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Solo3-- anyone got or getting them?

thadoggfather

thadoggfather

macrumors P6
Original poster
Oct 1, 2007
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was never a beats fan (particularly when it was snake oil Monster running the show), always scoffed at them, minus some head clamp, I love my solo 2 wireless-- great sound,



Anyone have a solo3 to compare? I know w1 chip allows 40h vs 12h on solo2, but wondering if there's audio improvements/comfort improvements as battery life isn't that big of a deal for me, i dont use these all the time,

http://www.beatsbydre.com/headphones/browse-headphones/wireless-headphones/MNEN2.html

seems like apple stores near me have them in stock, dont know how recently they were released
 
I was thinking about it, as I've been really happy with my Solo 2's and the easier pairing seemed really nice. However I'm kind of annoyed that they didn't use a Lightning port for charging. I'll probably still go for it eventually though, but I'll have to see how much easier the pairing is and how the battery life holds up in real life.
 
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Curious to try them out, ordered a pair that are preparing for shipment now. All colors but the matte black are in stock locally now but I'll patiently wait for the matte delivery.
 
I got these for my wife and I - they match our phone - they were delivered Wednesday - one in rose gold and one in matte black - but haven't tried them yet- hoping for good results.
 
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mizzourah said:
I got these for my wife and I - they match our phone - they were delivered Wednesday - one in rose gold and one in matte black - but haven't tried them yet- hoping for good results.
Click to expand...

Nice. Definitely interested to hear what you think of them.
 
I'd planned on picking these up in rose gold for the wife. She picked up the Solo 2s when we were in the Apple Store earlier and was checking them out. Definitely cemented the decision to pick them up for her.
 
I e been using the powerbeats and the solo 2s, I am. It sure I want to spend the same amount for another pair of solo 3s not til my 2s fail
 
Ok. We just exchanged gifts. So we put these through the paces. They are really great. First of all, it may seem little but I listened to a podcast about design and having them fully charged when they are opened is key. I don't want to spend $300 on something and then have to charge it for 8 hours to use it. Impressive that they are 100% charged out of the box - so we got to play with them. They sound great. they may not be the most audiophile best headphones of all time. I'm sure of that. But for the 90% of us that just want great music that sounds great and lets us hear all the subtleties of the songs, these are amazing. Wireless sound that have great range with the ability to talk to Siri and adjust volume on ear, these are the real deal. We have the Dash, which are wireless in-ear headphones, and these are fantastic. These are really great - worth the investment. Especially when you can do something a bit strange like match them to your phone, but still really great. They are worth it. We both love them - played our playlists with great reproduction of sound - only the super sound geeks (I mean that in the best way) who might notice the small nuances of music might think these aren't worth it. But for those of us who just prioritize enjoying their music wirelessly and truly enjoying the experience, these are really great. I wouldn't hesitate to get them again - at this price point.
 
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mizzourah said:
Ok. We just exchanged gifts. So we put these through the paces. They are really great. First of all, it may seem little but I listened to a podcast about design and having them fully charged when they are opened is key. I don't want to spend $300 on something and then have to charge it for 8 hours to use it. Impressive that they are 100% charged out of the box - so we got to play with them. They sound great. they may not be the most audiophile best headphones of all time. I'm sure of that. But for the 90% of us that just want great music that sounds great and lets us hear all the subtleties of the songs, these are amazing. Wireless sound that have great range with the ability to talk to Siri and adjust volume on ear, these are the real deal. We have the Dash, which are wireless in-ear headphones, and these are fantastic. These are really great - worth the investment. Especially when you can do something a bit strange like match them to your phone, but still really great. They are worth it. We both love them - played our playlists with great reproduction of sound - only the super sound geeks (I mean that in the best way) who might notice the small nuances of music might think these aren't worth it. But for those of us who just prioritize enjoying their music wirelessly and truly enjoying the experience, these are really great. I wouldn't hesitate to get them again - at this price point.
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Very cool, thanks for the detailed update @mizzourah! They sound very intriguing and it is very cool that they came fully charged - I can't remember the last time I got a new device that I didn't have to charge right away! How was the ease of setting up and switching between devices with the W1 chip? For me, that's the main thing that would get me to update, since I switch back and forth between devices several times a day, usually...is it really as easy as they made it sound?
 
boston04and07 said:
Very cool, thanks for the detailed update @mizzourah! They sound very intriguing and it is very cool that they came fully charged - I can't remember the last time I got a new device that I didn't have to charge right away! How was the ease of setting up and switching between devices with the W1 chip? For me, that's the main thing that would get me to update, since I switch back and forth between devices several times a day, usually...is it really as easy as they made it sound?
Click to expand...

Good question - I didn't even think about it because it was so fun to play with them but they connected to my phone almost instantly - I didn't have to do anything - no bluetooth pairing. Nothing. As soon as I pushed the power button on, a picture of the headphones came up and asked me to push a button to connect..I did and it said 'connected'. That was it. I didn't read any instructions - just pushed power, pushed connect and it was connected and I was fiddling with my apple music to find some hip hop, old time rock, heavy metal, classical, pop, to see how it all sounds. The bass is good - again, I am not the most distinguished audiophile on the planet, but the sound was really good - could hear a lot of the underlying tracks and instruments and sounds. But, I didn't switch it to another device or anything - I should have busted out my ipad. Wait..I brought them to work (because I love new toys) and my ipad is here..Hold on. So, they connected again instantaneously to my phone. Easy. Then I couldn't disconnect them to see if my ipad would pick them up. They kept reconnecting to my phone. So I turned bluetooth off on my phone..and my ipad didn't grab them. Now...my ipad is an old ipad mini 2 so may be too old to make use of the W1 chip..so that may be the issue.

