Beats 360 Review: Great Gym Headphones at the Expense of Sound Quality?

Since Apple acquired Beats in 2014, the audio subsidiary has served as a testing ground for culture-driven innovation. The new Beats 360 are no exception. Launching into a crowded market that includes brands like Sony and Sennheiser, as well as new Chinese brands like soundcore, they promise a fully tailored experience with an entirely new true-wireless acoustic architecture and the ability to swap out the ear cushions to suit any occasion.

Sitting squarely in the middle of the broader Apple audio lineup, they’re positioned to bridge the gap between a daily ANC headphone and a heavy-duty gym performer. I’ve been using the Beats 360 for the last three weeks to find out whether they’re truly an AirPods Max 2 at half the price, or just an expensive mid-range headphone with some workout capability.

The standout upgrades here are the new IPX4 sweat and water resistance and a robust nine-microphone configuration. Priced at AUD$499.95, they occupy an interesting middle ground. They’re significantly more expensive than the entry-level AirPods 5 (AUD$219), but they cost half as much as the flagship AirPods Max 2 (AUD$999). However, while the physical design is brilliant, the acoustic performance is disappointing.

The custom dual neodymium magnets simply cannot compete with the Max 2’s high-fidelity audio, and honestly, they don’t even sound as good as the open-ear AirPods 5.

While the audio quality falls short of their Apple-branded siblings, these are amongst the best workout headphones on the market today. They deliver 1.75x the noise cancellation of the previous Beats Studio Pro, up to 32 hours of continuous battery life, and a staggering 256 customisation combinations when you mix and match the cushions. The real question is whether that unmatched gym practicality and durability make them worth the price of admission for fitness enthusiasts. Let’s get into the review!

The 30-Second Beats 360 Verdict

The Beats 360 are the best gym headphones that we’ve tested, thanks to a rugged design with swappable earcups and headbands. They offer above-average noise cancellation but fall completely flat in high-end audio reproduction.

Pros:

• Active Noise Cancellation is 1.75x stronger than the Beats Studio Pro.
• The IPX4 rating provides proper sweat and water resistance for heavy workouts.
• The interchangeable cushions offer up to 256 unique colour and material combinations.
• The battery delivers 32 hours of playback on a single charge.
• Full cross-platform support for both Apple and Android ecosystems.

Cons:

• Sound quality is noticeably worse than that of both the AirPods Max 2 and the cheaper AirPods 5.
• Lacks wired audio support over USB-C or 3.5mm headphone jacks.
• Extra cushion kits cost an additional AUD$79.95 each.
• The mid-range frequencies feel compressed and lack warmth.

Should You Buy The Beats 360? Yes. If your primary goal is finding a durable, sweat-resistant pair of over-ear headphones for lifting weights or running, these offer unmatched flexibility. However, if you prioritise audio quality or want wired listening, you should look to the AirPods lineup instead to stay in the ecosystem, or alternatives from Sony and Sennheiser.

Beats 360 Technical Specifications

	Specification
Silicon	Beats proprietary platform (Gen 4)
Connectivity	Bluetooth 5.3 (No wired audio support)
Noise Control	Active Noise Cancellation, Transparency Mode, Adaptive EQ
Microphones	Nine digital MEMS microphones total: (8 for ANC, 3 for voice pickup with 2 shared)
Battery Life	Up to 32 hours with ANC on or off
Durability	IPX4 sweat and water resistant
Weight	Headphones: 294.5g Case: 88.0g
Controls	Physical volume rocker, play/pause, power, and listening mode buttons
Smart Features	Personalised Spatial Audio, One-Touch Pairing, Fast Pair, Find My, Live Listen

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Price and Availability

The entry price for the Beats 360 sits at AUD$499.95. Buyers can choose among four base frame colours at launch: Black, Cloud, Pink, and Sky, and each is equipped with colour-matched Performance Knit cushions out of the box.

Here’s the full price list for the Beats 360 lineup and standalone accessories:

• Beats 360 (Black, Cloud, Pink, or Sky): AUD$499.95
• Beats 360 Performance Knit Cushion Kit (Black, Cloud, Sky, Pink, Navy, or Volt): AUD$79.95
• Beats 360 UltraPlush Cushion Kit (Black or Cloud): AUD$79.95

This price places them squarely in the sights of major premium noise-cancelling competitors like the Sony WH-1000XM6 (AUD$579.95) and the Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones Gen 2 (AUD$699.95). However, the Beats have an IPX4 rating (safe for workouts and gym use) and customisable earcups, which make them a unique proposition in the market. In fact, the closest headphones to the Beats 360 are the Dyson Ontrac, which can be had for just AUD$299 at the time of writing this review.

