Beats Solo HD On-Ear Headphone (White) Review

 Rating: 4 stars====================Product price: Check new Price in amazon====================Buy with Secure Transaction Amazon now…====================
Product DescriptionBeats Solo HD headphones are made for music lovers looking for high definition headphones that look as good as they sound. Beats Solo HD headphones combine advanced driver technology and premium design for headphones that deliver legendary Beats by Dr. Dre sound and are lightweight and durable.

Beats Solo HD On-Ear Headphone (White)

Customer Reviews:* SHORT VERSION: Highly recommended. Great audio quality for on-ear headphones. Highly portable and convenient to store. More comfortable than most on-ear cans. Works great as a headset for both the iPhone 3GS and iPad.LONG VERSION: The Beats by Dr Dre Solo HD (RED) headphones are exactly what I expected: high-quality, portable on-ear headphones with an above average mic. At the time of writing, the only other review on Amazon gives these a 3-star rating and compares the headphones to the Beats by Dr. Dre Studio edition over-the-ear headphones. The problem with that is the two headphones serve completely different purposes. The "Studio" edition headphones are meant primarily for audiophiles who aren't going to be wearing them on the bus/subway or walking around the city, as--like the name suggests--they're studio headphones which are meant for stationary audio consumption (generally indoors). By contrast, the "Solo" line is just the opposite. While they're not nearly as portable as in-ear headphones like those that come with the iPhone or , they make listening to music during a commute on the bus/subway much more tolerable than the tinny sound that you get from the baseline Apple headset. If I were looking to buy a pair of stationary audio consumption headphones, I'd be buying a pair of over-the-ear (or on-ear powered) headphones. Now that I'm done ranting about the previous review, let me give you my take on the Beats by Dr Dre Solo HD (RED):My Use Case: I commute from around the Haight in San Francisco to around 2nd and Market with about 10 minutes of walking and about 20 minutes on the bus. I am an audiophile tech geek who rarely is not listening to music either on my iPhone, iPad, or Macbook Pro; if I am without one of those three devices, it probably means I'm not interested in listening to music, or I'm at a concert, so take into account that 1) I am an Apple fanboy who is willing to pay a little extra for high-quality products and good design aesthetics, and 2) I commute approximately 10-12 hours a week.My Previous Cans: My previous on-ear headphones are the Grado SR125s, which I replaced because 1) they don't have a mic, 2) the cord is too long, 3) one of the cans now has a slight bit of static from an unfortunate fall off my desk. If it weren't for points 1 and 2, I'd likely have just gotten those again and continued swapping them out with my iPhone headset every time I needed to answer the phone or make a call. I'm very glad that I investigated on-ear cans that have both a mic and remote on the wire, as I would have likely never considered these headphones without those features mostly because of the higher cost. It should also be noted that SR225s (which are roughly the same price as the Beats by Dr Dre Solo HD) sound slightly better than the Beats but are not nearly as portable and lack the mic/remote.- Price vs Quality (5 stars): These headphones are expensive. There's no denying that. You pay a premium for Dr. Dre's name, the Monster brand, and the fact that a portion of the sale is donated to charity; however, the fact is that my previous pair of on-ear headphones (the SR125s) were about $60 cheaper, but they did not sound as good, were not nearly as convenient of a product, and were significantly less stylish (if you care about that sort of thing).- Audio Quality (4 stars): They're not over-the-ear headphones and there is no powered noise reduction, so the music will be slightly less crisp (especially on softer/higher music) and there will be slightly more noise (but not much, especially if you listen to music at a "moderate" volume [i.e. 50% on the iPhone/iPad's Headphones volume meter] like I do). When I'm listening to music on these, I cannot hear people talking to me. With my previous pair, I was often having to turn the volume up to drown out the noise if listening to podcasts or softer music. Now, I don't have to do so. The complaint that these headphones have a "muddy" sound is the same complaint that every pair of headphones that aren't over-the-ear headphones get when someone who is used to over-the-ear headphones reviews them. The Beats Solo (not HD) admittedly did suffer a bit moreso with this problem than most on-ear headphones, but the Beats Solo HD (RED) seem to have corrected this slight issue. If Audio Quality is the sole motivator for your headphones and you're looking to spend $200, you may want to look into over-the-ear headphones instead, as similarly priced over-the-ear headphones will provide a noticeably better Audio Quality.- Portability (5 stars): This is one of the two features that drew me to this product (the other is the mic/remote that is compatible with my iPhone 3GS and iPad). The fact that the headphones break down separately into the cans and the wire combined with the folding capability of the cans makes these headphones invaluable if you want a pair of on-ear headphones you can easily stow when you get to work or at a function where it would be improper to be wearing cans on your head or around your neck. The little pouch that is bundled with them simply sweetens the deal, as these would get 5 stars in Portability regardless of an included pouch.- Built Quality (4 stars): While I've only had the headphones for a couple of months, there is no difference in the paint job, the padding, or any of the other components that can often deteriorate with frequent use. It does get one star removed because the band does feel a bit brittle by comparison to previous headphones that I have owned, and I feel like I need to be more careful with them because of it. I haven't had any problems so far, but if you're expecting to be rough on your cans, you may want to look elsewhere.- Comfort (4 stars): Compared to my previous pairs, these are just a bit above average. I don't think I'd want to wear these all day, every day, as the fit is a little bit tighter than I'd like it to be, I don't notice it during my normal use case (~35-50 minutes of use at a time). The band's tightness has loosened up a bit over the last couple of months of use, so now I'd be more willing to wear them for longer periods of time than during the breaking in period. I wear a size 7-7.5 hat, which is pretty big, so I've had this issue with most headphones. The ear padding, on the other hand, has not changed at all and is significantly better than all previous cans I've owned.