Odi Productions
In this article, I’m going to share my HONEST experience with the Beats Studio Pro vs AirPods Max in detail, after personally owning both products. I have thoroughly tested each of these headphones for hundreds of hours, and aim to offer a critical opinion from the perspective of an audiophile and professional music producer.
I’ll be comparing these two head to head on categories like price, comfort, features, battery life, noise cancelling, and sound quality.
Then at the end, I’ll share which is the better overall value for the money, and my overall recommendation on which you should buy.
I’ve also conducted a separate Beats Studio Pro review and Apple AirPods Max review, for those who are interested in reading more detailed thoughts after.
Key Takeaways
- Apple AirPods Max has superior sound quality and noise cancelling to the Beats Studio Pro, but it is much closer than the price difference suggests.
- Both the AirPods Max and Beats Studio Pro have the same features including Spatial Audio, Dolby Atmos, and Transparency Mode.
- Beats Studio Pro is a better overall value at half the price of the Apple AirPods Max’s $500+ pricetag.
Beats Studio Pro vs Apple AirPods Max Price Compared
Overall, the older Beats Studio Pro is $270 cheaper than the Apple AirPods Max at current market prices for brand new. This translates to the Studio Pro being 108% less expensive than the AirPods Max.
Beats Studio Pro Prices
- Retail: $349.99
- New: $179.95
- Renewed: $158 (save up to $21)
Apple AirPods Max Prices
- Retail: $549.00
- New: $519
- Renewed: $449 (save up to $100)
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Comfort
When it comes to testing headphone comfort, I always start by weighing each headphone on my scale:
- Beats Studio Pro weight: 268.6 grams
- Apple AirPods Max weight: 387.8 grams
The Apple AirPods Max is a whopping 119.2 grams heavier than the Beats Studio Pro, translating to the Studio Pro being 44% lighter.
Considering both headphones are in the same category of full-sized, over-ear headphones, this is a significant weight difference for the AirPods Max.
I can clearly feel this difference when wearing both on my head, and that weight penalty makes the AirPods Max slightly more cumbersome over time.
Apple alleviates some of this weight with the suspension headband design, that I actually find to have less top-of-head pressure than the Beats Studio Pro’s headband cushion.
Overall, I find the Studio Pro to be more comfortable to wear all day, largely due to the lighter weight and having less clamping force than the AirPods Max.
Both closed-back headphones will generate warmth in the ears after 1-2 hours of wearing.
Is the Beats Studio Pro or Apple AirPods Max better for working out in the gym?
I find the Beats Studio Pro to be better for working out in the gym and for running due to being 44% lighter and more secure on the head during movements. The AirPods Max feels cumbersome but also slightly slippery due to the headband design. I do think the AirPods Max has better noise cancelling for those who prioritize that during a workout.
Beats Studio Pro Comfort: 4.0 out of 5
Apple AirPods Max Comfort: 3.5 out of 5
Winner: Beats Studio Pro
Features / Battery Life / Noise Cancelling
Features
In case you didn’t know, Apple acquired the Beats by Dr. Dre brand back in 2014 for $3 billion.
So technically both the Beats Studio Pro and AirPods Max are Apple products, thus they share practically identical features and compatibility in the Apple ecosystem of iOS and MacOS devices.
The Beats Studio Pro was released in mid-2023 and is actually about 2.5 years newer than the AirPods Max, originally released at the end of 2020.
That said, they both have the latest features including Spatial Audio, Dolby Atmos, and Transparency Mode.
Both have adaptive noise cancelling and built-in microphones for taking calls.
Looks
I personally prefer the minimalist look and design of the Beats Studio Pro over the AirPods Max.
When worn on head, I find the Beats headphone to be way less bulky, although I cannot deny the AirPods Max’s design is more striking and iconic.
The Studio Pro improved upon a proven design from the Studio 3 by actually removing most of the superfluous Beats branding aside from the simple letter “B” on the earcups.
If you are looking to make more of a fashion statement, the AirPods Max captures the most unique aesthetic amongst the sea of wireless headphones today.
Beats Studio Pro vs AirPods Max Battery Life Comparison
The Beats Studio Pro advertises 20 hours longer battery life than the AirPods Max, which is double the amount.
- Beats Studio Pro Battery Life: Up to 40 hours
- Apple AirPods Max Battery Life: Up to 20 hours
In my testing, I found both advertised claims of battery life to be true, but sometimes the AirPods Max would be low battery due to having to use the Smart Case in order to fully turn off.
This is a major annoyance from a user experience perspective.
Contrastingly, the Beats Studio Pro has a simple power on/off switch that I wish the AirPods Max had instead.
It’s impressive that the Beats Studio Pro has roughly double the battery life of the AirPods Max since they both share the same features.
Beats Studio Pro vs AirPods Max Noise Cancelling: Which is Better?
The AirPods Max has superior noise cancelling performance to the Beats Studio Pro, although it is closer than the price difference suggests. To my ears, the AirPods Max has a more sophisticated adaptive noise cancelling which reacts to outside noise, whereas the Beats Studio Pro’s noise cancelling technology is simpler.
Both headphones feature a Transparency Mode to hear outside noises, and also the ability to completely turn off any noise cancelling or Transparency modes.
Both headphones should be effective enough for airplane travel or in noisy environments like coffeeshops and offices.
