Depends on your usage and where you use them
I like both but AirPods for gym and going out and about is a must for me. Couldn't the use solo3 for those things.
Do love the battery life on solo3 still on 54% after heavy usage yesterday
Got a tip for us?
Let us know
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
Airpods vs Beats Solo 3
- Thread starter darthbane2k
- Start date
- Sort by reaction score
I like both but AirPods for gym and going out and about is a must for me. Couldn't the use solo3 for those things.
Do love the battery life on solo3 still on 54% after heavy usage yesterday
yeah they are better sound wise and for many that is what people want more than anything. i'm lucky to have both and enjoying bothYep it depends on one's usage but if one is on the fence and could utilize either then the Solo 3s are a much better buy discounted. And I dare say their sound quality is far superior. That is all.
I actually was able to try them out at the Apple Store last night. They sound much better than the included Earpods IMHO. I too bought the Beats Solo 3's on sale at Best Buy. They are nice sounding earphones so still debating whether or not to keep both. The Solo 3's definetely sound better than the Airpods, but he Airpods are much more practical to use.
I have noticed that much of the hype and many of the reviews concerning the airpods revolve around the W1 chip.
People tend to forget that there are two other headphones on the market that use the W1.
I have heard very little discussion about sound quality
People tend to forget that there are two other headphones on the market that use the W1.
I have heard very little discussion about sound quality
So I got a pair of Beats Solo 3 headphones for christmas. Overall loving the ease of pairing - I go back and forth between my iPhone 7+ and 2015 rMBP a *lot* and the W1 chip makes this less painful.
Except:
I've had the same problem happen twice now while using them with my Mac. Listening to music via iTunes, they just suddenly mute. The music keeps "playing" - the time keeps going - but no sound. When I click the blue output button in iTunes, I see the Beats there twice (see below) - when it was muted, the bottom entry was checked. Clicking the top entry turned it back on, and I can now go back and forth between the two. Anyone have any idea what these two entries mean, or seen anything like this with other W1 devices?
![Screen Shot 2016-12-28 at 8.59.29 AM.png]( "Screen Shot 2016-12-28 at 8.59.29 AM.png")
Clicking the system audio button only shows one Beats, but no checkmark:
![Screen Shot 2016-12-28 at 9.15.15 AM.png]( "Screen Shot 2016-12-28 at 9.15.15 AM.png")
Except:
I've had the same problem happen twice now while using them with my Mac. Listening to music via iTunes, they just suddenly mute. The music keeps "playing" - the time keeps going - but no sound. When I click the blue output button in iTunes, I see the Beats there twice (see below) - when it was muted, the bottom entry was checked. Clicking the top entry turned it back on, and I can now go back and forth between the two. Anyone have any idea what these two entries mean, or seen anything like this with other W1 devices?
Clicking the system audio button only shows one Beats, but no checkmark:
I have the Solo 3's and I love them. The battery life is incredible and they sound pretty good. Can you find another pair of on-ear headphones for cheaper with the same quality? Well yeah but you won't get that W1 chip!! They are definitely my favorite pair of headphones at the moment.
I'm interested in the Airpods and almost bought them but the 5 hour battery life doesn't appeal to me. Also the included Earpods with the iPhones don't feel great in my ears for some reason so I assume the Airpods would be the same. That being said, I'm glad they've had such positive reviews so far and I'm looking forward to future generations of the product.
I'm interested in the Airpods and almost bought them but the 5 hour battery life doesn't appeal to me. Also the included Earpods with the iPhones don't feel great in my ears for some reason so I assume the Airpods would be the same. That being said, I'm glad they've had such positive reviews so far and I'm looking forward to future generations of the product.
Found a pair of AirPods for in store pick up Today. I'm going to test them out for a couple days and see if I like them. My Solo 3 won't be arriving until Jan. 3 and due to the store policy, they can't be returned if opened so I will have to make my decision now whether I will keep AirPods or keep the Solo 3 when they arrive. The good thing is Apple lets you return AirPods if you decide they aren't for you, they appear to be the only store in Canada that will let you return headphones once opened.
so far i'm liking both the air pods and solo3 but i do find the air pods are more comfortable on my ears. there are times when the solo3 hurt my ears if i have them on for a long time.
