that is quite distracting from the rest of the mix.

However, when you remove the glaringly sub-par midrange from the track, modern instrumental music offers an interesting and immersive listening experience, with the heavy bass emphasis creating a punchy energy.

We were less than impressed by the sound of the Beats Studio Buds + compared to many other buds in our testing - some of which sound far better for less than $100.
Credit: Natalie Kafader

Soundstage


The soundstage of an earbud influences how you perceive music spatially, creating the impression of where the band, or even specific instruments, are located around you. When we go to see a band or attend a party, we're used to hearing sound originating in front of us, with some sound bouncing off nearby surfaces like walls or stadium seating.

Due to their compact, in-ear design, earbuds offer a more confined listening experience, but some engineers work to create a more expansive soundstage. Achieving truly expansive soundscapes is uncommon among earbuds. Unless you're a gamer or an audiophile, you may not notice much of a difference. If immersive audio is a priority for you, these particular earbuds are about average in this metric.

Soundstage Ratings
ProductSoundstage Rating
Best10.0
Average7.4
Beats Studio Buds +7.0
Worst4.0
Sparse arrangments work best with the simple soundstage of these earbuds.

While you can locate individual instruments around you with the Beats Studio Buds +, they don't create a big, expansive soundstage. That means that simple arrangements work much better than big stadium bangers. Sparse songs like “I Want You” by The Hunter Express work beautifully, allowing listeners a closeness to the guitar and lone voice that would get lost in a bigger space or showier production.

It sounds more accurate and authentic because you can hear small details without losing clarity. This is particularly noticeable at 1:16 when the vocalist sings the word “you” with a pronounced “ch” sound and at 1:33, 1:40, or 1:43 when fingers are sliding over the frets. These little imperfections come through cleanly and establish the intimate, unpolished mood the lyrics are trying to evoke.

Expert Panel Sound Quality Ratings
ProductBassMid-RangeTreble
Best8.79.09.0
Average6.66.96.6
Beats Studio Buds +6.05.35.0
Worst2.03.53.0

To flesh out our sound quality scoring, we established a frequency response baseline using our testing rig and compared it against our GearLab House Curve. Then, taking a look at our frequency response chart, we can see that the Studio Buds + follow our House Curve quite closely until we hit some deviation in the midrange. This affirms our expert's experience of vocals struggling to be heard clearly in the mix. If you only listen to bass-heavy instrumental music (not EDM, but actual instruments), you can remove the midrange distractions. However, it's hard to recommend these buds for any other music genre.



User Experience


The Beats Studio Buds + were not standout performers in any of our tested UX metrics.





Comfort



Overall, these earbuds are comfortable enough in medium-to-large ears; however, being on the heftier side, they can feel a bit insecure for smaller ears. As such, if you have smaller ears, you might find longer listening sessions uncomfortable.

beats studio buds + - smaller ears can struggle to accommodate these buds.
Smaller ears can struggle to accommodate these buds.
Credit: Abriah Wofford

Stability


The Studio Buds + do not have any supplementary stabilization wings, which means that during high activity, if your ears don't fit these buds just right they tend to fall out. Because of this, these are not great earbuds for doing anything beyond sitting or slow walking. It's also worth mentioning that the case is quite round and smooth, making it awkward and slippery when trying to handle it.

With the right size ears, you might get away with head banging, but not all ears are made equal.
Credit: Abriah Wofford

Customization


The app is decent, albeit simple, and has no EQ customizability or ear fit seal test. There is an Android app for these, allowing non-Apple users to toggle through active noise cancellation (ANC) modes, but it, too, lacks any customizability.

beats studio buds + - be careful not to lose these buds during physical activity as they...
Be careful not to lose these buds during physical activity as they are prone to falling out.
Credit: Abriah Wofford

Connectivity


Ease and consistency of connectivity contributed to a good listening experience. During our in-house testing, the Beats Studio Buds + did not give us any problems with pairing or maintaining a connection. We also collected and analyzed reported issues from a survey of 1-star Amazon User Reviews and calculated a frequency percentage of connectivity issues. The Buds + did alright here; at 1.03%, they come close to average in terms of how often users had problems with earbud connection.

