Beats 360 Review: $350 Over-Ears With Swappable Cushions

Beats is selling the Beats 360 over-ear headphones for $350 with a cable-free design and user-swappable cushions, according to Engadget. There is no wire between the left and right sides.

The design centers on modularity. Users can swap the ear cushions and headband pad to make custom color mixes. Beats says there are over 250 possible combinations when mixing ear cup and headband colors. The ear pads, described as the entire ear cups, come off with a twist. Each set ships with ear and head cushions that match the headphones, which come in five colors.

There are two cushion families. The stock option is Performance Knit, a diamond-knit woven fabric made to be soft, flexible and durable. Engadget describes it as the best option for the gym. The alternative is UltraPlush, which has the same soft, pillowy feel as the Studio Pro model and is made for longer listening sessions and everyday wear.

Beats sells the modularity separately. Extra Performance Knit ear and headband pads come in the same five headphone colors plus a sixth bright yellow Volt hue. UltraPlush cushions 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 variants with matching Performance Knit cushions, alongside accessories including a Navy Performance Knit Cushion Kit for ear cups and headband, according to Beats.

Mechanically, the 360 uses a slimmer headband and a true wireless layout, meaning no cable links the two sides. Each side runs on its own with a separate battery, antenna and processing chip. That differs from conventional over-ears, where a single wire through the headband or arm carries power, signal and controls between cups. It means synchronization, antenna coverage and power control must work on both sides of the head.

On sound, Beats points to a new layout with a custom-designed transducer, the driver that produces sound, with its own venting structure for airflow. Controls remain physical. The listening mode and power buttons sit on the left, with the volume rocker and play/pause controls on the right.

Engadget reports the Beats Solo 4 and Beats Studio Pro lack the ingress protection, the sealing against sweat and dust, to reliably handle sweat and do not allow changing out ear pads. The 360 first appeared in Brazil's ANATEL regulatory database, as reported by MacRumors on Aug. 20, 2026. The review detailing price and final hardware followed on Sept. 22, 2026.

The broader context here is what this changes for over-ear engineering. The shift is the pairing of power and computing on both sides with a fully removable cushion layer. Over-ears have long treated the ear cushion as a part that wears out but was not meant for users to replace. Making the whole cup twist off turns fit, hygiene and color choice into a serviceable part, which helps with sweat, pad flattening and a steady seal over time. The review suggests the 360 is meant to cover gym use and daily wear in one frame through swappable interfaces rather than two separate products.

In my view, that serviceability may matter more than the split wireless design itself. Separate batteries, antennas and processors per side add complexity in pairing stability, latency matching and keeping battery levels balanced. If Beats has handled the handoff cleanly, users get backup and a cleaner design. If not, they get two battery levels to watch. The cushion system is easier to judge. Runners and lifters who retired working headphones because pads flattened or held sweat now have a replacement path, and commuters can choose UltraPlush without buying a second headset. I have seen this with my own kids and their gear. Headphones that adapt through low-cost textiles rather than forced replacement stay in use longer, which is good for owners and for waste.