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How do the Beats Studio Buds' bass compare to other earbuds?

Beats is a top manufacturer of audio products. Apple acquired Beats in 2014, but Beats earbuds maintain a proprietary design that separates them from other earbuds. Beats Studio Buds are one of the most popular earbuds, but you might wonder how they fare against other earbuds when it comes to bass.

Beats became a household name because of its focus on heavy bass, but do the Beats Studio Buds hold up in that department? How do they compare to Apple earbuds?

In this article: Beats Studio Buds, Sony WF-1000XM4 Truly Wireless Earbuds and Anker SoundCore Life P3 Wireless Earbuds.

What should I know about bass-heavy earbuds?

Earbuds vs. over-ear headphones

Earbuds don’t offer nearly as much bass as over-ear headphones. They’re more lightweight and compact than over-ear headphones, making them ideal for traveling or exercising, but over-ear headphones have bigger drivers capable of delivering rich bass.

Sweat resistance

If you’re looking for earbuds you can wear while working out, it’s best to ensure they’re sweat resistant. An Ingress Protection rating indicates how resistant earbuds are to moisture. For example, an IPX4 rating means they haven’t been tested for dust protection but are resistant to water splashes.

Proper-fitting ear tips

Although earbuds have small drivers, some can reproduce good bass for their size. However, you won’t experience it the way it should be unless you wear proper-fitting ear tips. Most earbuds come with several ear tip sizes to get a sealed fit that isolates sound better and helps you hear and feel the bass more easily. It also increases noise-canceling efficiency if the earbuds support it.

How good is the bass on Beat Studio Buds?

Driver

Unlike older Beats earbuds, Beat Studio Buds have a more balanced soundstage and neutral bass. The driver is 8.2 millimeters, which is significantly smaller than that on other bass-heavy earbuds, such as the Sony WF-1000XM4 Truly Wireless Earbuds, so bass isn’t as deep or rich as one might expect with Beats earbuds.

Lack of equalizer

One major downside to the Beats Fit Pro is that they lack an EQ for tweaking sound settings, meaning you’re essentially stuck with how they sound. Although the audio quality is crisp and clear across lows and highs, the mids can sound mediocre, so the lack of an EQ is inconvenient for users who want to optimize sound for different music.

No bass boost

Beats Studio Buds don’t have any feature or mode that increases bass reproduction at the touch of a button. Other brands have integrated a bass boost function into their earbuds, which are convenient for quickly switching between sound settings. Earbuds like the Anker SoundCore Life P3 Wireless Earbuds have this function and are cheaper than the Beats Studio Buds.

Final verdict

Beats Studio Buds have a sleek design and work great if you have an iPhone. Although they deliver good bass, they offer a more balanced sound than other Beats earbuds, so it’s best to look elsewhere if you’re focused on getting earbuds that deliver deep bass.

What you need to get the best bass

Best bass earbuds

Anker SoundCore Life P3 Wireless Earbuds

These affordable earbuds have custom 11-millimeter composite drivers and a BassUp feature for delivering impressive sound and deep bass. Multi-Mode Noise-Canceling lets users select a profile optimized for indoor and outdoor use, and they come in a compact charging case.

Where to buy: Sold by Amazon

Sony WF-1000XM4 Truly Wireless Earbuds

The Sony WF-1000XM4 truly wireless earbuds have a more sleek design than their predecessor and offer excellent sound, thanks to a new Integrated Processor V1. They support Qi wireless charging, and the speak-to-chat technology automatically reduces volume during phone calls.

Where to buy: Sold by Amazon

Sennheiser Momentum True Wireless 3 Earbuds

These earbuds have a built-in equalizer, a Bass Boost feature and three advanced noise-canceling microphones for crisp audio quality during phone calls. They have customizable touch controls for managing music playback and accessing voice assistants.

Where to buy: Sold by Amazon

Apple and Beats earbuds

Beats Studio Buds

These Beats wireless earbuds have a custom acoustic platform that delivers a balanced sound and offers up to 24 hours of battery life. They have active noise-canceling and transparency modes and an IPX4 rating, making them suitable for exercising.

Where to buy: Sold by Amazon

Beats Fit Pro

The Beats Fit Pro earbuds are made for those with an active lifestyle and have a wingtip that prevents them from falling out. They have Spatial Audio for an immersive listening experience and an Apple H1 chip for syncing seamlessly with Apple devices.

Where to buy: Sold by Amazon

Apple AirPods Pro

Beats Studio Buds vs AirPods Pro, which ones are right for you? The Apple AirPods Pro are popular because of their comfortable fit, sleek design and intuitive Apple H1 chip that lets users access Siri. These Apple wireless earbuds are sweat resistant, last up to 24 hours, support wireless MagSafe charging and have an adaptive equalizer function.

Where to buy: Sold by Amazon

 

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Kevin Luna writes for BestReviews. BestReviews has helped millions of consumers simplify their purchasing decisions, saving them time and money.

BestReviews spends thousands of hours researching, analyzing, and testing products to recommend the best picks for most consumers.

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