Reported Connectivity Issues
ProductPercent Cited
Worst3.83
Average1.3
Beats Studio Buds +1.03
Best0.1
The chart above shows the rate of connectivity issues found in Bluetooth earbuds we tested, with the Beats Studio Buds + landing near the middle of the pack. The information is based on an analysis of 1-star Amazon User Reviews conducted on July 23, 2024.

Noise Cancellation


We tested the Beats Studio Buds+ noise-cancelling abilities by finding the best passive seal we could for our testing rig and then playing various background noises to measure noise pollution. Then we turned ANC on and performed the same tests, allowing us to differentiate between passive and active noise-cancelling ability.



The ANC on these earbuds left much to be desired across all ranges. Though they do manage to block out some noise, it isn't much better than a pair of earplugs.


As you can see in the chart above, they struggle to block out mid to treble-range noise (think cafe or office chatter). Compared to the other earbuds in our lineup, they also don't block out bass very well either. However, when you consider the price point, they do beat some of their more expensive competitors. That is the key takeaway here: these earbuds, while not the strongest performers, provide ANC at a much lower price point than you tend to see in the current market.

We used our testing rig to measure how much noise could bleed past the earbuds passively and with ANC on.
Credit: Abriah Wofford

Battery Life


To measure the Beats Studio Buds + battery life, we set the volume to a set decibel level with ANC off and let them play continuously until they died. This is the one metric where these earbuds really shined, demonstrating some of the longest playback times we recorded among all of the earbuds we tested.



The manufacturer claims that the Studio Buds + can play around 8 hours at a time, but we measured 9 hours and 40 minutes. During all of our earbud testing, we didn't often see such impressive performance that exceeded manufacturer claims by that much. You can get another two charges or nearly 20 more hours of playback from the charging case, and a 5-minute quick charge nets you another hour. Despite the stellar battery performance, it's worth noting that there is no wireless charging ability for the charging case.

This charging case can net you two more charges before needing to be plugged in.
Credit: Abriah Wofford

Call Quality


The Beats Studio Buds + have outstanding call quality. We measured this by setting our earbuds up in the testing rig and having it play different phrases into the microphone. Then, we played different background noises to stress test the mic's ability.


During the subway stress test, we were still able to make out voices clearly, with lower voices sounding louder than higher-pitched voices. Below, you can listen to how these earbuds sound in office and transit settings.

We tested the call quality of each earbud in both Subway and office environments to put them through the harshest sound conditions. Be sure to press unmute in order to hear our Subway test.
Credit: Natalie Kafader

The Beats Studio Buds + had excellent, clear mic quality with light background chatter, outperforming some of the most premium earbuds in our lineup. With background office noise, voices remained quite clear despite also being able to hear some of that background.

Even soft-spoken individuals can be heard in our office noise stress testing.
Credit: Natalie Kafader

For good measure, we recorded how these sound in a hushed room. As expected, the call was very clear.

Here's how the Beats Studio Buds + sound at their baseline without any background chatter or noise pollution.

All told, these earbuds excelled at call quality compared to the rest of the lineup and performed as well or better than many of their more premium competitors.

Should You Buy the Beats Studio Buds +?


The Beats Studio Buds + are a good option if you want premium features but don't want to spend over $200. That said, they don't go above and beyond when it comes to sound quality, ANC, and user experience. While they do have stellar battery life and call quality, most people aren't buying earbuds just to talk on the phone.

beats studio buds + - we do enjoy the appearance of these buds.
We do enjoy the appearance of these buds.
Credit: Abriah Wofford

What Other Earbuds Should You Consider?


For only a little bit more, we'd recommend the Samsung Galaxy Buds2 Pro. While they don't integrate into the Apple ecosystem quite as seamlessly, they have better sound quality, UX, and ANC than the Studio Buds + for about the same price. Likewise, the Jabra Elite 8 Active are similarly priced and perform quite a bit better in every metric we tested. If you want buds around this price point that you can use during physical activity, the Jabra Elite 8 Active earbuds are a must-consider.

beats studio buds + - the case is also transparent, allowing users to see its internals.
The case is also transparent, allowing users to see its internals.
Credit: Abriah Wofford

Graham Faulknor, Genaveve Bradshaw, and Alex Hocevar-Smith