REVIEWIt’s not to say that other
genres sound bad, but as ever
the Powerbeats are not the best
earphones if you are all about
guitar music. They struggle a
tad to separate the mix, leaving
‘Sweet Leaf’ by Black Sabbath
feeling a little muddy. That
said ‘You Ain’t Worth A Dollar’
by Queens of the Stone Age is
thumping in all the right places
with good tone and levels.
I’m being a bit picky, too.
Powerbeats Pro are headphones
for everyone, and the fact you
can’t meddle with the tuning
yourself (some rivals allow this
via companion apps) shows
that these are designed to
be easily paired grab and go
everyday headphones. And
in that they succeed.
That clever H1 chips also allows for hands-free Siri.
Just say “Hey Siri” with the Powerbeats on and it’ll start
listening. I personally still feel a bit of a wally doing
this, particularly when I find Siri rarely gets my query
right, but you might want the feature, and the trigger
phrase does work every time. It means you can reply to
messages at the gym without touching the earphones
or picking up your phone, for example.
While the in-ear design means the Powerbeats
have natural noise isolation to keep outside soundPairing is a one-
step processREVIEWIt’s not to say that other
genres sound bad, but as ever
the Powerbeatsarenotthebest
earphonesifyouareallabout
guitarmusic.Theystrugglea
tad toseparatethemix,leaving
‘SweetLeaf’byBlackSabbath
feelingalittlemuddy.That
said‘You Ain’tWorthADollar’
byQueensoftheStoneAgeis
thumpinginalltherightplaces
withgoodtoneandlevels.
I’mbeingabitpicky,too.
PowerbeatsProareheadphones
foreveryone,andthefactyou
can’t meddlewiththetuning
yourself(somerivalsallowthis
via companionapps)shows
that thesearedesignedto
be easilypairedgrabandgo
everydayheadphones.And
in that theysucceed.
ThatcleverH1chipsalsoallowsforhands-freeSiri.
Justsay“HeySiri”withthePowerbeatsonandit’llstart
listening.Ipersonallystillfeelabitofawallydoing
this,particularlywhenIfindSirirarelygetsmyquery
right,butyoumightwantthefeature,andthetrigger
phrasedoesworkeverytime.Itmeansyoucanreplyto
messagesatthegymwithouttouchingtheearphones
or pickingup your phone,forexample.
While the in-ear design means the Powerbeats
have natural noise isolation to keep outside sound
Pairing is a one-
step process