I said i would be using the solo3 when at home while air pods at the gym and out and about but kind of think i will use the air pods more at home and use the solo3 only when i want to listen to music around the house. stuff like podcasts when i'm on my iPad or MacBook i will use my air pods.
I said i would be using the solo3 when at home while air pods at the gym and out and about but kind of think i will use the air pods more at home and use the solo3 only when i want to listen to music around the house. stuff like podcasts when i'm on my iPad or MacBook i will use my air pods.
Well I am not keeping both for now so I will return the Solo 3, the Airpods will be hard to get for awhile so they are the keepers and preference since I have other BT headphones. If I decide I want the Solo 3 as well they are not hard to get as Costco has oodles of them.
Gotta love the no tangles and wires not getting yanked out of one's ears occasionally while doing things. Never had that before with earbuds.
Gotta love the no tangles and wires not getting yanked out of one's ears occasionally while doing things. Never had that before with earbuds.
Well I am not keeping both for now so I will return the Solo 3, the Airpods will be hard to get for awhile so they are the keepers and preference since I have other BT headphones. If I decide I want the Solo 3 as well they are not hard to get as Costco has oodles of them.
Gotta love the no tangles and wires not getting yanked out of one's ears occasionally while doing things. Never had that before with earbuds.
I have another older pair of Sony Bluetooth Headphone with NC as well but the build quality is terrible on them and they don't really sound the greatest. I'm excited to see what the AirPods bring to the table though but price will also be a factor in my decision as I had to pay $60 more for the Airpods than the Solo 3's.
What was the biggest reason that made you decide to return the Solo 3?
$160 here in Canada. It came out to that price with a combination of a couple discounts. The Solo 3 were given a $100 discount off the $329 price for Boxing Day and on top of that I was able to apply a 20% coupon and another separate promo for $25 off. This is all through the 3rd party retailer "The Source" not the Apple Store.
Today I purchased the AirPods for $219 and have been testing them throughout the evening. The pairing process and connection have been incredible but I'm not fully satisfied with the comfort of the AirPods, they seem to hurt my ears after about 20 or so minutes of wearing them. Compared to my Klipsch S4I Active IEM's, the AirPods are both more uncomfortable and worse in sound quality but are vastly more convenient.
I'm going to try them out for a couple more days and see if the comfort improves but so far the convenience is simply unmatched by anything. The size of the case is also incredibly small, much smaller than I expected which means I could take the AirPods pretty much anywhere I go and not notice it.
Does anyone notice the clarity of the Solo3/AirPods is improved slightly with an iPhone 7 Plus over other Bluetooth devices, or am I just tired? I wouldn't be surprised if Apple worked some W1 magic into the iPhone 7's Bluetooth chip.
[doublepost=1483075765][/doublepost]
Based on your post all I see are cons for your use personally. Uncomfortable, lower sound quality than the S4i which are available for under $50, and if the case is so small that you may not notice it it might make it easier to lose.
$159 is the right price for the AirPods as they're comfortable to me but unless the sound is truly impressive then personally I would want better sound quality or a lower price. No fault of the AirPods, but I won't pay $159 for subpar audio when there are wireless alternatives that offer better quality at that price -- though not truly wireless of course. But then again as I've been saying for months the value of the AirPods is convenience, not sound quality.
[doublepost=1483075765][/doublepost]
Based on your post all I see are cons for your use personally. Uncomfortable, lower sound quality than the S4i which are available for under $50, and if the case is so small that you may not notice it it might make it easier to lose
. $159 is the right price for the AirPods as they're comfortable to me but unless the sound is truly impressive then personally I would want better sound quality or a lower price. No fault of the AirPods, but I won't pay $159 for subpar audio when there are wireless alternatives that offer better quality at that price -- though not truly wireless of course. But then again as I've been saying for months the value of the AirPods is convenience, not sound quality.
Well I have other BT headsets as I said and it is nice to have earbuds now with no wires, easy charging, and good connectivity.
And the Solo 3s do fit a little tight and are obviously heavier so there is more comfort with the airpods.
[doublepost=1483110101][/doublepost]It has to be Bluetooth, the EarPods play my YouTube music more efficiently than the airpods so it isn't the type of file per se.
