The Beats Solo headphone have been the sword ’s bestselling product since theirdebut in 2009 . With that kind of history ( and popularity ) , you need to think very carefully about how you introduce a new generation . In other quarrel , if it ai n’t broke …

So it ’s no real surprisal that the recently launched Beats Solo 4 are a gentle evolution of theSolo3 Wireless , and not a strident gyration . The shape , the design , the controls — even the toll — all continue untouched . And yet , there are just enough enhancements here to keep Beats Solo sports fan from ramble , even if there are still plenty of other wireless headphones that offer more for the money . After pass a few days with the Solo 4 , here ’s what I think you should know .

What’s new?

The quaternary - gen Beats Solo wireless earpiece meliorate over their forerunner with :

On-ear, on brand

It ’s enticing to hit up Amazon or Best Buy and face at all of the wireless headphones around the Solo 4 ’s $ 200 monetary value as a start item for comparisons . If you do , you ’ll recover plenty to choose from . You ’ll also notice they ’re packed with features that do n’t show up on the Solo 4 ’s spec inclination , like active noise cancellation ( ANC),Bluetooth Multipoint , wear detector , and wireless hi - res audio .

But attend a little nearer and you ’ll also see that the majority of these cans are over - ear . And that ’s where the Beats Solo 4 , with their on - pinna design , are an outlier — and in more way than one .

For some people , on - ears make gumption . They tend to be lighter than over - ear , which can melt off the fatigue of wear headphones , and their smaller sizing makes them comfortable to pack . But lately , the on - ear category has take a hit in terms of high - last choices . Most trade name regale on - ears as budget choices , with pattern and color that do n’t do much to revolutionize . The Beats Solo 4 , by contrast , share the same slick design as their more expensiveBeats Studio Prosiblings , giving on - auricle fans a set of john that do n’t make them feel like 2d - class citizens . ( For more , see our fullBeats Studio 4 versus Beat Studio Procomparison . )

The Solo 4 , which launched in fatal , blue , and pink , have lost some of the Solo3 ’s blingy dressed accent . And , sadly , the five - LED battery sprightliness index number is also no more . But that big “ b ” logo remain , giving the Beats faithful exactly what they want — blade recognition .

The one downside of beat ’ decision to keep the Solo 4 logical with the Solo3 from a design perspective is that they ’re not especially robust . The lean plastic shells that are used everywhere have been prostrate to cracking , and I have concern about the fold hinge , which are n’t as sturdily built as those of the Studio Pro . ( See above for relative photo . )

Glasses? Think twice

Beats headphones have always been some of the comfiest keister around , and the Solo 4 are no elision . The headband has a wide contact sphere that does a capital line of work of circulate atmospheric pressure , and the clamp force is first-class — the only path these puppies will move is if you violently throw off your head .

Still , it ’s that same great clamp military force commingle with the Solo 4 ’s on - ear design that will have you howling for mercy within 20 minute of arc if you wear glasses .

It ’s not Beats ’ fault . This is just the price you pay for headphones that push on your ears instead of your principal .

Thanks for the cables

Inside the package — which is exclusively recyclable — you ’ll find a carrying case that looks a peck like a toiletry kit . ( It ’s the same figure from the Studio Pro . ) It contains the Solo 4 and two cable length : a USB - C - to - USB - C for lodge and digital audio and a 3.5 millimetre analog cable’s length .

On any other set of privy , that analog cable would hardly be worth mention , but since Beats failed to provide one with the Solo3 , it ’s a noteworthy modification .

As glad as I am to see Beats let in that cable , I just have to ask , why does n’t it have an inline mic and control buttons ? If its purpose is to countenance you keep getting the most out of your Solo 4 , even when there ’s no power , should n’t you be able to make calls and dominance volume / playback ? Maybe I ’m asking too much . But maybe that ’s what materialize when you take folks to devote $ 200 .

Clicky controls

If you like large , easy - to - use control , it ’s grueling to , ahem , beat out the Solo 4 . As with previous Beats simulation , the left earcup ’s “ b ” button does a variety of undertaking , from swordplay / interruption and tail skip to call answer / terminal . It will even tone down your mics while on a call ( the call controller can be tailor-make in iOS or the Beats app for Android ) . Meanwhile , the ring around the “ b ” can be fight above or below for bulk changes .

They ’re a bit noisy when pressed , but I can live with that — peculiarly since you may apply them with gloved hands ( leave it to a Canadian to like about that ) .

Energetic sound

Originally , the Beats brand was synonymous with a basso - forward sound signature — one that complement the style of music created by its famous co - founder , Dr. Dre . But the Beats sound has germinate over time , and each new Beats mathematical product has its own distinct tuning .

For the Solo 4 , it ’s an EQ that to a great extent favors higher frequencies .

To be clear , there ’s very adept representation of Low and mids , too . It ’s just that the high get a capital amount of energy . The clarity is superb — Beats nailed this with the Studio Pro , and I ’m happy it demonstrate up on the Solo 4 , too . But the combining of that clarity and the boosted high can be overwhelming . At times ( especially when listen at volume levels north of 70 % ) , a harshness can crawl in , making cymbals and some vocals uncomfortable .

It ’s an uneven problem . On cart track likebad guyby Billie Eilish , or most any Hans Zimmer composition where bass voice notes put the tone , the Solo 4 perform flawlessly , with lots of detail ( especially when listening via USB - 100 or the parallel connection ) . But take a drive through the mids and highs of Fleetwood Mac ’s classicRumoursalbum , and you may find it ’s a different story whole .

Typically , I ’d reach for the EQ adjustments to tone thing down a mountain pass , but there are n’t any to be found in the Solo 4 ’s iOS options or in the dedicated Beats app for Android .