- Style (5 stars): I love red. I won't lie that when I see items by PRODUCT(RED), I smile. It isn't a driving factor in my purchases, but it definitely is a consideration. These cans are sleek, polished, and very attractively designed products. They're definitely an eye-catching accessory both because of their color and the overall look.- Microphone Quality (4 stars): This was an important part of my decision to get these headphones. My Apple iPhone headset has always treated me very well as a microphone (although it has always lacked as headphones). Before purchasing, I did a side-by-side comparison recording voice notes with the two microphones (as well as a Bluetooth wireless headset). The Solo HD (RED) headphones produced easily the best quality recording, but the volume was a bit lower than I expected because the placement of the microphone is a little bit higher up and further off to the side than the Apple microphone (the Bluetooth wireless headset sounded like crap by comparison to both so I won't bother comparing it). This form factor decision is the main reason that it gets 4 stars. The other reason is because I've had better sounding microphones from V-moda on their in-ear headsets. * I have to admit I was a bit skeptical purchasing these headphones as the previous generation Dr. Dre Beats solos got some poor reviews in terms of an overpowering bass and poor build quality. Considering this price point I assume a lot of consumers are looking for the same things I was in a pair of headphones: high fidelity sound, great build quality, and style. Upfront these new HD Solo headphones represent in all there categories.High Fidelity:I tested these headphones out in several genres since I listen to an eclectic mix. First thoughts was I found the sound a little too tight and not broad enough. There needs to be an initial burning in period to get the full sound quality, lets say 8 hours or so of heavy listening and these bad boys find their sweet spot.The first cd in the mix was Kings of Leon Only by the Night I put on 'Sex on Fire.' You get some nice high notes and kick drum beats in this song as well as some killer electric guitar. What impressed me was how sweet the vocals were in terms of clarity and vibrato while still letting the instrumentals shine through. I like my music loud and clear, and these delivered...the kick drum literally vibrates your head with every beat while keeping the mids and highs spot on!The next cd up was some Lil' Wayne I Am Not A Human Being. I put on the first track 'Gonorrhea.' Damn boys and girls this is where the Solo Beats HD shine, pow pow, like bass so far gone you wonder is there an earthquake in my head. Followed up by a great rendering of the electrical beats and smooth bellowing vocal licks and you know these headphones just busted out a five star review hands down.I wanted to slow this tempo down with some acoustical guitar from my man Ray LaMontagne. So I will round out this fidelity review with his live performance of 'Empty' off his latest cd Gossip In The Grain. I figured if these headphones would fall short, no doubt it would be on a song like this. The breathy vocals and pedal steel guitar on this track gave the Solos HD some difficulty. I seriously doubt this would be noticeable to most listeners. I found the instrumentals to be a bit spacey on the low registers with the speakers focusing more shine on the highs. If I were to judge the solos entirely on this performance I would still give them 4 stars.I also watched an episode of "Glee", yeah I said "Glee" Boss! It sounded excellent. Crisp dialogue and nice full body rendering of the song performances. Mercedes preformed a rendition of 'Rag Doll' from Tina Turners old release and it sounded phenomenal. Overall I found the sound quality to be excellent and all encompassing across the numerous genres of music and vocals.The build quality and style of these headphones was equally impressive.I know there were some previous issues with the head band snapping in the Solos, but they seem to have fixed that with a metal band that is hidden below the padded head rest. The band seem to has a lot of give and flexibility while still feeling firm. I was most impressed with the tightly fitted hinges where the ear pieces fold out and the thick metal used to extend the ear cups. When extended the ear cups do not fold but firmly remain in their locked position. The padding around the ear is the softest synthetic vinyl I have ever felt and could pass for calf skin leather. The headphones feel soft and supple around the ear. On the head they feel firm, almost too firm at first but do loosen up like a good pair of shoes over time while stile keeping their rigidity . I think this is a true sign of build quality. After breaking them in they feel extremely comfortable on the ears and I have a fairly large head.The 'Control Talk' cord is in one word, perfection! It is long but not too long, red in color and has a thick rubber skin. The 3.5mm L-shape adapter on the end is idea for plugging into a music player or laptop as it bends inward and safely stays out of the way. I cant count the number of headphones I have had that fray or break off because of jutting out and being pulled, bent, or rubbed to death. I like how I can lay back in bed and type on my laptop with out my headphone jack pushing against my forearm on the side, a huge plus. The other end plugs into the head phones making this a detachable cord which is very nice as it can be replaced independently of the headphones. The 'Control' talk feature is awesome. You have a volume up and down function as well as a small steel(not plastic but steel) button in the center that you click once to pause or answer a call, twice to skip forward, three times to skip backward. This will only work on certain devices though. If you have a mac it will also control your volume and playback features in itunes which rocks! It worked great on my macbook pro and my ipod touch 3rd generation. Though to get the song to skip I had to click twice with some quickness, but it did work.The finish is done in the same shiny black on these as the Studio by Dr. Dre beats. Simply put these look cool as all get out. The brushed aluminum trim work on the ear cups is a nice touch as well as the beats log on each side. I did not find fingerprints to be that much of an issue on the gloss finish at all. They do include a red microfiber cleaning cloth. In summation, yeah sure for cheaper you could get equal or even better quality sounding headphones. Check out Shure 440's or even some Koss PortaPros if your tight on cash and want good sound quality with less focus on style. However as far as Bass, Style, and Audio Quality goes, check these bad boys out! I highly recommend them! I got mine on the cheap for 169 at Buydig dot com with a 10 dollar coupon (BDRewards10) check it. Or Google them. All the music mentioned above can be purchased right here on Amazon.com.