Beats Tones Down the Bass With its New Solo2 Headphones

[Dambuster43]

I know I will sound stupid...but... these are headphones! OK I can understand the now old fashioned HiFi buffs wanting to hear every instrument in a orchestra etc, but going off the kids cars as I hear them coming from half a mile away..... all they want is a bass sound the generates a minor earth quake.
Presumably they will use their headphones to listen to the same music on their homes....and the bass will still dominate!
In a store I tried Apples newly acquired product and compared against others. The music was the same in all models. I ended up buying Sony as they seemed to sound as good and about a third of the cost.
I also know now why I am not a billionaire....I would have told my board to set up a new contractor to create "our" own version headphones and undercut
Dr wotsits products.......

 

[VMMan]

Just a thought about how this thread generates sub-flames and private keyboard wars...

There are posters here who probably feel that many of the posts in this thread are racist. Some of the posters may actually be racist, too. But unless a post is explicitly racist, it weakens the position of any poster to bring up race as an issue.

There are a lot of non-racial reasons as to why people don't like the Beats acquisition, such as perception of inferior products/services, not being explicitly "core" to Apple, dilution of brand, etc.

I can't get over how ridiculous this comment is. So you're trying to tell me that unless someone comes out and calls Dr. Dre a N***** then a comment has no substantial racism behind it? What the actual hell are you talking about?

{Edit} I could have worded this better. And you make some valid points. This doesn't mean that the racist undertones should continue to be ignored like it has for many years. This is 2014 and I am tired of it. It has to be addressed.

Come on, now.

There are a lot of statements in which negative opinions about Beats, the company or its products and services are countered with accusations of racism.

In a forum of Apple enthusiasts, many new rumors of products have been bashed in the past. See the original thread of the iPod as an example of incredible bashing of an Apple product. Nobody in that thread ever brought up race. Why would one want to bring up race if somebody doesn't like a Beats product or think the acquisition is questionable?

That's all I'm saying. You of course can see whatever you want in any thread but you lose a lot of readers who really can't see the racism. If a usual reader cannot see any racism, you probably won't convince them if your responses are severe and critical (vs a more tempered response to educate readers).

Nobody likes to read a post by somebody being an a** or acting holier-than-thou.

 

[Manderby]

Just wanted to let you know that headphones have been tested recently by Stiftung Warentest and Kassensturz.

(both sites in german)
https://www.test.de/Kopfhoerer-Testsieger-zum-Schnaeppchenpreis-4695958-0/
You can see some of the results here:
http://www.srf.ch/konsum/tests/kassensturz-tests/viele-kopfhoerer-klingen-maessig

beats is last with only 30 out of 100 Points.

As always be sceptical with interpretations of such tests.

 

[AdonisSMU]

My original post quoted yours in its entirety.

I don't have to read every single post you've ever made in this thread or any other to express my point of view regarding the assertion you made in that specific post, which became the context for your assertion.

My ultimate POV is that if you think that certain posts on MacRumors apply to everyone then you're being as myopic as those who use racism as the basis for their opinions. For example if one read a review of Beats headphones as having an extremely bassy frequency response, and even though they never used them personally decided they didn't like them based on that, does that make them racist? Can someone not like Dre for reasons other than racism? If a person doesn't like hip-hop does that make them racist?

To reiterate, if you think that anyone who doesn't like Beats headphones, Dre, or hip-hop is racist because of certain posts on Macrumors you're guilty of your own prejudice.

Having said that, I agree that there are an inordinate number of posts in this thread, and others about Beats, that reek of overt and implied racism and it sickens me. I'm only saying to be careful not to fall into the same trap of making sweeping generalizations.

Fair enough. The problem I have is that I never even implied everyone. So quit misrepresenting what I said. There is no if about it. I would've said everyone if I meant everyone.

 

[OtherJesus]

You will find a lot of people find the Bose to be better sounding than the Beats Pill. I have both and prefer the sound of the Bose.

