While a lot of people tend to gravitate towardsAirPodswhen buying Apple headphones – often treating them as the “default” for iPhone audio – they’re not necessarily the best products for everyone. That’s especially true if you’re into fitness, since anything short of the AirPods Pro orAirPods Maxmay be prone to falling out of your ears during workouts. That’s where Beats products come into play, including theBeats Fit Pro, which is designed with runners and weightlifters in mind – although they’re certainly usable at home or during your commute.
Beats Studio Pro vs AirPods Max: Which Apple over-ears are best?
The AirPods Max are a staple, but Beats excels in major areas that the Max simply don’t.
If you’ve just picked up a pair of Fit Pros, or you haven’t really used yours much yet, there are several features you should be taking advantage of if you want to elevate your experience beyond generic Bluetooth earbuds. If you haven’t bought a pair yet, there are otherfitness headphonesyou might also want to consider too, depending on your requirements.
As a reminder, while you can pair Fit Pros with Android devices, they’re really intended for Apple users.
Beats Fit Pro
1Active noise cancellation (ANC)
Shut out the outside world
Apple still sells the Powerbeats Pro to fitness enthusiasts, but really, ANC alone is a reason to upgrade to the Fit Pro. That feature can dramatically improve clarity, especially in populated gyms, which are full of noisy distractions like treadmills, heavy barbells, and obnoxious pop music. Apple’s ANC technology isn’t the absolute best – Sony and Bose’s products are often superior – but it’s good enough to enhance your workout playlist. When you’re traveling, ANC is excellent at reducing the volume of engine sounds and fellow passengers.
The easiest way to toggle ANC is by briefly holding down the Beats logo button on either earbud, repeating that if necessary until you hear a chime and outside sounds disappear. If you have an iPhone or an iPad, you might alternately open Control Center, touch and hold the volume slider, and then chooseActive Noise Cancellation.
5 things to know about ANC (Active Noise Cancellation)
Including how it works, the different types, and why we think ANC headphones are worth it.
2Transparency mode option
Stay aware when you need to
While it’s usually best to leave ANC on whenever possible for your own enjoyment, there will inevitably be times when you need to talk to other people, or keep alert for potential dangers such as incoming bikes and scooters on the sidewalk. Transparency mode uses the Fit Pro’s microphones to pump in external sounds, mixing it with your device’s audio. The tech is good enough that you should be able to hold a conversation with someone without taking your earbuds out, although that might still be considered rude.
There will inevitably be times when you need to talk to other people, or keep alert for potential dangers such as incoming bikes and scooters on the sidewalk.
Some people aren’t aware that transparency modes exist, after all. Transparency is best toggled the same way as ANC, the only difference being that if you use Control Center instead of the logo buttons, you have to selectTransparency.
I used Suunto’s Wing headphones to stay aware on runs in NYC
The $199 Suunto Wing bone conduction headphones are durable, sleek, and allow me to listen to both my music and surroundings.
3Spatial audio from Apple built in
For a home theater experience
Like other spatial formats,Apple Spatial Audioscatters sounds around a simulated 3D environment, widening the soundstage. You should usually leave this off for music – if a track wasn’t originally mixed for surround sound, it can make things sound worse – but it’s fantastic in combination with any media that supports Dolby Atmos. There’s an option to use head tracking as well, although this is best reserved for video, when your brain expects the locations of sounds to stay connected to onscreen objects.
There’s no physical button to trigger spatial audio. You can, however, toggle the feature (as well as its head tracking) by tapping and holding on the volume slider in an iPhone or iPad’s Control Center and finding the relevant icons.
If you’re paired with an Apple TV 4K (see below), you can go toSettings > Remotes and Devices > Bluetoothand select your Fit Pros to see options. On a Mac, click on theBeats iconin the menu bar.
Does Dolby Atmos actually sound any better? Here’s what it can do
Dolby Atmos takes surround sound to another level and gives you cinematic sound from the comfort of your home.
4Seamless switching between Apple devices
For those in Apple’s walled garden
Although the Fit Pro doesn’t support conventional multipoint (i.e. multi-device) Bluetooth pairing, if you pair it with one Apple device signed into your Apple ID, it’ll automatically be paired with anything else that shares that ID. On top of that, Apple uses behind-the-scenes sorcery to determine what device you’re currently using and switch audio output automatically.
Apart from buying multiple Apple products, there’s usually nothing else required on your part. If you’re having problems, you can correct any mix-ups by making sure one device is locked before you pick up another.
If the Beats Fit Pro 2 has these 6 features, they’ll be the best workout headphones
If they include adaptive transparency mode and five other improvements, the next generation Beats Fit Pro will be my best recommendation.
5Ear fins and water resistance
Push yourself further
It’s worth pointing out that the Fit Pro is meant to let you go hard during workouts – take advantage of it. Those fins are surprisingly effective at keeping the buds locked in your ears. That makes them ideal for long runs, and if you’re doing strength training, it’s nearly impossible to get them to fall out short of exercises like handstands or upside-down hanging crunches. Even then, they might stay put if you’ve got smooth form.
The buds also have an IPX4 water resistance rating, meaning they’re protected against light rain and normal sweat exposure. Be careful – they can indeed be damaged by heavy downpours, and if your workouts are always long and drenched in sweat, you might want to choose earbuds with a higher IP rating like Jabra’sElite 8 Active. I actually wrecked one Fit Pro pair after a year of hours-long weightlifting sessions. Any product’s water seals will degrade over time, so the more you punish them, the closer you’ll be to needing a replacement.
What does IP68 really mean? Dust and water IP ratings explained
Your phone, earbuds, and other devices come with a code to tell you how waterproof they are – but what do they actually mean?
Q: How does ANC (active noise cancellation) work on the Beats Fit Pro?
The simple version is that microphones on the earbuds pick up external frequencies, and during playback, opposing frequencies are generated to cancel them out – hence the name. In the case of the Beats Fit Pro, there are internally-facing mics as well, which help counter sounds in the small gap between the buds and your ears.
ANC is usually best at coping with repetitive sounds such as jet engines or wind. Even so, most outside sounds should be muted.
Q: If I do get extremely sweaty during workouts, what IP rating do I need?
If you’re worried the IPX4 rating on the Beats Fit Pro might not be enough, we’d suggest buying something with an IP57 rating or better. The best possible rating for a consumer product tends to be IP68, which is thankfully becoming more common, even on some earbuds below the $100 mark.