Beats Studio Pro Features / Battery Life / Noise Cancelling: 4.5 out of 5
Apple AirPods Max Features / Battery Life / Noise Cancelling: 4.0 out of 5
Winner: Beats Studio Pro
Beats Studio Pro vs AirPods Max Sound Quality Comparison
If you’re like me, you’re probably most curious about whether the Apple AirPods Max sound quality justifies being almost double the price of the Beats Studio Pro.
Prior to performing this head-to-head comparison, it is an interesting narrative since both headphones represent the flagship model of their respective brands.
My expectations beforehand were that the AirPods Max should be in a tier above, considering the massive price difference.
But after listening to both as objectively as possible, the Beats Studio Pro is somewhat competitive with the AirPods Max when it comes to sound quality.
First, I actually prefer the sub-bass response, impact, and slam of the Studio Pro over the AirPods Max, which translates to the Beats being more fit for modern genres like Pop, Hip Hop, and EDM.
The AirPods Max has a more balanced, darker, and mid-centric frequency response that makes it more versatile for genres like rock, acoustic, classical, and jazz.
Also, there is more vocal and instrument detail and information from the better mid response in the AirPods Max.
The Beats Studio Pro sounds noticeably thinner overall, and is very treble forward, with an “in your face sound” that can be hit or miss depending on the genre.
The treble is a stark contrast between the two, with the AirPods Max having a smoother treble with less sibilance. The Studio Pro has a ton of detail in the treble, but it is a bit too aggressive and slightly artificial in my opinion.
I think most audiophiles would probably rate the AirPods Max as having better technicalities, bigger soundstage, and natural timbre.
Conversely, many consumers would probably prefer the more “fun” sound signature of the Beats Studio Pro, which is true to the brand.
Also for watching movies, TV, or playing games, I think the AirPods Max has a more natural representation of voices and space, whereas the Studio Pro can sound slightly off.
Overall, the AirPods Max does have slightly better sound quality, but I could see many people actually preferring the Studio Pro’s consumer-friendly sound signature.
Beats Studio Pro Sound Quality: 7.8 out of 10
Apple AirPods Max Sound Quality: 8.6 out of 10
Winner: Apple AirPods Max
Value
Considering how competitive these two have been in each category, the Beats Studio Pro is clearly the superior value at roughly half the price of the Apple AirPods Max.
The AirPods Max typically sells for over $500 new, and the lowest price I have seen is around $449.
The Beats Studio Pro is typically $249 new, but I’ve seen it for as low as $179.99.
I can tell you with confidence that the AirPods Max is nowhere near twice the headphone that the Studio Pro is, and they even share all the same features.
Beats Studio Pro Value: 4.0 out of 5
Apple AirPods Max Value: 3.5 out of 5
Winner: Beats Studio Pro
Beats Studio Pro Overall Rating
- Fun sound for modern genres
- Great comfort and style
- Good noise cancelling
- 40 hour battery life
- Spatial Audio and Dolby Atmos
- Excels only for modern genres
- Noise cancelling is below Bose/Sony
- Fairly closed soundstage
Apple AirPods Max Overall Rating
- Best-in-class sound quality
- Very good noise cancelling
- Switches easily between Apple devices
- Spatial Audio and Dolby Atmos support
- Expensive!
- Worse noise cancelling than Sony/Bose
- Heavy, less comfortable than Sony/Bose
Overall Winner: Apple AirPods Max
Despite being almost twice the price, the Apple AirPods Max still emerges as the superior product to the Beats Studio Pro, although the comparison was extremely close at the end.
If you’re on a budget, the Beats Studio Pro is an impressive offering and very good value at its pricepoint.
Since Apple owns the Beats brand, the Beats Studio Pro also gets the benefit of working with the Apple Ecosystem nearly as flawlessly as the AirPods products.
My personal opinion is that if you have the money to spare, I do think that the AirPods Max is a much more high-quality and refined product overall. It’s worth it for me.
At the $300 and under price point, the best alternatives would be the Sennheiser Momentum 4, Apple AirPods Pro 2, or Sony WH-1000XM4, all of which I’ve reviewed quite favorably.
I recommend you check those individual reviews out if you’re shopping for new headphones.
Order HERE for the LOWEST PRICE AVAILABLE (Do NOT pay retail):
Want to save up to an additional $21?
Want to save an additional $100?
Disclosure: These affiliate links may provide a discount and in return, give us a commission in order to keep this website 100% independent to ensure honest unfiltered reviews 🙂
Frequently Asked Questions
Beats Studio Pro vs AirPods Max: Which has better bass?
In my opinion, Beats Studio Pro has better bass response, impact, and slam compared to the Apple AirPods Max. The sub-bass on the Studio Pro is more powerful and satisfying, while the AirPods Max focuses more on the mid frequencies for detailed vocals and instruments.
How We Tested and Our Methodology
RecordingNOW.com is a 100% independent publisher with over 10 years of experience testing and reviewing consumer electronics and headphones.
We currently purchase the products we test with our own money, and are not paid by any company or manufacturer to influence our opinions or decisions.
After purchasing the product, we conduct up to hundreds of hours of detailed hands-on testing in a controlled, acoustically-treated environment.
ODi Productions is our resident expert and author of this article, with 10 years of experience as a professional music producer, tech journalist, and audiophile.
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