Beats Fit Pro Impressions

 Beats Fit Pro -- My Impressions

Beats Fit Pro

It had to happen sometime, I suppose, but my beloved Powerbeats Pro are no more. What did I chose to replace them, and why? The what is pretty straightforward, given that the title is "Beats Fit Pro". Why did I select these? My user story includes a few particular use cases:

• The new earbuds must work seamlessly with both IOS and Android. My work phone runs Android and my current personal cell is an iPhone 12 Pro Max. They must offer straightforward switching from one device to another.
• They must be fully functional with one earpiece in, and useable as a handsfree for driving.
• They must be secure and comfortable in my ears, and support invoking the appropriate Assistant through key phrase ("Ok Google", "Hey Siri" etc).

A little research on the web indicated that the Beats Fit Pro would meet my needs; however feedback in various Internet forums was mixed, in terms of comfort. Some found them comfortable right out of the box for all day wear; while others swore that they became very uncomfortable after an hour or so of wear. Right after I ordered the earbuds I went to my go-to solution for earbud comfort, Comply foam tips, and ordered some up.

Comply Foam Tips

About Comply Replacement Foam Tips for Earbuds

According to Comply, their replacement foam tips "when compared to silicone tips, are 30x softer,

provide a better grip than silicone for fewer listening distractions and block unwanted exterior noise so you can elevate your listening at lower volumes and help protect hearing." Is that true? Sort of. They are definitely much  more comfortable than the OEM silicone tips, and are more secure. Any additional sound isolation, though, is marginal in my experience. I found that I could tolerate them for about an hour with the silicone tips, and much longer--several hours--with the Comply tips. 

So why would I go out and get a fairly expensive set of earbuds and immediately start replacing stock gubbins? Comfort and usability. I do a similar thing any time that I get a device that has a stylus: I immediately hop onto the interwebs and start looking for replacement stylus tips that give the feel that I want. It means that the money that I spent to get the device in the first place is even better spent, by giving me a better experience. And I got absolutely nothing from @ComplyFoam for the plug.

I'll leave Beats with the last word here:

True, that

Beats Fit Pro

So how about the earbuds themselves, what are they like?

I've used them quite a bit since I got them mid-July (the replacement tips arrived a long 4 days later), with a variety of listening scenarios. Equipped with Apple's H1 chip, they perform similarly to, and have the same features as, the AirPods Pro, with the extra feature of actually staying put in my ears. Some reviewers found the "wings" that keep them in place to be uncomfortable. I blamed the wings as well until I got the replacement foam tips. I would say that the OEM silicone tips are the biggest source of discomfort. That turned out to be the case for me, anyway.

Speaking of the case, they come in a case that is much more compact than the one for the PowerBeats Pro. I have to say though that the case feels very cheap and chintzy by comparison, especially the flimsy lid. This does not give a favourable impression off the bat, although the case is a nice pocketable size.

Of course, any iDevice in the neighborhood will perk its ears up as soon as the case is opened, thanks to the H1. Pairing was as straightforward as you would expect. Also no issues pairing with an Android phone. There is also an app available on the Play Store that allows you to do all of the configuration, updates etc. from an Android device, so very agnostic from that perspective.

The listening modes here are as available for the AirPods Pro: ANC, which can be switched between ANC, Off and Transparency modes; and Spacialized modes of Off (Stereo) Fixed, or Head Tracked. In normal listening I tended to use Transparency, and Spacialize Off. In those modes I found the sound to be... pretty taut is the best adjective I can think of. Yes, they're Beats, so a bit bass-forward, but never "flabby", and were very good when used with music that had a lot going on: Many instruments, intricate notework. Just right on top of the sound and never felt like they were overwhelmed, with good detail. Should you take my assessment as gospel? No! I'm not an audiophile with trained ears, and my observations are just that, my observations. Your mileage will vary.

I have to admit being hugely disappointed by the ANC. It did not cancel anything. It barely even attenuated anything. Maybe I've been spoiled by my B&W PXes and others; but I was really not impressed. They would not be my recommendation for a long flight. Spatialized audio I found to be mostly a gimmick as well. I found it useful and handy when viewing video content, but just a bit gimmicky when listening to music. I haven't found anything yet that made me say "Oh now I get it"! 

So what's the tldr? Decent earbuds, reasonable price, good performance.