Other than the included charging cable, these are the only accessories. An audio cable would have been nice, but since Beats is owned by Apple, and Apple has disowned the 3.5mm headphone jack, this exclusion should come as no surprise. When you need to keep an ear out for those trying to get your attention, Transparency mode filters outside noises in while still providing the signature Beats sound quality.
However, the delicate electronic wind instrument and Megan’s commanding vocals managed to shine. The lows on the 700s were better balanced, so not only did you get the thumping bass, but you also got it without distorting another part of the song. In the peace and quiet of my house, Transparency mode allowed me to listen to Outkast’s “Two Dope Boyz ” while watching Halloween Wars on Food Network. I was impressed that I could clearly hear both audio sources without any real clashes. Riding the subway, I managed to drown out a crowded train car by playing music at about 50% volume. When I wasn’t playing music, it sounded like everyone else was far away.
Nowadays, any headphones worth their drivers have a companion app of some sort. The free app is clean and intuitive but also pretty sparse. Using the app, you can adjust the ANC and access beats studio3 a feature tutorial to help you get acquainted with your new pair of cans. You can also rename and register the headphones, as well as grant or revoke location-access privileges.
To switch listening modes on your iPhone, go to Control Center and tap and hold the headphones volume control. Press the mode button once to switch between Noise Cancelling and Transparency. Press twice to turn both modes off for maximum battery life. When you’re done hearing what you need to, just hit the button again to crank noise canceling back up.
The louder it is, the less time you can be exposed to it. IPhone owners will benefit the most from the Apple AirPods Max, Apple’s debut over-ear headphones with noise-cancelling. Just like the Beats Solo Pro, the AirPods Max uses an H1 chip — actually, two chips — to process functions like ANC and hands-free Siri access.
In short, this is when competing frequencies, or physical objects, interfere with your device’s connection. This results in frustrating audio dropouts and inconsistent performance. Only a few high-end companies have worked to solve this, Apple is one of them.
And being able to summon Siri with my voice instead of having to reach for a button is a small, but welcome, respite. Both Apple and Beats have benefited greatly from their relationship over the last five years. Since Apple bought the headphone company in 2014, Beats has improved its gear on all fronts, from design to audio quality and even adding useful features. There’s no doubting the Apple influence, especially since the latest Beats headphones pack the same chip that powers AirPods. With the Solo Pro ($299.95), we get the best intersection of the two companies yet, in a set of headphones that look good, sound great and pack in powerful features. A small button on the bottom of the left ear cup swaps between noise cancelling on, off and a transparency setting, which pipes the sounds from the outside world into the headphones.
Fans of bass-heavy music and audio will likely favor the Beats Solo Pro headphones thanks to their noise-canceling properties and bass enhancement features. He headphones work well in both wired and wireless mode, with subtle differences in battery life for either mode. One last feature specific to Apple products is the paired listening. You can connect two pairs of Beats Solo Pro headphones to a single iOS device. Therefore, you can share your audio files with friends, co-workers, and family.