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Design, Fit, and Sustainable Materials

Like the AirPods Max, the Beats 360 does things a little differently in terms of design and construction. Each earcup operates as its own self-contained system with its own independent battery, antenna, and processing components. By eliminating complex wiring, the design team created a slim, lightweight headband built around a super-thin steel spring. This design shifts weight directly onto the cushions, which carry nearly 50 per cent more mass than the Beats Studio Pro, distributing pressure evenly.

The total weight of the headphones comes in at 294.5 grams, and they measure 165.5mm wide, 191.3mm high, and 87.1mm deep. This makes them significantly lighter than other highly customisable competitor headphones, such as the Dyson OnTrac, which weighs a hefty 451 grams.

Both the Dyson Ontrac and Beats 360 lean heavily into personalisation. The Beats 360 features an interchangeable cushion system for both the earcups and the headband that swaps out with a simple twist. Meanwhile, the Dyson OnTrac offers over 2,000 combinations via its swappable CNC aluminium or ceramic caps and microfibre cushions, and the Beats 360 combines four base frame colours with eight cushion options, unlocking up to 256 total combinations.

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Built-in sensors inside the Beats 360 automatically identify the attached cushion material and adjust the acoustic tuning profile accordingly. Out of the box, they come with breathable Performance Knit cushions woven from a diamond-knit textile thread containing 36 micro-threads. You can also purchase UltraPlush cushions wrapped in eco-friendly engineered leather. However, I haven’t been able to identify any differences in sound quality across the different earcups installed.

What the Beats 360 lacks in audio quality (more on that in a moment) it makes up for with gym capabilities and replacement parts. They’re the first Beats over-ear headphones to feature an IPX4 rating for sweat and water resistance under IEC standard 60529. There’s a custom firewall behind the acoustic driver that seals the internal electronics from liquid ingress without restricting acoustic venting. This gives them a massive advantage over the Dyson OnTrac, which lacks a formal water resistance rating and is not built for heavy workouts. However, I’m still not convinced that this push for water resistance hasn’t somewhat hampered the sound quality.

It should also be noted that, from an environmental standpoint, the Beats 360 uses 100 per cent recycled rare earth elements in all magnets and 80 per cent recycled plastic across the earcups, speaker enclosures, and internal components. Additionally, the retail packaging is 100 per cent plant-fibre-based.

Sound Quality and ANC Performance

I first tried out the Beats 360 on my way back from the U.S. after the September Apple Event. It was a rough first outing for them, on a loud flight, and with ears on the side of a reviewer that had slept for approximately 8 hours in three days. They left me disappointed, with a certain muddiness that I hadn’t experienced from a pair of headphones in a while. There was also considerable static (which is still present today) when the headphones are on your head and not playing music. Still, I wanted to give them the benefit of the doubt, so I took them off and left them alone until I returned home.

Well, I’m three weeks into the test. I’ve come to terms with the fact that the Beats 360 don’t produce the sound quality that I expect from a pair of AUD$499.95 headphones in 2026.

That’s not to say the sound quality is “bad,” and people moving from a pair of sweat-soaked AirPods Pro 2 will see it as an upgrade. But the reality is that these are no match for the AirPods Max 2, and, truth be told, the new AUD$219 AirPods 5 deliver better sound quality if you’re after a casual listening experience and don’t care about top-tier ANC or sweat resistance for workouts.

Beats implemented a custom-designed 40mm transducer featuring dual neodymium ring magnets and a high-dynamic-range amplifier that’s capable of producing 12 dB higher output than the Beats Studio Pro. The diaphragm uses a triple-layer construction combining two stiff outer layers with a dampening inner layer to reduce resonance.

However, one major trade-off fans should note is that the Beats 360 completely drops wired audio support, lacking both 3.5mm and USB-C audio passthrough.

