Last week, Beats announced its latest generation of fitness headphones, the Powerbeats Fit. They sent us a set to test, and after using them for nearly a week, we can say that they are undoubtedly a significant improvement over the last generation and are a force to be reckoned with in the fitness audio category.

To refresh your memory, the Powerbeats Fit feature an entirely new design (for Beats) for a more secure and comfortable fit, an IPX4 rating, ANC and a battery life of 23 hours of playback.  At $329.95, they are not the cheapest workout headphones around, but they are far from the most expensive. With headphones, you tend to get what you pay for.

Design and fit

Gone is the wrap-around-the-ear design of their previous high-end fitness earbuds and in is the fin, used by so many other manufacturers to great success.  The Powerbeats Fit are significantly smaller than previous Beats designs, with the tiny earbud fitting easily into the ear.  The fin is then slotted into the outer ear to help secure the earbud.

The outer surface of each earbud is a button that can be used to control your media playback.  Although the capacitive touch buttons have become commonplace in many headphones these days, there are times I am not a fan of this because the touch-sensitive button often can result in accidental touches stopping music etc.  

The buttons on the Powerbeats Fit are proper physical buttons, but unlike some others, they are relatively easy to activate without disturbing the earbuds’ seating in the ear.

The fit is exceptionally comfortable for me, using just the standard-size silicone tip that comes with the earbud.  For different-shaped and sized ears, there are three other sizes in the box.

The earbuds not only secured the entire workouts I attempted, including running at a pace on a treadmill, but were incredibly comfortable.  They are so comfy that you could easily forget that they were actually in.  Some fitness earbuds sacrifice some comfort for more security – the Powerbeats Fit don’t seem to need to do that for their secure fit.

The Powerbeats Fit charging case is the same colour as the earbuds and is small in size but big in power. The case will add up to 23 hours of charge to your earbuds which hold an additional seven hours of playback. They also support quick charge, so that a quick five minutes of charging the earbuds in the case will give another hour of playback. These figures were something I experienced — I am yet to charge the charging case actually, in over a week.

How do they sound?

They sound as good as you would expect them to for a set of earbuds that will set you back $349.  The Beats sound is no longer only about extremely heavy bass, but is much better distributed, and I found them pleasant to listen to for all types of music.

The mids and upper range are crisp with accurate sounds, making for a bright listening experience.  The bass is somewhat underwhelming, as it often is in many earbuds.  The bass is okay, but not perfect, and it’s overpowered by the mids and upper register.   

The earbuds are better than nearly all other fitness earbuds I have tried, except the $530 Sennheiser MOMENTUM Sport.  The bass just isn’t as deep as it is in those.  The comfort and fit though, are better.

My other set of gym earbuds, the Skullcandy Method 360 ANC, are close but not as crisp with their sound as the Powerbeats Fit.  The fit isn’t as comfortable, but is more secure on the Powerbeats Fit.  The overall sound on the Powerbeats Fit exceeds that on the Skullcandy earbuds with a much crisper, accurate sound and a bass that, while it isn’t as powerful, sounds a lot less ‘muffled’.

The Beats app

The Beats app is basic at best. There is no equaliser to personalise the sound to your ears but the app does have some use.  The app is where you can change the ANC to a transparency mode instead and select what controls you want the physical buttons to control.  

Once you have set up the earbuds, you will rarely need to use the app again.  

Should you buy the Powerbeats Fit for your training regime?

The Powerbeats Fit from Beats are a nice upgrade from their previous fitness earbuds. The sound is better, the fit in the ear is not only more secure but more comfortable, and the case is smaller.

While they aren’t the best-sounding set of sports earbuds I have used in my life, they are not far off it, and a lot cheaper than the better set. The sound produced by the earbuds belies their small size, which in turn enhances their comfort and security in the ear. Beats has done a great job with these earbuds, and they will definitely be added to my gym bag and earbud rotation.

They are smaller, more comfortable, and sound better than all that came before them. What’s not to love? They also come in some fun colours. If you want a set of workout earbuds that will handle all you throw at them, consider the Powerbeats Fit.

Powerbeats Fit is available to order now in Jet Black, Gravel Gray, Spark Orange, and Power Pink for $329.95 (AUD) from apple.com and select retailers.