Design and features:The Powerbeats has integrated microphones and volume, music player, and call connect/disconnect controls for paired Bluetooth devices. They support Apple's Siri digital voice assistant (which can be activated via touch or the "Hey Siri" wake phrase, or both depending on how the earphones are set up) when used with Apple devices and other unspecified compatible digital voice assistants when it is used with Bluetooth devices that have those capabilities and that, if needed, have the appropriate apps installed. This model is claimed by the manufacturer to be water resistant and comes with four pairs of ear pieces in various sizes, a USB charging cable, and a carrying bag. The free Beats app download for Android mobile devices provides the same features (such as earphone firmware updates) on Android mobile devices that occur automatically when the earphones are used with Apple mobile devices.
Sound quality: We found the Powerbeats delivers sound that falls in the Good range - it reproduces music and voice reasonably well despite the obvious shortcomings in its sound. The overall sound can be summarized as very bassy and somewhat hazy. The bass (as in bass drums, bass guitars, stand-up bass, etc.) goes deep, but is very prominent and boomy and has excessive impact. The midrange (voices, guitars, horns, etc.) is fairly even, bit a somewhat grainy and hazy, a bit soft, and depending on the program material, can be overwhelmed by the bass. The treble (cymbals, the upper range of violins, etc.) is fairly extended but is a bit prominent and smeared (sounds that should have a delicate shimmer sound blurred). The sound also has a good sense of liveliness and is somewhat open--sound-wise it almost seems like you don't have anything plugging up your ears. This model does a decent job of recovering room ambience (the sense of the acoustic space in which the audio program that's being listened to was recorded).
Comfort: We found that these earphones produce as typical of in-ear models a sense of pressure in the ear canal opening which might be uncomfortable for some. Users with small, medium and large sized ear bowls will probably find that this model stays in place with no problems for casual use, and after the ear hooks have been adjusted that they are very stable even during vigorous head movement but it may take some fumbling to get them in place. Some users might find pushing the right side logo control button drives the earphone further into the ear canal and causes unwanted pressure in the ear.
