[399942]

Saw the title and tried my hardest not to burst out laughing (in public)

 

[OMGLadyGaga]

My favorite headphones of all time are the JVC HAS500, they aren't the prettiest but they do sound magnificent. The Momentum on ear escaped my reply but I think they look wonderful and sound as swagalishis. The XB500, XB1000 are pillows on your ears, not the best looking but they do sound better than the Solo 2. As for the UE6000 I personally don't like them one bit the "noise cancelling" ruins the sound quality IMO they don't even look that great either.

XB500 isn't on the same level as Solo 2. There's a very natural and detailed tonality to the mids on the Beats that puts even highly regarded headphones like the AKG 701 to shame. XB500 are dull and muffled. Treble is pleasntly shelved but with enough detail and articulation to make it worthwhile. The only problem with the Solo 2 is that the mid bass hump is hugely exaggerated but this can be a good thing to some, as it truly thumps but doesn't mess with the mids too much. The JVC and Porta pro are good for their price but severely show their limitations next to more proper headphones. Although I do think both are better than Solo HD, neither really comes close to Solo 2. UE6000 has a more coherant and detailed presentation than all of them, and performs technically better than all, its signature just isn't for everyone however. But all are far beyond the Solo HD IMO

 

[TheHeadPhoneGuy]

 

My favorite headphones of all time are the JVC HAS500, they aren't the prettiest but they do sound magnificent. The Momentum on ear escaped my reply but I think they look wonderful and sound as swagalishis. The XB500, XB1000 are pillows on your ears, not the best looking but they do sound better than the Solo 2. As for the UE6000 I personally don't like them one bit the "noise cancelling" ruins the sound quality IMO they don't even look that great either.

XB500 isn't on the same level as Solo 2. There's a very natural and detailed tonality to the mids on the Beats that puts even highly regarded headphones like the AKG 701 to shame. XB500 are dull and muffled. Treble is pleasntly shelved but with enough detail and articulation to make it worthwhile. The only problem with the Solo 2 is that the mid bass hump is hugely exaggerated but this can be a good thing to some, as it truly thumps but doesn't mess with the mids too much. The JVC and Porta pro are good for their price but severely show their limitations next to more proper headphones. Although I do think both are better than Solo HD, neither really comes close to Solo 2. UE6000 has a more coherant and detailed presentation than all of them, and performs technically better than all, its signature just isn't for everyone however. But all are far beyond the Solo HD IMO

I guess I have biased ears XD. I think I have hated beats for being shciit for so long that it just comes naturally. Ill give them another go with an amp sometime

 

[Jbdawson]

Basically the Solo HD suck for pretty much everything. Like, i always think when people call something muddy it is most of the time a huge exaggeration, but the Solo are indeed MUDDY with nothing but bass bloat and no bass or treble extension, its actually fairly impressive how they managed to make it so bad. Getting those after the XB500 would be a pretty big downgrade i think. If you absolutely must have beats, get the Solo 2, they do hip hop well. Depending on what kind of hip hop, the JVC HAS500 and good ole Porta Pro i like for rap in the affordable category. If you desire more swag, the Momentum On Ears and UE6000 are both going for good prices. And probably the best bet is the VModa M-80 going for good prices as well too. Any of those would be a noticeable upgrade to the XB500 as long as youre ok sacrificing some bass for better clarity across the spectrum. Never heard Rx05 or 10 so dont know how they compare.

Thank you for the response. I am not an audiophile and certainly don't discriminate my hip hop/rap can be anything from Gucci Mane, Chief Keef to underground artists like Atmosphere and Sage Francis. I have old tape converted to MP3 hissy Memphis rap from the 90's. I've got a lot of my stuff in flac as well so a wide range for sure. I went into my local Apple Store today and tried on the different Beats they had on display so glad I did. The Solo 2's did sound good to me nice mids and great treble but they were not very comfortable to me. I don't like how they sit over my ears. I totally fell in love with the Studio wireless though. They were really comfortable and sounded similar to the Solo2 but itseems like they had more punch. Is it just me or do the new Studios have the edge over the Solo2s sound wise (of course they're more expensive but sometimes that doesn't tell the whole story)? Thoughts?

Best Buy will have the Studio wireless on Black Friday for $199 very tempting. I'm leaning toward them at that price, thoughts?

