Apple’s latest and greatest headphones. How do they sound?
Okay, I’m going to do something unusual here. Spoiler alert: there are three headphone reviews incoming. Last week, I ordered the Beats Solo Pro headphones. I wanted something with noise-canceling and fantastic sound, along with Apple’s wireless magic. They were perfect for that. The fabled AirPods Pro would be too, but they seemed to be a far away thing. Since Apple didn’t send out invites in late October for an event, I assumed I’d have to wait until 2020 to get them.
Then Apple surprised us and released them with little fanfare.
So I ordered a pair and tried to cancel my Beats Solo Pros. Apple couldn’t cancel the order.
I was going to just return the Beats, but… well, who can pass up a chance for a review of what will undoubtedly be the most popular on-ear headphones of the year?
Normal people without a tech blog, that’s who.
So, now I’m testing out the Beats Solo Pro headphones before returning them… if I still return them, alongside the AirPods Pro.
And, quite soon, I’ll share a review of another set of headphones I had my hands on for a few weeks. But that’s not what you came here for. On to the AirPods Pro and Beats Solo Pro headphones!
AirPods Pro
Yeah, let’s not beat around the bush. This is the main stage show. How are the AirPods? Phenomenal. They sound so much better than the AirPods that came before them. My full review will have more details, but, yes, they sound fantastic. These are finally on par with other headphones in their price range.
The noise canceling is surprisingly good. I’ll have to use them on the train and in my office to really test them, but I’ll be comparing them to over-ear and on-ear headphones. If they’re not able to match them, I’ll let you know. So far? They surprise me. I couldn’t hear that my AC unit was running. But they go past that. Even my super noisy and high-pitched keyboard clacks are muted. I barely hear my keyboard. My keyboard!
Then there’s transparency mode. This is a trip. I was watching TV with my headphones in. I could feel them there. I knew they were there, but I could hear the TV perfectly. I snapped my fingers and could tell where they were. There’s no delay. I thought maybe they were just turning off the noise canceling, but no. In “neutral” mode, with both transparency and noise cancellation off, I couldn’t hear around me as well. It’s like having binaural amplifiers in my ears.
As for comfort, I’ll have to wear these every day for a few weeks to be sure, but I think they’re less comfortable than the AirPods, but you get a far more secure fit. Definitely something to play with, but so far, I think I prefer the fit. I ride a skateboard every day, so if I wear anything, I need a secure fit to keep them in. However, I need to be able to hear my surroundings. These finally make that possible.
Beats Solo Pro
Beats? For real? If you told me a few years ago that I’d buy Beats headphones and like them, I’d tell you that you’re insane. Beats? They’re nothing but pretty cans with a lot of bass, right?
Wrong.
Now Beats are high definition headphones with incredible sound clarity and detail. I’m talking vocals that have such crispness that you can hear the artist’s mouth movements. It’s insane. The Beats Solo Pro on-ear headphones have the same noise canceling and transparency as the AirPods Pro, but with an on-ear form factor. It’s still freaky. They’re better at noise cancelling, but not as good at transparency. They feel more artificial. I think this is because they naturally can block more external sound, so you only hear the sound from the microphones. Still, it works very well.
Comfort with these will be tricky. They don’t feel great with glasses, and they do squeeze quite a bit. I’ll have to try them out for a few hours to be sure. Having them on for about half an hour is fine, but I could see them wearing on me. Will have to update down the line.
I still can’t believe how great the sound quality is though. They have more fidelity than my Harman Kardon over ear headphones. Those were my gold standard for years! However, they have less bass. From Beats! Beats, the brand known for their bass, actually isn’t thumping my head with bass. It’s almost disappointing, really. They perform so magnificently with everything else, but falter a little in the one area where Beats usually crush it.
I was so sure I was going to be underwhelmed by these. I was not expecting to like them so much. Returning them is actually going to take a lot of effort.
And a long look at my credit card statement.
Full Reviews Coming Soon!
I normally don’t do teasers for reviews. I’m afraid it’ll dilute the final review. However, I’ve come to reconsider. My reviews are usually over 4,000 words long. I go into insane detail over the course of weeks or months for these products. The Leaf and Core reviews for the AirPods Pro and Beats Solo Pro headphones will give you all the detail you need about these wonderful headphones from Apple. For now, you’ll just have to make due with this teaser though.