Beats by Dr. Dre Solo White On-Ear Headphones with ControlTalk

by Monster

Product Details

• Product Dimensions: 4.2 x 6.8 x 9.9 inches ; 2.1 pounds
• Shipping Weight: 3 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Shipping: This item is also available for shipping to select countries outside the U.S.
• ASIN: B002P8T0H4
• Item model number: 129442
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (209 customer reviews)

Product Description

Color: White

From the Manufacturer

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What Critics Are Saying About Beats Solo

“You can forget about the world around you when you're wearing Solos, so much so that it's probably not advisable to cross a crowded intersection with these babies bumping. With such high quality sound and eminently effective noise canceling capabilities, Solos possess the power to transport you to dimensions previously unheard” --Sheila Marikar, ABCNews.com

	Beats Studios	Beats Solos	Beats Tour	Heartbeats
Smartphone Ready	✓	✓	See here	See here
Noise-Cancelling	✓
Replaceable Cord	✓	✓
Flat Tangle-Free Cable			✓	✓
Replacement Tips			✓	✓
Multiple Colors	✓	✓		✓
Folding Design	✓	✓
Speaker Mute	✓
Warranty	1 Year	1 Year	3 Year	1 Year

Hear All The Music: In Comfort and Style

Headphones that could reproduce the true dynamics of today’s music were a rarity—until the legendary Beats™ Studio™ hit the scene. Now, a new headphone in the Beats tradition, Beats Solo.™ brings you amazing sound in a smaller, lighter on-ear design. With Beats Solo, you’ll hear every sonic detail the musicians and recording engineers laid down in the studio. Deep bass. Hard hitting drums. Bold midrange. And clean, undistorted highs. All in a comfortable fit you can wear for hours.

Perfect While on the Move

Solos are compact and incredibly lightweight and ready for your active lifestyle, gym work out, or frequent travel. The tri-fold design allows Solos to fit into the included compact carrying case. With Beats Solos getting a great music experience has never been easier. ControlTalk: The Ultimate in iPod Control and Hands Free Calling With the built-in ControlTalk remote on the Beats Solo™ headphone cable, you get on-cable control of your music, as well as easy, high quality hands-free calling. You’ll enjoy quick-access music playback control, like volume, play/pause and tracking, without having to dig for your iPod. Plus, the high-grade mic and high-resolution, sound-isolating headphones all combine to let you hear and be heard much more clearly—and conveniently—than you ever could with the phone to your ear.

A Natural Fit

With Solos, you feel the music, not the headphones. Plush, on-ear cushions comfort your ears and form an acoustic seal that keeps the sound in and noise out.

Product Description

Hear All The Music: In Comfort and Style Headphones that could reproduce the true dynamics of today's music were a rarity until the legendary Beats Studio hit the scene. Now, a new headphone in the Beats tradition, Beats Solo. brings you amazing sound in a smaller, lighter on-ear design. With Beats Solo, you'll hear every sonic detail the musicians and recording engineers laid down in the studio. Deep bass. Hard hitting drums. Bold midrange. And clean, undistorted highs. All in a comfortable fit you can wear for hours. Perfect While on the Move Solos are compact and incredibly lightweight and ready for your active lifestyle, gym work out, or frequent travel. The tri-fold design allows Solos to fit into the included compact carrying case. With Beats Solos getting a great music experience has never been easier. ControlTalk: The Ultimate in iPod Control and Hands-Free Calling. With the built-in ControlTalk remote on the Beats Solo headphone cable, you get on-cable control of your music, as well as easy, high quality hands-free calling. You'll enjoy quick-access music playback control, like volume, play/pause and tracking, without having to dig for your iPod. Plus, the high-grade mic and high-resolution, sound-isolating headphones all combine to let you hear and be heard much more clearly and conveniently than you ever could with the phone to your ear. A Natural Fit With Solos, you feel the music, not the headphones. Plush, on-ear cushions comfort your ears and form an acoustic seal that keeps the sound in and noise out. Remote and mic supported by iPod Nano (4th gen), Classic (120GB), Touch (2nd gen), iPhone 3GS and newer, but not all Blackberry. Remote supported by iPod Shuffle (3rd gen). Requires software v. 1.0.3 for iPod Nano (4th gen), 2.0.1 for Classic (120GB), and 2.2 or later for Touch (2nd gen). Support for Blackberry varies by model. Subject to change.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

257 of 264 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Quality headphones, a better choice than the Beats Studio, December 14, 2009

