Okay Geek Farm
t3ch Review: Beats by Dr. Dre Solo Headphones by Monster
Ricardo Trejo
Product: Beats by Dr. Dre Solo Headphones by Monster (that’s a mouthful)
What it says it does: Capture the full sound in digital tracks and deliver high performance sound that other headphones, especially this size, can’t compete with. Designed for those with an active lifestyle.
My experience: Let me come out and say this right now: I am not an audiophile; I love music, I love headphones, and that’s about it. As a practicing minimalist I’ve been looking for that perfect headset that I can use while I’m the move - whether I’m jogging around the park or simply writing a new story for the blog. I’ve gone through Apple Earbuds, Urbanears Tantos, Panasonic RP-HTX7’s, and Sony MDR-XD100’s - and despite all of these being excellent sound producers, there are quirks in each of them that prevent me from stopping my search for the perfect set of headphones. The original “over the ear” Beats headphones were a little too much for my taste - they intimidated me. But once I laid my eyes on the Solo line I instantly fell in love. Let’s start off with the looks first:
As “on the ear” headphones they don’t cover the entire ear and rest easily on top of them with soft padding, which after hours of use still feel great. The band that sports the “beats by Dr. Dre” logo has a matte finish that for me is better than the glossy finish the original Beats had - since I hate the sight of fingerprints on any of my electronics, and I know I’m not the only one who feels this way. The inside of the band has a cushion that rests gently on the top of your head, and the headband itself is adjustable with sturdy clicks coming from the metal bracketing, giving the entire device a strong and well built feel to it; Oh, and not to mention the brackets also allow you to fold the headset onto itself making it highly portable. The single wire connecting to the left ear cup doesn’t tangle easily since it’s encased with thick shielding, unlike the Apple earbuds which people the world over have issues with. Each ear cup pivots to your unique head size, big or small, and the combination of the cushioned band and ear cups create a snug fit that is well suited for movement, but not uncomfortable for the times you may just be relaxing at at your computer. And as an added bonus, the wire also includes a plastic module with built in microphone and iPod controls for volume up, volume down, as well as a selection button to do the iPhone shortcuts (single click to play/pause or answer a call, double click to skip song, triple click to go back to previous song).
As Dre mostly intended the headphones work the best when it comes to pumping out the bass, but what about other styles of music such as soft rock or instrumental stuff? I played some tracks done by Utada, which is heavy with beats and it sounded as great as I anticipated, but when I listened to some Death Cab for Cutie, which is soft indie music, I noticed little to no difference in deliverance - Ben Gibbard’s smooth vocals came out as clearly as I’ve ever heard them. In fact, I even heard some nuances that caught me off guard; for instance hearing barely audible plucks of a guitar that I never noticed before, giving new life unto tracks I’ve heard many times over. Some other blogs have noted that at times some sounds can sound muffled but I never ran into this issue, perhaps they had problems with the quality of sound coming from their own individual tracks.
For the minimalist in myself I can’t stop talking about how much I love the way these look: solid colors, a small compact size, and a wire that doesn’t tangle up, just about makes it the most practical and efficient headphone set I’ve ever owned. And although it’s high performance at a cost, its quality more than makes up for what you pay. Oh, and did I mention it comes with a carrying case to store them away safely when in the middle of transport? And to keep itself looking as fresh as it did out of the box you also get a monster cleaning cloth, made out of better stuff than I’ve ever seen any other microfiber cloth. It knows it’s hot stuff but it also does everything right that it didn’t necessarily have to, and for that I don’t think I’ll be shopping around looking for any replacements any time soon.
Pro’s: strong build, microphone and iPod controls built into the wire, stylish, portable, delivers high quality performance
Con’s: a little pricey for some but worth the cash
How much: $179 - 199
Where to buy: Monster, Apple
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