Beats Studio Pro vs Apple AirPods Max

If you’re in the market for Apple-friendly headphones, there’s a good chance you’re weighing the pros and cons of grabbing the Beats Studio Pro or the Apple AirPods Max. Though both sets of cans have their advantages, one of these headphones will fit your needs better than the other, and it’s not merely a question of budget. So, which team do you fall into: Beats Studio Pro or Apple AirPods Max? Let us help you decide.

Editor’s note: this article was updated on March 28, 2024, to answer more FAQs and adjust formatting.

What’s it like to use the Beats Studio Pro compared to the Apple AirPods Max?

Though the Beats Studio Pro and AirPods Max are both Apple products, these two headphones are aesthetically very different. One set of cans has huge, deep ear cups clad in metal, while the other has very small ear cups clad in plastic. They are definitely made with different people in mind.

The Beats Studio Pro are primarily for commuters with a little less cash or a little less skull real estate. By that, I mean these headphones are more suited for those with smaller ears and heads, as the ear cups are smaller and the band is tighter than most other over-ear headphones. Though this won’t be a problem for some, smaller ear cups can mean your pinna gets depressed by the foam padding, the seal around your ear gets compromised, or the headphones don’t sit properly on your head. If that happens, you’ll notice things like a lack of bass or worse-performing active noise cancelation (ANC). No amount of “burn-in” or getting used to the headphones will change this.

Headphones don’t really come any better than the Apple AirPods Max if you’re looking for comfort, as these cans are the opposite of the Beats Studio Pro: the AirPods Max have insanely deep ear cups, wide cloth-clad ear pads, and a very soft band to distribute an admittedly hefty mass. Even if you have a smaller head, this kind of construction will fit you as it manages its potential failures a little more effectively than a set of smaller headphones could for bigger ears.

Both wireless headphones are built around dynamic drivers and with features that are firmly aimed at commuters. Each headset has solid ANC, decent microphones, and a relatively long battery life. Unfortunately for those looking for workout buddies, neither of these headphones has an ingress protection rating, so you need to avoid moisture as much as possible.

How do you control the Beats Studio Pro and Apple AirPods Max?

Controls for the Beats Studio Pro happen through a series of in-chassis clicky areas behind the Beats logo and the adjacent housing to the top and bottom. Additionally, there is a system button that controls the headphones’ power, pairing, and mode toggle.

Beats Studio Pro controls:

For the AirPods Max, you can control your device’s operation with the “digital crown,” which is merely a fancy, branded name for a dial. It’s definitely one of the headphones’ sore spots, but it’s fairly easy to get used to over time.

Apple AirPods Max controls:

Should you use the apps of either Beats Studio Pro or Apple AirPods Max?

As both the Beats Studio Pro and Apple AirPods Max are Apple products, this question depends on what kind of phone you have. Use an iPhone? No apps necessary: the relevant features you’d need an app for are baked into iOS. Use Android, and the answer is “Maybe install the Beats app.” (There is no AirPods Max app for Android.) The reasons you would get the Beats app for Android are limited to being able to rename the device, provide firmware updates, and configure the function of the system button. Beyond that, you’re not really gaining much, so privacy wonks may elect to skip adding yet another source of data sharing from their digital lives.

How do the Beats Studio Pro and Apple AirPods Max connect?

If there’s one clear advantage the Beats Studio Pro has over the Apple AirPods Max, it’s connectivity. Taking a different strategy to the Apple AirPods Max’s use of Bluetooth and Lightning port (to support an analog connection with the appropriate dongle) only, the Beats Studio Pro can get tunes to your ears via Bluetooth, a headphone jack, or digitally over USB-C. Though it’s overkill, it’s a really cool addition to be able to connect to sources and have the headphones handle all of the decoding for you, eliminating the need for extra equipment like an amp or standalone DAC.

Ironically, the more expensive headphones here can’t make full use of lossless audio, while the cheaper ones can. This is because there isn’t currently a way to get wired audio working with the Apple AirPods Max without a series of frustrating dongles that don’t come with the product, and even then, it isn’t a digital signal path. On the other hand, the Beats Studio Pro can easily do this with the USB-C cable provided in the packaging or the 3.5mm headphone cable for an analog connection.

Is battery life better on the Beats Studio Pro or Apple AirPods Max?

When it comes to the typical use of your headphones, you’ll find that the battery of the Apple AirPods Max doesn’t last as long as the one inside the Beats Studio Pro. In our tests, the Beats Studio Pro lasted 31 hours and 25 minutes, whereas the Apple AirPods Max was only able to give us a hair under 21 hours in playback time. This is a pretty stark result for the same conditions, so if you care about not losing time to charging your headphones, the Beats Studio Pro are the clear winner here. Additionally, the ability to listen over USB means that you can also listen instead of just losing your headphones for the period of time when you’d normally charge them. No contest here.

Do the Beats Studio Pro or Apple AirPods Max block noise better?

