Apple announced Beats Solo Pro headphones, with active noise cancellation and amazing battery life in mid-October. The headphones are available to purchase now for $299 in a number of matte finishes which include Gray, Black, Red, Ivory, Dark Blue, Red and Light Blue. These headphones have been receiving glowing reviews from different publications. Here are some of the best reviews to help you decide if you should buy the new Solo Pro headphones or not.
Beats Solo Pro Reviews
The Verge reviewed the headphones and said that these are the best Beats headphones yet. They complained about the lack of auto-pause and 3.5mm port, which means that you have to buy a special $35 cable from Apple with aux on one side and Lightning on the other side, if you want to plugin to a headphone jack. The website gave the headphones an 8/10 rating.
But even as they are, the Solo Pros are perhaps the best headphones Beats has produced. The noise cancellation isn’t best in class, but it’s still quite good. Frequent travelers or people who care most about comfort might want to stick with Bose or Sony.
Tom’s Guide did not like the fact that Beats Solo Pro use a Lightning connector, and we agree. It should have used a USB-C connector in this day and age. They also did not like the lack of an equalizer. However, they think that the headphones are good enough to give Bose competition, at a lower price. Tom’s Guide gave them a 4.5/5 rating.
Beats has always been the cool brand. Many of your favorite celebrities have rocked a pair on camera at one point. However, Beats headphones weren’t really known for their audio or build quality. That all changes with the Beats Solo Pro. For $299, you get a pair of headphones with great audio quality, near-instantaneous pairing and seamless integration with Apple products. And as the first on-ear noise-cancelling headphones in the Beats catalog, they actually give Bose some stiff competition. And yes, you can still get a colorful, eye-catching pair of cans.
PCMag found the headphones have good audio but they get some hiss when active noise cancellation is enabled. Like Tom’s Guide, they also don’t like that Beats do not have an equalizer. PCMag’s overall review score was 4/5.
The Beats Solo Pro headphones delivers quality noise cancellation with a bass-forward, but relatively balanced, sound signature.
Gizmodo’s review says that the headphones are $100 too expensive. However, other reviews claimed that they are $100 cheaper than equivalent headphones from competitors. Gizmodo praised the design, build quality and sound quality.
I like the Beats Solo Pro. It feels like the company has turned a corner, leaving behind a scattered history of making questionable headphones and charging towards a brighter future. As such, I’m excited about the inevitable upgrade to the Beats Studio flagship.
Beats will nevertheless sell a lot of these headphones. Those who do fork over three C-notes for the Solo Pro will surely enjoy using them. They’re good headphones. And there I said it: Beats made good headphones.
A common theme across all reviews was that the headphones are a tight fit for people with big heads, no pun intended. Otherwise, Beats Solo Pro are winning praise from everyone, even those who would shrug when the Beats brand is mentioned. If you are in the market for new headphones, these might be worth considering.