Beats has quietly turned a corner over the past few years when it comes to audio quality, and that continues here. The loose, sell-out-everything-for-bass style of the older cans is out — now, the low-end still comes first, but it’s more hearty than overwhelming.
That’s good news for fans of hip-hop and electronica. The low-end boom of a rap track like Run the Jewels’ “Call Ticketron” is immense, but it’s not blobby, and it doesn’t spill into the vocals or high-mids. It’s more controlled than that of the AirPods, too.
Things are a bit less pleasing with songs that aren’t as bass-first. The bassline in a song like Radiohead’s “Present Tense” feels stronger than it should be, while the cymbals in a punk track like PUP’s “DVP” just aren’t as present as they’d be elsewhere. But you don’t buy Beats for perfect tonal accuracy. And the treble, while not the smoothest I’ve heard, isn’t harsh. For what it is, the BeatsX do their job well enough.
Beyond that, there’s enough detail and width to make the whole thing not feel cheap. You'll hear more of what’s happening here than you would with the AirPods.
But again, this is a Bluetooth headphone, and a not-premium one at that — everything sounds just a bit duller and bunched together than it would with a good wired pair. Something like the 1More Triple Driver, a wired in-ear model that costs $99, blows it away. The BeatsX are still fine, but this is just part of the all-wireless future we’ve agreed to.