Before anything else, the question everyone wants to know the answer to: are these really worth $200? In my opinion, absolutely.
I bought these to replace my worn out original Powerbeats. Go figure, literally the day these are announced my original (and by original, I mean I bought those when they first came out too) Powerbeats started acting up and the remote started misbehaving. Having such a good experience with those, I decided to give these a try.
Recently I was gifted the Beats Studio Wireless headphones to replace some cheap corded ones that I had previously. Honestly, I didn't think the wireless feature would be that big of a deal with those and I turned out to be very wrong. Exact same story with these. Working out with these is a joy with no cable.
As for the sound quality, I can only echo what others have said, these sound great. I thought they would be pretty much identical to my old Powerbeats if not a little worse because they were wireless, but, again I was surprisingly wrong. The most important thing with these is to literally try every single set of earbuds they come with. The original ones sounded pretty good, but to satisfy my curiosity I tried them all. I ended up going with the biggest ones (I'd say I have average sized ears and ear holes) just because of the sound difference. The seal the bigger ones afforded me resulted in a completely different sound definitely for the better. Mostly, it really helped bring out the bass. Additionally, with a better seal comes better passive noise cancelation. However, to each their own, you might disagree.
As for the fit, I was really excited that these kept the arch that goes around the ear. While not as critical with the wireless version, that hook kept the wired ones from ripping out of my ear every time the cable got caught on something. With these, it really helps keep them where you put them. I've never been a fan of just plain ol' earbuds. They inevitably end up falling out of my ears. You will not have to worry about that with these.
Seeing as I mentioned the remote glitching out on my old pair I should address my initial impressions of the inline remote on these. I never was a huge fan of the plastic diamond shape of the original Powerbeats. These on the other hand are almost completely sealed in rubber (except for the microphone) and as I'm almost sure that continued exposure to sweat is what ultimately did my last pair in, I'm fairly confident I will not be having that problem with these. Only complaint with these in regards to the remote is given how close the remote is to the ear you can't really see what you're pushing on and the buttons all feel the same to me. I found myself having to feel up and down the remote to try to find the button I was looking for.
With the accolades out of the way, let's get to the negatives. Yes, these for some reason are horribly out of sync with video. I read in another review that customer support mentioned this is because of the nature of Bluetooth but that is just plain wrong. My Studio Wireless use Bluetooth and I watch tons of video with those and it's perfectly in sync. If a big part of your routine with headphones is consuming videos of any kind, I would not recommend these to you. I will only ever use these for music, so this didn't matter at all to me. Also, they are battery drainers of whatever device they are connected to, to be sure. In my about 2 hour workout they easily drained 20% off my iPhone 5 battery perhaps more. As for the battery in the headphones themselves, to that I cannot speak yet. I just got these today and haven't had a chance to drain them completely and see how long they last, but when I do and have a chance to charge and drain them a few times I will update my review should any pertinent points come from that experience.
Overall: I was extremely hesitant to buy $200 headphones when I had a perfectly good pair already. Once those started acting up, I began to reconsider my position on that. I paid $150 for my original Powerbeats when I got them years ago and did nothing but workout with them sweating profusely at times and they kept taking it (even considering the version I had went so far to say that one should avoid water/perspiration if at all possible). Having such a good run with those and with my new found fascination with wireless, I decided I had to give these a try. I've only had them for one day and I'm already quite sure these are going to be part of my workouts for quite some time. I would be surprised if you didn't agree should you also purchase them!
Reviews with images
GREAT PRODUCT! BUY THEM!
Review from Harvey for Beats Powerbeats 2 Wireless.I believe these earbuds definitely fit the solution for gym earbuds.They are very helpful when it comes to listening to music while working out.They provide a clear bass sound, with a good amount of noise isolation and not too much music leakage is done.They are great for working out, or running.(PROS) 1. They are very good for running and working out, definitely one of the best hands down. 2. Music from these is very nice, with a good amount of bass, no matter what anyone says. If you do want to alter something, just add on a equalizer, makes tremendous difference, but already without one, they sound great. 3. They have a good build quality, (fingers crossed), so far. 4. They are the #1 best looking earbuds in my opinion and that too, wireless. 5. They should be able to fit anyone's ears perfectly. 6. Extra ear tips are added, a total of 4 pairs if you include the ones that you get too. 7. Instructions are very clear on how to use them. 8. Good battery(CONS) 1. After a hour or two, they will start hurting. These are not meant to be for just strolling around, they are meant to be for working out. That's one of the reasons people give these earbuds a rating of 3.7. They do not understand that these are workout earbuds, you cannot expect a abnormal amount of comfort while sitting down for multiple hours watching a movie of some sort. Comfort is good for working out, or a max of a hour at a time wearing them. 2. Price, many people also have this issue. I bought these when they were for around 119 US dollars. I got a very good deal. Could they be cheaper, yes. But you are getting a top notch company grade pair of earbuds that are wireless. If you see these on sale, get them, but don't expect to be astonished. They sound great of course, but I feel like they could be slightly cheaper. Then again, Beats are always expensive. :) Bottom line, if you have the money, don't be concerned.(RECAP)BUY THEM! They are great. Everything is going just fine with mine, (fingers crossed). They were a great purchase I made, and they sound and look pleasantly nice.*THINGS TO KEEP IN CHECK BEFORE YOU PURCHASE(1) BUY OFF AMAZON.LLC! They are the most trusted, and nothing can go wrong with buying it directly from them. Don't go to any third party, because fakes are out there.(2) GET A WARRANTY JUST INCASE. (SQUADE TRADE) This is a expensive product, and it is highly advised to get a warranty just incase. I got the Square Trade 2 Year Accidental Plan, which includes drops, spills, and mechanical failures on their side. The total cost of the warranty was 10-15 US dollars. Please get a warranty just incase, and get it from Square Trade, they are the best.BOTTOM LINE - BUY THEM!
Top reviews from other countries
Leobardo Verdugo
Buena autonomia y calidad de audio.
Reviewed in Mexico on November 19, 2016
Leobardo Verdugo
Reviewed in Mexico on November 19, 2016
La autonomía es de 6 horas y los cargas de nuevo en 1 hora y media. Llevo utilizándolos 3 semanas y hasta ahora no tengo ningún problema.
Uno de los detalles que no perjudican nada al producto sino que incomoda un poco, es que el cable que tiene es plástico "gomoso" lo cual hace que se "pegue" a tu cuello y por lo tanto al girar el cuello de izquierda a derecha (o viceversa) el cable queda "pegado" a tu cuello y hace tension en las conexiones de los audífonos y siento que esto a la larga se hará un problema.
Recomendado a cualquier persona que quiera calidad de audio y una autonomía muy buena.
Images in this review
OtmPlus
The quality is definitely there and strong bluetooth range
Reviewed in Canada on January 24, 2016