Employee Pick: Beats Studio Buds + [0:21]

Customer Images

• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• See
  More

The vast majority of our reviews come from verified purchases. Reviews from customers may include My Best Buy members, employees, and Tech Insider Network members (as tagged). Select reviewers may receive discounted products, promotional considerations or entries into drawings for honest, helpful reviews.

• Rated 4 out of 5 stars

  Comfortable daily drivers with good ANC and sound

  • Incentivized
  • Verified Purchaser
  • My Best Buy® Member

  I've been using these for a while now. I was looking for a nice pair of daily drivers, something I could take anywhere with me. They didn't need the absolute best ANC, I have a pair of over-ear headphones for that, and they didn't need epic audio quality for critical listening (I have a pair of IEMs for that). I wanted something inexpensive, pocketable, fashionable, but still having features like solid Bluetooth connectivity, some level of ANC, and good audio quality. Bonus points for natively working with Apple Music's Spatial/Atmos audio. I decided to jump on these given their price and aesthetics. First and foremost, the frosted clear design does bring me back to my teenage years in the 90's. The smooth plastic feels nice, the plastic case doesn't creak, the earbuds have some heft, and the magnetic for both the lid and earbuds are strong. The whole case is smaller than the case for my Bose QC Earbuds II. Each earbud has one physical button. You can set them up to cycle between ANC and transparency (or ANC, transparency, and everything off), triggering your phone's assistant (not needed if you have an iPhone), or adjust volume. They also have standard controls of play/pause, skip/previous, and fast forward/rewind. I like having tactile buttons instead of touch controls. With my Bose earbuds, I would always play/pause content and hear a loud thud in my ears. It was so bad the ANC and sound would become imbalanced for 20-40 seconds after playing and pausing music. I do miss having all controls on my earbuds, but I can use my Apple Watch to adjust media volume. Sound quality is surprisingly solid. Apple is continuing to push away from the old Beats sound signature of being muddy, heavy bass. These still have some thump, but it's more balanced with the highs and mids. It's still a curve close to the Harmon target with some recessed mids. But not nearly as bad as Beats used to be. I quite enjoy it for stereo and Atmos/Spatial content. I used to hate Atmos/Spatial audio in Apple Music. I tried it with these and liked the surround mixes better than their stereo counterparts, for the most part. There are still some terribly mixed Atmos tracks, and these earbuds don't help with that. However, most Atmos tracks sound good. There isn't any head tracking with the Studio Buds+. I'm fine with that and would disable it. I hate having to look straight ahead to have a balanced audio experience. Every genre I have listened to, which is fairly narrow, sounds great. Metal (death, nu/alternative, hardcore) and K-pop/pop songs come across clear without distortion. The volume of the Buds+ are a little low. I need to turn my iPhone 14 Pro Max up about 75% of the way. I also have Soundcheck enabled to help with the lower volume of Atmos tracks. Still, not bad. ANC is there, not as strong as the AirPods Pro 2 or Bose QC Earbuds II. It's serviceable and I think on-par with the AirPods Pro and Beats Fit Pro. Gone are the days of needing to spend $200+ to get solid ANC. The Buds+ do better with lower, constant sounds. They have some passive noise isolation. However, they are also vented so your ears won't sweat or have that plugged feeling. This does let some higher pitched outside noise in, but is a more comfortable experience. Battery life is just ok. Apple rates them at 5 hours of listening with ANC/transparency enabled and 8 hours with ANC/transparency off. It's not the best, not the worst. There's plenty of recharges left in the case, you'll get 24 hours of total listening time with the case giving 3 additional charges. The case charges only through USB-C, no Qi charging. It's a bit of a bummer but, given their price, it's fine. Still better than Lightning like on the PowerBeats Pro or microUSB like the Studio 3. These features a Beats chip, which I have a feeling is a modified Apple chip. You will get Hey Siri support along with automatic switching between Apple devices, just like AirPods. You won't get precision location services like the AirPods Pro 2. Simply open the case next to your iPhone and they will automatically pop up. The same thing happens with Android phones from the last 2-3 years. You won't get switching between Android devices or Hey Google support. There is a companion app for Android phones that lets you adjust some settings, still no EQ. The Beats chip is a Class 1 Bluetooth device and provides rock solid connection to other Bluetooth 5.x devices. I don't experience skipping with my iPhone 14 Pro Max or 2022 iPad Pro, same with my work Windows system. My Bose QC Earbuds II would constantly skip. Microphone quality is good, better than Bose but not as good as the AirPods Pro 2. Again, those start at a much higher price (even when on sale). I'm not expecting them to fully match earbuds that are $200 on sale. Overall, I am pleased with these earbuds. They aren't the absolute best at anything, but they are solid across the board. Comfort, build quality, sound quality, and ANC are all solid. I was having issues with my QC Earbuds II and these are replacing them. I would rather have 98% of Bose's ANC without all the Bluetooth skips, weird sound imbalance issues, random disconnects, and all the other various quirks I experienced with them. I highly recommend these if you want earbuds with some smarts, solid sound quality, good ANC, and nice build quality without breaking the bank. Get the frosted plastic if you want a trip back to the 90's.

  ...See More
  • 
  • 
  • 

  Posted 2 years ago by Pablo

• Rated 5 out of 5 stars

  Beats Solo Buds

  • Incentivized
  • Verified Purchaser
  • Owned for 1 month

  I've really enjoyed using the Beats Solo Buds. The sound is clear with nice bass, and they fit comfortably even during long sessions or workouts. Setup was quick, battery life is solid, and the case is super portable. Overall, they’ve been a great addition to my daily routine. Highly recommend if you're after quality and convenience.

  • 
  • 

  Posted 3 months ago by Victor

• Rated 5 out of 5 stars

  Beats Review

  • Incentivized
  • Verified Purchaser
  • My Best Buy® Member
  • Owned for 3 weeks

  I absolutely love my Beat Air Pods! These earbuds deliver an exceptional audio experience that's truly unmatched. The sound quality is crystal clear, with deep bass that makes my music come alive. They fit comfortably in my ears, and the battery life is impressive, lasting all day without needing a recharge. The sleek design and convenient touch controls make them a joy to use. I couldn't be happier with my purchase! Five stars all the way! ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

  • 

  Posted 2 years ago by KevinG