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soulreaver99

macrumors 68040
Original poster
Aug 15, 2010
3,709
6,419
Southern California
I just received my PowerBeats Pro yesterday from Best Buy.


My first impressions is that they are pretty fantastic and I own AirPods as well as Beats X. They also fit very well too and I wear glasses most of the day. Having interchangeable ear tips is a total plus too. I've worked out with these yesterday and this morning and it's almost impossible to get these to fall off my ears. They only way I see these falling off is if someone wears these while they are boxing lol. Other than that, I'm going to have a tough time transitioning back to my Beats X for working out.

As far as sound quality goes... they are definitely a step above the AirPods and I believe how they fit in my ears contributes to that as well. Bass is strong and if you like your eardrums taking a Beat-ing then you will definitely love these. Listen to Pop, rock, piano solos etc... they all sound great on the PBP. I sometimes watch YouTube videos or binge while I work out on the treadmill. Movie / speech dialogue, explosions, cars screeching and dragons roaring on videos are above satisfactory.

I'm having a tough time trying to see if there is a difference in sound quality between the PBP and the Beats X. Also for people who don't want to spend the $250, the Beats X is a great value which you can find under $100, they fit well, you don't have to worry about losing them if the buds happen to fall off your ears and they are pretty compact.

Making phone calls on the PBP is incredible. I'm walking through a sidewalk with cars zooming buy and the wind blowing, shopping center or crowded area and people can hear my as if I was indoors in a quiet office. With the AirPods, it does pick up some noise around you and oops... it falls off my ears while doing something as much as a slight jog.

I only have a few gripes with the PBP... The case takes quite a bit of space for an everyday carry bag and I wouldn't mind the size so much if this thing at least have wireless charging. For a gym bag, obviously there would be no issue. You can forget about pocketing this thing if you are wearing anything besides cargo pants and gym shorts with big loose pockets. What does make up for the large case is that 9 hour rated battery life. If you are going out and about, you can buy a $5-$10 pouch on Amazon to carry this around in your pocket and leave the case at home or in your car.

My other issue is after about an hour an a half or longer, these are a strain on the ears. AirPods, while working on a desk, taking calls and walking around the office, I can wear these all day without any issues - except I have to pop them back in the case because battery life on AirPods are crappy.

I'm hanging on to these PowerBeats Pro for now. They are a great workout companion and I need more time to decide if this would replace my AirPods as an everyday carry. Before the PBP, I was pretty satisfied traveling with my Beats X as they were great for flights and I didn't have to worry about losing them and they are great for the gym as well and cost less than half of the PBP price tag. If the PBP were $199 instead of $249 it would be a no-brainer for anyone. However, that $249 does give you a great true wireless experience and Apple's H1 chip / pairing capabilities.
 
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blairh

macrumors 603
Dec 11, 2007
5,972
4,472
Hello. I started a thread for Powerbeats Pro owners. Please post your review there. Thanks.
I just received my PowerBeats Pro yesterday from Best Buy.


My first impressions is that they are pretty fantastic and I own AirPods as well as Beats X. They also fit very well too and I wear glasses most of the day. Having interchangeable ear tips is a total plus too. I've worked out with these yesterday and this morning and it's almost impossible to get these to fall off my ears. They only way I see these falling off is if someone wears these while they are boxing lol. Other than that, I'm going to have a tough time transitioning back to my Beats X for working out.

As far as sound quality goes... they are definitely a step above the AirPods and I believe how they fit in my ears contributes to that as well. Bass is strong and if you like your eardrums taking a Beat-ing then you will definitely love these. Listen to Pop, rock, piano solos etc... they all sound great on the PBP. I sometimes watch YouTube videos or binge while I work out on the treadmill. Movie / speech dialogue, explosions, cars screeching and dragons roaring on videos are above satisfactory.

I'm having a tough time trying to see if there is a difference in sound quality between the PBP and the Beats X. Also for people who don't want to spend the $250, the Beats X is a great value which you can find under $100, they fit well, you don't have to worry about losing them if the buds happen to fall off your ears and they are pretty compact.

Making phone calls on the PBP is incredible. I'm walking through a sidewalk with cars zooming buy and the wind blowing, shopping center or crowded area and people can hear my as if I was indoors in a quiet office. With the AirPods, it does pick up some noise around you and oops... it falls off my ears while doing something as much as a slight jog.