Beats attitude this as a welfare : “ Solo 4 is our only passively tuned headphone , which extradite a capableness distinct from the rest of the Beats portfolio . There is no combat-ready equalisation applied to Solo 4 , so the acoustic transducer cover the tuning of the earphone automatically and in its entirety . ”

In theory , this is dead what you desire . Even the Beats Studio Pro force their analogue input through a digital conversion before convert back to analog . The Solo 4 , by dividing line , make a direct connection between the incoming analog signal and the drivers — exactly the way a solidifying of standard electrify headphones work .

problem is if you do n’t like the way of life the drivers are tuned , there is n’t much you may do shortly of using your own international equalizer ( iPhone ) or a global EQ app for Android .

To put the Solo 4 ’s sound signature in perspective , to get Sony ’s ULT Wear headphones to a similar tonal balance , I had to apply the three-fold Boost EQ mode , and even then , the Solo 4 still fathom brighter .

The human genius is awe-inspiring . It can adjust to almost any input . After a few hours of listening , I did get used to the Solo 4 ’s sound . But the deficiency of an EQ adjustment would keep these pot from being my go - to choice .

The severeness of the high did meliorate a bit when I switched from the wireless connection to the USB - deoxycytidine monophosphate connection , which leads me to think that some of what I heard was due to the compression of the Solo 4 ’s AACBluetooth codec . That make sense . A lossless audio signal does n’t suffer from any compression . The same was true when using a DAC dongle like theAstell&Kern Dual DAC Cableand the included analog cable television service .

speak of the USB - C and 3.5 mm cables , I ’ll ingeminate what I enunciate in my brushup of the Studio Pro : the analogue cable is pliant enough for well-off use , but I discover the USB cable is too pie-eyed .

(Real) spatial audio

The product page for the Solo3 Wireless says they back spacial sound for immersive music , “ delivering a surround sound experience that you may take with you anywhere . ” Technically , I guess that ’s dead on target . But you know what else is true?Allstereo earphone support spacial audio .

The Solo 4 have this same potentiality , too , but they also get two additional spatial feature : head tracking and spatialized stereo . woefully , they ’re both Apple exclusives .

With spatialized stereo , the Solo 4 can take any stereo audio ( even if it ’s from a non - Apple app like Amazon Music ) and give it a three-D - similar caliber by take a leak it sound like you ’re hear to stereo speakers floating above and in front of your mind . Turning on head trailing mean those speakers stay fixed in quad as you rick your chief left and right , instead of go with you . It ’s kinda playfulness and some phratry may even favor it to regular stereo , especially if you habituate it with a video app like YouTube . But do n’t be surprised if it shit the harshness I discover earlier forged — this sort of signaling processing does n’t always play nicely with content .

The Solo 4 ’s spatialized stereo ( which is also propose onBeats Studio ProandBeats Fit Pro ) is n’t as good as the version that Bose use on itsQuietComfort Ultra Headphones . But then again , the Bose cost more than twice as much .

If you desire the good spacial audio experience on these headphones , you ’ll need Apple Music or the Apple TV app on the iPhone ( or the Apple TV 4 KB ) . This combo gives you admittance to head - trackedDolby Atmos(when support by music or movies recorded in this format ) , which can be quite dazzling .

Call from anywhere, except your bike

unluckily , I did n’t have a set of Solo3 Wireless on helping hand to do a lineal comparison , but I ’m very impressed with the Solo 4 ’s call caliber . The new digital mem mics keep most competing audio at bay , while also keeping your representative light . In some ways , they do this better than the Beats Studio Pro thanks to a slightly serious balance between quiet and clear ( the Studio Pro are quieter , but not as well-defined ) .

The one expanse where they both suffer is lead noise . Even moderately blowy conditions will make the system scramble as it tries to split the sound of the malarkey from your vocalisation .

Indoors , or when matter are tranquil out of doors , you ’ll sound crystal percipient to your callers .

Still , without any kind of transparency or sidetone option , you ’ll be heed to a muted version of your vox and that can get tiring , especially on longer birdsong . The Solo 4 would not be my first choice for anyone who does a lot of Teams or Zoom calling .

A bigger battery

Does anyone need a 50 - hour battery on a set of wireless headphones ? believably not , ( particularly when they crop with a conducting wire in an unpowered commonwealth ) , but I ’m not going to throw shade at beatniks for increasing the Solo 4 ’s staying power by 25 % compared to the Solo3 Wireless — more is , well , more .

I will , however , take proceeds with the removal of the Solo3 ’s convenient five - LED stamp battery gauge .

Strangely , the Solo3 ’s Fast Fuel charging was also better : those cans got 3 hours of playback from 5 minutes of charge , while the Solo 4 deliver 5 time of day after 10 minutes of charging .

I did n’t get a opportunity to drain the Solo 4 from a full accusation to empty , but the report remaining assault and battery story in iOS was consistent with beat ’ claims as I used them .

Same Beats, better value

The bottom line for the Beats Solo 4 is one that Apple watchers will be familiar with . The price has n’t changed and neither has the innovation , but there are enough tweak and extras to make buyers feel like that $ 200 investment is getting you a exhaustively up - to - date solidification of wireless cans .

Longer electric battery life , head - tracking spacial audio frequency , USB - nose candy charging with lossless audio , and significantly better call calibre are welcome additions .

As long as you need on - ear headphones ( and you do n’t mind paying a exchange premium for that big “ b ” logo ) , there ’s a lot to like . My only reservation in urge the Beats Solo 4 is their lack of EQ allowance . With factory tuning that favors energetic and bright high frequencies , these may not be the Beats you ’re looking for .