Beats by Dr. Dre Solo review

Boombastic, fantastic! Finally the little sleeker brother of Studio Beats by Dr Dre has reached me in the cold snowy Sweden. The Solo takes all the things I loved about the Studios, and improves in some key areas. It also removes the things I didn’t like such as the poor microphone, and the interference prone noise cancellation circuitry.

The Solo is a midsize headphone weighing in at 6.56 oz./185.97 g. What strikes me is the sleek look, and the clean design. The Solo attracts a lot of attention from the younger crowd. I feel attracted to the clean lines, and the minimal use of colours. Just like big brother Studio the Solos come in a white and a black version. The headphones are collapsible, and fit into a rather small touring case included in the package. When not in use they are comfortable around the neck, even for someone with a couple of excess body fat like myself.

The headphones are quite tight over the ears, and during the first days of testing them my ears got sore. After a week this is no longer a problem as my ears have got used to the pressure, and I have been better at placing the headphones correctly. To get the most out of the sound and noise isolation the cushions have to create a proper seal. The noise isolation is fairly good blocking out most ambient low frequency noise, but not high pitched sounds or voices.

The sound of the Solos is on par with that of big brother Studio Beats by Dr Dre. Focus on heavy bass without loosing overpowering mid or high range. I find myself in the middle of a concert listening to metal or hip hop using the Solos. It is still possible to hear and feel the instruments around me as the sound is quite open in nature.

The microphone is much improved over the one shipped with the Studio Beats By Dr Dre. It turns the Solo into a working communication solution with the new ControlTalk microphone controls. The recipient has no trouble hearing me, and it doesn’t pick up ambient noise. The answer button doubles as iPod controls letting you control music playback, and use Voice Control. Volume controls are also available as large button beneath and above the answer button.

The cord needs to be mentioned as well. It is bright red, round and thick with zero tendency to tangle. It is detachable, and the microphone is placed at a good distance from my mouth. The connector is angled at 90 degrees, and it hugs the iPhone with only 3 mm to spare. This is cool if you have a compatible case, but for me it meant that OtterBox Commuter and Defender, Tech21 iBand and a couple of Contour cases were impossible to use. I find it a odd design choice as many iPhone/iPod Touch users use protective cases. When using the Solos together with my iMac the cord is slightly short at 3.94 ft./1.2 m.

This is a short one two week test of the Solos as I have to return them to the distributor for further testing. Needless to say they are in high demand. I have seen reports of Solos falling apart after about three weeks due to headband snapping. This is something I saw as a weak spot for the Studios as well. The point where the metal hinges end is vulnerable as it is just a plastic headband going head to head against the metal hinges in a war of endurance. I can not confirm nor deny if this is a common problem, and as such not take it in consideration in my final rating.

Summary

Pros
Great microphone with volume controls.
Powerful bass that can be felt.
Good noise isolation.
Affordable Beats by Dr Dre.
Stay on when exercising at a moderate level.

Cons
The angled cord connector is not compatible with all cases.
Need to be properly placed over the ears not to be uncomfortable.
Gets dirty easily, and the especially the white version is hard to get clean.

The Beats by Dr Dre Solo is a great product combining sleek looks, powerful sound and a great microphone into a complete communications solution. I can recommend it to anyone looking for some great sounding headphones who don’t want to use a protective case. Removing the noise cancellation has also lowered the price considerably making the Solos much more affordable.