Product1 publisher2 min readPublished
Beats' first IP-rated headphones ask buyers for a second set of ear cushions
The Beats 360 are IPX4 rated and the knit pads wick sweat well, but The Verge's two reviewers found those same pads itchy away from the gym, and the plush set that fixes it is a $50 kit Apple is discounting to $10 until the end of October.
The Product Desk · Product desk
What happened
- The Beats 360 are the first IP-certified headphones Beats has made, rated IPX4 against splashes of water and sweat, the same rating as its Powerbeats Pro 2 and Powerbeats Fit 2 workout earbuds.
- The ear cups come off so they can be cleaned on their own, and Beats' instructions are a wipe with soapy solution, then a damp cloth with water only, then a dry cloth for the leftover dampness.
- Apple is selling the replacement cushion kits for $10 until the end of October, with promotional pricing also running in Canada, Australia, France, the UK, China and Korea.
- Sensors in the headphones detect whether knit or plush cushions are fitted and retune automatically, though The Verge's reviewer heard no significant difference beyond slightly better noise canceling on plush.
- The Verge's cons list says the noise canceling trails other $350 headphones, the midrange sounds shush-y, and the fit can shift during high-intensity workouts.
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Why it matters
- cost The buyer who wants one pair for the treadmill and the desk pays for the fit twice: $360 for headphones plus a spare cushion set this month, $400 once the kit goes back to $50.
- decision Anyone standardising on these as the only pair someone carries has to order the plush set alongside them, because the pads that handle sweat are the ones that itch after a few hours off the gym floor.
- capability With cups that come off and a battery that can be replaced, the two parts that usually end a pair of workout headphones are things the owner can deal with instead of rebuying.
Sweat gathers around the cups during a workout whatever the shell is rated for. The Verge's reviewer and Victoria Song, the site's wearables senior reviewer, both said the performance knit pads wicked it away well, and both pairs were wet at the end of Song's 40-minute run and his hour-long gym session [5][6]. Song called them "icky" [7].
Sweat resistance is what the box sells. Anyone planning to wear one pair of headphones all day is buying two sets of cushions. The knit pads made The Verge's reviewer itchy on the side of his head after a few hours of non-workout use, and he switched to the plush engineered leather cups, the same material Beats uses on the Studio Pro [12]. A kit of two cups and a headband is $50, which is $40 above the promotional price [9][1]. Using the $350 the review applies to the Beats 360, the pair plus one spare cushion set comes to $360 this month and $400 once the promo ends [16][2].
Durability is the reason to buy these, because the sound is not. The Verge's reviewer prefers the Sony XM5 at the same price, found the Bose Ultra Headphones Gen 2 quieter and the AirPods Pro 3 a better fit [16][17].
The review calls IP ratings "a bit out of the ordinary on any headphones" and says there aren't many headphones out there like the Beats 360 [18][19]. It does not report IP ratings for rival flagship models, so the idea that Beats is alone on this spec is not something the evidence here settles [20].
Two things decide the purchase. The first is whether your head holds one position while you train: back squats, planks and lunges kept the Beats 360 in place, while sprints and sit-ups had both reviewers reaching up to readjust [13][14]. The second is whether the pair stays on after the session, and for those buyers the plush kit is part of the price. For explosive workouts and nothing else, both reviewers said they still prefer earbuds [15].
What to watch
- Whether Apple extends the $10 cushion kit price past the end of October, in the US and in the six other markets with promotional pricing.
- Whether Beats offers plush cushions beyond black and white, the only two colours in that material so far.
- What Beats charges to replace the battery The Verge lists among the headphones' strengths.