If I want to focus on low-mids and not much else, then yes, I'd pick the sound link mini. Although, in my opinion, the SLM gets most of it's low from the weight of the product and what you set it on, which is more an illusion of bass, and on turn creates more of a muddy sound (again, in my opinion).

Both are great. I've used them both over extended periods of time and for around the house and in the back yard, we preferred the Pill.

My Aunt, who loves 60-70s, we tested them side by side and I swore she was going to pick the Bose. She liked the Pill better. True story.

 

[lk400]

Still nowhere near as good as Sennheisers that cost 1/4 of the price.

How do you know?

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I see you wearing Beats headphones then I know you know nothing about headphones...

Plenty of people who "know about" headphones also have a pair of beats.

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Did Apple tell them that boosting the bass isn't what makes good headphones?

I realize your post is in jest, but at least the last 3 models have had this same profile - more balanced sound, less bass, better build.

 

[Tora Shin]

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.

Oh god... apple earbuds *runs to the bathroom to puke*

How any anyone seriously be happy listening to their music with those POS? It's not like good headphones are just a little bit better. Those things literally miss out half of the song. Not that beats cans are any better lol.

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Plenty of people who "know about" headphones also have a pair of beats.

HAHAHAHAHAHA! Go to head-fi and try telling them that!

 

[Soni Sanjay]

I like a quality listening experience as much as the next guy. Having headphones that can deliver sound to your ear with much the same quality as an orchestra in a well designed concert hall is very refreshing and worth a lot of money. That being said, while I have had that experience with a few very nice headphones, I do not spend the vast majority of my music listening time savoring every detail of a beautiful musical soundscape.

Most of my music listening time is background to something else I’m actually paying attention to, and spending a lot of money for background precision I won’t notice seems wasteful to me. If you have/make the time to enjoy quality recordings with the best audio precision, you obviously have a reason to buy expensive headphones.

But you do not have a reason to criticise other people’s music listening habits.

Personally, when I make the time to enjoy music for the sake of music, especially if I’m in the mood for classical or jazz or something like that, I go listen to it live. Does that mean I get to call you a slacker, and point out that no recording will ever capture the accuracy of a live performance? Because if so, how does it feel to listen to music in such a crappy manner?

No worries, I've been to plenty of music concerts...

No need to write a wall of text, I already replied to the poster and I said fair enough, maybe you should read everything before you write.

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Oh god... apple earbuds *runs to the bathroom to puke*

How any anyone seriously be happy listening to their music with those POS? It's not like good headphones are just a little bit better. Those things literally miss out half of the song. Not that beats cans are any better lol.

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HAHAHAHAHAHA! Go to head-fi and try telling them that!

You shouldn't say that in this forum, people will offend you for saying the truth, I agree 100% with you, but apparently here everything Apple is sacred and you can't express an opinion different to "WOW, this is awesome, best product ever", even though Apple Earpods are bad, terribly bad.

 

[chirpie]

Nothing. To. Do. With. Headphones.

https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/1739166/

And there you have it. It's 80% to do with the headphones.

 

[Soni Sanjay]

Apple earbuds are great for what they were intended. Sound very good, feel very good, and priced very good. There's a very wide variation in what customers expect or demand from what they buy. Criticizing others for what they appreciate is both boring and snobbish. You sound like you have only the very best of everything. Ho-hum.

Sound very good? No.
Feel very good? 8/10

The OP said that he couldn't understand when did that become the trend, he is the one who started criticizing people who bought quality headphones, so... I respect people's opinions, but he is the one who started this, not me.

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How do you know?

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Plenty of people who "know about" headphones also have a pair of beats.

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I realize your post is in jest, but at least the last 3 models have had this same profile - more balanced sound, less bass, better build.

1.- Multiple reviews from respected audiophiles
2.- Then they know nothing, really, they don't.
3.- I agree, but STILL, compared to other competitors, they are not worth it AT THAT PRICE.

