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Dr Dre Beats Solo

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Heya, thought I'd share my thoughts on a recent pair of Solo's I acquired. I'll keep this relatively short.

Likes

Build quality - the build quality of these is exceptional. The mix of metal, leather and strong plastic make these feel exceptional to the touch and like they're not going to go fall apart on you.

Packing - I don't actually think I've seen packaging on anything that was as good as this. The box is the sort of thing you could probably run over with a small truck and it wouldn't bat an eyelid. Mine arived in the mail just in a plastic bag and perfectly fine.

Accessories - The neat carry bag for them is a useful addition as is the microfiber cloth and the removable cable. There is nothing I hate more than a dead cable but operational cans.

What I don't like.

The sound quality - I know quite a few of you just float along with the general consensus that Beats are horrible without actually having tried them. I had a quick demo of a few of the models at a store about 6 months ago and I wasn't impressed then. I've spent the last day with them instead of my usual Denon AH-D2000's and all I can say is that those headphones you get for a couple of bucks at the junk shop sound better.

With the stock app on my HTC One as well as the stock music app on iOS there was a mix of tin can and a heavy overture of sub woofer I guess you certainly don't have to worry about screeching 2.5K+ as it's barely distinguishable above the rumble of bass. I put it into EQu for IOS (a decent graphics EQ) and I can certainly get a better sound out of them. They go from absolutely terrible to mediocre though definitely still not worth $250 - I'm glad I got them for free.

The fit - I don't know if this is because they are new or something but it feels like after about 5-10 minutes my head is being sandwiched between two soft bricks.

So that's it. As I sort of hinted at, I got these for free with my new HTC One which I will post an iOS user making the switch review - all I can say now about it is that I love it. I'm certainly glad I didn't pay for the headphones because to me, they're worth about $50.

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I've found the sound quality of the HTC One was exceptionally bad and iPhones aren't really anything special... Maybe don't quite throw in the towel on your new acquisition yet.

 

Have you tried them with anything better?

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Couple of different PC's all running onboard sound and then my mixer setup. Still sound all fairly terrible. As soon as I get some sort of custom eq settings on them, they turn out halfway decent. 

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I've found the sound quality of the HTC One was exceptionally bad and iPhones aren't really anything special... Maybe don't quite throw in the towel on your new acquisition yet.

 

Have you tried them with anything better?

 

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ipZY0qGrA9Y

 

Nah, Linus, they just suck.  A better amp or soundcard won't fix bad headphones.

 

Speaking of bad headphones, I got a certain pair right here by a company that advertises hearing less sound, ironically.

"Pardon my French but this is just about the most ignorant blanket statement I've ever read. And though this is the internet, I'm not even exaggerating."

 

 

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I spent a few hours with Beats Solos some weeks ago and I almost couldn't believe how actually terrible they are.

 

How is it that people pay no mind to the terrible sound quality of these things?  Yes, they've got bass, but that means nothing when you can't hear anything else.

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Really nice to see someone actually trying them out before judging. :) For some reason it seems to be popular to hate on certain products without trying them out yourself first, I hope we get rid of this tendency very soon. :(

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I did try one a short while back, a loaner from my niece, and honestly, my Senn CX200 sounds so much better. My niece's a sweet young thing, so anything bassy is awesome in her opinion. But when she'd asked for my opinion, I told her it wasn't bad.....a white lie doesn't hurt since she'd paid good money for hers.

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I've found the sound quality of the HTC One was exceptionally bad and iPhones aren't really anything special... Maybe don't quite throw in the towel on your new acquisition yet.

 

Have you tried them with anything better?

You cant get any better than iphone's according to this article below, in fact the 4S comes very close to a Filo E17.

http://www.engadget.com/2012/10/02/iphone-vs-rivals-audio-tests/

 

 

Audio is a very personal thing i think. Every product out there has a certain sound signature and it really depends on what type of sound you like, the type of music you listen to and what your using the product for... movies, games, music etc.

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Nah, Linus, they just suck.  A better amp or soundcard won't fix bad headphones.

 

Speaking of bad headphones, I got a certain pair right here by a company that advertises hearing less sound, ironically.

Well yeah, that's the point, they are made for the average consumer, so they are very easy to power, low sensitivity and ohm rating. An amp would make next to no difference. I have tried almost the whole beats line (exept the mixr) due to people around college, and all I have to say is, wow they sound bad for the money. Maybe for 1/5th of the price they would be fine but...

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Well yeah, that's the point, they are made for the average consumer, so they are very easy to power, low sensitivity and ohm rating. An amp would make next to no difference. I have tried almost the whole beats line (exept the mixr) due to people around college, and all I have to say is, wow they sound bad for the money. Maybe for 1/5th of the price they would be fine but...

