It is amazing what you spot in a skip sometimes. Have beats fallen from grace so much since Apple bought them that people are just throwing them out?
I retrieved these two from a soggy skip while out for a run. I certainly wouldn’t have entertained the brand previously. I’m probably twice the age of the target market. Since they cost me nothing, It’s worth seeing if these are fixable and if they are any good.
The Achiles heel of many headphones is the cable, and particulalry the jack plug. These are no exception. One cable is held together badly with cellotape. It doesn’t work. The other is intact and works, thought I expect that situation to change soon, given the split where it enters the switch on the left. Unforunately the rubber has gone sticky. various attempts to fix this failed, so it’s going in the bin. The good news is that the cables are easily replaced with an original component or a simple jack to jack lead. I had a suitable lead to hand, so could progress to testing the phones.
First up are the “Solo HD” headphones. Missing a headband pad and with one ear cup adrift from the headband the signs were not good. They work! I was able to fit the cup back in and it stayed there for long enough for me to have a listen. Sound ok to me, but not so good that I’ll spend money on parts to fix them properly. I’ll keep them in the spares box in case I come across another pair that I can Frankenstein them with.
These are Beats Solo. The ear pads are rather tatty, but the foam is intact. Otherwise they are in good condition cosmetically. Again, they work. I actually like the sound. I used them connected to my telly to watch “The green mile”. That’s a long film, but I found them comfortable for the duration. I still liked them after using for a few weeks, so I dropped a few quid on a pair of replacement ear pads and a cheap, but fancy looking, red braided cable.
So, while I don’t see what all the fuss is about, they are certainly pleasant enought ‘phones and worth every penny of what I paid for them. If spending money though, it’s more likely to be spent on Sennheiser or AKG.