The Beats 360 Convinced Me That Some Over-Ear Headphones Are Good for the Gym

The Beats 360, a pair of high-end wireless ANC headphones designed specifically for the gym, is a perfect example of what happens when the right brand releases the right product at the right time. Over-ear noise-canceling headphones are increasingly common at the gym, on running trails, and anywhere else you might find people exercising. And since Apple purchased Beats in 2014, the brand has cultivated a reputation for making great gym-ready audio gear thanks to the success of earbuds like the Powerbeats Pro 2. It seems so obvious that it’s hard to believe it didn’t already exist.

Typically, I don’t think over-ear headphones are a good fit for the gym: Most headphones shift when you move, and the padding can absorb sweat when you work out. Beats has solved these issues with the 360: These cans have an IPX4 ingress protection rating, so they are waterproof enough to handle your sweatiest workouts. They also feature swappable ear cups and headband cushions so you can clean (or replace) them when they get gnarly.

Anecdotally, it seems like the AirPods Max are king of the over-ears at the gym, which seems crazy to me: Those are $500 headphones with a heavy build and metal earcup covers, and you risk them every time you work out. While the Beats 360 aren’t cheap—about $350—they are built to stay stable and are easy to maintain. That’s less than the Max and better suited to the job. And even if you aren’t buying a pair of headphones exclusively for the gym, I found that they delivered impressive sound for the price. These won’t supplant the Bose QuietComfort Ultra (Gen 2) or the Sony WH-1000XM6 as the best in their class, but if you’re looking at over-ears, especially for the gym, these are the headphones you want.

The Beats 360 are among the most comfortable over-ear headphones I have ever used. (And after testing headphones for 15 years, that says a lot.) Interestingly, they are a bit heavier than some of the flagship ANC headphones, including the Bose QuietComfort Ultra (Gen 2) and the Sony WH-1000XM6, but the soft padding helps compensate: They feel almost weightless, and I could wear them for hours without noticing.

More importantly, they feel remarkably secure on your head, which is crucial if you’re running or moving around. I didn’t worry about them falling off during high-intensity interval training because the snug-fitting ear cups and headband provided the right amount of clamping force without getting uncomfortable.

The cushioning is also critical because it’s easy to remove and clean. Covered by breathable performance knit fabric, the ear cups come off easily when you twist them. And they’re easy to clean with a lint-free cloth and soapy water. This way, you’re never going to get to a place where you wish you could buy a whole new set of headphones just because the padding is stained or starts to smell.

And if you’d like your headphones to match your outfit, you can buy a spare set of pads, which are relatively cheap and come in six different colors. There are also two sets of “UltraPlush” padding with thicker, faux-leather cushions, which I’d recommend for travel or when you’re not working out.

Sound-wise, the Beats 360 headphones deliver a fine balance of deep bass, well-defined vocals, and crisp treble, in line with over-ear Beats headphones I’ve tested in the past. They don’t put out the same level of nuanced detail as the flagships from brands like Sonos and Sony. They cost a bit less, though, and benefit from the fact that they are made primarily for when your heart’s going to be pounding in your ears, which might distract you from exploring the soundscape of a given song.

More importantly, the Beats 360 delivered an excellent spatial audio experience, with or without dynamic head tracking during my testing. It was ahead of similarly priced rivals and worked even with content that wasn’t Dolby Atmos-enhanced. Apple’s audio products, including Beats, have consistently been among the best in this field, so this didn’t surprise me.

The noise cancelation in the Beats 360 did an excellent job tuning out keyboard clatter and my colleagues’ chatter at the office and reduced engine noise during a couple of flights to a distant hum. They performed much better than Beats’s last over-ears, the Beats Studio Pro, though they did not generate the same void-like silence of Sony and Bose’s elite ANC offerings.

Calls sounded excellent on the Beats 360 headphones. I used the headset to make calls on an iPhone 18 Pro and a Samsung Galaxy Z Fold8 across all platforms—from standard telephony and FaceTime to Microsoft Teams and Zoom. Participants heard me clearly, and I heard them just as well.

I will say, I am a bit annoyed by the Beats 360’s complete lack of wired audio support. I get that most people will use these wirelessly, given their exercise-focused design, but I consider the ability to plug in a core feature of any over-ear headphones, and it makes them less appealing outside the gym. (I realize that’s an audiophile issue, and these aren’t audiophile headphones, but I have to bring it up.)

Getting over 30 hours of battery life with noise cancelation between charges was another thing I liked about the Beats 360. While it’s not on par with some rivals, even in lower price tiers, that’s an impressive feat for top-shelf wireless headphones that can deliver immersive spatial audio. The fast-charging tech was also handy, giving me enough juice to power through a workout in just a few minutes.

Unlike Apple’s core headphones, the Beats 360 have physical buttons for onboard controls, which are far more reliable than the touch controls on many over-ear headphones (and a lot of earbuds) these days. Buttons make it a lot easier to change tracks, adjust volume, or toggle between noise cancelation and transparency mode with sweaty hands, so it’s a surprisingly important distinction.

Exceptional integration with Apple hardware (namely your iPhone) has long been a calling card for Beats products, and it remains a boon here. I could adjust the volume, switch between noise cancelation and transparency mode, and switch between the available spatial audio modes by long-pressing the volume button in the Control Center on my iPhone and Mac. I can also track them in the Find My app.

That said, they also work well with Android devices, with Google Fast Pair support and Find Hub compatibility for easy tracking. There is a companion app, but you only need it to update the firmware and customize minor settings. Strangely, the Beats 360 lack EQ controls, even though Apple recently added them to AirPods 5. It’s a bit annoying since Apple is already late to adding such controls, but I care less about it here, in a fitness-focused product, than I would in a pair of flagship headphones.

Working out in over-ear headphones is a bit confounding to me. (Earbuds are lighter, and stay in better for most people.) Still, if you’re into the idea or want to go with the trend, the Beats 360 are far and away your best option. They are extremely comfortable and have features that are specifically geared toward long-term wear and tear from the gym. They also sound great: Unless you’re very particular about sound quality (like me), you will be happy listening to these every day on your commute, at home, or wherever you need to lock in.

You can order the 360 in black, cloud, pink, and sky colors. An extra set of ear cup and headband cushions costs only $10 if you order them alongside the headphones. Otherwise, they cost an additional $50.