[hifi80sman]

Are Beats finished. They've released nothing new for a while.

Went to London a couple of weeks ago our capital city, (best in the world but a different planet to where I live up north) and saw very few Beats... far more Sony and Bose wireless headphones.

My faith in human nature and taste partially restored

Looks like they are cutting prices on the Solo3 to $149, so I would imagine there is something planned.

 

[vantt1]

Are Beats finished. They've released nothing new for a while.

Went to London a couple of weeks ago our capital city, (best in the world but a different planet to where I live up north) and saw very few Beats... far more Sony and Bose wireless headphones.

My faith in human nature and taste partially restored

iOS 13's volume HUD is pretty neat though

 

[MICHAELSD]

That’s a cool touch.

 

[vantt1]

That’s a cool touch.

Yep sure is!

 

[god-bluff]

And I suppose a volume rocker is 'uncool'?!?!

A bit like those old headphone jacks...

 

[vantt1]

And I suppose a volume rocker is 'uncool'?!?!

A bit like those old headphone jacks...

I suppose that's a bit of a false dilemma.

The headphone jack is a dead horse nowadays and there's no use crying over spilled milk, but at least on iOS devices there's only a single dongle standard, wired Lightning earphones and the dongle were included/are widely available, and the Bluetooth stack is fairly dependable.

Edit: I can't spell.

 

[GearMe]

I suppose that's a bit of a false dilemma.

The headphone jack is a dead horse nowadays and there's no use crying over spilled milk, but at least on iOS devices there's only a single dongle standard, wired Lightning earphones and the dongle were included/are widely available, and the Bluetooth stack is fairly dependable.

Edit: I can't spell.

Hmmm...will take the 'dead horse' option of being able to listen to low sensitivity, high-impedance headphones (Senns, etc.) on my LG phone at work/home through the headphone jack over being limited to/or having to buy an additional 'accessory' or cans I don't like/want

Can still use BT on the go just like the cool folks do for my wireless earbuds.

 

[vantt1]

Hmmm...will take the 'dead horse' option of being able to listen to low sensitivity, high-impedance headphones (Senns, etc.) on my LG phone at work/home through the headphone jack over being limited to/or having to buy an additional 'accessory' or cans I don't like/want

Can still use BT on the go just like the cool folks do for my wireless earbuds.

Ironically, Android device makers are dropping the headphone jack left, right, and center because it's "cool" to do so. LG is the outlier in that not only are they keeping the jack, they tout a formidable quad DAC driving it. Most smartphones can't sufficiently drive low sensitivity, high impedance headphones on their own.

"Be together. Not the same."

 

[GearMe]

Ironically, Android device makers are dropping the headphone jack left, right, and center because it's "cool" to do so. LG is the outlier in that not only are they keeping the jack, they tout a formidable quad DAC driving it. Most smartphones can't sufficiently drive low sensitivity, high impedance headphones on their own.

"Be together. Not the same."

Yeah...hope they choose to be 'uncool' and carry that audiophile banner going forward...time will tell!

 

[IXentimenTI]

Are Beats finished. They've released nothing new for a while.

Went to London a couple of weeks ago our capital city, (best in the world but a different planet to where I live up north) and saw very few Beats... far more Sony and Bose wireless headphones.

My faith in human nature and taste partially restored

They arent done, but I guess Apple has smarter things to do rn than making new beats that wont even match sony in sound and ANC.

 

[vantt1]

They arent done, but I guess Apple has smarter things to do rn than making new beats that wont even match sony in sound and ANC.

Oh definitely. Beats headphones don't need to sound better than the competition, they just need to sell better and have the fattest profit margin. At the end of the day, that's what for-profit businesses are around for, right?

 

[MICHAELSD]

Maybe I’m just a new school Beats fan since I’ve only ever owned a pair after audiophiles like Tyll started raving about the Solo2/3. Other than the Best Buy demos, I haven’t listened to their Monster-era headphones that receive so much criticism. At that time (out of the Studio, Pro, Solo2, Mixr), I came away only liking the Mixr and impressed by the punchy bass response on the Solo2. The 1st-gen Pro didn’t really have a tightness to the bass and clarity was lacking, while the Studio sounded off without much really going on with the signature to hold my interest.

 

[vantt1]

Maybe I’m just a new school Beats fan since I’ve only ever owned a pair after audiophiles like Tyll started raving about the Solo2/3. Other than the Best Buy demos, I haven’t listened to their Monster-era headphones that receive so much criticism. At that time (out of the Studio, Pro, Solo2, Mixr), I came away only liking the Mixr and impressed by the punchy bass response on the Solo2. The 1st-gen Pro didn’t really have a tightness to the bass and clarity was lacking, while the Studio sounded off without much really going on with the signature to hold my interest.

They recently released a new headphone, the Solo Pro. What do you think? I like the addition of Lightning, but it no longer has a headphone jack. A headphone without a headphone jack? Ironic! Transparency mode is pretty cool though, it's like the opposite of noise cancellation where environmental noise is introduced into the audio.

Can't say I'm a fan of the new design; it looks less seamless than the Studio and Solo.

 

[MICHAELSD]

They recently released a new headphone, the Solo Pro. What do you think? I like the addition of Lightning, but it no longer has a headphone jack. A headphone without a headphone jack? Ironic! Transparency mode is pretty cool though, it's like the opposite of noise cancellation where environmental noise is introduced into the audio.

Can't say I'm a fan of the new design; it looks less seamless than the Studio and Solo.

The new design is sleek and more premium imo. I’m a fan, especially the Gray colorway.

Regarding the lack of a 3.5mm input, I think it’s just a sign of where the industry is heading. I’d venture to guess a majority of people with the Solo3 haven’t even touched the 3.5mm cable — there was simply no reason to. The headphones don’t benefit from files higher quality than AAC and the battery life was good enough it didn’t matter. It is cool that it still has a Lightning port though so it is still possible to listen to them with a wire.

I’m a little concerned the addition of Active Noise Cancellation will affect the headphone’s overall performance but we’ll see. It wasn’t really necessary since the passive isolation is sufficient, but it helps justify its price point. It’s more for marketing than anything imo. I’ll be happy if it can be disabled without defaulting back to ANC mode when the headphones are powered back on.

 

[god-bluff]

So are Beats officially dead now Apple have finally self-branded(if that's the correct term?!?) their headphones?

Are they now just an option on VW's Polo spec sheet?

Sorry if I don't shed a little tear on their passing