So I don't have anything else here. Well..my watch, now that bluetooth was off...the apple watch connected when I pushed the air play button on watchOS3. So now I am listening to the songs on my watch - not connected to my phone but it was an easy connection.

So, I hope that helps. Overall, at this price point and for the functionality, I am very very happy with these!.
 
mizzourah said:
Good question - I didn't even think about it because it was so fun to play with them but they connected to my phone almost instantly - I didn't have to do anything - no bluetooth pairing. Nothing. As soon as I pushed the power button on, a picture of the headphones came up and asked me to push a button to connect..I did and it said 'connected'. That was it. I didn't read any instructions - just pushed power, pushed connect and it was connected and I was fiddling with my apple music to find some hip hop, old time rock, heavy metal, classical, pop, to see how it all sounds. The bass is good - again, I am not the most distinguished audiophile on the planet, but the sound was really good - could hear a lot of the underlying tracks and instruments and sounds. But, I didn't switch it to another device or anything - I should have busted out my ipad. Wait..I brought them to work (because I love new toys) and my ipad is here..Hold on. So, they connected again instantaneously to my phone. Easy. Then I couldn't disconnect them to see if my ipad would pick them up. They kept reconnecting to my phone. So I turned bluetooth off on my phone..and my ipad didn't grab them. Now...my ipad is an old ipad mini 2 so may be too old to make use of the W1 chip..so that may be the issue.

So I don't have anything else here. Well..my watch, now that bluetooth was off...the apple watch connected when I pushed the air play button on watchOS3. So now I am listening to the songs on my watch - not connected to my phone but it was an easy connection.

So, I hope that helps. Overall, at this price point and for the functionality, I am very very happy with these!.
Click to expand...

That's all great information, thanks again @mizzourah! I don't have any W1 devices here, but it sounded like they were supposed to just seamlessly be available simultaneously across devices signed into the same iCloud account, all at the same time, without having to disconnect them from the first device when you want to use them on a second, or at least that's how I interpreted it. Are you signed into the same iCloud account on the Mini? If so, from what I've read, it sounds like the Beats *should* appear in the audio device section of Control Center on your iPad while you're already connected to your iPhone, i.e they've eliminated the need to disconnect from the phone before trying to listen on your iPad. Again, I could be totally off base, but that's just what it sounds like after reading some reviews and the product descriptions. Either way, glad you like them! They definitely sound very tempting...
 
boston04and07 said:
That's all great information, thanks again @mizzourah! I don't have any W1 devices here, but it sounded like they were supposed to just seamlessly be available simultaneously across devices signed into the same iCloud account, all at the same time, without having to disconnect them from the first device when you want to use them on a second, or at least that's how I interpreted it. Are you signed into the same iCloud account on the Mini? If so, from what I've read, it sounds like the Beats *should* appear in the audio device section of Control Center on your iPad while you're already connected to your iPhone, i.e they've eliminated the need to disconnect from the phone before trying to listen on your iPad. Again, I could be totally off base, but that's just what it sounds like after reading some reviews and the product descriptions. Either way, glad you like them! They definitely sound very tempting...
Click to expand...

Yes - icloud is the same on all devices - and no control center activation on the mini. But was easy on the phone for sure. Thanks for the input. If you get them, let me know what you think.
 
probably going to just stay with solo2, but seems nice with w1 and battery life

that appears to be main change from 9to5mac unboxing/hands on i saw?
 
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I'm really close to getting them but i can't decide if I should get the airpods instead as they will be easier to use without the added bulk of headphones. However 40 hours battery life and insane quick charge with better quality audio...
 
just bought the gloss black solo 3's

might sell my solo 2's to a friend, but we'll see

so far sound seems excellent! glad they didnt mess it up since solo 2 sounds fantastic

ba6ufVz.jpg
 
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thadoggfather said:
just bought the gloss black solo 3's

might sell my solo 2's to a friend, but we'll see

so far sound seems excellent! glad they didnt mess it up since solo 2 sounds fantastic

ba6ufVz.jpg
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I'm waiting to hear all about it so please share your experience with us in detail if you don't mind. Is it possible to use at the gym and for running, also how is it switching between devices?
 
I have not properly a-b tested them since haven't had much hands on but sonically sounds the same

Dang down 25 percent in under an hour or so of use I wonder if it takes a few cycles.

I hope this isn't the norm or the initial 100 percent read out of box without charging may not have been accurate
 
My local Best Buy has these in stock now. I'm assuming for the technology in them they're the clear winner but I can't help but wonder if I should get something like the Bose QC35 instead? Anyone care to help? I'm going to pick up some new headphones tomorrow.
 
chhhrrriiisss said:
My local Best Buy has these in stock now. I'm assuming for the technology in them they're the clear winner but I can't help but wonder if I should get something like the Bose QC35 instead? Anyone care to help? I'm going to pick up some new headphones tomorrow.
Click to expand...

Yeah those caught my eye too :) curious as well
 
thadoggfather said:
I have not properly a-b tested them since haven't had much hands on but sonically sounds the same

Dang down 25 percent in under an hour or so of use I wonder if it takes a few cycles.

I hope this isn't the norm or the initial 100 percent read out of box without charging may not have been accurate
Click to expand...

Hmm not good. Aren't they rated for 40 hours?
 
Battery improved.

Returning though too similar to solo2 even with w1 chip imo. Sound quality seems nearly if not exactly the same.

Would rather save the cash for in ear wireless or something.

Still great headphones and if you didn't have solo2 they're really good
 
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