“Plus” tacked onto a product name typically translates into a product-generation extension with little (if any) tangible enhancement. Beats has notably bucked that trend.
I’ve decided that I really like transparent devices:
Not only do they look cool (at least in my opinion; yours might differ), since I can see inside them, I’m able to do “pseudo teardowns” without needing to actually take them apart (inevitably destroying them in the process). Therein my interest in the May 2023-unveiled “Plus” spin of Apple subsidiary Beats’ original Studio Buds earbuds, introduced two years earlier:
Frosty beats solid black
As you can see, these are translucent; it’d be a stretch to also call them transparent. Still, I can discern a semblance of what’s inside both the earbuds and their companion storage-and-charging case. And in combination with Beats’ spec-improvement claims:
along with a thorough and otherwise informative teardown video I found of first-gen units:
I think I’ve got a pretty good idea of what’s inside these.
Cool (again, IMHO) looks and an editorial-coverage angle aside, why’d I buy them? After all, I already owned a first-generation Studio Buds set (at left in the following shots, as usual accompanied by a 0.75″ (19.1 mm) diameter U.S. penny for size comparison purposes, and which you’ll also see in other photos in this piece):
Reviewers’ assertions of significant improvements in active noise cancellation (ANC) and battery life with the second-generation version were admittedly tempting:
and like their forebears (and unlike Apple’s own branded earbuds, that is unless you hack’ em), they’re multi-platform compatible versus Apple ecosystem-only, key for this Android guy:
That all said, I confess that what sealed the deal for me was the 10%-off-$84.95 promo price I came across on Woot back in mid-August. Stack that up against the $169.99 MSRP and you can see why I bit on the bait…I actually sprung for two sets, in fact.
An expanded tip suite
Here’s an official unboxing video:
Followed by my own still shots of the process:
Beats added a fourth tip-size option—extra-small—this time around, and the software utility now supports a “fit test” mode to help determine which tip option is optimum for your ears:
Assuring failsafe firmware upgrades
Upon pairing them with my Google Pixel 7 smartphone, I was immediately alerted to an available firmware update:
However, although the earbuds themselves were still nearly fully charged, lengthy time spent in the box (on the shelf at the retailer warehouse) had nearly drained the cells in the case. I needed to recharge the latter before I was allowed to proceed (wise move, Beats!):
With the case (and the buds within it) now fully charged, the update completed successfully:
Battery variability
The first- and second-generation cases differ in weight by 1 gram (48 vs 49), according to my kitchen scale:
With the second-generation earbuds set incrementing the total by another gram (58 vs 60):
In both cases, I suspect, the weight increment is associated with increased battery capacity. The aforementioned teardown video indicates that the cells in the first-generation case have a capacity of 400 mAh (1.52 Wh @ 3.8V). The frosty translucence in the second-generation design almost (but doesn’t quite) enable me to discern the battery cell markings inside:
But Apple conveniently stamped the capacity on the back this time: 600 mAh, matching the 50% increase statistic in Beats’ promotional verbiage:
The “button” cells in the earbuds themselves supposedly have a 16% higher capacity than those in the first-generation predecessors. Given that the originals, again per the teardown video, had the model name M1254S2, translating to a 3.7V operating voltage and 60 mAh capacity, I’m guessing that these are the same-dimension 70-mAh M1254S3 successors.
Microphone upgrades
As for inherent output sound quality, I can discern no difference between the two generations:
A result with which Soundguys’ objective (vs my subjective) analysis concurs:
That said, I can happily confirm that the ability to discern music details in high ambient noise environments, not to mention to conduct discernible phone conversations (at both ends of the connection), is notably enhanced with the second-generation design. Beats claims that all three microphones are 3x larger this time around, a key factor in the improvement. Here (at bottom left in each case) are the first- and second-generation feedforward microphone port pairs:
Along with the ANC feedback mics alongside the two generations’ speaker ports:
The main “call” mics are alongside the touch-control switch in the “button” assembly still exposed when the buds are inserted in the wearer’s ears:
I’m guessing an integrated audio DSP upgrade was also a notable factor in the claimed “up to 1.6x” improved ANC (along with up to 2x enhanced transparency). The first-gen Studio Buds leveraged a Cirrus Logic CS47L66 (along with a MediaTek MT2821A to implement Bluetooth functionality); reader guesses as to what’s in use this time are welcome in the comments!
The outcome of these mic and algorithm upgrades? Over to Soundguys again for the results!
Venting is relieving
The final update is a bit of an enigma, at least to me. Beats has added what it claims are three acoustic vents to the design. Here’s an excerpt from a fuller writeup on the topic:
You’ve probably noticed how some wearables feel more comfortable than others. That’s where acoustic vents come in. They help equalize pressure, reducing that uncomfortable “plugged ear” sensation you might experience with earbuds or other in-ear devices. By doing this, they make your listening experience not only better but also more natural.
The thing is, though, Beats’ own associated image only shows two added vents:
And that’s all I can find, too:
So…🤷♂️
In closing, for your further translucency-blurring visual-inspection purposes, here are some additional standalone images of the right-side earbud, this time standalone and from various positional perspectives:
including another one minus the tip:
and of both the top and bottom of the case:
“Plus” mid-life updates to products are typically little more than new colorway options, or (for smartphones) bigger-sized displays and batteries, but otherwise identical hardware allocations. It’s nice to see Beats do a more substantive “Plus” upgrade with their latest Studio Buds. And the $75-and-change promo price was also very nice. Reader thoughts are as-always welcomed in the comments!
—Brian Dipert is the Principal at Sierra Media and a former technical editor at EDN Magazine, where he still regularly contributes as a freelancer.
Related Content