Would never dreamed of buying a pair of Beats but end up finding a pair for a rock bottom price(1/3 of the normal retail) so I thought what the heck.
Just a side note, since they were originally released the Solo HD's have been through what looks like a few iterations and revisions, my pair looks like the last revision before they were discontinued and replaced by the Solo2. Wonder what the sound is like compared to the original Solo HD's branded as Monster to my pair?
Had just got a set of Sennheiser Momentum On Ear Headphones so I could compare them head to head.
The basic sound signature of the 2 cans is about the same, heavy but pretty accurate bass and the rest of the sound spectrum quite decent/pleasant but not much to rave about.
The soundstage on the Solo HD's was noticeably better though, very nice placement. The treble seem a touch crisper and more defined as well, the Momentums seemed a little brittle in comparison. I was surprised to consistently prefer the Solo HD's sound over the Momentums(I have owned many Sennheisers, HD600/HD 25-II etc and I like their cans).
The Solo HD's fit really well/comfortable pads and look good on your head, design is very good but the durability seems very dubious, if you check amazon reviews many people complain about breaking the headband in two - I can see why! Earpads are readily available on Amazon and eBay and so as long as you are careful with the Solo HD's they should last.
The build quality of the Momentums is leagues ahead, from what I can see they will last a good decade or two with careful useage, probably become sought after 10-20yrs from now, the Alacantra earpads are nice but I find furry/velour type earpads make my ears heat up, otherwise very comfortable, looks are not bad but the Solo HD's do look better(albeit you need to squash that feeling of thinking people will see you as another mindless sucker for a brand when out and about wearing them!). But as it stands I prefer the Solo HD's over the Momentums, only drawback is the flimsy headband, oh ya and the price if you are paying full retail for them is rather steep.
