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Long ago, in the before times, I remember hearing the first Beats Solo headphones. I remember it vividly. I was in the kitchen of Brent Butterworth, former editor of this site and current cohost of the excellent Audio Unleashed podcast. They were . . . remarkable. Remarkable like getting a flat tire on your way to a job interview. They were bad, is what I’m trying to say.
I’d be shocked if anyone involved with those first-gen Solos still works for the company. To judge modern Beats by the indiscretions of past products is folly, especially without listening to them. I’ve liked all of the recent Beats headphones and earphones I’ve reviewed. While never my favorites in their respective categories, they have all been well designed, well voiced, and certainly worth consideration.
The new Solo 4 headphones ($199.99, prices in USD) continue in that vein. They sound good, though they’re a bit on the expensive side for something without noise canceling. With 40mm drivers in a small package, and a claimed 50-hour battery life, they offer more than just the famous (infamous?) Beats aesthetic. However, they are on-ear headphones, and that might be an issue for some people.
In the box
In the box you get an almost impossibly small soft-sided carrying case. If the Solo 4s weren’t already inside when you opened the box, you’d have a hard time believing you could origami them in there. In said case, you also get a 3.5mm-to-3.5mm analog cable and a USB-C-to-USB-C charging cable, both in their own handy pockets.
Use
The Solo 4s fast-paired to my Google Pixel 7 smartphone. This feature has become fairly common, and is definitely welcome. Manually pairing Bluetooth devices is so archaic (i.e., anytime between five years ago and now).
For a product from the biggest electronics company on Earth, the app is surprisingly sparse. You can change the name of the headphones, change the functionality of the big Beats button on the left earcup between one tap for mute and two taps for mute, and . . . that’s it. There’s no EQ—to my knowledge, this is something no Beats headphones have—and that remains an odd omission to me. Apple device owners also get spatial audio, which to me is as interesting as 3D TVs weren’t. So the lack of it for Android users is a non-issue in my book.
The big Beats button does have additional functions, but these can’t be adjusted. The standard double-tap to skip tracks / triple-tap to rewind works here. The space above and below the button on the earcup raises and lowers the volume with a tactile click. For something that looks like it has no buttons, it works intuitively and far better than many headphones with multiple obvious buttons.
You can connect the Solo 4s analog, but probably more helpful is the ability to connect via USB-C. Not only does this reduce the number of cables you need to carry, it also allows you to physically connect to modern phones that lack a headphone jack, as well as enabling the wired transfer of high-resolution digital audio.
As a colleague once opined, on-ears aren’t for everyone. They inherently put more pressure, well, on your ears. The Solo 4s also have a fairly strong clamping force. If you wear glasses, I’d strongly caution you against buying these before you try them. They can press the frames into your head and become quite uncomfortable. If you have a smaller head or don’t wear glasses, you might be fine. Still, these are more likely to be uncomfortable for many people compared to typical (and of course larger) over-ear headphones.
Also, they have that cryptic Beats characteristic where it’s difficult to tell which side is left or right; the most obvious clue is the phrase “Left Ear” printed in tiny gray lettering just above the left earcup. I don’t understand why it’s not cool just to print a big “L” and “R” someplace obvious. I suppose if you own the Solo 4s, eventually you’ll begin to remember other clues, like where the tiny power button is (right earcup) or where the even tinier “4” is on the headband (right side).
Sound
The Solo 4s aren’t exactly neutral, but lean in that direction without over- or under-accentuating any frequencies enough to be objectionable. There’s some extra upper midrange to add a bit of excitement and enough bass not to sound hollow. There’s not much low bass, and what bass is present is a little on the boomy side.
Up first was the title track of Pat Metheny’s MoonDial (24-bit/48kHz FLAC, Modern Recordings / Qobuz). Metheny’s acoustic guitar was smoothly mellow, as it should be. The bass wasn’t overwhelming, but it certainly filled in the low end. The Solo 4s created a surprising sense of size for closed-back headphones. Not as open as open-backs, for sure, but the sound was bigger than I’d expected.
