Beats Studio Heaphones: Not for Studios, but Still Good
Audio snobbery aside, the equalizer on the Spotify app shows exactly why the new Beats Studio headphones are so popular, and actually not half bad.
Above is an image that attempts to show the sound profile of the Beats Studio headphones. Understand that this is playing an actual song, so the sound signature isn’t exactly like this, but it gives a pretty good idea. Note that this test is performed with the headphones on a microphone, so take that for what it’s worth.
As you can see, the latest Studio’s bump the bass, and raise the highs, leaving the mids to look a bit saggy. Audiophiles generally hate this kind of non-flat, studio, pure sound.
Let’s take a quick look at the Spotify equalizer above on the right, though. On the rock setting, we see this same type of sound altering, with an increase in bass and treble causing a “scooping” in the mids. Obviously, in the EQ settings, the curve is much more fluid, but it is still extremely similar to the curve we see in the headphone test. This “scooped” curve is also similar to what we see in other EQ settings like R&B, Hip-Hop, Electronic, and even Jazz and Classical to an extent.
Yes, you wouldn’t want to use these to record and mix the music in a studio because they have nowhere close to flat sound, but that’s not what consumer audio should do. Leonard from Kosmic Sound explains this point in a video linked here describing studio monitors. Watch from 0:50 to 0:58.
To sum up his point, consumer audio is about taking recorded tracks and making them sound better.
That’s what Beats does with their new studios. And they also do it in style and comfort. Are they for everyone and every purpose? No. Are they expensive? Yes. But they are really good for most people and most uses.
