[clemburger44]

So to make a long story short, I've owned a pair of Solo 2.0's for about 5 months now and I've been extremely happy with them. The sound quality is exponentially better than any other Beats product I've listened to thus far, and I really like that I can listen to any genre of music and they compliment it well. However, I had to return them due to issues with the jack and now I have to decide whether to replace them with another pair of Solo 2.0's or try out the ATH-M50Xs.

To help out with suggestions, here were some of my likes and dislikes about the Beats
 
Pros:
- Tight, punchy bass
- While not a completely neutral sound, the lows, mids, and highs are all clear and crisp. 
- Leans towards a warm sound
- I could FEEL the bass on my ears
- Fairly decent sound isolation
- Very little sound leakage 
- Lightweight/Comfortable
- Remote cable for phone calls
 
Cons:
- Soundstage felt a little bit close
- Lows had a tendency to leak into mids, but just ever so slightly
- Male vocals felt underwhelming
 
My concerns with the ATH-M50Xs are that I've heard the bass is a little bit loose and the sound profile is more v shaped. I would like to know how the sound isolation/leakage is. And lastly I like to be able to feel the physical bass rumble on my ears and I was wondering if you guys have any input in that domain as well. 

 

[clemburger44]

Bump 

 

[AnnaReviewer]

​I actually think the Solo 2 is quite an attractive looking headphone.
This is always going to be a matter of personal preference but I think it’s kind of like a bit of a minimalist design that’s still kinda fun looking and if you compare the Solo 2 to other Beats headphones, even compared to the most recent Studio 2.0 you can see that Beats has actually been getting slowly more and more subtle with their designs.
​
​

 

[CapitaFK]

I had both at one point just last month. The Solo 2s were way too warm for my taste. Just sounded muffled to me, like I was trying to listen to them through a pillow. I thought the M50s were superior in every way.

 

[clemburger44]

Interesting. How was the bass response between the two?

 

[CapitaFK]

Quantity was pretty similar. Solo with slightly more, while the M50 was a bit faster. Solos overall were pretty laid back -- good for hip hop; the M50s more exciting -- good for EDM.

 

[clemburger44]

I listen to primarily rock (Everything from classic rock to thrash metal to 90s grunge) so how was the soundstage difference? I play bass guitar so I like to be able to hear each instrument individually. 

 

[CapitaFK]

I primarily listen to all forms of rock as well, and I wouldn't pick the Solos for that genre. It's possibly its worst genre, IMO. The M50s are far better for it, but not excellent at it either. The bass on both overwhelms the other instruments; though the M50 does a much better job at separation. If you like the sound sig of the Solos, I'd check out the Momentum over-ears if you can find them (I got mine for $110). Both have enhanced bass and rolled-off treble, but the Momentums are far better balanced (bass isn't as increased, transitions better into mids, and treble rolls off less). It also has much better mids than either of them without the overwhelming bass. But if the Solo and M50 are the only two you're getting, I'd pick the M50s every time.

 

[clemburger44]

I'd like to thank you for your help. I ultimately went with the solo's for two reasons. If figured if it wasn't broke, don't fix it, and the new stone gray color is just too nice to not have. I would like to make one really interesting point though. I disagreed very strongly with your point about sounding muffled, but when I got my new pair, I noticed immediately that the sound was much different and I had to agree with you. This leads me to my final point, that while I've never been a big believer in the phenomenon of burn in, this particular pair of headphones is basically night and day after a month or two of consistent listening. 

 

[CapitaFK]

No problem, man! Glad you figured it out. It'd be interesting to hear if their sound opens up. I only had mine for a week, so I didn't really give it a huge chance.

 

[Donnyboy98]

Ath-m50x all day. Cleaner sound, better build and more comfortable.

 

[Donnyboy98]

Btw you do realize this is basically a audiophile forum for true audiophile speakers, headphones, earphones, amps and dacs but beats arent anywhere near audiophile. Would you say you can tell the sound improvements in speakers and headphones with only an hour of listening?

 

[clemburger44]

Btw you do realize this is basically a audiophile forum for true audiophile speakers, headphones, earphones, amps and dacs but beats arent anywhere near audiophile. Would you say you can tell the sound improvements in speakers and headphones with only an hour of listening?

Here's the thing, I produce, I play multiple instruments, and I have damn good ears when it comes to analyzing sound. With that said, a completely flat and neutral sound just isn't fun to listen to for me. You can say what you want about beats, but the solo 2.0's have a really nice, complete sound, with a nice low end punch that really makes listening to any genre of music exciting. 

 

[Haifisch]

  With that said, a completely flat and neutral sound just isn't fun to listen to for me. You can say what you want about beats, but the solo 2.0's have a really nice, complete sound, with a nice low end punch that really makes listening to any genre of music exciting. 

You nailed it. As a reformed audiophile, I agree that flat is boring. I used to wonder why I enjoy listening to music more in my cars with factory (but upgraded) stereo than on my multi thousand dollar rig at home. Because when I'm not critical of SQ, I just let the music take over, which is the whole point of listening in the first place. 

 

[mtliu]

The Solo 2 actually sound quite good for Beats. It still isn't my cup of tea, but it is actually a great improvement over the rest of the line. Skull Candy has done something similar with their Mix Master and Aviator cans - forsaken their house sound for a more accurate listening experience.

One of the reasons why I don't wear Beats - and it has nothing to do with the sound - is that I don't want to get mugged for them.
 
No one is going to beat me up for my Superlux or Koss cans.