58 Macworld • December 2019REVIEW
a construction site, to a coffee shop interior, and
then a train platform all without ever sounding
wrong. The continual adjustment simply feels
natural and smooth, the whole world blending
into the background.
As most do most noise cancelling headphones
these days, the Solo Pros have a ‘transparency
mode’ that leaves noise cancelling enabled,
but pulls in some of the outside environment
along with it. It lets you more easily hear traffic,
people talking to you, or announcements over a
PA system. Such modes often make everything
sound tinny and distant, but I didn’t get that from
these headphones. Transparency mode has a
more natural and pleasant sound than the similar
function on most other headphones I’ve tried.Verdict
At £269, the Beats SoloProsaren’tcheap.
That’s a high price for apairofsimple
on-ear, walking-aroundheadphones
and ventures into ‘seriouslistening
cans’ territory. The BeatsSolo^3 ,
with no noise cancellingandno
hands-free ‘Hey Siri’ support,
debuted at the same £269
price, but now cost £90
less. These sound better,
have a nicer design, and
active noise cancellation.
For Apple users these
are especially nice. TheH1