While I wasn’t able to take them in the air, I tested the Studio Pro while visiting a big family gathering, including numerous adults, five dogs, and three young children (the partridge and the pear tree were probably also there but I couldn’t see them). The headphones handled the chaos with ease, providing sweet tranquility as I tapped away from a makeshift office. Like all good noise cancelers, they instantly knocked out ambient sounds like fans, the din of the outdoors, and even my own keystrokes, while quieting (though definitely not removing) dog barks and children’s screams all around.

Callers gave the headphones top grades, saying I sounded “crystal clear” even in a moderate breeze. The new transparency mode is also impressive, letting me easily carry on full conversations with family members with the headphones on. It’s not quite as natural sounding as the AirPods Pro (second-gen), nor does it offer the AirPods’ adaptive noise suppression, but this is one place where the Studio Pro outdo Sony’s XM4, which sounded cloudy and tunnel-ish in a direct comparison.

When it comes to audio performance, the Studio Pro continue the brand’s improvements of late, offering more balance while still providing the crisp upper register and hefty bass upon which Beats made its name. It’s a tenuous balance there; I wished I could back down the bass a few taps in heftier songs, while bassheads may wish for more thump. A bit of EQ could go a long way in expanding the Beats tent.

I really enjoyed the new 40-mm drivers, providing a relatively expansive stereo image and solid detail. Like Bose headphones, the sound is slick and stylized, but it’s also extremely accessible and lends itself well to a wide array of genres. I still prefer Sony and Sennheiser overall, especially because I can tune them to taste. I also heard some white-noise artifacts with ANC engaged at times, but overall I had few complaints over several days.

You can take things up a notch with the new USB-C mode, which lets you plug in for up to 24-bit/48-kHz resolution from services like Apple Music and Tidal. Even with Spotify, the headphones open up with more presence when plugged in, though I wish Beats provided a longer cable, and/or a USB-C to Lightning cable for iPhone. USB-C playback also offers the only form of EQ, with a few different presets to accentuate sounds like voices or movies, but to get there, Beats oddly disables ambient sound modes while plugged in.

The Studio Pro also offer the same head-tracking and spatial audio you’ll find on other flagship Apple headphones, perhaps compensating for the lack of auto-pausing. I’m not a huge fan of the tech in most use cases, but it does offer a nifty touch to movies on compatible apps like Disney+ and Netflix, making you feel more immersed and anchored in the space.

Overall, there are good reasons to pick up Beats’ latest cans, especially for tenured fans. The sound is better, the ANC has improved, and there are some cool extras whether you use Android or Apple devices. You can get more for your money elsewhere, but this is a solid upgrade, and especially if you grab them on sale, the Studio Pro are well worth considering.