 

[OopsMyEarsGone]

Beats executive worth $130?

 

[OMGLadyGaga]

Thank you for the response. I am not an audiophile and certainly don't discriminate my hip hop/rap can be anything from Gucci Mane, Chief Keef to underground artists like Atmosphere and Sage Francis. I have old tape converted to MP3 hissy Memphis rap from the 90's. I've got a lot of my stuff in flac as well so a wide range for sure. I went into my local Apple Store today and tried on the different Beats they had on display so glad I did. The Solo 2's did sound good to me nice mids and great treble but they were not very comfortable to me. I don't like how they sit over my ears. I totally fell in love with the Studio wireless though. They were really comfortable and sounded similar to the Solo2 but itseems like they had more punch. Is it just me or do the new Studios have the edge over the Solo2s sound wise (of course they're more expensive but sometimes that doesn't tell the whole story)? Thoughts?

Best Buy will have the Studio wireless on Black Friday for $199 very tempting. I'm leaning toward them at that price, thoughts?

I have the new Studio 2013 and Solo 2 and have NOT heard the Wireless. The rap i listen to is mostly underground and the mainstream stuff is more along the lines of Talib, Mos, The Roots, Nas, etc. So subbass isnt really a big deal to me, i care about mids, smooth detailed treble and equal parts mid bass and subbass. Pretty hard to find that actually, and Solo 2 does a very good job so i prefer it to the Studio. The Studio isnt terrible, it just has a more aggressive signature it is v shaped with elevated bass and a really forward upper mid/lower treble, with everything between that sucked out, which is most of the mids, so it sounds harsher at higher volumes and the sound kinda falls apart. Also the bass doesnt extend as deep as Solo 2 so i think the reason you felt it hit harder was because most of the bass is mid and upper bass, so its gonna thump quite a bit but its gonna lose texture and detail the lower you go and feel "one-note-bass" ish. But the bass that is there isnt bad, and i like it; its the mids recessed that kinda kill it for me. The good news is that it has a more exciting sound, treble energy is much more apparent than Solo 2 and perceived clarity and soundstage is better. The comfort is also better on Studio. The Solo 2 do have a strong clamp, but it does loosen up a bit or you simply get used to it, i dont mind it. But yeah Studio is very comfy. So i think the Solo 2 is the better headphone, by quite a bit actually, the mids are more detailed, not recessed, the bass is tighter and better extended, and the treble is smoother and more realistic. Studio has better comfort and more exciting tuning.

Hope that helped a bit. Keep in mind that was Studio 2013 vs Solo 2. The Wireless probably wont sound as good as either because bluetooth headphones hardly ever do, but at $199 id say thats a good deal since theres a lot of stuff that sounds like $-#* and they charge that much just because it has wireless. Sony 1RBT and UE9000 are prolly the best wireless ive heard. And would pick those over the Studio 2013 even. And also the Vmoda M-100 are a much better option, with a similar sound signature as the studios but bass hits even harder, much more midrange clarity and a wider soundstage. Id see if there are deals for those on black friday tbh. But wireless for $199 would be a decent second choice if you value bluetooth.

Good luck

 

[Jbdawson]

I have the new Studio 2013 and Solo 2 and have NOT heard the Wireless. The rap i listen to is mostly underground and the mainstream stuff is more along the lines of Talib, Mos, The Roots, Nas, etc. So subbass isnt really a big deal to me, i care about mids, smooth detailed treble and equal parts mid bass and subbass. Pretty hard to find that actually, and Solo 2 does a very good job so i prefer it to the Studio. The Studio isnt terrible, it just has a more aggressive signature it is v shaped with elevated bass and a really forward upper mid/lower treble, with everything between that sucked out, which is most of the mids, so it sounds harsher at higher volumes and the sound kinda falls apart. Also the bass doesnt extend as deep as Solo 2 so i think the reason you felt it hit harder was because most of the bass is mid and upper bass, so its gonna thump quite a bit but its gonna lose texture and detail the lower you go and feel "one-note-bass" ish. But the bass that is there isnt bad, and i like it; its the mids recessed that kinda kill it for me. The good news is that it has a more exciting sound, treble energy is much more apparent than Solo 2 and perceived clarity and soundstage is better. The comfort is also better on Studio. The Solo 2 do have a strong clamp, but it does loosen up a bit or you simply get used to it, i dont mind it. But yeah Studio is very comfy. So i think the Solo 2 is the better headphone, by quite a bit actually, the mids are more detailed, not recessed, the bass is tighter and better extended, and the treble is smoother and more realistic. Studio has better comfort and more exciting tuning.

