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Beats Tones Down the Bass With its New Solo2 Headphones

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macrumors bot
Original poster
Apr 12, 2001
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Following the announcement that Apple was acquiring Beats Electronics, the audio accessory company is not slowing down, announcing a new version of its most popular set of on-ear headphones. The new Beats Solo² offers a new physical design and improved acoustics that promise to deliver "a wider range of sound and enhanced clarity."

beats-solo2.jpg
An early review from Engadget suggests the new cans tone down the bass, providing a "more balanced" sound than other Beats headphone models that often are criticized for their bass-heavy sound.
Well, the best way I can describe the sound here is "more balanced." Don't get me wrong: There's still plenty of bass when tunes call for it, but you can also clearly pick up other elements -- things like hi-hats, snares and others all seem to stand out more when compared to previous releases.
Click to expand...
Besides the improved audio quality, the Beats Solo² has a sleeker, more polished design that makes the headphones comfortable to wear, says The Wall Street Journal.
The new design, which echoes the more expensive, over-ear Beats Studio, is sleeker, with no visible screws and higher quality materials that offer a more premium feel than the predecessor. Acoustics have been improved, too. The ear cups now sit at an angle that's far more comfortable on your ears--especially after hours of wear. The new ear-cup design also blocks out more background noise.
Click to expand...
Now that Apple is acquiring Beats, these Solo² headphones may be among the last models released by Beats as a standalone company. Going forward, Apple will oversee the design and marketing of Beats' future products. As part of this transition, Beats will sever its long-term relationship with design firm Ammunition, which is responsible for the design of the Beats' current lineup of headphones and speakers.

The new Beats Solo² headphones are available now for pre-order from Beats' website and will arrive in retail stores beginning June 1. Pricing for the model remains the same, with the Solo² costing $199. It is available in a variety of colors including pink, blue, gray, white or red.

Article Link: Beats Tones Down the Bass With its New Solo2 Headphones
 
Article Link
https://www.macrumors.com/2014/05/29/beats-solo2-headphones/
Wayfarer

Wayfarer

macrumors 65816
Jun 15, 2007
1,225
601
In before MacRumors has turned into "BeatsRumors" claim in 3... 2... 1... :rolleyes:
 
chirpie

chirpie

macrumors 6502a
Jul 23, 2010
646
183
So they'll change the look and sound of the products?

Why?

Isn't one of the ideas behind buying a company so you can acquire what made them "special" in the first place?

Out of all the things I didn't like about the brand, the appearance was something I actually didn't have a problem with...
 
OS X Dude

OS X Dude

macrumors 65816
Jun 30, 2007
1,128
611
UK
The Engadget reviewer said they were uncomfortable to wear, so mileage may vary. Fit is very personal, however.
 
PatriotInvasion

PatriotInvasion

macrumors 68000
Jul 18, 2010
1,643
1,048
Boston, MA
Hmmm. The timing of this release seems like a strategic alignment with the acquisition becoming official. Doubt Apple engineers had anything to do with this model, but wouldn't be shocked if the release is aimed to target listeners of genres where bass is less emphasized.

Forget pleasing the audiophiles though. They hate everything.

PS -

Sennheiser = German
Bang & Olufsen = Danish
Bowers & Wilkins = English
Spotify = Swedish

Apple = American
Beats = American

Perhaps that played a role as well for Apple.
 
R

Razeus

macrumors 603
Jul 11, 2008
5,348
2,030
Great. I completely forget we'll now be getting "rumors" and articles on Beats products. :mad:
 
Cooee!

Cooee!

macrumors member
Feb 16, 2014
84
30
I actually think beats headphones look great.

Edit: For me, they sound great too. Can't wait for their future products under Apple
 
Last edited:
D

DTphonehome

macrumors 68000
Apr 4, 2003
1,914
3,377
NYC
chirpie said:
So they'll change the look and sound of the products?

Why?

Isn't one of the ideas behind buying a company so you can acquire what made them "special" in the first place?

Out of all the things I didn't like about the brand, the appearance was something I actually didn't have a problem with...
Click to expand...

The sound has a lot of room for improvement. The looks are nice, but Apple has their own design ethos and there's no reason they should use Beats' design house.
 
truettray

truettray

macrumors 6502
Sep 7, 2012
386
268
USA
My number one gripe with Beats are their unbalanced sound quality... I don't care if my headphones look like these
350x263px-LL-86ae1438_npia8n.jpeg

I just want them to sound amazing.
 
C

curiosity

macrumors regular
Sep 3, 2013
188
0
Now that everyone knows how expensive they are, I might consider buying one. The sound is of lesser importance.
 
D

dpfenninger

macrumors regular
Nov 23, 2005
202
128
Call me crazy, but why is it necessary to spend hundreds of dollars for headphones? When did this become the trend? I get it that people want a quality listening experience, but the sheer number of these headphones on the market makes me wonder when this all happened.

If you had told me five years ago about a pair of $200 headphones, I would have said "good luck selling those," but it seems they're all over the place now, so apparently people buy them.

As for me, I'm quite content with my Apple earbuds, thank you. :)
 
Rogifan

Rogifan

macrumors Penryn
Nov 14, 2011
24,124
31,156
DTphonehome said:
The sound has a lot of room for improvement. The looks are nice, but Apple has their own design ethos and there's no reason they should use Beats' design house.
Click to expand...

Beats design house will no longer be working with the company.

http://www.ammunitiongroup.com/work/1922-2/

I think Apple should use Beats to create a downmarket sub-brand that has its own unique styling and that's maybe more colorful/fun than the Apple brand. Use the Beats brand to create a cheaper smartphone for emerging markets.
 
atticus27

atticus27

macrumors regular
Feb 2, 2009
200
0
Pittsburgh, PA
I'd rather have in-ear headphones. Over the ear ones are to big, to take to the gym. Beats knows how to market though. They have, so many people willing to pay $200+ for headphones
 
T

theluggage

macrumors 604
Jul 29, 2011
7,486
7,337
Does audio quality come in to it?

Normally, when travelling I can hold off that 'I don't want to live in this world any more' feeling until I'm actually on the plane and browsing the digital cat litter boxes and climbing-gear clad plastic squirrels in the SkyMall catalogue... Last time, however, I only made it as far as Dixons at Heathrow before I noticed that all the headphone displays prominently featured a mirror.

Its pretty clear that audio is not the top priority when people are choosing headphones.
 
Dave245

Dave245

macrumors G3
Sep 15, 2013
9,763
8,005
I don't know what people's problem with Beats is, I own a pair of the Solo HD's and they are brilliant, very durable and the sound is great. Yea they are bass heavy but they also work great with other types of music, I listen to all different types of music and I love Beats.
 
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