Beats Solo2 Wireless Review

A fashion accessory that plays music.

I don't generally do reviews of audio devices apart from gaming headsets which I generally get the most use out of. To me personally if it sounds good, is comfortable, and doesn't cost an absolute crap ton of money, it's perfect by my standards. As most of you already might know, the Beats Solo2 are probably the prime example of headphones that cost a crap ton of money for reasons that aren't exactly coherent. They promise an awful lot and they look the business, but are these compact cans really worth the premium asked for them? Let's find out.

Band is mostly plastic but has steel reinforcement on the inside.

Now I'm going to get one thing out of way before I start this review; I'm not an audiophile. I don't have some gifted ability to detect some barely imperceptible differences in sound quality between products nor am I the guy that is willing to shell out a couple grand for some vacuum tube laden contraption to plug my comparably expensive headphones into. I'm just a run of mill dipshit who wants audio that isn't crap and this review is going to reflect that. Now back to the Beats. The build quality on the Solo2's is pretty solid overall to go along with it's sleek looks. The majority of the construction is of some high grade plastic but there is some metal inside the bands for added rigidity. Now I don't know about you but when I'm dishing out a couple hundred bucks on headphones of all things, I would kind of expect a greater ratio of metal to plastic, or is that just me? 

Protection from the elements.

Whatever, it works and partly to this they are quite lightweight and are quite comfortable. I personally prefer over ear headphones akin to the Studios but these sit pretty snug on my ears and conform relatively well although this will definitely vary between people. The band cushion is also made of this type of rubber material that helps grip your head so the headphones don't slip off all that easy with movement. After extended periods of time they got a little uncomfortable but that just goes back to me not really liking on ear cans to begin with for that reason. It all depends on user preference. One of the other things I do like about the Solo2's is that they fold up into a very compact size unlike a vast majority of over-ear headphones. To complement this, Beats also includes a small zipper pouch with a carabiner clip that you can throw in or on your bag with taking up too much real estate. Because of their size, they sit somewhere between earbuds and full blown over-ears in terms of portability which is nice balance if you already like how they feel that is.

LED strip shows battery life.

Being that these are Bluetooth headphones, you have pretty simple built in controls on one speaker; the middle button for pairing, the outer ring for volume, and the small lighted button for power. The Solo2's pack a 12 hour battery which should be more than enough to cover most people's bases in wireless mode and the range is good for up to around 30 feet. The cans charge via regular microUSB so you shouldn't have much trouble acquiring a means to juice these up although I still struggle to find an absolute need to have Bluetooth headphones apart from workouts in which the earbud variety is usually more ideal. It's just more shit I need to remember to plug in on a daily basis. Luckily Beats also include a standard 3.5mm cable for wired use if you wish. Audio quality is where I feel the Solo2's lose a lot of their positive luster even though they sound generally good. Unlike the old Solo's which honestly sounded pretty terrible and drowned out by bass, these are pretty balanced overall with a slightly lower emphasis on the low end. They are still mainly geared for music with thumpin' bass but I still found the them suitable for other genres as they stand. So there isn't too much to gripe about sound quality wise and I was pretty well satisfied with them however I wasn't wowed. At their MSRP of $300, I would expect to be blown away by the sound quality but there isn't anything particularly spectacular about them at all. They just sound good, that's it. I've used notably cheaper headphones from Sony and Bose that sound just as nice, maybe better than the Solo2's. Again the way they sound is going to be an entirely user preferred thing but as a generalization, they are vastly overpriced for what they bring to the table.

The Solo2's are nice headphones for sure. The build is solid, the wireless feature works well, and while the sound quality is good, it's very run of the mill. Once you look past the sleek facade, the Solo2's are still good, but nothing to write home about. Headphones are difficult for me to review since they are primarily a user preference sort of deal but at this price I definitely say to a general audience there isn't anything truly special about the Solo2's. What you're paying for is a fashion accessory; style and branding, that's unfortunately usually enough for some people to justify the price tag. But people who at least give even a little bit of shit about how their music sounds can probably figure out that Beats in general are overpriced and have always been. Sure, since Apple picked them up things have been significantly improved from the old days of Monster but they still aren't the end all be all for headphones. I am aware the Solo3's are out now but apart from the increased range and battery life I don't think there is a massive difference. So in conclusion, the Solo2's are solid cans and if you can get them cheap; I'd say it's worth a shot at the $150 dollar mark at most and they have been marked down since the Solo3's have released. If possible, try a pair before you buy them but at least try other options just to what you like. But at their original MSRP, they are very, very far from being worth it. Sleek looks and a celebrity endorsement should never be enough to justify something priced that high.

The Solo2 Wireless is now discontinued but it can still be found marked down from MSRP.

Is it Better Than?

Bose SoundLink On-Ear- Depends, while the SoundLinks definitely don't have the visual appeal the Solo2's do, the audio quality is better balanced and a little more clear. Battery life is slightly better and I found them notably more lightweight and not quite as snug as the Solo2's but again, other people may like one over the other. The price point of these has been generally lower than the Beats as well. It's all a matter of choice.

Sony MDR-XB650BT- Depends, I spent a good amount of time with these and compared to the Beats, while not as visually appealing they are lighter and more cushioned. However they do slide off with little effort and it can be annoying if you move around a lot. They do sound similar clarity wise although in some sick twist of fate these are way more bass heavy than the now slightly more tame Solo2's. That being said they still sound very nice but my one gripe is that it lacks a 3.5mm cable input. Still worth considering for the price.

Beats Solo3- Depends, I have not tried these firsthand yet but the differences in audio quality against the Solo2's is none at all. The biggest upside to the Solo3's is the vastly improved Bluetooth range and 40 hour battery life. I would still call them too expensive compared to other alternatives considering nothing else major has changed but 40 hours is still pretty damn impressive if I say so myself.