When Mark Clayton was building his career as a wide receiver with the Miami Dolphins in the 80s (and with Green Bay in the 90s), he probably didn’t imagine that retirement from the NFL would lead him to challenge massive audio brands like Beats, Bose, Sony, and Apple, but that’s exactly what he’s doing.
Clayton, now 63 years old, is about to launch the Livv Pro, a set of “luxury sports headphones,” that look like nothing else on the market. With their unique (and patented) zig-zag headband shape, triangular earcups, and metallic gold accents, the Livv Pro are designed to give a more secure fit than traditional wireless headphones without sacrificing the audio quality and versatility you’d expect from those other brands.
I interviewed Clayton in 2024 to learn more about these cans, and he generously arranged for his company, Livv Audio, to send me a set of matte black Livv Pro to check out (they also come in an off-white “creme-latte” color).
They’re a pre-production pair, so this isn’t a scored review — we only do that when we test full-production devices. Still, Clayton’s team says they’re 95% identical to what folks will get when they hand over the $350 asking price (coincidentally, the same price as the Beats Studio Pro), so I suspect my observations will likely hold for the final product.
A new category?
Google “best sports headphones” and you will notice that almost every list refers to wireless earbuds. To me, that just makes sense. I asked Clayton why he decided to target the sports crowd with an over-ear design. “When you go to the gym, I bet you see people with over-ear headphones too,” he said. “People have their preference.”
He’s right. When I look around at my local gym, I see plenty of people wearing full-size, over-ear wireless headphones, like the Sony WH-1000XM5, Bose QC45 and QC Ultra Headphones, plenty of Beats Studio 3/Studio Pro, and even the occasional Apple AirPods Max.
In other words, people like them for workouts whether they’re designed to be used that way or not. If the Livv Pro successfully tap into this under-served market, they could be the first product in a new category: high-performance, over-ear sports headphones.
The design
Technically, these aren’t the first-gen Livv Pro. Clayton’s original design was produced as a very limited run in 2016. He says that the first version garnered great feedback, especially from the uber-active parkour community, but it lacked mass-market appeal. Women, in particular, were lukewarm about the look.
Today’s Livv Pro owe a big hat-tip to Beats. The choice of headband materials, the design of the hinges and sliders, and the way the headband seamlessly transitions into the earcup housing, all scream Beats Studio Pro. Perhaps the price isn’t such a coincidence.
Despite these similarities, the Livv Pro aren’t a 1:1 clone, and you can see where Clayton’s choices make his cans better for workourts.
Like the Beats, power and ANC control are managed through the same button. But unlike the Studio Pro, which uses a tiny and difficult-to-find button, the triangular Livv Audio logo on the right earcup serves this purpose much better, especially when you need to have a quick chat with your trainer or even the barista at your local coffee shop. The playback and volume buttons are positioned within easy reach of your thumb on the rear edge of the same earcup.
You also get IPX4 protection from sweat and splashes — the minimum, in my opinion, for active use, but which the Beats lack.
The earcushions attach magnetically — like Apple’s pricey AirPods Max — making it easy to clean the inner surfaces where sweat will inevitably accumulate, and easy to replace when they inevitably break down (Livv Audio sells replacement sets for $49).
They’ve also got wear sensors that pause your tunes when you take them off, something the Studio Pro should have but don’t.
I am a little concerned that in taking so much inspiration from the Studio Pro, the Livv Pro may have also inherited the Beats’ problems with durability, particularly with their headband and hinges. I experienced no problems, but my time with them wasn’t long enough to reveal this kind of thing.
The Livv Pro come with two cables: double-USB-C for charging and USB audio, and a USB-C-to-3.5mm for analog sources.
They’re covered in braided nylon and generously sized at 56 inches — making them longer and more flexible than the ones that ship with the Studio Pro. The analog cable even works when the Livv Pro are powered down — take that, Beats.
That wild headband
Then there’s that swoopy headband. It’s supposed to accomplish two tasks: create a more secure fit, and give you the option of tilting the cans backward, so that the headband rests just behind your crown. This could increase comfort if you’re sensitive to pressure in that region, but Clayton simply wanted headphones that wouldn’t suddenly shift forward when training.
I can’t say I noticed a significantly more secure fit while wearing the Livv Pro versus the Beats Studio Pro, but Clayton’s design absolutely delivers on the versatility promise. The forward connection to the earcups creates a counterbalance, letting you push the headband a few degrees forward or backward from the center position, without feeling like the cans are about to slide right off your head. I tried doing that with the Beats and let’s just say they weren’t very cooperative.