By 

D. Bezboruah (Irvine, CA United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Beats Solo by Dr. Dre On-Ear Headphones with ControlTalk (Black) (Electronics)

Last year, I tried out a pair of Beats Studio noise-cancelling headphones at an Apple Store and, upon listening to the music selection, decided that it was the best sounding headphones I had ever listened to. I was impressed enough that I was tempted to purchase them on the spot...but I had some hesitations which led me to walk out empty-handed. The caveats then were:
-Battery required for operation (due to the noise-cancelling function, which I didn't need)
-Large size
-The plastic material felt cheap and likely to crack easily
-and of course, the price (about three-hundred fifty USD at the time)

The sound of the Beats Studio had "haunted" me since, as I searched in vain for a cheaper and better quality pair of headphones which matched or beat that sound. I tried pairs from Grado, Ultimate Ears, Sennheiser, Bose, but never felt satisfied with the sound quality as I had with the Beats Studio. Finally, a couple of weeks ago, I learned that these headphones, the Beats Solo, were coming out. I saw that the price was below two-hundred USD and ordered them immediately. My hope was that the sound quality would be just as good as the more expensive Beats Studio.

These headphones have met all my expectations. The sound is truly amazing and I can clearly hear so much detail in my music. The headphones do a swell job of projecting the background detail enough, but not too much that it drowns out the rest of the music. Also, the bass is slightly amplified so you hear some slight "thump thump" but is definitely not overpowering like "THUMP! THUMP!"

As for the caveats that I had with the more expensive Beats Studio, they are all addressed to my satisfaction with the Beats Solo:
+These headphones are not noise-cancelling, and as a result do not use a battery. They are simply plug-in headphones without an on/off switch.
+The Beats Solo is more compact than and not as bulky as the Studio phones. They also fold and can be stored in the included neoprene carrying pouch.
+The quality of the plastic in these phones is much superior. These phones feel solid and worth the price.
+The price is still high, but I believe it's more reasonable.

There are some other differences that are noteworthy about the Beats Solo over the Beats Studio:
+The Solo headphones are worn so that they rest on TOP of your ear, and not surrounding them. If you are familiar with Bose's line of headphones, then the Beats Solo would compare to the Bose On-Ear headphones. The Studio phones, however, fit around the ear and would compare to the Bose QC2/Quiet Comfort 15 phones.
+The cheaper Solo headphones have a 3-year warranty vs. 1-year warranty for the more expensive Studio headphones. (Interesting...)
+While both headphones include a cable with a mic that can be used with an iPhone or similar phones, the Solo headphone cord also has a remote control that can control the volume and other functions. However, this feature isn't perfect. The button that controls playback functions is too small that I typically would hit the volume button at the same time. Also, I tried using the phones while making calls with my iPhone 3GS, and the people on the other end complained that they heard a substantial amount of background noise.

In conclusion, I believe the Beats Solo headphones have excellent sound, quality construction and sleek design which make them worthy of their price. They are, in my mind, a better buy than the more expensive Beats Studio headphones. Only if you are a frequent flyer who would benefit from noise-cancelling should you consider buying the Studio headphones. Otherwise, the Solo headphones are the ones to get.

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EDIT (February 25, 2010) - Apparently Monster has decided to shorten the warranty on the Beats Solo to 1 year only. I went into the Apple Store today where I had purchased my set and saw that of the stock they have, a few of the units had "Three Year Limited Warranty" written on the box (lower part of the left spine) while the rest had "One Year Limited Warranty" instead. I spoke with one of the Apple Store guys who confirmed that the 1-year warranty units were their newer stock. I wouldn't consider this a reason to take off any stars since I still think these are great headphones; I guess Monster chose to match Bose and Sony in regards to the warranty length, which is indeed a shame.

Thanks to Suzie Mcleod for first discovering this change.


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EDIT (December 16, 2010) - Thought I'd add a little update that after owning these headphones for more than 1 year, they're still working great for me! I noticed many of the negative reviews about the head band breaking; mine has not broken fortunately, but I've been very gentle with my headphones and have been careful to not overstretch the band when putting them on. I'd say if you're careful and patient enough to take a few extra seconds when putting on these phones, you shouldn't have to worry about the head band breaking. As for the sound quality, I still think it's terrific. I recently did an accidental comparison of these phones to my pair of Ultimate Ears 700 earbuds (which I've also given a positive review of here on Amazon). Basically I had taken off the Beats and put on the Ultimate Ears buds immediately as I was heading out of the house. I had never done that before. The difference in sound quality was very noticeable, like night and day. The Beats headphones trumped the Ultimate Ears. With the Beats, I felt like I was in a concert hall listening to the music, and the details were noticeable. With the earbuds, I felt like I was listening to the music through a tin can. The sound quality felt cheap and awful, and the detail was not as impressive. Granted, this could be a common comparison between a pair of full-size headphones like the Beats and a pair of in-ear buds. Nevertheless, I thought I'd throw it out here just to give my perspective. I still highly recommend these phones.

