Beats and Monster are no more. But Beats is keeping the beat going with an all-new release of the company's signature headphones: the Beats Studio. The latest lineup of Studio cans are lighter, better designed, and really a great indication of just how far Beats can go without Monster's support.

The New Beats Studio Headphones

One of the biggest complains about the original Beats Studio headphones was the weight. Sure, it looks cool walking around with some serious headphones decked out in candy colors, but users soon tired of all the extra lugging. The newest Studio phones are significantly lighter than their earlier counterparts, and this makes them much more appealing to people that are, you know, not actually using the headphones in a studio.

In addition to being 13% lighter (according to a Beats press release), the Studio headphones are also stronger and designed to fit more comfortably. If you have a pair of older Beats, you'll also notice that these headphones don't have any visible screws or other lines. The newest version of the Studio headphones are streamlined to look as sleek as they sound, and that meant getting rid of any metal.

But, how do they sound?

Inside the New Beats Studio Headphones

Beats has included a new Digital Signal Processor (DSP), and the company has also come up with a new software to work with the headphones called 'Beats Acoustic Engine.' What the software actually entails hasn't yet been revealed, but there's a good chance that these headphones will be more bass heavy.

As expected, the new Studio headphones are noise-cancelling headphones with two noise cancelling options. The first option is the basic music listening option that lets users balance between real-world sounds and music. The second option is a complete noise-cancelling option that lets users completely tune out the outside world (sounds kind of refreshing, doesn't it?).

Beats has also added a lithium rechargeable battery (20 hours), and an automatic shutdown option that can be turned on or off manually (great for conserving battery life). A nice LED light also displays currently batter levels, so users know exactly how much time they have left (USB charged battery).

Shipment Date and Pricing

As you may have guessed, sadly, the new Beats Studio headphones aren't cheap at $299.95, which happens to be the same price as the former Studio headphones. Beats has stated that the newest Studio line should ship at the beginning of August (just a few days away).

In case you want to get a bit of a better deal, you can snag an older pair of Beats Studio headphones online for around $250, but that's still a high price to pay. In the world of noise-cancelling cans, the average price is above the $100 mark, but are the new Beats Studio headphones worth that price (are the old ones?)?

Stay tuned for a noise-cancelling headphone matchup on this site. There's lots of competition in this music sphere, and Beats isn't the only player out there (though it might be the coolest).