I’m hardly what you’d call a gym rat, and my one rule about running is that I only do it when I’m being chased. Still, I did a variety of free-weight and machine exercises, including ones that had me lying on my back and my front. I even spent a few painful minutes on a treadmill; the Livv Pro didn’t budge, and they proved very comfortable. As you might expect from a set of cans designed for sports, the clamping force is stronger than most wireless headphones, but I was pleasantly surprised by the pressure’s even distribution. They gripped my head without squeezing it.
This is all the more impressive when you consider the size of my head. It’s tiny, at least as far as male humans go. With some headphones, the smallest headband adjustment isn’t small enough. Not so with the Livv Pro — in fact, I wore them with both sides opened to the first notch. This bodes well for women too.
I still prefer wireless earbuds for working out — I find over-ear cans get too hot and heavy. But if I had to pick a set of over-ears for the gym, the Livv Pro would be strong contenders.
If we keep going with the Beats comparison for just a little longer, there are three small drawbacks to the Livv Pro’s design. They weigh more: 11.35 ounces versus 9.45 for the Beats. The shape makes them a tad bulkier when folded. And I was aware of the forward swoop of the headband in my peripheral vision.
In a controlled environment like a gym, it’s a non-issue. Outdoors, especially when running on streets or sidewalks, it could mask the approach of a car or other hazard, reducing the time you have to react.
Uneven audio
Perhaps it’s a reflection of their pre-production status or the fact that the companion app wasn’t ready yet, but I found the quality of the wireless audio lacking. I put an emphasis on wireless because the wired audio was excellent. That strongly suggests a software issue, not a problem with hardware, which would be much tougher to fix.
Using Bluetooth, the music sounded distinctly compressed, even from lossless sources like Apple Music. It was like listening to a low-bitrate MP3. I noticed it most in the midranges, which felt hollow. The bass was underwhelming and the highs were unpleasantly shouty.
All of this changed when I plugged in one of the USB cables. The bass acquired authority and resonance, the mids yielded details and texture, and the highs were clear and effortless. It may not surprise you that when I plugged in the Beats Studio Pro, they delivered a very similar sound signature.
I enjoyed it so much, that I’m not sure if I’d use the extra EQ settings in the app even if I had access to it.
Clayton says they’re great for his favorite genres: rap, EDM, and hip-hop, and I agree. Frankly, they’re great for all genres.
Without access to the EQ options that will be available in the Livv Audio app, it’s hard to say just how far you’ll be able to boost the bass, but I get the sense the 40mm drivers are capable of more low-end than their out-of-the-box tuning generates.
ANC and transparency
The Livv Pro’s noise canceling will help mask distracting background sounds, but they aren’t in the same league as Sony’s WH-1000XM5 or Bose’s QuietComfort Ultra Headphones, which kill a broader range of frequencies. On the other hand, transparency mode is very clear- almost too clear. I hope the mobile app lets you dial back the amount of gain on the mics. Right now it feels like the outside world is being amplified by about 10% instead of simply passing through at a neutral volume.
Shifting between ANC modes is instant when you press the logo button, which isn’t true for all ANC cans.
The only thing that’s missing is the ability to shift between ANC and transparency without passing through the “off” mode — another option I hope will arrive with the app.
Call quality
Calling on the Livv Pro works well, and — shocker — they sound a lot like the Beats Studio Pro. Outdoors, they do a great job of killing background sounds. Your callers will likely never hear loud trucks or other distractions. However, the louder these sounds get, the more your voice will be garbled as the algorithm attempts to suppress the noise around you.
Indoors, as with most wireless headphones, your voice will be consistently clear.
I was initially hesitant to use the Livv Pro for video calls — I thought the design would look a little goofy on camera. But when viewed straight ahead, the headband’s unusual shape disappears. Unless you turn your head to one side or the other, they look just like a regular set of wireless headphones.
They also have Bluetooth Multipoint, a handy feature for connecting two devices (like a phone and a laptop) simultaneously, which the Studio Pro lack.
Battery life
Livv Audio pegs battery life at 50 hours with ANC off and 40 hours when it’s on. I didn’t get a chance to test this claim fully, but even if it turns out to be less, they’ll still handily beat flagship headphones from Sony, Bose, Beats, and Apple in the stamina department.
Conclusion
Over-ear headphones might not be everyone’s pick for working out, but one thing’s for sure: there are few options for those who like them. The Livv Pro stand out both visually — there’s nothing like them in the gym or on the street — and technically, with features that are thoughtfully designed for fitness.
My pre-production pair struggled with wireless audio quality but aced the wired tests. If Livv Audio can fix this issue and give users helpful adjustments to EQ, ANC, and transparency in the app, I think we’re looking at a rarity in the audio world: a newcomer with a product that challenges the biggest brands in the business.