Beats' New $350 Headphones Let You Twist Off the Ear Cushions

Beats is selling new Beats 360 over-ear headphones for $350 with ear cushions you can twist off and replace, according to Engadget.

The idea is simple. You can change the ear cushions and the headband pad to mix colors. Beats says there are more than 250 possible mixes. The whole ear cup twists off. Each pair comes with ear and headband cushions that match the headphones, which come in five colors.

There are two types of cushions. The standard pair is Performance Knit, a woven fabric made to be soft, bendable and tough. Engadget calls it the best choice for the gym. The other type is UltraPlush, which feels soft and pillowy like the Studio Pro and is made for long listening and daily use.

You can buy extra cushions. Extra Performance Knit ear and headband pads come in the same five headphone colors plus a bright yellow called Volt. UltraPlush pads are sold separately only in black or white (Cloud). Cushion Kits cost $50.

The official Beats store lists Beats 360 Over-Ear Headphones in Black, Cloud, Pink, and Sky with matching Performance Knit cushions, plus items such as a Navy Performance Knit Cushion Kit for the ear cups and headband, according to Beats.

The 360 has a thinner headband and no wire between the left and right sides. Each side has its own battery, antenna and processing chip, like two small speakers that stay in sync. Most over-ear headphones use one wire through the headband to carry power and sound from one side to the other.

For sound, Beats points to a new design with a custom speaker part, called a transducer, that has its own vent for airflow. The buttons are physical. The listening mode and power buttons are on the left, and the volume and play/pause controls are on the right.

Engadget reports the Beats Solo 4 and Beats Studio Pro are not rated to handle sweat reliably and do not let you change the ear pads. The headphones first showed up in Brazil's ANATEL regulatory database, as reported by MacRumors on Aug. 20, 2026. The review with price and final hardware followed on Sept. 22, 2026.

The broader context here is that one pair may now cover both gym and daily use. Instead of buying two headsets, you swap the washable cushions.

In my view, the swappable cushions may matter more than having two separate batteries and chips. Two sides add work to keep pairing, timing and battery levels matched. Replaceable pads solve a plain problem. I have watched my own kids retire good headphones because the pads wore out or held sweat. Pads you can replace for $50 keep headphones in use longer, which helps buyers and cuts waste.