Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.

AppleWarrior

macrumors member
Sep 9, 2016
74
40
Those of you that have these...would they work with an iMac? Like, would they connect via Bluetooth to my iMac?
 

boston04and07

macrumors 68000
May 13, 2008
1,834
935
Just got my Solo 3's in silver and I am absolutely loving the pairing improvements of the W1 chip. That's pretty much the only reason why I got them - I already had a pair of Solo 2's, which I mostly loved, but since I switch between devices often throughout the day, the pairing process was getting a little irritating. I've switched back and forth between my iPad and iPhone and it's been working really well for me. When I turn the headphones on, they appear in the Control Center audio output menu on both my devices pretty quickly, and switching from one to another has so far been seamless.

Sound quality wise, they sound very similar to the Solo 2's, except that they seem ever so slightly less bass-heavy. Now I'm no audiophile and the Solo 2's always sounded pretty nice to me, but in my limited testing so far, that's one thing I've noticed.

My only complaint is that these stil lack a Lightning port for charging. This is the last thing I own that still uses micro USB, which I hate with a passion - I always end up plugging the damn thing in backwards. I really hope this is changed in the next revision, especially now that the Beats X and Pill speakers use Lightning.
 

boston04and07

macrumors 68000
May 13, 2008
1,834
935
Oh, I can't believe I forgot to add that the range of these things is crazy, as many have mentioned. I was concerned that the range improvements would only be seen with the iPhone 7, but it seems as though it works with older hardware really well. I connected them to my 6s and iPad mini 4 and was able to walk all over the house, even down to the basement, without so much as a single cutout. It was awesome.

I couldn't walk more than 20 feet from my device before and/or put a wall between myself and my device, so this is a huge improvement. Pretty happy that I can now walk all over the house with these things without having to carry anything.
 

RByers8252

macrumors regular
Sep 12, 2014
142
14
So I just happened to be at Costco and they had a ton of the Solo 3s on sale for $220, but only in gloss black. :( I have planned to get a pair of Solo 2s Black Friday because Target will have them for $120 and once I saw the 3's for 220 I changed my mind instantly for the W1 and battery life. Got on Amazon and they had them in all colors but for $250, lucky me I click the regular black ones to match my 7+, iPad, and new MBP and Amazon had the black ones for $220. They'll be here tomorrow :D

Question, has anyone found a nice quality hard case for these they really like? Amazon has a few but they look like a mix of soft/hard case.
 

boston04and07

macrumors 68000
May 13, 2008
1,834
935
So I just happened to be at Costco and they had a ton of the Solo 3s on sale for $220, but only in gloss black. :( I have planned to get a pair of Solo 2s Black Friday because Target will have them for $120 and once I saw the 3's for 220 I changed my mind instantly for the W1 and battery life. Got on Amazon and they had them in all colors but for $250, lucky me I click the regular black ones to match my 7+, iPad, and new MBP and Amazon had the black ones for $220. They'll be here tomorrow :D

Question, has anyone found a nice quality hard case for these they really like? Amazon has a few but they look like a mix of soft/hard case.

I got this case not too long after I got my first pair of Solos and I really like it. It's a bit nicer than the case they came with as it has a hard shell interior, so I feel like it'll be more protective in that sense. It sort of reminds me of a hard shell glasses case in its construction. On the flip side, it takes up more space in your bag. Works for me though.
 

RByers8252

macrumors regular
Sep 12, 2014
142
14
I got this case not too long after I got my first pair of Solos and I really like it. It's a bit nicer than the case they came with as it has a hard shell interior, so I feel like it'll be more protective in that sense. It sort of reminds me of a hard shell glasses case in its construction. On the flip side, it takes up more space in your bag. Works for me though.

Thanks, I saw that one but think I like the looks of this one better. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01FVIC7TC/ref=ox_sc_act_title_2?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=A1COZCA2VNKWO8
Just wish it had more reviews, looks pretty slick like on of my Oakley cases.
 