 

[groovyd]

i can easily see them just replacing the beat logo on those with the apple logo in the following year of models... the style of this new headphone already appears to compliment the apple aesthetic.

I suspect they will also release a wireless possibly uncompressed HD audio version in a year or so with tight workout integration, heart rate on watch, selecting workout music on the phones...

 

[D-Love]

Great, let's try and pretent these headphones are not garbage because Apple bought them

The new Studios and Solos are not garbage and the Pros never were.

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yea the same people who wait in line for days just to get the "new jordans" at $200 per pair yet buy their groceries with an ebt card.

subtle.

 

[ksuyen]

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.

You mean there's no reason they shouldn't use Beats' design house.

 

[robertosh]

What specs?

 

[Jynto]

I was going to go with 2/5ths of the people buying headphones in the US like hip hop or other similarly bass heavy genres of music. Seems a little less confrontational than saying they have no taste.

Poor fools. Don't they know you can just do this?

 

[Menel]

I so hope Apple incorporates apt-X into the next gen iPhone iPad...to MY ears, the difference is night and day.

AptX is crap.

Hope next time you buy decent headphones that support direct AAC, which Apple has supported for years.

 

[kaielement]

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...

The article stated that the solo 2's were the last designed by Beats everything moving forward will be overseen by Apple. This sin't to say Apple will or will not change anything (and if they do we an only hope it's for the better)

 

[JHBrown]

Yea the same people who wait in line for days just to get the "new Jordans" at $200 per pair yet buy their groceries with an EBT card.

I'm speaking as a white man when I say, "you are an embarrassment to the majority of our race.

 

[Websnapx2]

Looks great but sounds like crap.
They are all bass and muffled sound.

Not any more they are not. I bought the New Studio Wireless set in January and I use them daily at work, at home and heavy commute. I have to say that the new sound signature of these (and it looks like these new solos) is much more balanced and you get strong bass, but accurately. So much so I stopped using my Klipsch S4i's. They aren't what they used to be. The build quality is great, the built in mic was detailed and doesn't require me to yell or talk loud in while outside taking a call. Also, probably the most comfortable over ear headphones I have ever put on. Seriously, I'm a bit of a Head phone addict and sound is important to me so I never went down the Beats path before this. I went in Just looking for Bluetooth Wireless over ear cans and I gave them a try. I was impressed with the whole wireless/over ear/comfortable package. And yes, they look good too, but that is because I opted for the understated matte black version with no glossy/shinny/attention grabbing edition with no colours on it. Just flat black on flat black.

 

[Websnapx2]

The Grados comment was in relation to a USA brand, not in relation for a hip hop headphone.

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They are specifically made for hip hop and mid bass. Which they achieve and people who like that music think they are great. It's just when you play any other type of genre you realise how awful they sound. A one trick pony.

I think your trying to describe reference headphones , which beats are not like the HD800

That is ridiculous, they are not "hip hop headphones" – what in the world are you talking about? First off, Hip hop isn't the only form of music who accentuates the lower frequency spectrum –*hell, Lady gaga has a set of Beats and I'm pretty sure she's not a rapper. Jazz, rock, edm, classical and most importantly pop (because by definition, it is the most popular) all require the ability to reproduce accurate low frequency. They went with a bass heavy sound signature early because it was tailored to Dre's sound. But that still doesn't make them "hip hop headphones" any more than my living room contains a "sports TV". The new ones are more balance, I know because I own a set and I wouldn't had they had the original sound signature. I listen to everything. From Sinatra to Radiohead to Yo-Yo Ma to the Beatles to Dre, and it all sounds good.

