Beats Studio Pro x Kim Special Edition, The Review

I guess I’m a little old and grumpy sometimes, I see collabs like this one with Beats and Kim Kardashian, and instantly I think ‘well, I won’t like these headphones, will I!’ and while I’m not about to proclaim a new daily ‘top of the pile’ headphone, these new Beats Studio Pro x Kim certainly aren’t just skin coloured show ponies. Let’s get on with this review shall we!

I’ve taken a couple of weeks extra on my review of these headphones for a couple of reasons, the first is that I really do like to actually use a product before I write about it, and the second reason is, as I mentioned above, I thought I’d hate them and wanted to give them a solid workout to make sure I wasn’t being ‘old man grumpy and biased’ – if that makes sense! Though, we are talking about something that funnels music into your noggin, so it is an emotional process to a certain extent, I guess you could say.

The sustainably sourced packaging is pretty classy, the outer box shielding a zip-up headphone carry case that, as I’ve read elsewhere, could be handed to a friend as a makeup bag in a pinch… I’m not in the habit of wearing makeup and will likely continue to use it to house these headphones. In the carrying case you get a USB-C to USB-C cable for charging and for lossless audio, as well as a couple of extra eq modes as described below..

“While using USB-C audio, you can select between three distinct sound profiles: the Beats Signature profile delivers the most tonally balanced tuning for all genres of music. The Entertainment profile boosts select portions of the audio spectrum, offering a heightened experience for movies and games. And the Conversation profile optimizes the frequency response for voice – ideal for phone calls or podcasts”

You get a 3.5mm analog cable in there, too – both cables are colour coordinated made with a neat looking, hard-wearing weave. You’ll also find the quick start guide to help with the button pressing and a warranty card (One year warranty from your purchase date)

Now, the four tracks I used for comparison between my daily driver headphones and these Beats x Kim cans are as follows (Yes, I like to genre jump!) (I’ve linked them to Spotify if you’d like to have a listen)

• David Bridie – Kerosene
• Kanye West – All of the lights (I didn’t do this on purpose!)
• Claire Innes-Hopkins, St Salvator’s Chapel Choir – Carol of the bells
• Fink – I don’t see you as others do (Current fave artist!)

I chose a wildly varied set of songs for my listening tests with these cans, and I did my little tests in multiple places, morning walks, a trip to the cafe, in my office etc… Places normal people might be using these headphones, not in a hermetically sealed listening chamber! Mostly with trucks, cars and cheeky Jack Russells wandering about!

 

Listening Experience and Noise Cancelling

Speaking of listening in noisy places, the active noise cancelling (ANC) mode is highly effective—on par with the best I’ve tried—easily blocking out distractions like children and pets. For those who like to stay aware of their surroundings, the Transparency mode is perfect for wandering the streets; it allows ambient noise in so you won’t accidentally step into the path of an oncoming car or a fast-moving Labrador at the dog park. (Yes, I’ve seen it happen!) Of course, you can also turn all of that off if you prefer. Some audiophiles believe that noise cancelling can affect musicality, so if you’re in a quiet environment, give it a try and see if you notice any subtle differences.

 

Sound Quality

While it may be presumptuous of me to suggest that audiophiles might not be flocking to buy these, there’s no real reason they shouldn’t. These are miles ahead of the Beats of yesteryear. (Ed. Do you still have those bass monsters?) Back then, all you got was bass and some shrill treble. In contrast, the Beats Studio Pro x Kim are much more balanced. They still have a little extra in the lower end, but the bass is controlled and manageable—tighter than my aging Sony XM3s (still incredibly comfortable, by the way). The mids, which were practically nonexistent in the original Beats I owned, are much improved. While they may not match the mids of a similarly priced Sony XM5, they come pretty darn close.

 

Extended Listening

I spent more time with the headphones today to finish off my review, wearing them most of the day. I cranked up some bass-heavy tracks while hanging out the washing, and while these aren’t the messy, bass-heavy cans of old, they still pack a punch! The 40mm drivers deliver a solid wallop of bass if that’s your thing. Overall, the sound is impressive at all volumes—analytical enough for most music with a pleasant soundstage. The larger magnets and 40mm drivers do wonders for reducing distortion at high volumes, keeping everything smooth. The spatial audio feature is very neat, too! If you haven’t tried it, I highly recommend listening to Pink Floyd’s “Speak to Me”—the audio surrounds you!

 

Physical Design and Controls

Let’s talk about the physical aspects of these headphones. I’m used to the touch controls on my Sony headphones, which have fewer physical buttons. The Beats Studio Pro x Kim, however, feature a physical center button and a secondary power button that handle answering calls, controlling music, toggling listening modes, and activating the voice assistant with multi-function on-ear controls. There’s also a physical volume control rocker on the left cup. While the plastic construction feels a bit… well, plasticky, the controls are precise and reliable—unlike my Sony touch controls, which work about 75% of the time. The button press is definite, and it always does what I want. Pairing is super quick, and the multi-device feature lets me seamlessly switch between my iMac and iPhone—a great system!

 

Battery Life

I’ve only charged the headphones once since they arrived—a 35-minute charge brought the battery almost back to full. They’re said to last 24 hours with ANC on, which is impressive. Whether you’re on a marathon flight from Melbourne to London or pulling an all-nighter, 24 hours is plenty. And if you turn off ANC, you get up to 40 hours, which is right up there with class-leading battery life.

 

Comfort and Fit

These headphones are generally very comfortable, though I did find the headband a bit firm. If positioned poorly, it can cause some discomfort on the crown of your head. They also work well with glasses, though I say “mostly” because they’re quite snug on my head, and the arms of my glasses sit under the ear cups. If you need to take your glasses off, remember to remove the headphones first, or you might risk damaging your frames. The faux-leather ear cups grip well, so pulling off your glasses in a hurry might not end well! I tried extending the bands a notch on each side, which eased the tension a bit. Everyone has their preferred fit, so it might take a few days to get it just right, but overall, they’re very comfortable.

 

Bonus: Find My Feature

Like other Apple headphones, you can track your Beats Studio Pro x Kim in the ‘Find My’ app. (And yes, I’ve named my headphones Kimmy!)

I’m going to finish up with this mostly non-tech review of these headphones as Pink Floyd’s ‘The Great Gig in the Sky’ comes to a close… This is a fun collab, the colours are earthy and fun, and while not typically ‘blokey’ I was pretty happy repping them down to the cafe today, even got a few questions! “Ohhh what are those headphones!” Comfortable, they sound great and they have really good battery life – they’re a winner!