While the hardware specs sound impressive on paper, real-world listening is disappointing when compared to the AirPods Max 2, Sony WH1000XM6, Sennheiser Momentum 5, and even the new (and much cheaper) AirPods 5. Putting the Beats 360 to the test across my testing playlist highlighted its clear limitations. On Don Toliver’s ‘Honeymoon’, the bass has the sub-bass depth and warmth expected of a premium over-ear set, but the mids and highs started to show their flaws (this is a best-case test). Switching to Spiller’s ‘Groovejet’, both the mid-range instrument and vocal separation feel awfully compressed and muddy.

Finally, Marvin Gaye’s vocals on ‘What’s Going On’ lack the clarity and sort of treble sparkle I found on AirPods Max 2 and other competitors.

Where the Beats 360 proves its value is in the Active Noise Cancellation department. By the numbers, they deliver 1.75x as much total noise cancellation as the Beats Studio Pro.

The system uses an advanced digital signal processor and a nine-microphone array, eight of which are dedicated exclusively to noise cancellation. The algorithm continuously analyses both ambient environmental noise and individual fit variations to adapt its ANC filters in real time.

Transparency mode is also quite good, offering an extended frequency response that passes natural environmental sound through with remarkable clarity.

Last but not least, they fully support Personalised Spatial Audio with dynamic head tracking. If this is your first time using something like this, it uses an integrated inertial measurement unit with an accelerometer and gyroscope that tracks head movement to dynamically position Dolby Atmos surround sound around you. It broadens the soundscape and makes the headphones sound better. I had it switched on during all of my testing.

Chip, Cross-Platform Features, and Extra Details

There’s no Apple H-series silicon here with the Beats 360, which allows them to run on Apple and Android ecosystems. They run on a fourth-generation Beats proprietary platform with “twice the processing power of previous generations.” The voice-processing architecture uses AI-trained machine learning algorithms and a three-microphone beam-forming array to isolate your voice during calls.

Two of these microphones are shared with the ANC system, while a third dedicated mic engages in high-wind or noisy conditions to boost the signal-to-noise ratio. The system performs speech enhancement to suppress background noise, ensuring phone calls remain intelligible whether you are on a windy street or a loud gym floor. Everyone I called wearing the headphones said they could hear me loud and clear. You also get hands-free access to the voice assistant simply by saying “Hey Siri” on an iPhone.

Because these run on a proprietary chip rather than an Apple-only chip, they support equal feature parity across ecosystems. Apple users get One-Touch Pairing, iCloud pairing, automatic device switching, Audio Sharing, and Find My support. Android users get Google Fast Pair, Ecosystem Pairing, Audio Switch, Find Hub support, and access to the dedicated Beats app for customisation and firmware updates. The headphones also include built-in accessibility features like Live Listen audio, Headphone Level monitoring, and Headphone Accommodations.

Battery Life and Physical Controls

The Beats 360 offers very good battery life for long training sessions and travel. You get up to 32 hours of full-featured playback on a single charge with Active Noise Cancellation enabled.

When ANC is turned off, the system automatically defaults to Adaptive EQ to maintain sound consistency across different fits. If you forget to charge them before a workout, Fast Fuel charging provides one full hour of playback from a quick five-minute USB-C charge.

Touch gestures tend to fail when sweaty, so Beats has included four physical buttons on the back of the earcups designed for thumb access. The right earcup houses a volume rocker and a play/pause button for media control and call management. The left earcup features a power button that displays battery status with a single tap, along with a dedicated listening mode button to cycle through ANC, Transparency, and Adaptive EQ. However, good luck remembering that, and finding the buttons as they’re all the same size and shape. It’s another gripe of mine, as I always forget which button turns the headphones on.

Man of Many’s Verdict on the Beats 360

Beats 360 represents a fascinating pivot for the brand. By prioritising sweat resistance and deep customisation, they’ve built a great pair of over-ear headphones for fitness enthusiasts.

The IPX4 rating and the breathable Performance Knit cushions completely solve the issue of wearing large headphones during a heavy workout. The noise cancellation is also superb, easily drowning out gym distractions. However, the disappointing sound quality makes them hard to recommend for music lovers seeking high-fidelity sound at this price point.

If you want a dedicated pair of gym headphones that will survive daily sweat and abuse while offering custom styling, the Beats 360 are a great choice. If you just want to sit at your desk and enjoy your favourite albums, you are better off buying a pair of AirPods Max 2, Sony WH1000XM6, or even the new AirPods 5 if you value transparency.