Everyone has a different idea of what makes the perfect pair of workout headphones. If I had to design my ideal pair, they would have impeccable audio, strong bass, an ear hook to keep them steady, ear tips that stayed in and were comfortable, easy-to-use button controls, excellent transparency mode, strong noise cancelling, and a long battery life.
The new Beats Powerbeats Pro 2 tick a lot of boxes on that wishlist. While they’re a bit of a way off perfect, they’re more than good enough for runners and gym-goers with easy-to-fit ears.
Table of contents
First impressions
My first impression of the Beats Powerbeats Pro 2 was how easy they were to set up. It was just like setting up a pair of AirPods – put them near my phone, and they’re good to go. It’s that kind of seamless, premium experience that makes them easy to set up just before heading to the gym, or confident that you can give them to your dad without having to talk him through it step by step.
The second thing I noticed was how much I like the purple colour. A nice mauve, not a shrinking violet, but also not trying to punch you in the face with its purpleness. The exact correct amount of purple to go with blonde and brown hair alike.
Beats Powerbeats Pro 2 specifications and price
| Dimensions | Case: 7.5 x 6.6 x 3.4cm Bud: 4.5 x 4.1 x 2.4 cm Weight: (case) 69g (bud) 8.7g (total) 77.7g |
| Battery | Up to 45 hours of battery life on a single charge, up to 10 hours of continuous bud playback Fast Fuel: a 5-minute charge provides up to 1.5 hours of playback Universal USB-C charging Works with Qi-compatible wireless chargers |
| Features | Active Noise Cancelling (ANC) Transparency mode Adaptive EQ Personalised spatial audio with dynamic head tracking Heart-rate monitoring for workouts |
| Sweat and water resistance | IPX4-rated |
| Controls | Single multifunction button per side Volume rockers (up/down) on each side Auto Play/Pause via optical sensors and motion accelerometers |
| Price (RRP) | $399.95 |
| Warranty | One year |
| Official website | Beats Australia |
The big standout here is the heart-rate monitoring, as it’s great for people who want to keep track of their metrics without wearing a chest band or watch. Not many earbuds have heart-rate sensors; the Sennheiser Momentum Sport is a rare exception.
Other things to note are that it has physical buttons (yay!) and an IPX4 rating. You probably shouldn’t take it to the beach or wear it in a rainstorm, but it’ll be fine with a normal amount of sweat.
Performance
There are things you expect from the performance of a premium pair of Beats workout headphones – strong bass, lots of features, and a solid fit. Let’s break down how the Powerbeats Pro 2 performed in those categories.
Fit
When it comes to in-ear headphones, fit is everything. Without a good seal, you don’t get good noise cancelling or audio quality, plus you spend your whole workout pushing them back in.
One thing that I really like about the Powerbeats Pro 2 is that they have a built-in test to see if you’re using the right size earbuds. The problem is that I just couldn’t get a good seal on my left ear, no matter what I did. None of the ear tips gave me a good fit, which is really unusual. Sure, my left ear is a problem child for in-ears, but there’s usually at least one tip size that works well enough. I find that I have to adjust the left ear very often just sitting still, even more so while running.
My right ear did get a good fit, but I’m still having to adjust the fit more often than I’d like on that one, too. Not overly frequently, but enough that it’s frustrating.
Audio quality
When I can get a good seal, I’m actually really impressed with the Beats Powerbeats Pro 2. Normally, I think of Beats headphones as just auxiliary headphones for fashion purposes, or for bass-heavy music only. But the audio quality here is good enough that I could see them being someone’s primary headphones, not just workout headphones.
Yes, the bass is turned up more than standard, they’re Beats headphones – this is what you expect. But I can still hear enough details, and the high notes aren’t completely drowned out. There is a depth here, and having Spatial Audio on top of that just seals the deal.
Going through my usual test songs, “Simmer” by Hayley Williams lacks some of the usual delicacy that I enjoy on less bass-forward headphones, but it still just sounds really good. The bass guitar and bass drum are driving the show, grounding the whole song. The ghost notes on the snare are present, though distant, and the hi-hat patterns are a little more obscured than would be ideal. But her voice comes through clearly, and the emotion is largely conveyed.
“Full Heart Fancy” by Lucky Chops is another song that you don’t want too tethered by bass, but while it is very bass-heavy, it still manages to soar. Again, not in the ideal way on a pair of neutral headphones. However, this is the best I’ve heard it on a pair of Beats. The sousaphone just sings.
On a song these headphones were actually designed for, and one of my favourite workout tracks, “No Mercy” by Pvris, just sounds so good. Those driving snare rimshots with that bass drum just make you want to run. You get the pure emotion from Lynn Gunn’s voice.
With heavier, bassier dance tracks, it’s easy to hear that these headphones are in their element. The whole Apple Music Dance Workout playlist just sounds ideal.
I wouldn’t recommend them for a delicate concerto, but for the styles they’re designed for, they’re surprisingly good. Better than I would expect for $399.
Extra features
The biggest extra feature on the Beats Powerbeats Pro 2 that you wouldn’t find on most other headphones is the heart rate sensor. Whether it’s good depends on what you want it for. If you want a super-accurate, consistent heart rate reading to inform your serious marathon training, this is not the tool for that; that would be a chest strap.
However, if you don’t want to wear a chest strap or watch and want to be able to connect to a workout machine to get a reading in the gym, then these are ideal for that. The accuracy is going to depend on the fit – the better the fit, the more likely you are to get a reading. It’s a great “nice to have”.
Other features include the physical buttons. I love physical buttons; I am the president of the physical buttons on headphones fan club. I wish these physical buttons weren’t as easy to press accidentally while adjusting the headphones. That said, I did get used to their placement after a couple of weeks and now have way fewer accidental presses.
The noise cancelling is okay. It’s a long way from the best in-ear noise cancelling I’ve tried, but it’s also not really the worst. The transparency mode is good.
Being an Apple product, it also has Find My enabled, which sounds great at helping people find their headphones. But I did briefly lose these, and became convinced they had been stolen because they were showing up as being at a high school a few kilometres away from my apartment. I freaked out. Phone calls were made. My wife later found them in our apartment, still with high battery. So, while Find My is nice and can be useful, it’s not entirely reliable.
Who is the Beats Powerbeats Pro 2 for?
There are three groups of people who would enjoy the Beats Powerbeats Pro 2:
- People who want good workout headphones with an ear hook. These are the best in-ear workout headphones I’ve tried in a long, long time. They’re versatile, they sound good, and the ear hook will keep them on your ears even while moving your head a lot.
- People who want true wireless headphones with the security of an ear hook, even if they’re not working out. These are also the first workout headphones in a long time that I would recommend for everyday use. So, if you’re the kind of person who likes the idea of AirPods, but wants something a bit more secure, this is what you’ve been looking for.
- People who enjoy bass-forward headphones and prefer the in-ear, true wireless form factor. Like all Beats headphones, these are very bass-heavy. If you’re not a fan of the tiny Beats Studio Buds+ or the Beats Fit Pro, and want something more premium than the Beats Solo Buds, this is the style for you.
These are the best Beats headphones I’ve tried in a while. They are very good. If you want headphones with an ear hook, these are the ones you want.
The post Beats Powerbeats Pro 2 review: Solid workout headphones appeared first on GadgetGuy.
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