Beats Studio Pro vs Bose QuietComfort 45

It would be fair to assume that Beats and Bose are quite different at a glance. One company is known for releasing products in eye-catching colors to appeal to the “youth” market and collaborates with celebrities and influencers. The other produces utilitarian-looking black or white headphones aimed squarely at corporate business travelers.

However, the two have more in common than you might think: both tend to take their time between releases and stick to the formula once they have a winning design. Unsurprisingly, the Beats Studio Pro looks very much like the basic Beats headphones that have been around since 2006. Similarly, you can argue that the Bose QuietComfort 45 outwardly appears nearly identical to its predecessors. But perhaps the lesson here is that what they have on the inside counts.

What’s it like to use the Beats Studio Pro compared to the Bose QuietComfort 45?

The short version of the design and comfort analysis is that the QuietComfort 45 feels way better to wear than the Studio Pro. Unless your noggin and ears are smaller than average, the Studio Pro sports measly 59 x 40mm ear cups, which are shallow and aren’t going to fit many ears. The Studio Pro folds down, weighs only 270g, and includes a decent soft storage case. Long-haired listeners, be careful that the Studio Pro headphones don’t snag your hair. Lest this come across as totally negative, the Studio Pro still feels like Beats headphones if you really love that feel.

You get a USB-C cable, a headphone cable, and a bag. Unusually, the Beats Studio Pro can play music using a USB-C connection. This USB-C listening capability lets you listen to uncompressed music over a digital connection. In addition, with compatible devices and media, you can enjoy head-tracked Spatial Audio on the Studio Pro.

As for the QuietComfort 45, they feel better than the Beats because Bose took the time to iron out the design with previous iterations in the QuietComfort line. It’s in the name, so comfort is a priority with these headphones. While the Studio Pro weighs 270g, the QuietComfort 45 shaves that down to 240g. The clamping force is more tolerable, and the QuietComfort 45 fits a greater range of ear sizes and shapes than the Studio Pro. In the package, you get a travel case, a USB-A to USB-C cable (for charging only), and a 3.5 mm-to-2.5 mm TRS cable.

How do you control the Beats Studio Pro and Bose QuietComfort 45?

Both the Beats Studio Pro and the Bose QuietComfort 45 use buttons for controls. The Beats implementation of tactile buttons is poorly executed because you can hear them loudly in your ear every time you use them. Also, the force required to activate the buttons can break the seal around your ear.

You can directly access EQ presets via the button if you listen to the Studio Pro with the USB-C DAC. That’s handy, but you need to remove the headphones to see which setting you’re on and have audio playing to get the EQ to change.

Beats Studio Pro controls:

The QuietComfort 45, which also uses buttons, better places them so you don’t hear (or really feel) the click. The Studio Pro buttons sit smack in the middle of the housing, so you essentially press the button against your ear. With the QuietComfort 45, the buttons reside along the sides, so you will likely hear or feel the actuation.

Bose QuietComfort 45 controls:

Only the Studio Pro allows users to control EQ via the headphones directly, but that’s still limited to when the headphones are connected to a USB-C cable for playback. You still have the apps to access many of the features on both headphones.

Should you use the apps of either Beats Studio Pro or Bose QuietComfort 45?

The Beats Studio Pro works directly in your iOS device’s system settings, like Apple headphones, or you can download the Beats app for Android. Some folks will prefer controlling the Studio Pro via their device rather than endure the loud noises of buttons in front of their ears. Functionally, the app is pretty minimal: listening modes, updates, battery life, Find My, and some command remapping are there, but that’s most of it. The app is basically a set-and-forget situation for most users. However, you can access Dolby Atmos and Spatial Audio with head tracking on the Studio Pro, whereas the Bose QC 45 doesn’t have head tracking capabilities. Regardless of your device, your source and the media must be spatial audio-compatible.

Accompanying the Bose QuietComfort 45 headphones is the Bose Music app (iOS/Android). If you already have Bose products, they conveniently all use the same app. Like the Beats app, the features consist mainly of listening modes (weirdly, you can only choose between noise canceling and transparency), updates, and a simple equalizer. Rather irritatingly, the app requires permissions that include things like location history and call and message history. Without it, you won’t get to assign a voice assistant or gain updates. Bose tends to update its products with significant firmware improvements, which can take a while (like 20 minutes or longer).

How do the Beats Studio Pro and Bose QuietComfort 45 connect?

One of the standout features of the Beats Studio Pro is that you can listen to music over USB-C. The headphones boast a USB DAC to bypass unnecessary conversions between digital and analog or Bluetooth compression. The onboard EQ presets only work when using the USB-C input. This also makes them readily compatible with products that ditched the headphone jack but kept the USB-C port. More pedestrian are the AAC and SBC codecs transmitting over Bluetooth 5.3.

The Bose QuietComfort 45 uses a headphone jack and the same Bluetooth codec suite as the Studio Pro. You don’t get USB-C listening, and the QuietComfort 45 uses Bluetooth 5.1. The Beats Studio Pro wins out here.

Is battery life better on the Beats Studio Pro or the Bose QuietComfort 45?

According to our standardized testing, the Beats Studio Pro lasts 31 hours and 25 minutes on a full charge. While still no slouch, the Bose QuietComfort 45 lasts 24 hours and 49 minutes under the same conditions. You might stretch out the Studio Pro’s battery life by turning noise canceling off, but there’s no standard listening mode available on the QuietComfort 45.

