Beats 360 sells sweat resistance and replaceable earcups for $350

Anyone who has owned Beats knows which part dies first. XDA's reviewer wrote that the swappable earcups feel like Beats admitting that "after a few years, its headphone cups start to disintegrate and rot", and said he has bought at least two sets of Beats Solo Pros in the past five years or so ^[28]. On the 360 the cushion comes off with a slight twist instead of popping off the way an AirPods Max pad does ^[27]. A replacement kit is $49.99 ^[7].

Each pair ships with one Knit Performance Kit matching the headphones ^[33], so a second look is a second purchase. Oliver Schusser, president of Beats, told CNET: "If you buy one or two extra cushions and headbands, it feels like you've bought two or three pairs of headphones overall" ^[22]. Two kits after the launch promo run $99.98, about 29 percent of the $349.99 headphone ^[2]. At launch they are $9.99 while supplies last ^[7].

The cushions are tuned parts. CNET reports a built-in sensor recognises which kind of cushion is fitted and calibrates sound, noise cancellation and transparency accordingly ^[10].

There is no Apple H2 inside. The 360 runs Beats silicon and still supports automatic device switching through the Apple Account, Hey Siri and Find My, according to 9to5Mac ^[11]. On Android it handles Fast Pair and Audio Switch ^[15]. It is the first Beats over-ear rated IPX4 ^[5], a rating CNET calls common on earbuds and rare on full-size headphones ^[6]. The swappable parts are the ear cushions and the headband pad. The three reviews do not say whether the battery is user-replaceable ^[5].

There is no headphone jack, and 9to5Mac reports USB-C does not appear to carry audio either ^[13]. There is also no wear detection, so nothing pauses when the headphones come off a head ^[14].

Studio Pro's permanent reduction to $299.99 ^[3] sits $130.04 above the $169.95 Amazon listing 9to5Mac cited in the same review ^[4][4].

On sound, the three reviews do not line up. CNET rates the noise cancelling as only slightly behind AirPods Max 2's and the sound as excellent ^[23]. 9to5Mac, writing for someone moving down from AirPods Max, said "you're taking a hit on sound quality" ^[24]. XDA found the bass short of AirPods Max and Sony's WH series with a wide, detailed soundstage, plus a slight hiss with ANC on or off that goes away once audio plays ^[25][26].

If any pair in the order ever has to plug into a seat-back screen or a mixing desk, the 360 is out at any price ^[13]. If the pads on your current headphones fail before the drivers do, the cushion kit is the feature being sold, and the figure to budget is $49.99 rather than the promotional $9.99 ^[7]. For the buyer who needs a cable, Studio Pro is listed at $169.95 on Amazon ^[4].