These balanced Beats headphones remain among my favorites…

The Beats Solo 4 delivers improved sound and a more refined design while preserving the signature appeal that made the lineup so popular.

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Our editors thoroughly review and fact-check every article to ensure that our content meets the highest standards. If we have made an error or published misleading information, we will correct or clarify the article. If you see inaccuracies in our content, please report the mistake via this form. I've spent a lot of time testing headphones, and I always find a new favorite with every new release. But one pair of headphones will always hold a special place in my heart, years after their launch: the Beats Solo 3 on-ear headphones.

The Solo 3 awakened my passion for headphones; they were the first pair I spent more than $50 on. I bought a Rose Gold pair in high school with the money from my first job, and they stuck with me throughout college. I still have them, but years of use have burnt out the audio components and worn down the ear pads. So, when Beats offered me a pair of the Solo 4 headphones to test, I was more than happy to see how the company used the eight years since the Solo 3's release to improve the Solo 4.

Before I get into the details, I want to mention that these headphones are on sale for $150 at Walmart. The retailer is also giving away five free offers, including up to four months of Apple Music. The Beats Solo 4 headphones stay true to their lineage while gaining much-needed upgrades. The Solo 4 design shows Beats' shift away from flashy, chrome accents adorned with heavy branding, toward a muted matte finish with simpler elements.

I think Apple may have influenced these design choices. The Solo 4 ditches the mini USB port and instead has a USB-C port for charging and lossless audio. You can also now plug the headphones into a device to listen and charge them simultaneously. I tried the Solo 4 cans in Cloud Pink to trigger nostalgia for my Rose Gold Solo 3. The Cloud Pink Solo 4 is stunning and aesthetically pleasing, making it suitable for people who like stylish devices.

In terms of audio, Beats has given the Solo 4 headphones a much-needed tune-up. If you previously strayed away from Beats because of their incredibly bass-forward sound, you'll like the Solo 4 sound much better. One of Beats' taglines for the Solo 4 is "Amazing sound. Simplified", and I couldn't agree more. Instead of offering an artificially pumped-up, bass-heavy sound profile, the headphones have the most neutral sound I've ever heard from Beats.

It's still not wholly neutral, but undoubtedly neutral to Beats' standards. I listened to Kendrick Lamar's A.D.H.D. and immediately noticed the Solo 4's modest bass response. Because the bass didn't overpower the midrange, I could appreciate minor details in the song, like Lamar's layered vocals and the psychedelic synth sounds in the upper midrange. Beats says upgraded transducers improve high-frequency responses, and passive tuning helps maintain sound quality over wired and wireless connections.

I concur. Like every other pair in the Solo lineup, the Solo 4s are on-ear, so the cups sit on your ear instead of enveloping it like over-ear headphones. The Solo 3's cups are ever so slightly larger, but the Solo 4's new UltraPlush ear-cup padding is more comfortable. Despite the new padding, I couldn't wear these cans for long. On-ear headphones have never been comfortable for me because I wear four earrings in each ear.

After about 30 minutes of wear, the earcups put too much pressure on my earrings, prompting me to take a break. The Solo 4's on-ear fit shouldn't bother listeners with glasses, but I'd avoid them if you have multiple ear piercings.  The headphones don't have noise-canceling or transparency modes, but their passive noise isolation is impressive. If you think the transparency mode on other headphones lets in too much noise and noise-canceling blocks too much noise, the Solo 4's natural noise isolation is the perfect middle ground.

The Solo 4 are the first pair in the Solo line to receive Personalized Spatial Audio, and I don't have much to say about it. I'm not a fan of spatial audio, and it drains your headphones' battery. The spatial audio feature works — and it works well — but I prefer regular audio. Speaking of battery life, the Solo4 headphones offer up to 50 hours of continuous playback, 10 more hours than the Solo 3.

Like the Beats Studio Pro, the Solo 4 has increased interoperability with iOS and Android devices. For iOS fans, the headphones offer iCloud pairing, full access to Siri, Find My, over-the-air software updates, and Handoff. Android users can use Google Fast Pair, Bluetooth Multipoint, Google Find My Device, and the Beats companion app. The Beats Solo 4 headphones deliver style and functionality for music lovers.

If you weren't a fan of Beats' signature sound in the past, I challenge you to give the Solo 4 a try — they might change your mind. A note about their fit: if on-ear headphones are your preferred style, you can't go wrong with the Solo 4. But if you prefer over-ear headphones, you may find the Solo 4 uncomfortable.  If you're a loyal Beats fan but want Beats headphones with more premium features, try the Studio Pro; you can regularly find them for $250 or less.

If you want over-ear headphones in a similar price range with the same focus on sound quality, consider the Sennheiser Accentum Plus or the Audio-Technica ATH-M50xBT2.

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