Having a greater battery life tends to extend the overall lifespan of Bluetooth headphones. Besides reducing irritations like how frequently you need to recharge your headphones, the tangible outcome of a longer-lasting battery is that it means fewer charging cycles, so they don’t impact the environment as dramatically. Over time, recharging a battery depletes the battery’s performance.

Does the Beats Studio Pro or the Bose QuietComfort 45 block noise better?

The latest Beats Studio Pro improves older Beats headphones’ isolation and ANC performance, but it’s a closer match against the QuietComfort 45. Isolation is quite good on the Studio Pro, blocking up to 50dB at 6kHz. The noise canceling works pretty consistently on low-pitched to midrange environmental noises, filtering 30dB at roughly 275Hz.

Similarly, the Bose QuietComfort 45 block is just shy of 50dB at 5500Hz. At 500Hz, the QuietComfort 45 ANC removes 35dB of noise, and the ANC removes more of the lowest-pitched noises than the Studio Pro. In any case, both do a great job of keeping you separated from the world compared to the aged Beats Studio3 Wireless. However, neither of these headphones can compete with the Apple AirPods Max’s noise cancelation, even if the isolation of high-pitched sounds is better on both.

One thing to point out as well is that if you listen to the Beats Studio Pro via USB-C, you can’t use the ANC or transparency mode while playing music. This is a strange quirk.

Does the Beats Studio Pro sound better than the Bose QuietComfort 45?

Set against our headphone preference curve, both the Studio Pro and QuietComfort 45 frequency responses show they supply a good amount of low-end and scoop the mids a touch more than we’d like. The distinction is in the treble region, where both exaggerate — the Beats to a lesser degree than the Bose headphones. On the Studio Pro, the treble ramps up most significantly above 5kHz. The QuietComfort 45, on the other hand, boosts treble around 6300Hz and significantly in the uppermost frequencies.

It looks like the Studio Pro sounds better, so let’s also consider the included equalizers on these headphones. Somewhat disappointingly, the Studio Pro only has EQ for listening using the USB-C connection. You get three presets, none of which gets much closer to our preferred frequency response.

The Bose QuietComfort 45 wins with the caveat that you use the Bose Music equalizer for the best sound. You can drop the Bass to -5 and the Treble to -10 to get very close to our headphone preference curve. The Beats Studio Pro sounds better by default, but the Bose QuietComfort 45 sounds best if you use the app’s equalizer with our settings.

Do the Beats Studio Pro or Bose QuietComfort 45 have a better microphone?

The Beats Studio Pro’s mic’s very low sensitivity is most noticeable from the get-go. Besides rolling off some highs, the mic sounds okay in ideal conditions. With the introduction of environmental noise, the Studio Pro mics tend to capture most of it. The biggest issue is likely still the overall low output.

The Bose QuietComfort 45 mics, if a little muffled at times, sound mostly fine. They do an okay job of filtering noisy streets, but as always, neither of these headphones gives you the same results as gaming headsets with boom mics.

Beats Studio Pro microphone demo (Ideal conditions):

Bose QuietComfort 45 microphone demo (Ideal conditions):

Beats Studio Pro microphone demo (Street conditions):

Bose QuietComfort 45 microphone demo (Street conditions):

Beats Studio Pro vs Bose QuietComfort 45: Price and availability

Beats Studio Pro was released in July 2023 and still sells for $349.99 at Amazon.

The Bose QuietComfort 45 originally retailed for $279 at Amazon since its release in the Fall of 2021, but as it has been replaced by the newer Bose QuietComfort Headphones model (launched in 2023), availability may be limited. If you can still find the QuietComfort 45, they’re often available at discounted prices between $229-279.

Should you get the Beats Studio Pro or the Bose QuietComfort 45?

Due to overall comfort surpassing the Studio Pro, the Bose QuietComfort 45 is the better pick for most people. This isn’t to suggest the Beats Studio Pro are bad headphones (they aren’t), but besides USB-C listening and an extra six or so hours of battery life, most of the features are similar enough that we’d rather you stay comfy. Unless your head and ears are smaller than average, attaining the proper seal around your ears and avoiding the tight clamp of the Studio Pro is tricky.

Neither of these products is perfect. It’s a shame that the Beats Studio Pro’s USB-C listening mode doesn’t allow ANC to be active. On the other hand, it’s strange that you can’t access a standard listening mode (without ANC) on the Bose QuietComfort 45.

Otherwise, both headphones use buttons for controls, but the QuietComfort 45 has these placed in a better spot. Both use the same Bluetooth codecs, and their frequency responses sound similar by default. Take five minutes to set up the equalizer on the Bose; they will sound great.

How do the Bose QuietComfort Headphones compare to the Beats Studio Pro?

Like the Bose QuietComfort Headphones, the Beats Studio Pro are also available for $349, but we don’t believe either one is better on all counts. For example, where the Bose QuietComfort Headphones are very comfortable, the Beats Studio Pro is not. Despite the Beats Studio Pro’s USB-C audio connectivity (and Bose’s lack of the feature), difficulty with fit and a preference by most people toward wireless listening mean that this is essentially an academic advantage. Neither of these headphones are topping anyone’s list for “best headphones” anytime soon, but it’s worth noting that, as direct competitors, both of these models fall flat.

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