Beats' over-ear cans work with both Android and iOS for great audio quality. (Amazon)(Amazon)
For anyone looking to drown out background noise or jam to their favorite songs while getting those boring tasks out of the way, a good set of headphones is calling your name. In fact, a pair of high-end headphones can take your listening experience to completely new heights. Thankfully, you don't have to spend a ton to get a taste of the good life. Beats Solo 4 headphones are down to $100 — a massive 50% discount.
Wanna go Pro? This pair has two times more Active Noise Cancellation than its predecessors, and you'll save nearly 60 bucks.
If you have 60 extra bucks to spend on these over the Solo 4, do it. Active Noise Cancellation and Transparency Mode let you control how much of the world you hear, whether you're on a plane or at the gym. Plus, with up to 24 hours of battery life, they're built to keep up with your day.
I've been lucky to avoid power outages in my most recent home, with one exception: During the 2022 Stanley Cup Playoffs. My wife and I were watching the Colorado Avalanche when the power went out. Bummed that I was going to miss the rest of the game, I looked out the window and saw that my neighbor had the game going via his outdoor projector, which was plugged into an Explorer 1000 v2. Lesson learned.
Its two USB-C ports, one USB-A port, one DC car port, and three AC outlets mean you can charge your tech as well as run a space heater. For an extra $250 you can add solar panels, which can charge this from 0-80% in just 2.4 hours.
Tired of basic black? You can also nab these stunners in Slate Blue (shown), Black/Gold and Cloud Pink. They don't have ANC, but do have Personalized Spatial Audio.
"They're lightweight, foldable and come with a sturdy carrying case, making them ideal for travel," said a happy buyer. "The ear cushions are soft and comfortable, though they may feel a bit snug for those with larger heads. Even during extended listening sessions, I found the fit to be comfortable with minimal ear fatigue."
For starters, Beats Solo 4s are a budget-friendly option for anyone entering the world of higher-end audio. These are also still relatively new to the market, so you'll get that "new headphones" smell for less — or you can nab them for someone with a birthday coming up.
Every generation of Beats improves on the one that came before. There's a reason these are so popular, especially among music lovers. To start with, 40-millimeter transducers inside the headphones produce clear sound with less distortion. The Personalized Spatial Audio feature makes you feel as though the music is all around you, and the "personalized" part means you'll get a custom sound profile that makes music sound even better to you.
As for comfort, any headphones weighing less than 350 grams are considered lightweight. Beats Solo 4 weighs only 217 grams. That's about half the weight of a football. Throw in their trademark UltraPlush ear cushions and you have a piece of tech that feels custom-built for a multi-day musical journey.
The battery life is nothing to sneeze at, either. You'll get 50 hours of playback per charge. That's right: more than two days of listening without a break. If you do run down the battery, the Fast Fuel feature gives you an extra five hours of playback after just a 10-minute charge.
But perhaps the biggest selling point is that the Beats Solo 4 provides lossless audio if connected through USB-C or a 3.5-millimeter audio cable. Explaining exactly what that means could be an essay in and of itself, so we'll sum it up this way: Lossless audio keeps the song closest to what the artist originally intended, without compressing any sounds. Oh, and listening through a cable doesn't use any battery life.
Over 5,300 buyers have given the Beats Solo 4 a five-star rating, and more than 9,000 pairs have been sold in the past month.
If you think most over-ear headphones are uncomfortable, one reviewer disagrees. "Impressive sound, stylish and sophisticated headphones. ... Finally, headphones that are not bulky or heavy. I appreciate the smooth texture feel and the cushioned headband."
Reviewers also testify to the impressive battery life. "I feel like I never have to worry about charging [them]. When I do have to charge, I can get five hours of use with just a 10-minute charge. That's unheard of! I have some earbuds that I use and I feel like I constantly have to keep them charged, or they will die after a few minutes of use."
"The sound quality is on another level! Great bass, great mids, great highs. Just good all around," shared another shopper. Another buyer backed that up, saying, "Beats are better than AirPods headphones."
A few customers said the fit could be a bit on the tighter side, especially if you have a larger head. "Snug fit over the ear, which at times can be just a little too snug for me, but that would be different for everyone depending on the shape of their head and how it's adjusted."
This costumer issued a caveat about the Cloud Pink model: "It's white with the rose gold accents. It's not pink at all like it is in their pictures."
Prefer over-the-ear headphones with a few more features? Beats Studio Pros are also on sale right now.
The reviews quoted above reflect the most recent versions at the time of publication.
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