Beats by Dr. Dre (Beats) today introduced Powerbeats Pro, wireless earphones that promise to deliver powerful sound for music lovers and athletes.

The earphones boast an upgraded linear piston driver that leverages a pressurized airflow to create a powerful acoustic response in a small package. Apple's Beats talks about "incredibly low distortion and great dynamic range across the entire frequency curve."

To achieve the best fit on the widest array of ears, over 20 configurations were electronically modeled and physically tested. The result is a new, ergonomically angled acoustic housing that nests in the concha bowl of the ear with an off-axis nozzle. It comes with four sizes of ear tips and a redesigned, adjustable earhook.

Powerbeats Pro is 23 percent smaller than its predecessor and 17 percent lighter. The lightweight design is also sweat- and water-resistant—built.

Powerbeats Pro features a ambidextrous design with identical, physical volume and track controls on each earbud. Long- and short-range optical sensors drive automatic play/pause and call handling when the earphones are placed in or removed from your ears.

A first for Beats, a speech-detecting accelerometer in each earbud and two beam-forming microphones per side target your voice and filter out external sounds such as wind and ambient noise. This means you can answer a quick mid-workout call at the gym with clarity.

Each earbud has up to 9 hours of listening time and more than 24 hours of combined playback with the magnetic closure case. With Fast Fuel, you get 1.5 hours of playback after just 5 minutes of charging and up to 4.5 hours after 15 minutes of charging.

Powerbeats Pro earphones power on when taken out of the case and power off (and charge) when placed inside. Motion accelerometers detect when the earphones are idle and not in use, automatically entering them into sleep mode.

Class 1 Bluetooth technology offers extended range and cross-body performance, meaning fewer dropouts. Each earbud independently connects to your device, so you can choose to use one or both.

Pairing is done via the Powerbeats Pro case— opening the lid for the first time prompts pairing mode. Powerbeats Pro is automatically paired with any of your supported devices that are signed in to your iCloud account.

Powerbeats Pro is compatible with both iOS and Android devices.

In addition, say “Hey Siri” for voice-activated assistance without having to reach for your iPhone. Powered by the new Apple H1 chip, Powerbeats Pro delivers a faster and more stable wireless connection to your devices.

Powerbeats Pro will come in Black, Ivory, Moss and Navy for $249.95 (US). Availability will begin in May.