Design and features:These headphones can be used wirelessly with Bluetooth devices or can be cord connected; they work with or without the noise canceling feature being turned on in the Bluetooth mode, but only with the noise cancelling feature turned on in the cord connected mode. The noise-canceling feature can be used with or without listening to music. When cord connected they have medium sensitivity so they can provide satisfying volume levels when used with home audio equipment and all but the lowest-powered portable audio devices. The Beats Studio3 Wireless has an integrated microphone and volume, music player function, and call connect/disconnect controls that work with paired Bluetooth devices. Additional features include various automatic functions that are claimed to optimize the headphone's noise cancellation characteristics depending on different situations, and earcups that fold for ease of storage. This model comes with a detachable 51-inch long audio cable with built-in mic and call answer/music player control button for iPhone/iPod/iPad and smartphone use, a USB charging cable, and a carrying case.
Sound quality: We found the Beats Studio3 Wireless provides excellent active noise reduction and delivers sound quality that falls in the very good range - it reproduces music and voice very well although it does have some noticeable sonic quirks. These headphones sounded the same in Bluetooth and cord connected mode when the noise cancelling feature was turned on, and essentially the same in Bluetooth mode when the noise cancellation was turned off. The overall sound can be summarized as generally soft and somewhat hazy and bassy. The bass (as in bass drums, bass guitars, stand-up bass, etc.) changes over time and may sound a bit subdued initially, but it eventually settles down and has good impact and goes deep, but is somewhat prominent and boomy. The midrange (voices, guitars, horns, etc.) is even, but somewhat hazy and a bit grainy and etched (a bit more sharply outlined then it should be). The treble (cymbals, the upper range of violins, etc.) is a somewhat smeared and sizzly (sounds that should have a delicate shimmer are both blurred and have a sound reminiscent of bacon frying). While the sound has a decent sense of liveliness it is somewhat closed-in (sound-wise it is somewhat obvious that you have something covering your ears). When the noise cancelling feature is turned off the bass level doesn't wander and the sound is the same as the noise cancelling mode when the bass has settled. These headphone provide an excellent level of noise reduction overall although the character of the noise reduction varies a bit depending on the direction it is coming from. When coming from the front or the back the noise reduction is fairly even across the frequency range; when it comes from the sides there is slightly less noise reduction in the middle frequencies. When the noise cancelling feature is turned on a very faint hiss heard when there is no program noise to drown it out.
Comfort: We found that these headphones produce a sense of light pressure around the ears. As typical of on-ear models the ear pads might feel hot and/or sticky after prolonged use. When wearing this model while walking the vibrations from each foot step can be heard through the headphones by some users, and when the audio cable is connected the sound of it rubbing on clothing may be heard through the headphones by some users depending on the clothing it's rubbing on. Users with medium and smaller heads might find that the headphones feel unstable and shift forward a bit when they lean far forward, but they don't fall off.
