On the train, I can ward off the sounds of my morning commute with Spotify or Tidal playing at approximately 40% volume wearing the 700s. And if I just wanted to sit in quiet repose, it was just a few decibels above whisper quiet and it felt like I was watching the world on mute. At home, I managed to get my Note 8’s volume down to around 30% before I could slightly hear the television. And when I muted everything, the Bose’s dedicated six microphones reduced everything to a barely there peep. “It’s so simple, a child could do it.” The bulk of the Solo Pro’s controls are accessed via the hidden multifunction button in the right earcup. Press the center of the b once to pause and once again to play.
The audio is crisp, though it still has some typical Bluetooth fuzziness around the edges. The mic’s signal is also strong, avoiding the common pitfall of faint signals from Bluetooth headphone mics. Before that, I was PCMag’s lead audio analyst from 2006 to 2011. Even beats studio3 though I’m a freelancer now, PCMag has been my home for well over a decade, and audio gear reviews are still my primary focus. Prior to my career in reviewing tech, I worked as an audio engineer—my love of recording audio eventually led me to writing about audio gear.
They’re much thicker than previous Solo models, which helps enhance comfort. The padding on the headband has more cushion as well, and it pinches your head less. Sure, you need a good seal for active noise cancellation to be effective, and that requires a certain degree of pressure.
One of the greatest tools in the Beats Solo Pro’s audio arsenal is its amazingly effective noise-canceling properties. The Beats Studio 3 is made using a blend of high-grade plastics and softer finishing materials. The headset has a soft-matter finish that provides both cushioning and passive grip for studio use.
The Beats Solo Pro among one of the best Beats headphones to buy. They feature active noise cancelling, an advanced acoustic system, and provide p to 22 hours of battery life. Beats says you can expect up to 22 hours of battery life with ANC on and up to 40 hours with it turned off.
Just tap the small button on the bottom of the left ear cup to toggle. The aforementioned joints mean that the headphones fold up nicely and won’t take up too much space in a bag. Beats bundles a stylish fabric soft case to protect the Solo Pros from getting scuffed during transit. You also get a Lightning charger, because Apple refuses to join the big, beautiful world of USB Type-C.
Although the sound signature remains bass-heavy, as is emblematic of Beats, it rarely overpowers vocal reproduction. Under the left earcup, you’ll find another button that lets you toggle ANC on and off with a double press while a single press activates transparency mode. This is handy for increasing awareness of your surroundings so you don’t have to take them off or pause the music when, for example, crossing the road.
Testing consisted of transferring phone call audio from iPhone to Solo Pro and Solo3 Wireless. Performance depends on device settings, environment, and many factors. The Beats Solo3 Wireless headset is the Beats Solo Pro’s three-year senior, and has outdated hardware. That said, some of this is beneficial, especially for listeners who still want the option to enjoy wired audio; the 3.5mm input makes up for the microUSB charging port.
The arms fold into thirds to collapse down but the thick ear cups means they do not get quite as small as I would like for travelling. They ship with a soft recycled-felt case for protection but they feel robust enough to just toss in a bag. The £269.95 Beats Solo Pro blends the design of the firm’s existing Solo with the wired EP headphones for an attractive, modern and fairly sleek design. The call quality was noticeably better on both ends when I switched over to the Bose 700.
Unfortunately for Beats, these compete directly with another Apple product, the AirPods Pro, which costs less ($250). Yes, the Solo Pro sound better and have more effective noise-canceling. But while the tiny AirPods Pro also don’t plug into an in-flight entertainment system, they’re a lot easier to carry around, and I’d rather drop $250 on them than $300 on these.