Beats Solo 2 Bring New Attention to Full Sound, Not Just Bass
Beats’ first new product under Apple’s watch will be yet another pair of headphones you’ll soon see everywhere. According to the company, its ever-popular Solo and Solo HD headphones sold at a combined clip of four pairs per minute in 2013. The next generation of on-ear headphones, dubbed the Solo 2, has similarly sleek aesthetics but are built around a brand new set of drivers.
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One of the traditional knocks on all Beats headphones is that while they are well built, durable, and good looking, they are also severely tuned to the low end. You like hearing mids and highs in your music? Tough luck. Well, the new Solo 2s address this critique with drivers tuned for a wider dynamic range and, in particular, sharper sound at the high end.
They’re also built to leak less of that better sound, with bigger ear cups than the original Solos and a memory-foam effect that keeps them cool and contoured to the shape of your ears. Just like the Beats Solo and Beats Solo HD headphones, they fold up into a D shape with the help of hinges above each earcup. The headband is also absurdly flexible: You can twist the top of the headphones like a piece of rotini, and it returns to its original shape immediately. Beats says the headband is built to keep its tension through 20,000 bends.
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Like its predecessors, the new Beats Solo 2s will cost $200. They’re available for preorder today on BeatsbyDre.com and slated for widespread availability on June 1. The new headphones come in black, gray, white, blue, pink, and a Project (RED)-branded red version. They’re not wireless, but they do come with a detachable iOS-friendly RemoteTalk cord with an embedded microphone, navigation buttons, and volume controls.
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