I only have a few gripes with the PBP... The case takes quite a bit of space for an everyday carry bag and I wouldn't mind the size so much if this thing at least have wireless charging. For a gym bag, obviously there would be no issue. You can forget about pocketing this thing if you are wearing anything besides cargo pants and gym shorts with big loose pockets. What does make up for the large case is that 9 hour rated battery life. If you are going out and about, you can buy a $5-$10 pouch on Amazon to carry this around in your pocket and leave the case at home or in your car.

My other issue is after about an hour an a half or longer, these are a strain on the ears. AirPods, while working on a desk, taking calls and walking around the office, I can wear these all day without any issues - except I have to pop them back in the case because battery life on AirPods are crappy.

I'm hanging on to these PowerBeats Pro for now. They are a great workout companion and I need more time to decide if this would replace my AirPods as an everyday carry. Before the PBP, I was pretty satisfied traveling with my Beats X as they were great for flights and I didn't have to worry about losing them and they are great for the gym as well and cost less than half of the PBP price tag. If the PBP were $199 instead of $249 it would be a no-brainer for anyone. However, that $249 does give you a great true wireless experience and Apple's H1 chip / pairing capabilities.
Hello. I started a thread for Powerbeats Pro owners. Please post your review there. Thanks.
 

Renho

macrumors 68030
Sep 15, 2014
2,797
1,413
SR, CA
They sound very similar. Some people say the PBP sound better.

I also ordered Comply ear tips to see if it improves the general experience :)

I just came from BeatsX. PBPro are way better quality for me. Large tips. Beatsx don’t get as loud or clear as PBPro, they don’t last as long, they have wires and they don’t have “hey Siri”. They are far superior to me..

I got the noise cancellation comply tips and I hear no difference, actually for me the stock are better and louder...Thread on co omg tips and it seem more who commented like the stock.
 

zipur

macrumors 6502a
Mar 3, 2011
588
84
The great state of Texas
I just received my PowerBeats Pro yesterday from Best Buy.
...
My first impressions is that they are pretty fantastic and I own AirPods as well as Beats X.

I read your review and order the Power Beats Pros. I received them yesterday. I cannot believe you raved about these preace of weak, tinny junks. My experience is that they sound on par with an AM Pocket Radio when listening to 128k AAC MP3. As we all know this is the standard for Apple devices. Well being a BOSE Head I decided to try different tips. ... No help.
So pressed them deeply into my ears and finally got "ok sound". So now my delema is to keep them and try with Compy foam tips or just return them and take my $250 somewhere else. Now they Do fit my ears well and never fall out unlike the Earpods which stand up fine unless you move. But the sound is terrible, really bad. So I'm giving them 48 hours to burn in. Then back to BB. Of course this could be My ears but the POWER BEATS PROS are not worth $250
 

soulreaver99

macrumors 68040
Original poster
Aug 15, 2010
3,709
6,419
Southern California
I read your review and order the Power Beats Pros. I received them yesterday. I cannot believe you raved about these preace of weak, tinny junks. My experience is that they sound on par with an AM Pocket Radio when listening to 128k AAC MP3. As we all know this is the standard for Apple devices. Well being a BOSE Head I decided to try different tips. ... No help.
So pressed them deeply into my ears and finally got "ok sound". So now my delema is to keep them and try with Compy foam tips or just return them and take my $250 somewhere else. Now they Do fit my ears well and never fall out unlike the Earpods which stand up fine unless you move. But the sound is terrible, really bad. So I'm giving them 48 hours to burn in. Then back to BB. Of course this could be My ears but the POWER BEATS PROS are not worth $250

Return them dude. They obviously aren’t for you. Why wait 24 hours? If they sound like an AM pocket radio today, they still are going to sound like a pocket radio tomorrow. Comply eartips won’t help either.
 

zipur

macrumors 6502a
Mar 3, 2011
588
84
The great state of Texas
Update, either burn in or period or this new beer I got Holland Dragon Milk. But I'm really diggin these headset. Oh I also tried a bunch of different tips. Anyway these thing fit perfect, sound great and I'm a happy customer. So I order a pair for my twins for the end of the meeting month. Best thing about my twins I can always get them the same gift and they are happy. Well I'm happy with my PBP and glad I changed my mind on taking them back. Tips and Burnin were the key.
 
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