 

177579.jpg?v=1

 

I know, no flame wars, but a friend sent me this a couple weeks ago and just fits way too well.

"Pardon my French but this is just about the most ignorant blanket statement I've ever read. And though this is the internet, I'm not even exaggerating."

 

 

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It is actually unsettling how bad the Beats Solo headphones sound. The bass is excessively powerful with no detail, the mids are too quiet and the highs are the murkiest rubbish I've heard from any pair of headphones.

When testing them out I actually thought the pair I had was defective, but it turned out they weren't. Very disappointing - even a pair of Skullcandy Lowriders sounded better overall.

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I got a pair 18 months ago with my ol' Sensation XL for free.

good for bass, and not much else.
also the build quality doesn't last for long, they use very weak adhesive for the soft cover on top of the band, so it eventually starts coming off after 2 months, the cups are really susceptible to sweat, but these were my primary headphones for 6 months and they saw a lot of usage in that time as they were free, and the only other headphones i could afford are the dollar kind you buy from a budget shop, so at the time they were the highest quality I could afford.

back then I loved bass, so they were suited to my attitude, but since then my music tastes have matured, and while i appreciate a good sounding bass, i enjoy highs and mids and detail now, probably due to the shift from dubstep and modern pop to melodies and ballads.


Sorry for hijacking your review, figured I'd drop in a bit of information as someone who used then exclusively for a few months. my new AKG Q701's are much better and I haven't even got a DAC and Amp yet for them!

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I found them to be very uncomfortable and also the sound on them is complete crap, this is with testing on a Galaxy Nexus, iPad, MS Surface, PC with integrated sound and also my rig with an ASUS Xonar Phoebus.

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Try changing the cable (if it's removable), I've tried it with the Beats Mixr, Studio and Pro and it made a huge difference! These are all more expensive than your's, but it might be worth a try. I swapped the cable for an Audioquest Evergreen cable. In general though, none of the Beats products are worth your money, maybe except the Beats Pro if you swap the cable and pay a premium for the build quality. 

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Update for you guys.

 

Alright so I've had these exactly a week and I have to say I'm beginning to like them. Yes, I know - audio engineer who doesn't mind Beats - shoot me. I cannot stand them as they are with the default flat EQ - I've just flicked the EQ bypass on just then and I couldn't hear the vocals of this song. I've done a fair bit of extensive work with both a 10 band EQ on my iPad as well as then a DBX 31 band EQ out of my rack and they've got a decent sound after I've had a play. 

 

What I do hate and feel is unavoidable is the fact that my head feels like it's stuck between a ever consistently closing vice but the strange thing is that I only notice this when I'm stationary. 

 

Bottom line - I wouldn't pay the price tag they're asking for.

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I've used the Beats Solo before and it sounds no where near as my Audio Technica ATH-M50S. Plus the ear cup came off which concurs with the rubbish build quality with Beats. 

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You can get some professional grade gear for the price of those beats bulls**t.

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Update for you guys.

 

Alright so I've had these exactly a week and I have to say I'm beginning to like them. Yes, I know - audio engineer who doesn't mind Beats - shoot me. I cannot stand them as they are with the default flat EQ - I've just flicked the EQ bypass on just then and I couldn't hear the vocals of this song. I've done a fair bit of extensive work with both a 10 band EQ on my iPad as well as then a DBX 31 band EQ out of my rack and they've got a decent sound after I've had a play. 

 

What I do hate and feel is unavoidable is the fact that my head feels like it's stuck between a ever consistently closing vice but the strange thing is that I only notice this when I'm stationary. 

 

Bottom line - I wouldn't pay the price tag they're asking for.

 

I think the fact they sound much better after you equalize them just proves they intentionally designed them to only sound good with rap music.  Also equalizing is something we should recommend to people who don't like how their headphones sound.  Much cheaper option than a new pair of headphones.

"Pardon my French but this is just about the most ignorant blanket statement I've ever read. And though this is the internet, I'm not even exaggerating."

 

 

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I think the fact they sound much better after you equalize them just proves they intentionally designed them to only sound good with rap music.  Also equalizing is something we should recommend to people who don't like how their headphones sound.  Much cheaper option than a new pair of headphones.

http://medias.audiofanzine.com/images/normal/dbx-2231-284153.jpg

I just use a spare one of these and I'm happy

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I've tried beats a few times, and to me they are just about fashion.  They are overpriced for what they are, and you could get very good headphones for half the price. 

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Wow, that looks complex!

Just a standard DBX 31 band ±12 dB EQ... Got two here at home and about a dozen at work.. 

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I don't think I could bring myself to buying a pair of beats..  

 

 

Knowing my purchasing habbits, I would probably find something better and get it shipped from hong kong lol

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