Expert review of the Beats Solo Pro

When you unpack the Beats Solo Pro, the first you see is the storage pouch. This is very small, which makes it easier to take with you on a trip. When I took the headphones from the pouch, the first thing that stood out to me was that there's only 1 visible physical button on the headphones left. This lets you turn the noise canceling and the transparency mode on and off. Partly because they only have 1 visible physical button, the headphones look very slick. The color has a beautiful finish and the ear cushions feel soft.

The Beats Solo Pro are on-ear headphones, so they rest on your ears and don't seal your ears off completely. As a result, I was skeptical at first if the noise canceling would even work properly. But these doubts are completely gone after my first listening session. When you put on a song, you don't hear any ambient noise from beginning to end. At the office or on the go on the train, you're closed off from your surroundings and enjoy the music to the fullest. The only thing that isn't properly muted is the wind. This can be heard through the music every now and then. A small flaw in an otherwise excellent noise canceling performance.

The first thing I noticed when it comes to the sound of the Beats Solo Pro, is that it's sweet. The firm and powerful bass that the Beats is mainly known for has been replaced by a clearer bass on the Solo Pro. That doesn't mean that the sound is suddenly bad. Not at all. Because the powerful bass is less prominent, there's more room for details. That means your favorite music sounds crystal clear and still includes a fair amount of bass.

When I first put the headphones on my head, I noticed that it was very tight. Even when I make the headband a bit more loose, it's still a tight fit. This can also be something positive, because it remains securely in place. On the other hand, my ears started to hurt after 2 hours of listening. The headband also became slightly uncomfortable after a long listening session.

As we would expect from Beats products, they connect to your iCloud devices quickly. This is thanks to the H1 chip that's built into the headphones. Hold the Solo Pro near your iPhone or MacBook, and it connects automatically. This works perfectly and it's convenient if you have an iPhone or some other device. If you want to connect to your Android device, you have to do so manually via the settings.

As mentioned before, the Beats Solo Pro only has 1 visible physical button. At the bottom of the right ear cup, there are other physical buttons kept neatly out of sight. Press on the right for the next song, press at the top to increase the volume, and so forth. These controls work a lot better than the ones I've come across on other headphones. Another fun feature has to do with turning the headphones on and off. Fold them and they turn off. Unfold them and they turn back on.