On-Ear Headphones With Noise-Cancelling & H1 Chip
Beats by Dr. Dre (Beats) just announced Solo Pro, their first on-ear headphone with noise-cancelling that is priced at $299.95. That makes them $100 more than the previous Solo3 Wireless on-ears. Let’s see what makes them worth the extra cost.
Solo Pro brings improved acoustics performance thanks to a refined driver with optimized diaphragm geometries. In addition, the company claims exceptional frequency response with reduced distortion and balanced tonality across the frequency curve to drive an emotive listening experience. Two beam-forming microphones and an updated speech-detecting accelerometer provide remarkable audio quality for voice and video calls and enhanced voice pickup for “Hey Siri” functionality thanks to Apple’s H1 chipset.
Comfort
Solo Pro has redesigned on-ear cushions with a remodeled enclosure, ensuring excellent sound delivery and long-wear comfort. Exposed metal sliders enable a more durable and personalized fit, making the headphones more accommodating to users than ever before. A monolithic headband creates a singular structure without a visible separation at the hinges when unfolded, reinforcing the sleek appearance custom to Beats products.
Pure Adaptive Noise Cancelling
Solo Pro is Beats’ first-ever on-ear headphone featuring Pure Adaptive Noise Cancelling (Pure ANC), the brand’s proprietary technology derived from Beats Studio3 Wireless, with updated tuning to accommodate the on-ear form factor. Using advanced algorithms to continuously monitor and adjust to your listening environment, Pure ANC efficiently detects and blocks ambient noise—not only on an airplane, but also in a noisy café or a busy office. Pure ANC also evaluates fit and adjusts for leakage caused by hair, earrings, different ear shapes and movement of your head as you go about the day. Additionally, it simultaneously checks what you’re hearing while noise cancelling is applied against the original music content to ensure impressive audio fidelity.
Transparency
The new Transparency feature activates Solo Pro’s external microphones to naturally let in environmental noise. No need to pause your music as Transparency effectively blends the outside world into your listening experience. Hear announcements, talk with your friends and stay aware of your surroundings — all with a tap of a button.
Audio Sharing
Apple Audio Sharing1 lets you listen with others nearby who are wearing compatible headphones powered by the Apple W1 or H1 chips. These currently include include AirPods, Solo Pro, Powerbeats Pro, Beats Studio3 Wireless, Solo3 Wireless, BeatsX and Powerbeats3 Wireless. Solo Pro users can also still tap in and out of Pure ANC and Transparency while sharing, making it ideal for enjoying a movie or working out with friends.
1Works with iPhone 8 or later and iPod touch (7th generation) with the latest version of iOS; and 12.9-inch iPad Pro (2nd generation or later), 11-inch iPad Pro, 10.5-inch iPad Pro, iPad (5th generation or later), iPad Air (3rd generation), and iPad mini (5th generation) with the latest version of iPadOS.
Fold & Tap Controls
Solo Pro forgoes the traditional power button in favor of simply unfolding the headphones to power on, and folding to power off. Multi-function controls on the right earcup allow you to answer/end calls, play/pause music, skip songs, control volume and activate voice command without ever having to reach for your device. By tapping the mode button on the left ear cup, you can quickly switch between Pure ANC and Transparency. Say “Hey Siri” for total hands-free functionality. Powered by the Apple H1 chip, Solo Pro delivers a faster and more stable wireless connection to your devices and is also compatible with both iOS and Android devices.
Battery Life
Maximum battery life on Solo Pro remains about the same as Solo3 Wireless at 40 hours. However, with noise filtering features turned on usage time drops almost in half. The upside is that Fast Fuel returns up to 3 hours of full-featured playback with a 10-minute charge using the included Lightning cable. That’s right, Micro-USB was replaced by Lightning connector, and hopes of USB-C charging are still a ways off.
- Pure ANC or Transparency: Up to 22 hours
- Pure ANC and Transparency off: Up to 40 hours
More Matte Collection
Pharrell Williams, renowned artist and longterm ambassador of the brand, has partnered with Beats to create the “More Matte” collection, comprised of vibrant colors Dark Blue, Light Blue and Red. The collection will be available alongside core colors Black, Ivory and Gray.
“I’ve been along for the ride since Beats started and have collaborated on several projects throughout the last ten years,” said Pharrell. “As a music producer and artist, I’m so thrilled to have contributed to the design and curated a dynamic range of colors for such an innovative and sound-focused headphone. I hope the audio experience inspires creativity and focus in you as it does for me, and I look forward to sharing our global campaign soon.”
Price and Availability
Beats Solo Pro will released on October 30, 2019 in Black, Ivory, Gray, Dark Blue, Light Blue and Red for $299.95. Pre-orders are now being accepted in the U.S.
