Did you know that measurement of your heart rate is more accurate when measured via your ear, as opposed to a wrist or wrist watch.
When I was told this by Beats engineers recently, I realised that the answer was obvious, the ear is closer to the heart, which means that when it comes to intelligence the data captured is most likely more accurate, some may disagree.
So, what has heart rate got to do with what Apple is calling their most advanced product ever developed by Beats, whose pedigree is more music & Dr Dre than pumping energy and measuring the impact.
Three of the world’s biggest sports icons, LeBron James, Lionel Messi, and Shohei Ohtani already know the answer because they already use a pair of all new $399 Powerbeats Pro 2 Buds which were released today after much speculation by the world’s audio media.
I am lucky because I have had access to a pair of these cutting edge buds for a couple of weeks, and it’s clear that a lot of effort has been put into designing them, with the all new Apple-designed H2 chip delivering excellent performance particularly when it came to battery life and above all listening to music.
They also did a great job of tracking my heart data.
Equally impressive was the press briefing that Apple and Beats delivered in Australia with their engineers going to great lengths to explain the technology behind these new buds.
Brands such as Sony, Bose and Audio Technica which is a mid-range audio product gave up on press briefings a long time ago, so has several other audio brands.
Beats are describing their new offering as the most advanced product ever, with a total redesign delivering what Apple and Beats are describing as the “Ultimate athletic performance” and while the new Powerbeats are seriously well engineered they are equally good at delivering excellent music listening, whether it be Motown, Jazz or Taylor Swifts latest tracks.
The new Beats offering features a redesigned acoustic architecture and Personalized Spatial Audio with dynamic head tracking that delivers impressive immersive sound, with clear highs, rich mid-range tones and deep bass, it’s quite clear that these buds are radically different from other buds being sold in Australia.
To achieve some of the cut through found in these new Beats Apple leveraged their best-performing Active Noise Cancelling technology and added Ultra Stability and Comfort control.
One major standout was the comfort fit, with the arm or as Beats call it the earhook, which is a key part of the Powerbeats Pro 2 buds, being manufactured from titanium due to the metal’s durability.
This is important, as this part of the buds is in constant use when being twisted and turned as the buds are fitted into one’s ears.
The use of titanium has allowed Beats engineers to design a structure that pressure holds the buds in place without any discomfort to the inner ear.
When playing music or taking a phone call the audio is clear and above all there is no discomfort from the fit of the buds which for me, is an important factor especially when taking part in gym work or exercising and someone talks to you.
The addition of Active Noise Cancellation (ANC) allows one to easily cut out background noise and there is also transparency mode, and adaptive EQ, as well as wireless charging.
I have to confess that I don’t use an iPhone but despite this and after downloading tha Beats app for Android I had no problems using the new Beats product.
Powerbeats Pro 2 is fully compatible with Apple devices for one-touch pairing, automatic switching, Audio Sharing, hands-free Siri, and Find My device For Android users.
During the press briefing I was curious as to whether there was a difference between music streamers.
Was Spotify, Tidal or Amazon Music better at streaming high quality music?
The answer was Yes, but this is where politics kicked in as Beats are an Apple product and Apple Music is a big revenue earner for the Company.
One thing I did find out is that Tidal is a pretty good music streaming option when connected to the new Beats buds.
Oliver Schusser, Apple’s vice president of Music, Sports, and Beats claims that “Powerbeats Pro 2 is the most impressive product in Beats’ history — developed to withstand intense training sessions and equipped with our most innovative technology and powerful sound,”.
As for the heart monitoring technology built into the new Beats he said, “Now with Heart Rate Monitoring for workouts, Active Noise Cancellation, and Transparency mode, Powerbeats Pro 2 sets a new standard in audio for fitness.”.
The new Powerbeats Pro 2 is 20% lighter than its predecessor and is Beats’ best-fitting headphone ever according to the Company.
They are also good for training in rain, snow and heat, Powerbeats Pro 2 is sweat and water resistant with an IPX4 rating.6.
Also, on board is venting that enhances comfort and sound and for the first time ever, a fifth ear tip size is included.
Users can choose from extra-small, small, medium, large and extra-large to find their fit.
Each earbud also has a tactile volume rocker for ultimate convenience.
They are also equipped with a voice accelerometer and three advanced microphones, which are very accurate.
- In summary the new Beats Powerbeats Pro 2 deliver better battery life with 10 hours on the buds and 3.5 extra charges from the case for a total of 45 hours. They are also more compact, the case 33 percent smaller and the buds 20 percent lighter.
- The neat new ear hooks is 50% smaller than past hooks.
- There’s a new H2 chip, upgraded microphones and amplifier, and improved sound.
- Fast charging is supported, with a five-minute top-up that delivers 90 minutes of playback.
Powerbeats Pro 2 is available to order starting today in four bold colorus—Jet Black, Quick Sand, Hyper Purple, and Electric Orange—for $399.95.