This comparison is rather one-sided. The Apple AirPods Max are much better at not only isolating you from noise, but also canceling it as well. This may be partly due to the larger metal-clad ear cups making the whole task easier, but at the end of the day, the numbers don’t lie. The Apple AirPods Max cancel noise at most frequencies better than the Beats Studio Pro.

If you’re wondering why this matters in the first place, it’s because headphones can subject you to dangerous noise levels. Suppose you listen to your tunes without much environmental noise around you. In that case, listeners tend not to turn up the volume control, thereby lowering the sound pressure levels their ears are subjected to over time.

In that regard, the Apple AirPods Max, despite “only” offering a 5-8dB improvement in noise canceling over the Beats Studio Pro, are a much better way to evade hearing loss. However, you’ll still need to listen responsibly in order to avoid cooking your ears prematurely.

Do the Beats Studio Pro sound better than the Apple AirPods Max?

The Apple AirPods Max and Beats Studio Pro have good-sounding default tunings. The main point of differentiation is how much emphasis you’d like in the upper midrange. While the Apple AirPods Max under-emphasize this range in our testing (relative to our preference), the Beats Studio Pro boost those sounds by up to 10dB, relatively. What this means is the AirPods Max will have less presence in the range where we hear instrument detail and vocal information, as well as less noticeable atmospheric or recording room effects than the Beats Studio Pro. Additionally, if the Beats Studio Pro fit you poorly, higher-pitched sounds will more likely be grating when coupled with the reduced bass frequencies caused by a compromised seal.

Generally, overemphasis is far more grating than underemphasis, and that’s the issue we run into with the Beats Studio Pro. Compared to the lows, the highs are quite a bit louder — ironic for the traditionally bass-heavy Beats brand. The Apple AirPods Max, on the other hand, sounds very good out of the box, even though frequencies we rely on for spatial cues are quieter. Overall, the sound of the Apple AirPods Max is pretty solid when you consider that you won’t often be competing with outside noise due to the excellent ANC. That said, bassheads will likely want for more.

To the credit of the Beats Studio Pro, you can use one of three included EQ presets when listening over USB. However, these presets exaggerate some of the issues outlined above, limiting their utility. Though the Conversation EQ is useful for hearing speech-heavy content like podcasts and eliminating bassy rumbles, you’re not likely going to ever feel a burning need to use these presets often. The AirPods Max doesn’t have these presets, though you can tinker with the sound a little by using the Headphone Accommodations setting in iOS. But it’s much more involved than pressing a button.

Do the Beats Studio Pro or Apple AirPods Max have a better microphone?

Though neither set of headphones has a great microphone, the Beats Studio Pro are more inconsistent, depending on the application. The microphone of the Beats Studio Pro also lacks the necessary gain (as heard in our samples). You’ll need to crank the volume to hear it, but don’t forget to turn your level back down again!

Beats Studio Pro microphone demo (Ideal conditions):

Apple AirPods Max microphone demo (Ideal conditions):

Beats Studio Pro microphone demo (Office conditions):

Apple AirPods Max microphone demo (Office conditions):

Beats Studio Pro vs Apple AirPods Max: Price and availability

At full price, you can expect to pay $349 for the Beats Studio Pro and $549 for the Apple AirPods Max. However, given that the Apple AirPods Max has been around for about two years now, you may be able to find a good deal on a refurbished unit online or even a sale. Both sets of headphones are available on Apple’s website and at big box vendors. There should be no shortage of either in any place you normally get headphones, though the supply might dry up if a successor is released. For headphones, that typically happens from 2-10 years, so this isn’t a huge worry.

A word of caution, however. Because these headphones are so popular, there are many grifters out there hawking cheap facsimiles of the real thing online. If you do try to buy the Apple AirPods Max from an auction or user-sale site, beware: there’s a chance it’s a fake.

Should you get the Beats Studio Pro or Apple AirPods Max?

As with most head-to-heads, this one will likely come down to price for most people. However, it’s possible that the Apple AirPods Max (available $499 at Amazon) will see a price drop if rumors of a replacement are to be believed. If this happens, the calculus changes considerably. The Apple AirPods Max are better in most respects outside of battery life and cross-platform compatibility. Still, the eye-watering price tag is the only thing that gives us pause when recommending it over the $349.99 at Amazon.

Some may like the Beats Studio Pro over the Apple AirPods Max based on a few key differences in the ear cup design. Namely, those with smaller noggins will absolutely prefer the fit of the Beats Studio Pro because the difference in size is so significant. Additionally, anyone interested in lossless audio will have a much easier time with the Beats Studio Pro, as it can be utilized either using the 3.5mm cable or, ideally, using the USB-C cable. Though you likely won’t hear any deficiency in wireless audio with the AirPods Max, some people find the whole lossless thing very important, and it’s good to demand better from headphones.

Ultimately, we recommend the Beats Studio Pro for those with smaller heads and ears who want to use their headphones with several different music sources. For everyone else, stick with the Apple AirPods Max.

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