Hope that helped a bit. Keep in mind that was Studio 2013 vs Solo 2. The Wireless probably wont sound as good as either because bluetooth headphones hardly ever do, but at $199 id say thats a good deal since theres a lot of stuff that sounds like $-#* and they charge that much just because it has wireless. Sony 1RBT and UE9000 are prolly the best wireless ive heard. And would pick those over the Studio 2013 even. And also the Vmoda M-100 are a much better option, with a similar sound signature as the studios but bass hits even harder, much more midrange clarity and a wider soundstage. Id see if there are deals for those on black friday tbh. But wireless for $199 would be a decent second choice if you value bluetooth.

Good luck

Good breakdown between the two. Yeah, I really liked the Solo2s sound wise everything popped on them great clarity but the fit I just know I couldnt get used to. I want something over the ear for the most part. I assumed the new Studios being wireless could maybe hinder quality over Bluetooth and wireless isn't the big sticking point on why I want them. It's mainly the comfort and decent price point but the good thing is they come with a wire and the Bluetooth will just turn off I believe, hopefully sound doesn't suffer compared to the older version if using a wired connection. I will definitely have to check out the M-100 in person they're for sure a bit out of my price range but they seem to get rave reviews everywhere. I'll keep looking before pulling the trigger on anything. Thanks

 

[toolio]

XB500 isn't on the same level as Solo 2. There's a very natural and detailed tonality to the mids on the Beats that puts even highly regarded headphones like the AKG 701 to shame.

lol. I'll admit that the Solo 2s are better than the originals. But that comment is delusional.

 

[OMGLadyGaga]

lol. I'll admit that the Solo 2s are better than the originals. But that comment is delusional.

Feel free to disagree, but i think the 701 tonal balance sucks and the mids are nowhere near as natural as the Solo 2. *shrugs*

 

[TripBitShooter]

XB500 isn't on the same level as Solo 2. There's a very natural and detailed tonality to the mids on the Beats that puts even highly regarded headphones like the AKG 701 to shame. XB500 are dull and muffled. Treble is pleasntly shelved but with enough detail and articulation to make it worthwhile. The only problem with the Solo 2 is that the mid bass hump is hugely exaggerated but this can be a good thing to some, as it truly thumps but doesn't mess with the mids too much. The JVC and Porta pro are good for their price but severely show their limitations next to more proper headphones. Although I do think both are better than Solo HD, neither really comes close to Solo 2. UE6000 has a more coherant and detailed presentation than all of them, and performs technically better than all, its signature just isn't for everyone however. But all are far beyond the Solo HD IMO

I shall disagree then. The mids are obviously warmed up by the mid bass hump, and the bass also bleeds excessively into the mids. I also find the treble way too attenuated and the sound too congested sounding, plus clamping force is bad. I prefer more transparent mid s as those sound more natural to me, rather than artificially warmed up mids, as my ears cannot stand the colouration

 

[OMGLadyGaga]

I shall disagree then. The mids are obviously warmed up by the mid bass hump, and the bass also bleeds excessively into the mids. I also find the treble way too attenuated and the sound too congested sounding, plus clamping force is bad. I prefer more transparent mid s as those sound more natural to me, rather than artificially warmed up mids, as my ears cannot stand the colouration

Yeah they arent perfect or anything, but relative to the others discussed like xb500 or solo hd which have similar sound signatures, then the mids are pretty much night and day. Preferences def come into play, i dont like dry sounding headphones for example, or shouty and honky. Solo 2 are well behaved and relatively free of major flaws.

 

[justaname]

If you find the midbass making the vocals sound a bit too congested, try lowering the 200Hz region by 3dB or so.

 

[OMGLadyGaga]

If you find the midbass making the vocals sound a bit too congested, try lowering the 200Hz region by 3dB or so.

Ya this is a good suggestion. I personally do a -7db reduction using a PEQ of the mid and upper bass. But only at home, on the go i like it with no eq.

 

[Allucid]

V-MODA XS > beats