A few new products from Beats by Dre have been made available to customers today, beginning with the launch of the new Beats Pill+ Speaker for $229.95. The Bluetooth speaker was announced earlier in the month with an expected launch date in November, but has made its way to online availability a few days early. The Pill+ Speaker introduces a new design into the line-up of Beats portable speakers and includes an extended 12-hour battery life along with a new iOS companion app.


Also introduced today by Beats are new "Luxe Edition" colors for the Solo2 On-Ear Headphones, including Blue, Silver, Black, and Red. The $199.95 headphones offer the same features as the other editions of the Solo2, but with "a refined glossy finish and polished accents." The Solo2 Headphones in the new "Luxe Edition" colors and the Beats Pill+ Speaker -- available in white and black -- can both be purchased right now from Apple's online store.

Top Rated Comments

112 months ago
How about making them sound good instead of releasing new colors all the time?
They do sound good. Have you heard the latest stuff from Beats? Especially the new Solo 2? Comments like these are getting old and are just regurgitated nonsense that people think they're clever in saying. Times have changed, Beats actually makes solid audio gear now.

Tyll from InnerFidelity has a very favorable review on the new Solo 2s, for anyone curious for more info about how good they really are.
Score: 18 Votes (Like | Disagree)
112 months ago
How about making them sound good instead of releasing new colors all the time?
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
112 months ago
How about making them sound good instead of releasing new colors all the time?
The new ones sounds quite nice, and way better than the older Beats that are way too bass heavy for me.

Lot's of reviews of the Solo 2, including data on the sound. One of the prominent ones by InnerFidelity:

With almost a quarter million views, a lot of people have experienced my opinion regarding the original Beats Solo in this video ('//www.youtube.com/watch?v=ipZY0qGrA9Y&list=UUs5A6Gg74iPHyTFJh69w-RA'). I've been quoted in the New York Times ('http://www.nytimes.com/2011/11/20/business/beats-headphones-expand-dr-dres-business-world.html?pagewanted=all&_r=1&'), Huffington Post ('http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/05/09/beats-headphones-reviews_n_5294628.html'), and numerous places elsewhere ('http://www.ketknbc.com/news/what-beats-by-apple-would-mean-for-music-and-you') expressing my distaste for their products. I now find myself with the unenviable task of reversing my opinion, at least in part, with the introduction of their new Beats by Dre Solo2—a very fine headphone indeed.
Video:


Review article: http://www.innerfidelity.com/content/time-rethink-beats-solo2-excellent#BrWrjvHUko7qIlJ3.97

And measurements of sound output: http://www.innerfidelity.com/content/time-rethink-beats-solo2-excellent-measurements-page-2#qJ6zoD1hf6hfQTzK.97

I'd like to know what you don't like about them? Anything specific? Did you try them?
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
112 months ago
My sister just got a pair of the Solo2 Wireless for her birthday, and I was genuinely impressed by the sound. They are much improved from Beats of old.

That said, they should sound a little better for the money they cost. They can't hold a candle to my Sennheiser Momentum over-ears in the clarity stakes, but they're still a very good pair of headphones if you listen to rap/electro. I felt they make guitars and drums sound muddy across too many tracks for me to buy a set if my Senn's died.
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
112 months ago
I have Beats Solo 2 Wireless, Master Dynamic MH40, Audio Technica M50, and Grado SR-125e sitting around and I actually reach for the Solo 2s more than any of the others. The combination of on par sound, wireless, small, and lightweight definitely make them more convenient than the super heavy MH40s, unwieldy M50s, or sound-blasting Grados. The battery life is insane too, sometimes I use them at work all week before charging and I've never run down the battery completely. It's also slick how the battery life shows up in notification center with my phone and watch.
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
112 months ago
I know the article you're referring to and that only applies to the old pre-Apple Solos as far as I know. The new 2s are pretty great in both build quality at choice of materials used. I've felt them in hand at my local Apple Store and it certainly felt like a quality product, especially in terms of the plastic used. Not even accounting for the really nice, polished metal bits.

These new 2s are pretty excellent and completely destroys everything bad about the previous Monster influenced generation of Beats. I remember memes on headfi.org making jokes about "why can't we just give beats good sound quality" etc. and it finally happened. Good stuff.
Maybe I'll have to check them out again. But I still don't like the idea of being a giant walking billboard for a company. The white earbuds were more subtle back in the day. My phone has a little Apple logo that is usually covered up by a case or in my pocket. I typically don't buy logo'd clothing unless it's sports.

If I mostly listened to pop(ular)/radio type or other bass friendly music I'd definitely consider them.

But my taste is wide ranging so I too prefer the more nuanced brands.
Yeah I listen to a really wide range as well—and have expanded quite a bit over the last few years with all of the music discovery stuff built into streaming services. I'm starting to develop an ear for comparing audio equipment with different types of music, but I've got much to learn as I'm a person who is usually tuned to critiquing visual imagery, calibrating displays, editing photos, etc.
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)

Popular Stories

Report: These 10 New AI Features Are Coming in iOS 18

Sunday May 26, 2024 12:57 pm PDT by
iOS 18 and macOS 15 will offer an array of new AI features such as auto-generated emojis, suggested replies to emails and messages, and more, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman reports. A significant portion of Apple's Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) is expected to focus on AI features. Writing his latest "Power On" newsletter, Gurman explained that Apple's AI strategy emphasizes providing...

Apple Releases New AirPods Pro 2 Firmware

Tuesday May 28, 2024 11:46 am PDT by
Apple today released new firmware update for both the Lightning and USB-C versions of the AirPods Pro 2. The new firmware is version 6F7, up from the 6B34 firmware released in November. Apple does not provide details on what features might be included in the refreshed firmware beyond "bug fixes and other improvements," so it is unclear what's new in the update. Apple does not give...

Best Buy's Memorial Day Sale Has Record Low Prices on iPads, MacBooks, and Much More

Friday May 24, 2024 7:12 am PDT by
Best Buy today kicked off its Memorial Day weekend sale, and it has some of the best prices we've tracked in weeks on iPads and MacBooks. Specifically, you'll find record low prices on the 5th generation iPad Air, iPad mini 6, M2 MacBook Air, and M3 MacBook Pro. Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with Best Buy. When you click a link and make a purchase, we may receive a small payment,...

Gurman: iOS 18 Will Allow Users to Recolor App Icons and Place Them Anywhere

Sunday May 26, 2024 12:22 pm PDT by
Apple's iOS 18 update will introduce new features for further customizing the iPhone's home screen, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. In the latest edition of his "Power On" newsletter, Gurman claimed that Apple will allow users to change the color of app icons in iOS 18. For example, "you can make all your social icons blue or finance-related ones green." This kind of home screen...

Apple Says Future iPads Could Feature Landscape Apple Logo

Monday May 27, 2024 6:31 am PDT by
French website Numerama interviewed three senior Apple employees about the new iPad Pro models that launched earlier this month. While the discussion did not reveal many new details, it did mention one potential change for future iPads. While the Apple logo on the back of iPads is positioned so that it appears upright in vertical orientation, the devices are often used in landscape...