Beats
Beats Solo Pro Bluetooth headphones: beautiful sound evolutions
Aprox. 299€ - see price -
Gently, but surely, Beats continues to reshape its range of Bluetooth headsets. After Studio 3 Wireless, the manufacturer is tackling the on-ear format with the Solo Pro. Hopefully this is not just a simple update…
Our review
Presentation
Freshly launched at € 300, the Beats Solo Pro is the advanced version of Solo3 Wireless. These headphones are positioned alongside the Studio 3 Wireless at the very top of the Beats range of headphones. The American manufacturer has therefore placed all its know-how there. More efficient active noise reduction, better sound rendering, 22-hour autonomy, Apple H1 chip, etc. This model wants to establish itself as a benchmark for on-ear Bluetooth headphones.

Audio
The Solo Pro delivers particularly solid sound performance. This model masters its subject much better than its predecessors, and once again demonstrates that it is possible to offer a relatively colorful sound rendering without compromising on quality and details.
The Solo Pro opts for a wiser and truly more controlled approach than its predecessor, the Solo3 Wireless. The signature in W is still required, but it is the seat and the depth that are highlighted rather than the warm or round side of the bass. One feels particularly well the sensation of impact and pressure coming from this area of the spectrum. The presence of an EQ would not have been too much to soften the bass if necessary. The generosity of Solo Pro for this region is well under control since the rendering remains relatively well detailed and readable. There are still some limits in the behavior of the membranes when they are truly tested in this area (especially with very close attacks on large percussions, or with synth sweeps descending very low, for example).
The sound reproduction of the rest of the spectrum is distinguished by a very beautiful linearity, which reminds us, moreover, of that of another on-ear headset, the Jabra Evolve 75. Trained ears will perceive two subtle overweight in the midrange (between 1 and 2 kHz) and in the treble (much less than what the measure suggests) bringing a zest of "slamming" and additional shine. Respect for timbre is there and the voices are perfectly intelligible. Without being surgical, the precision remains very correct for the mediums at the highest frequencies. The sound rendering is sharp, defined and punchy, without ever being aggressive. We also appreciate the beautiful extension in the treble. They are large and airy. The stereophonic scene is relatively wide and deep, we replace the elements without difficulty. We do not reach the level of naturalness and detail delivered by over-ear headphones like the WH-1000XM3, that said.
Beats signs its first integration of active noise reduction in on-ear headphones with the Solo Pro. Apart from a very average attenuation of noise in the lowest frequencies (which are immediately slightly amplified by wearing a headset), it is particularly effective. The surrounding noises are very clearly reduced, which makes it possible to comfortably listen to any content even in very noisy environments (public transport, street under construction or with very dense traffic), even at low volume of listening. The active noise reduction function is also very effective on voices with an attenuation of almost 20 dB on the low-mid / mid-range part (which corresponds to the fundamentals and the effect of proximity of the voices), and even higher in the mediums (zone of presence, intelligibility). This is certainly one of the best active noise reductions that we have come across on on-ear headphones to date.
The function of listening to the surrounding noises is much less impressive, but not uninteresting. It is especially practical when it comes to quickly listening to a conversation or an announcement without having to take off the headset, but less so to perceive precisely what is happening around us. Indeed, the clean and frank cut in the treble and the slight lack of power rendering this mode does not give a particularly natural listening. We always feel a part of the headphone insulation and it is therefore difficult to locate the sounds and sometimes to identify them clearly.

Conclusion
With the Solo Pro, Beats once again demonstrates its ability to renew its formula in terms of sound rendering, without forgetting its heritage. These headphones therefore offer a great listening experience (especially for bass lovers) with the added bonus of devilishly effective noise reduction for headphones of this type. On the other hand, we expected more from the side of comfort, still just as average, and from the experience of use. If you are not specifically looking for over-ear headphones or you do not worship the manufacturer's products, you will find much more interesting (and sometimes less expensive) circum models like the Elite 85h, the QC35 II or the WH -1000XM3.

Reviews
Nice headphones
Very soft earpads. Band is not as tight as I expected - I consider my head shape and size to be very average (for a male) - mostly square, not wide. I think I could easily wear these for a long time.
ANC is on by with Bose QC35ii. Not as good as Sony XM3, but that's not really why you buy these headphones. These are out and about headphones - not lounging around headphones. ANC should be more than enough to drown out the gym noises.
Sound quality is on par with any other headphone in this price range. Very good, well balanced.
Keep these flop headphones.
They don't even sound as good as the solo 3s do. I dunno what Apple was thinking but if they think that I'm gonna spend an extra 50 bucks for an audio cable for a pair of on ear headphones that doesn't even have decent sound they have another thing coming. Not only that the anc that they're going for isn't even as good as the anc on the beats studio 3s! And you'd think for the money you're spending they would give you a hard shell carrying case for these! You can keep these flop cans. Imma stick with the beats studio 3s until you guys rectify the mistake.
Great build quality, good sound, too painful.
The convenience of the iOS integration is great, and I love how they look, and the overall audio quality is fantastic for Bluetooth. The low end is incredibly flat outside of cases of extreme bass, really limiting the experience for most of the music I listen too, which seems funny since that's sort of the opposite of what Beats is known for. They're not very comfortable either, definitely too tight on my ears after even fairly short sessions.
If these were $ 60, I'd consider them great, but for $ 300, they really don't live up to the expectation. I haven't yet decided if I like them enough to keep them, but I wouldn't really recommend them over something even as cheap as the Sony XB-400s since the sound quality is on a somewhat similar level, and the bass, comfort , and passive noise isolation on the XB-400s are all much better. The active noise cancellation and "Transparency" on Solo Pro are nice, but ... probably not worth it on these ones.
I'm most likely returning these primarily on the comfort issues. If I position them * just right * I can handle wearing them for about two hours, but that's it. They're just too painful to wear compared to everything else I own, and with the Bose QuietComfort 35 II being similarly priced, these just don't make much sense to me.
PSA: Do NOT Use Live Listen w/ Beats Solo Pro
I just got my Beats Solo Pro two hours ago (from the Apple Store) and I LOVE them so far. However, I came across a major issue that I suspect is software related.
I wanted to test out the Live Listen feature (which you can enable from the Control Center if you added the “Hearing” control) with the Beats Solo Pro. I've only tested this feature out with the Powerbeats Pro, so I was interested to see how this feature would work with headphones.
To make this point as simple as possible: as soon as I enabled it from the Control Center (while wearing the Beats Solo Pro), I was immediately blasted with the loudest static noise I've ever experienced. It was so loud and shocking that I yanked the headphones off my head with one hand in a split instant.
I am in contact with Apple Support as I'm typing this. I hope they take this seriously.
In the meantime, I recommend you to NOT use the Live Listen accessibility feature with the Beats Solo Pro until Apple comes out with a software update on their iOS and / or Beats. I am currently on iOS 13.2. I will update you if someone from Apple tells me why this happened; if it's specific only to my Beats Solo Pro (which I doubt).
Edit: commented with an update. Also specified in the review how to add the “Hearing” control in Control Center that enables Live Listen.