 

[street.cory]

owwww dear....

some American brands...... I did not check them all, just googled it

Crown, Ampex, Audio Research, Vac, DBX, ADC, Stanton, Krell, Harman Kardon, Dolby Labs, Marantz, Martin Logan, Fisher, JBL, Boston Acoustics, Klipsch, McIntosh, Conrad-Johnson, Atma-Sphere, Magnepan, Pass Labs, Vandersteen, Grado, Eminent Technology, KLH, Manley Labs, Westone, Shure, Ultimate Ears, Kloss, H.H. Scott, Dynaco, Stromberg-Carlson, Usher, NuForce, Acoustic Research, Acutex, American Audio, Audax, Audioquest, Alesis, Altec Lansing, Rek-O-Kut, Brush, Bellari,Channel Islands, Coloney, Concept, Denneson, Dexter, Dynamic Sound, Empire, Fairchild, Focusrite, Gates, G.E, Gentner, Graham, Gray Research, Herron, Hunt EDA, Immedia, Infinity, Jeff Roland, Lexicon, Linkwitz Lab, Magnavox, Mark Levinson, Meitner, Micro-Acoustics, Micro-Trak, Mitchell A Cotter, Modular Component Systems, Monolithic Sound, Music Hall, Netronics, Nitty Gritty, Numark, Pickering, Rabco, Rane, RCA, Realistic, Robins, RTS Systems, Russco, Sherwood, Sonographe, Sonus, Souther, Teres, THX, VPI, Wavelength Audio, Well Tempered, Wheaton,

And Beats is the only American company that happens to have an audio hardware division as well as a music streaming service.

 

[Websnapx2]

Full-ranged headphones with balanced sound do not need ""a wider range of sound and enhanced clarity." Basically, Beats is admitting in a roundabout way that the previous version of this product was crap.

A company claiming the newer version of something they make is better than the previous model? You don't say...

They should just close up shop because no one in the tech industry has ever done that and survived the ridicule.

 

[Websnapx2]

AptX is crap.

Hope next time you buy decent headphones that support direct AAC, which Apple has supported for years.

You mean like the Beats Studio Wireless which actually supports both?

source

 

[MH01]

That is ridiculous, they are not "hip hop headphones" – what in the world are you talking about? First off, Hip hop isn't the only form of music who accentuates the lower frequency spectrum –*hell, Lady gaga has a set of Beats and I'm pretty sure she's not a rapper. Jazz, rock, edm, classical and most importantly pop (because by definition, it is the most popular) all require the ability to reproduce accurate low frequency. They went with a bass heavy sound signature early because it was tailored to Dre's sound. But that still doesn't make them "hip hop headphones" any more than my living room contains a "sports TV". The new ones are more balance, I know because I own a set and I wouldn't had they had the original sound signature. I listen to everything. From Sinatra to Radiohead to Yo-Yo Ma to the Beatles to Dre, and it all sounds good.

If you think Beats are good for every Genre, you have no idea what you are missing out on. Listening to Sinatra or Beatles through a set of Beats and thinking its good sound, says more about you than Beats to
be honest.

The new Solo2 might improve this situation, but I will not comment until I try those.

I can see this being a pointless discussion.

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And Beats is the only American company that happens to have an audio hardware division as well as a music streaming service.

More importantly they are the only brand that has Jimmy Iovine.

 

[Websnapx2]

If you think Beats are good for every Genre, you have no idea what you are missing out on. Listening to Sinatra or Beatles through a set of Beats and thinking its good sound, says more about you than Beats to
be honest.

The new Solo2 might improve this situation, but I will not comment until I try those.

But you are commenting on them right now. I'm telling you I'm listening to the new ones and you are telling me what I'm missing without even trying them.

The new Solo's have the same sound signature as the Studio Wireless Beat I bought in January, I know what they sound like, you are commenting on sound you have not heard yet. If it says anything about me it's that I don't assume things and apply broad judgements on things I have no knowledge of. I had heard the old beats and never bought them because they are artificially bass heavy even though I like tons of bass. I tried and bought the aforementioned ones because I didn't apply bias to the brand. And I'm glad I did.