  • Like
Reactions: MrXiro

AppleRobert

macrumors 603
Nov 12, 2012
5,729
1,133
I price matched Costco at Best Buy and used $25 Rewards I had. Woot!

With these I feel I am 90% there versus the QC35s so better bang for bucks.
 
  • Like
Reactions: RByers8252

RByers8252

macrumors regular
Sep 12, 2014
142
14
Listend to them for about 4 hours today switching between my iPhone, iPad, and MacBook as I'm typing this. Got to say I really like them. I know these aren't top notch SQ but they're really fun to listen to which goes a long way for me. Oh yeah, so after 4 hour of listening they still show 97% battery life! Going to be weird to get used the that over my Powerbeats 2.

As far as swapping devices, overall it seems to work pretty easy. Pick up the device you want to use, select the headphone and play but just now it seemed to take 10-15 seconds to connect to my MBP for some reason. No delay when using my phone.
 
  • Like
Reactions: boston04and07

AppleRobert

macrumors 603
Nov 12, 2012
5,729
1,133
The first set I bought a full price two ago months clamped too hard on my head, this pair is much better so don't settle if yours are too tight.
 

michael31986

macrumors 601
Jul 11, 2008
4,588
704
Are there ever software updates for beats? Also how do you update them? I'm wondering if there are any for the solo beats 3 yet.
 

480951

Cancelled
Aug 14, 2010
639
914
I love these for the battery life and range alone (and they sound good too). I'm the type of person who can sometimes listen to music for 6 hours a day, and I'd have to frequently charge wireless headphones which ends up reducing their charge cycles/life. With the 40 hours on these I haven't had to charge them for a week or so at a time.

Are there ever software updates for beats? Also how do you update them? I'm wondering if there are any for the solo beats 3 yet.

There's a Beats Updater app for Mac/PC on their website that's been updated to be compatible with the Solo 3s. You just have to open it, plug in your Beats and check for an update. To my knowledge there hasn't been a software update yet.
 

Eduardboon

macrumors 6502
Jul 17, 2012
269
39
How do you guys find the clamping force?

I think they really improved the Solo 3's. My old white solo 2's are still really tight; I can do anything with them and they won't even move. When you look at both headphones side by side you can also clearly see (and feel when stretching them) that the Solo 3's are much less tight. Sometimes it is annoying since they will move on your head, but most of the time it is so much more comfortable. Just don't do crazy headshakes and stuff, because they will fall off now. Anyway; I can wear the 3's for hours while the 2's start hurting after 30 minutes.

The sound is way less low on the solo 3's. The 2's clearly had more bass. But maybe this has to do with the old 2's clamping force.
 

MICHAELSD

macrumors 603
Jul 13, 2008
5,484
3,494
NJ
The first set I bought a full price two ago months clamped too hard on my head, this pair is much better so don't settle if yours are too tight.

I'd imagine it improves over time, or you're wearing them differently as the design allows for a good degree of adjustment.
[doublepost=1481717652][/doublepost]
How do you guys find the clamping force?

I think they really improved the Solo 3's. My old white solo 2's are still really tight; I can do anything with them and they won't even move. When you look at both headphones side by side you can also clearly see (and feel when stretching them) that the Solo 3's are much less tight. Sometimes it is annoying since they will move on your head, but most of the time it is so much more comfortable. Just don't do crazy headshakes and stuff, because they will fall off now. Anyway; I can wear the 3's for hours while the 2's start hurting after 30 minutes.

The sound is way less low on the solo 3's. The 2's clearly had more bass. But maybe this has to do with the old 2's clamping force.

My Solo 3's clamp quite strongly, and absolutely do not move whatsoever no matter how I shake my head or even run in these. They do get uncomfortable after an hour though, but depending on how I'm wearing them there's less pain. I'd imagine there's less bass on the 3's basic it's better-balanced. You should be able to pick out a lot more details on the 3 if that's the case.
 
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.