Beats By Dr. Dre Studio review

Perhaps predictably, dance, hip-hop and industrial fared best when heard through the Studios. We loved the interaction between the DSP and the chunky low end tones of Apoptygma Berzerk’s Unicorn, and were very impressed by the level of detail audible in the mid-range vocals. Similarly, you’d be hard pressed to find a better audio profile to suit the rippling psy-trance rhythms of Infected Mushroom’s Tommy the Bat, Headhunterz’ pounding hardstyle or classic hip-hop beats of Public Enemy’s Harder Than You Think. We were also pleased to find that power and trad metal sounded vibrant, rich and punchy, although the blistering guitar work and harsh vocals of more extreme music wasn’t as good.

Beats Studio are well-made headphones with great audio quality, but they’re also very obviously engineered to sound a certain way. If you’re a purist who wants to hear a track just as it was recorded and engineered, then you should look elsewhere. Similarly, fans of classic rock, folk and classical music probably won’t be too happy with what these headphones do to familiar recordings. If you like your music pounding and powerful, Beats Studio are easy to love. However, for a more balanced sound we prefer similarly-priced Sennheiser Momentum headphones, which have the added bonus of not requiring regular recharging.