The ip7 was no better than any other iPhone I tried with the airpods. I will try the 7 Plus at an Apple Store though as I have not sampled yet with that and the airpods.
iPhone 7 and 7 Plus should sound the same. Was just implying that Apple may have done something with the Bluetooth chip in the 7/Plus so that connectivity/quality is a bit better with W1 headphones.
I haven't really noticed a difference listening to Spotify on my iPad Air 2 and 7 Plus. I am going to try an Android device soon and see how it compares in sound quality.
I also seem to be having the standby drain issues mentioned by others, I lost 12% in 8 hours of sleep. I have now reset them and fully recharged the case and will monitor it from here on out. The comfort has seemed to improve slightly due but it's still not great. My Solo 3 are supposed to arrive Jan 3 so we shall see how the coming days go but so far I believe I may not keep either of them.
The Solo3 will probably be more comfortable but they lack the portability and convenience of the AirPods and the "go anywhere" ability to bring them. I also have another pair of Beats Mixr headphones and thinking about it, the actual cable doesn't bother me. It seems that every time I'm actually using the headphones, I'm in a place where portability isn't an issue or Im not actively moving where the wire would bother me.
The true wireless Nature of AirPods is extremely appealing to me but the comfort and sound quality is not quite there yet unfortunately.
I'd think the AirPods will be more comfortable as they just sit inside the ear placing no pressure on it. Heck, they don't even sit deep inside the ear canal so on paper they could be one of the most comfortable headphones. The Solo3 do place some pressure on the ears especially over long periods, but adjusting it can make it more comfortable.
I as well as everyone else I've A/B compared with find Apple Music to sound better than Spotify, and it should definitely be noticeably better with AirPods and Solo3 as they're optimized for the AAC codec Apple uses.
Tried the Plus yesterday, no difference really than with any other iPhones I have tried.
Airpods are more comfortable and easy to use
Beats 3 have better battery life (Especially stand-by).
The latter you charge and put in a bag, the former is for day to day use.
Beats 3 have better battery life (Especially stand-by).
The latter you charge and put in a bag, the former is for day to day use.
Does anyone notice the clarity of the Solo3/AirPods is improved slightly with an iPhone 7 Plus over other Bluetooth devices, or am I just tired? I wouldn't be surprised if Apple worked some W1 magic into the iPhone 7's Bluetooth chip.
[doublepost=1483075765][/doublepost]
Based on your post all I see are cons for your use personally. Uncomfortable, lower sound quality than the S4i which are available for under $50, and if the case is so small that you may not notice it it might make it easier to lose
$159 is the right price for the AirPods as they're comfortable to me but unless the sound is truly impressive then personally I would want better sound quality or a lower price. No fault of the AirPods, but I won't pay $159 for subpar audio when there are wireless alternatives that offer better quality at that price -- though not truly wireless of course. But then again as I've been saying for months the value of the AirPods is convenience, not sound quality.
Well I am not satisfied with the quality of the Airpods with what I listen to. I read your post yesterday honing in about why would I spend $159 for subpar sound when there are alternatives.
Well there is an alternative and it is truly wireless, the Sol Republic Amps Air.
I bought them this morning at BB, remember that Paul Desmond album on yt music? Well it is all there IMHO. The Amps blow away the Airpods listening to that AND with an iPhone.
It is early and I cannot speak about battery life and other things yet but from a sound quality perspective I have no problems yet with the Amps. I obviously did with the Airpods which is why I am trying something else to begin with.
And the iPhone basically found and paired the Amps instantly.
Last edited:
The latter has 40hrs battery life and is hardly and inconvenient to charge. Heck a 5 min charge gives it 3 hrs of juice
Going from a 2012 MacBook Pro to an iPhone 6s on the same song, there is definitely a difference in quality. Going from iPhone 6s to iPhone 7, there's a perceived improvement in clarity but I'm unsure if that's placebo without A/Bing it.
It might be less noticeable on the AirPods, but my bottom line is to get the best quality possible out of the W1 chip use AAC on an iPhone 7/Plus.
It might be less noticeable on the AirPods, but my bottom line is to get the best quality possible out of the W1 chip use AAC on an iPhone 7/Plus.
Last edited:
