全新魔声Studio变声了
全新魔声Studio耳机与老款相比做了大幅改进。图片提供：Beats
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魔声（Beats）推出第一款耳机至今已过去了整整五年。德利博士和吉米•艾欧文的这家私人音响公司红极一时，受到众多名人的力捧，甚至出现了众多仿制品（比如中国电器城里就充斥着这类东西）。走在大街上，可能随时都会碰上戴着一副带有浑圆的“b”标识的耳机的人。这个风靡全球的标识已成为一种独特的象征。 全新问世的Beats Studio（高端魔声耳机——译注）则是一款脱胎换骨的产品。公司总裁卢克•伍德表示，这一代产品实际上没有采用前代产品中的任何零部件。Studio看上去显然还是一款不折不扣的Beats产品，还是那厚厚的塑料框架和夸张的标识，但整体却进行了大幅优化：转角更圆润了，接缝不那么显眼了，看起来和摸上去都更耐用。同时它比上一代Studio要轻13%，佩戴也更舒适，能戴更长时间。 魔声对耳机内部也做了大幅改进。这家公司特性鲜明的声音一直让人要么钟爱有加，要么厌恶不堪。它常常不惜牺牲中音和高音，过分强调低音，产生了一种让人脑袋嗡嗡直响的音响效果。这种音色对嘻哈乐、说唱乐和现在很多入围40首最佳单曲（Top 40）的音乐十分适合，但对其他类型的音乐就未必了。比如说，我发现Beats Solo HD这款耳机的音色就比较浑浊，就算播放我最喜欢的流行乐也是如此。 与以前推出的几款魔声耳机相比，最新的Studio算是重大升级之作。它还是侧重于表现低音——毕竟这是魔声耳机——所以再现罗宾•西克（美国著名R&B歌手——译注）的“Blurred Lines”这类当代音乐非常得心应手。不过低音的比例已有所降低，中高音的比重则有所增强，这样它在表现现代原声音乐和古典乐时也还不错，尽管细节的还原还有所不足。相比之下，拜亚动力（Beyerdynamic）售价395美元、二手对折的DT990耳机却能输出更开阔更细腻的声音，就算是爱德华•艾尔加的《E小调大提琴协奏曲》中大提琴的优美音色也能听得清清楚楚。 Studio还采用了魔声所谓的“主动降噪技术”（Adaptive Noise Canceling），它随着耳机启动而自动开启，靠内置的充电电池供电，充电间隔长达20个小时。这个功能有两种模式：一是听音乐时开启，另一种是不听音乐时也能开启的增强模式，这主要供用户只想隔绝外界噪音时使用。上个月，在我飞往科罗拉多州阿斯彭市举行的《财富》科技头脑风暴大会（Fortune's Brainstorm Tech Conference）的航班上，Studio将大约80%的引擎噪音隔绝在外，而这一直是我旅途中最头疼的事情之一。但它对人声好像不怎么管用：昨天晚上我楼上的公寓里有人吵架，这耳机就没能过滤掉多少吵架的声音。
全新魔声Studio肯定会像前几代产品一样热销。它做工更扎实，重量却更轻，同时还拥有更为出色的音效。它的低音依然深沉迷人，在让低音粉丝们回味无穷的同时，还具有更佳的均衡性，对那些还没决定把魔声耳机收入囊中的乐迷们来说也不乏吸引力。当然，对一部分音响发烧友和普通乐迷来说，他们不会挖空心思琢磨时髦花哨的魔声耳机。他们只需要花上300美元，就能买到其他音色更细腻的耳机。（财富中文网） 译者：清远 |
It's been five years since Beats introduced its first pair of headphones. Dr. Dre and Jimmy Iovine's personal audio company has become somewhat of a sensation, with celebrity endorsements, even knock-offs. (Chinese electronics malls, for instance, are full of them.) Stroll down a city street, and you'll probably catch someone wearing a pair sporting that round "b" logo, which is quickly becoming iconic. The new Beats Studio ($300) marks a reinvention of sorts. Company president Luke Wood says virtually none of the parts from its predecessor made it into this version. Externally, the Studio remains unmistakable as anything but a Beats product, with that thick plastic frame and bold logo, but the profile is streamlined: corners are more rounded, the seams far less obvious, lending the product a more durable look and feel. It's also 13% lighter than the old Studio and more comfortable to wear for longer stints. Beats has beefed up the insides, too. The company's signature sound profile is either something to love or hate, often over-emphasizing bass and sacrificing mids and highs, resulting in cranium-rattling audio that lends itself well to hip-hop, rap, and many of today's Top 40 but far less desirable for any other music. In the case of say, the Beats Solo HD, I found their sound muddy, even on my favorite pop tracks. In comparison to basically every Beats headphones that've come before, the Studio is a serious improvement. There's still an undeniable bass emphasis -- it's Beats, after all -- so contemporary stuff like Robin Thicke's "Blurred Lines" sounds right at home. But the bass has also been dialed back, with somewhat more attention placed on the mid-to-high-range so even modern acoustic and classical music sound decent, though not incredibly detailed. In comparison, the Beyerdynamic DT990, a pair that lists for $395 but goes for roughly half that second-hand, pumps out a more open, nuanced sound, where even the cello from Edward Elgar's Cello Concerto in E minor sonically glistens and sings with each bow stroke. The Studio also uses what Beats calls "Adaptive Noise Canceling," a feature that's automatically turned on with the headphones and powered with a built-in rechargeable battery that offers nearly 20 hours in-between charges. There are two modes: one while music plays and another stronger mode when music is off, in case the owner just wants to block out the outside world. On my flight to Fortune's Brainstorm Tech conference in Aspen, Colo., last month, the Studio tuned out roughly 80% of in-flight engine noise, one of my traveling pet peeves. The same held true when I strolled around the streets of San Francisco. But that was less the case with voices: they didn't do much to quell a loud argument happening upstairs in my apartment building last night. The new Beats Studio will sell well, just as previous models have. It's sturdier, but lighter, and with an improved sound that still offers the deep, satisfying bass loyalists appreciate but with a better balance that will also appeal to listeners who have yet to clamber aboard the Beats train. Still, for some audiophiles or casual listeners who just don't dig the flashy Beats aesthetic, there are other headphone options that serve up more nuanced audio for $300. |