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EDIT (May 28, 2011) - Well, so my headphones DID break! I was taking them off normally and in a gentle manner when I heard a snap, and knew instantly what happened. While it was frustrating to have the headphones break, exchanging them under warranty was literally painless. I called Monster's warranty line and got someone in the U.S. with barely any wait time. The lady took down my particulars and gave me an RMA number and address to ship the broken pair of headphones. She also emailed it as well, which was really handy. I did have to pay out-of-pocket to ship the broken pair of headphones (under $10), which was fine to me although I know some people will complain about that. She told me that it would take them 3-4 weeks to process my exchange, but literally a week after I shipped off the busted pair I was surprised to get a package from Monster. They sent me a brand-new pair of the same model complete in sealed retail packaging with all accessories. The replacement pair I got was identical to my previous pair in both looks and feel of the material and construction. I couldn't help but notice that on the new package is a sticker saying "Featuring Superior Strength Headband". I did not, and do not intend to, test this claim :D

Overall, I too got the "broken headphone syndrome". However, Monster's customer service and fast warranty service was very good and practically hassle-free, and I got a new pair in less than 2 weeks. I was glad to see Monster stand behind their product like that, and hence I do not see any reason to take any stars off my original 5-star rating. Hopefully my new pair will last longer.

92 of 105 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars For bass lovers only., January 9, 2010

By 

Brian Billadeau - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Beats Solo by Dr. Dre On-Ear Headphones with ControlTalk (Black) (Electronics)

I tried a pair of these headphones at a Best Buy demo station and was immediately blown away by the bass. I quickly bought a pair hoping all my music would sound just as good with that kind of bass. Unfortunately when I got home and started listening to music on my iPod I was very disappointed by the overall sound quality.

Yes, the bass is amazing, but the mid-range is blown out and not at all natural sounding for most music. Even worse the highs are very weak and it seemed like I was missing a lot of the high range while listening to the music. For example, many female singers sounded distant and muffled. I am not an audiophile, but I had a pair of Sony v900 studio headphones which had recently given out after 10 years of use, which the Beats solo were supposed to replace. The v900's had far better balance and a much more natural sound than the Beats, and I only paid $150 compared to the $180 for the Beats.

On the positive side the Beat's look very nice and the build quality seemed decent, although I did see a demo pair at Best Buy with the headband broke in two. They also fold up nicely and come with a carrying case.

If you listen to a lot of different types of music and this is going to be your main pair of headphones, then I would pass on them. If you mainly listen to rap or synth music with a lot of bass, then you may be extremely happy with them as they have some of the most powerful bass I have ever heard from a pair of headphones.

28 of 29 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars They're okay, January 28, 2010

By 

Jeff S. "Music Fan" (Manhattan Beach, CA United States) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Beats Solo by Dr. Dre On-Ear Headphones with ControlTalk (Black) (Electronics)

I bought these hoping that they would be my primary iphone/ipod headphones. I'm writing this review after trying them out for a month. (I just returned them today).

Well, the headphones were okay. The sound wasn't that great. I listen to all types of music (rap, classic rock, classical) on the headphones. I also listened from my computer, directly from the CD, and from my mp3 player. No big difference. I changed my EQ to acoustic to see if it would make the sound better (it didn't). I really can't say that the solo's are vastly superior to the earbuds that came with my iphone. I read some reviews that headphones have to be used for a while before they sound good. Well, after a month they sound pretty much the as they did when i first bought them. Also, the headphones don't block out very much background noise on an airplane. I know they're not noise cancelling, but i'm just letting you know.

My complaint is that music didn't sound crisp. The headphones do bass fine. They look really good. The iphone talk, volume control, and track skip feature worked great. I tried out the beats studio and QC3 and bose 15 today and all of them sounded noticeably better to my ears. Maybe i was expecting too much out of my headphones with the beats solo.

hopefully my review gives some extra perspective. most of the reviews are 5stars but i just don't see it.

Thanks.

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