Beats has announced their newest Solo headphones, the Solo Pro and these are their best-sounding on-ear headphones to date. The new solo Pros have been completely redesigned and they now come with active noise cancellation, which is totally new to the Solo series.
To power on the Solo Pro, you just need to unfold them. By default, active noise cancelation is turned on when you power on the Solo Pro. Specifically, Beats has developed its own proprietary ANC tech for the headphones. Using two built-in mics, it takes 4 to 5 seconds for ANC to take effect while the ANC adjusts to the environment you’re currently in – because the noise around you on an airplane is not the same as the noise around you in your office. Adaptive ANC is a trick that you’ll be hard-pressed to find in other headphones with ANC.
Beats has also added a transparency feature which creates a more natural experience for the user when you turn it on. When you hit the transparency button, you’ll be able to hear what is going on around you without taking off your headphones, but unlike most other headphones out there that do offer a similar transparency feature, this transparency feature actually sounds like you’re not wearing headphones. Part of this is due to the fact that Beats has managed to remove latency from their transparency feature.
When it comes to audio, the new Solo Pros are not too bass or treble heavy. You can hear a clear separation of sound between instruments and vocals. They sound extremely detailed and balanced.
The new Solo Pros have also been completely redesigned, even down to the inner ear cups, which no longer have a seam. The sliders are more durable and adjustable and they have anodized them and the hinge. As a matter of fact, the headphones are now so durable that you can twist them. The lightning connector port is now waterproof too.
The new Beats Solo Pro comes with a very healthy 22 hours of battery life – and that is with ANC turned on. A ten-minute charge will provide users with 3 hours of full-featured playback or 6 hours with ANC and Transparency turned off.
We got a brief hands-on with the Solo Pros and they sounded absolutely phenomenal, especially for their price point. Our initial impression is that Beats has outdone themselves with the Solo Pros. They also feel more comfortable than their predecessors and have less pressure on your head when wearing them. We’ll have a full review of the Beats Solo Pro up soon.
The Beats Solo Pro will retail for $299. And for the first time ever, you’ll be able to opt for AppleCare for an extra $29.
The Beats Solo Pro headphones will initially be available in a choice of black, grey and ivory. There will also be limited edition dark blue, red, and light blue colors available at launch that are Pharrell Williams editions.