The new Beats Solo Pro could be the best Beats headphone yet

The Beats Solo Pro packs new functions, which include Lightning charging.

David Carnoy/CNET
Truth be informed, I have not been a big fan of Beats' line of Solo headphones -- regardless of Beats' claim that they're the high-quality-promoting headphones in the world, with round 30 million bought in their numerous incarnations. Although the Solo3 Wireless, first launched in 2016, become precise for an on-ear version, I decide upon over-ear designs and notion the Solo3's $300 price tag changed into a bit too wealthy for what it supplied (even though it is now down to $one hundred fifty).

That's why I become skeptical while Beats gave me an early observe its new Solo Pro, available for preorder now and delivery on Oct. 30 in numerous color options. It also expenses $three hundred (£270, AU$429), but it's a greater top class headphone. And that is now not simplest in phrases of its design: Its capabilities and performance additionally appear drastically advanced.

Note that CNET can also get a share of the sales in case you buy some thing featured on our site.

Now gambling: Watch this: Beats Solo Pro gets new layout, provides energetic noise cancelling

6:21

For starters, this is the primary Beats on-ear headphone to feature lively noise cancellation and the first enormous Beats headphone to fee through Lightning. It makes use of the organization's Pure Adaptive Noise Canceling (Pure ANC), "derived from the over-ear Studio3 Wireless, with updated tuning to deal with the on-ear form factor," Beats says. With a tap of button, you could flip off that noise-canceling to shop battery existence or hit the button a second time to enter a transparency mode that lets in you to listen the outdoor international. The headphone is geared up with six microphones, two of which are beamforming mics that are designed to hone in to your voice whilst making calls or speaking in your voice assistant.

Most of the top noise-canceling headphones offer comparable multimicrophone arrays to screen and filter out noise. But as you might assume, Apple-owned Beats is also touting the inclusion of Apple's new H1 chip -- the equal one located in Apple's 2d-technology AirPods and Beats' personal Powerbeats Pro genuine wireless earphones. According to Beats, no longer only does that chip allow for smooth pairing with iOS gadgets (Android users get that feature thru an app) and greater strong wi-fi connections, it is the engine that drives the superior sound processing and noise canceling. Also, as with the AirPods and Powerbeats Pro, those headphones are well matched with Apple's new Audio Sharing function that allows you to pair  headphones simultaneously to any Apple tool running iOS thirteen or higher, so you can pay attention to the equal track or watch the same video with a pal.

Read greater: Best noise-canceling headphones of 2019

All the ones improvements -- together with new drivers -- are on the inner. Beats has additionally made a few large modifications on the outside, however it's stuck with bodily buttons for extent and music controls rather than transferring to touch controls. With a layout it really is paying homage to the employer's entry-level stressed EP headphones, there's some metallic in the headscarf.

Beats reps instructed me the Solo Pro is a sturdier headphone than the Solo3 Wireless. It's genuinely heavier than the Solo3, weighing nine oz. (255 grams). The metallic also adds some rigidity, assuaging a number of the stress or clamping feeling you frequently get from on-ear models. I handiest attempted the headphones for approximately 20 mins, but they regarded at ease -- proper up there with the most at ease on-ear models I've used.

The headphones are available in numerous shade alternatives.

David Carnoy/CNET
What's additionally astonishing is how the smooth reminiscence foam-filled earpads seal out sound passively. Even carrying the headphones without noise-canceling became on, ambient sound is remarkably muffled due to the fact your ears are tightly (however without difficulty) protected.

I failed to get to a danger to examine the Solo Pro's noise canceling to that of the Bose Noise Cancelling 700 Headphones or Sony WH-1000XM3, however it regarded to be satisfyingly effective within the demos Beats was running with some simulated subway, avenue and aircraft cabin noise.

As for sound first-rate, I become most effective capable of pay attention to a handful of tracks, but my preliminary affect was that the headphones sounded clean and well-balanced with punchy bass that wasn't boomy. A few years ago, Beats took to coronary heart the proceedings about the sound exceptional of its headphones -- particularly the bloated bass -- and has tightened matters up. You're nonetheless going to get lots of bass, but it's more defined. As quickly as I get my review pattern, I'll upload additional evaluation and comparisons to different noise-canceling fashions in this price variety.