My love of Pink Floyd wanes after Animals, but there are plenty of great and sometimes legendary tracks on The Wall (24/48 FLAC, Pink Floyd Records / Qobuz). “Goodbye Blue Sky” has a moody mix of acoustic guitars, synths, and harmonies. The soundstage through the Solo 4s seemed to extend out beyond their earcups. Again, not as wide as I’ve heard with some headphones, but quite good. The guitars and vocals were quite present, but overall the sound was fairly neutral, with a bit of extra upper bass adding the slightest bit of boominess. The Solo 4s aren’t bass-heavy, largely because there doesn’t seem to be much low bass. So what’s there is more noticeable.
I’m writing this at the end of brat summer, so “Talk talk” was a logical choice (Brat, 24/44.1 FLAC, Atlantic Records / Qobuz). This dance/electropop track will take advantage of as much bass as you give it. The Solo 4s delivered enough to keep the beat, but the bass wasn’t overwhelming. Charli XCX’s voice was never buried in the mix, strongly coming through over the synths and percussion. While the Solo 4s have more bass than bass haters would like, overall it’s less than bass lovers might want.
If the app had an EQ function, taking a few dB off the treble and maybe adding one or two to the bass would even these issues out pretty well. That’s closer to good than many headphones I review, as you’d certainly hope for $200. As they are, without an EQ available in their app, the Solo 4s are decent, but not amazing—pretty much like the other Beats headphones I’ve reviewed recently.
Comparison
Normally in this section I’d compare the headphones under review with some similar models. Usually these would be ’phones of a similar type with a price as close as possible, my goal being to offer an idea of what else is out there. I’m not sure how to do that with the Solo 4s. First, there aren’t a lot of on-ear headphones, and even fewer that fall anywhere close to the Solo 4s’ price range.
Second, I’m not sure exactly who the target demographic is for these. If I could understand who might want the Solo 4s, I’d have a better idea of what to compare to them. Is it someone who doesn’t want earbuds, but finds over-ears too bulky? Fair enough, in which case the Solo 4s are expensive but sound just fine. Is it someone who wants the style of Beats but doesn’t want the larger and more expensive Studio Pros? Fair enough again, though those often go on sale for the same price as the Solo 4s.
I guess what I’m saying is I find the Solo 4s to inhabit a rather odd and difficult-to-judge niche. They’re expensive, with decent sound, but with a small size and tight fit that’s going to be an issue for a lot of people.
Conclusion
It’s difficult to come up with a reasonable conclusion about the Solo 4 headphones. While they’re a little on the expensive side for what they offer (what Apple product isn’t?), their sound is quite decent. Personally, I’m indifferent to the Beats style, but if that’s what someone wants, I won’t judge.
However, for me as a glasses-wearer, they’re just way too uncomfortable. This isn’t entirely the fault of the Solo 4s per se; it’s inherent to the design of on-ear headphones. I suppose if you have really thin and flexible frames, or you have a smaller noggin, you might not have an issue. I’d still be cautious if you’re of the bespectacled persuasion.
If you don’t have glasses and want something small, perhaps with that Beats style, the Solo 4s sound good without taking up a lot of space. I’d wait for them to go on sale though. If you’re primarily interested in said style, the Beats Studio Pro headphones often go on sale for the same price as the Solo 4s, if not less. They’re larger for sure, but fold down relatively small and have noise canceling. Sound-wise they’re a little better, but it’s fairly close. They’re also going to be a lot more comfortable for a wider range of head and ear sizes.
. . . Geoffrey Morrison
Associated Equipment
- Smartphone: Google Pixel 7
- PC: iBuyPower Windows 10
- DAC/headphone amplifier: Schiit Audio Magni
- Portable media player: Sony NW-A306
Beats Solo 4 On-Ear Headphones
Price: $199.99
Warranty: One year
Beats Electronics
8600 Hayden Place
Culver City, CA
90232
Phone: 1-800-028-2329
Website: www.beatsbydre.com
