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Sol Republic and Beats by Dre are two of the top headphone companies in the world. They’re rivals in a highly competitive market that has plenty of other brands to go with, but what makes these two noteworthy when compared to each other is that they’re pretty evenly matched and they’re both quite popular.
Some of their notable competitors include Sennheiser, Bose, Sony and Panasonic. Each has their own flagship series or top model when it comes to headphones, and each of them makes something comparable in specs to what Sol Republic and Beats have to offer, but there are two specific models from Beats and Sol Republic that deserve a close comparison, the Sol Republic 1430-00 Tracks Air and the Beats Solo2.
Sol Republic is a private company based in San Francisco, while Beats is owned by the infamous Dr. Dre, a tycoon in the music industry. There’s definitely something to be said about the fact that Beats has Dr Dre’s name on it. There are people out there that are willing to choose Beats over other brands just based on that. But don’t let Beats apparent marketing scheme fool you. Like Sol Republic, Beats is a great brand that makes very high quality headphones. As a direct result of Dre’s name being on the Beats brand though, their price tag gets marked up.
The big question is, which one is better, the Sol Republic Tracks Air or the Beats Solo2? Check it out.
Sol Republic 1430-00 Tracks Air
The 1430-00 Tracks Air is a super-powered wireless headset that has a range of 150 feet. You could have your device in your room and be downstairs still listening to your favorite song (Though it probably depends on what kind of ceiling or floors you have). They have a built-in microphone for making calls, and an interchangeable headband. If you want to switch up the color of your Tracks Air, you can mix and match. A cool feature of the Sol Republics is that you can connect to two devices simultaneously. So if you’re watching a movie on your laptop or tablet, you can receive an incoming call from your phone and answer it.
When fully charged, the battery lasts around 14 hours. If you ever want to conserve battery life though, you have the option of using the auxiliary cable to power them, just like wired headphones.
The Track Air uses A2 sound engines that produce crisp, accurate sounds. The bass levels reach some fairly deep lows, though not exactly the deepest on the market. You shouldn’t be disappointed with anything sound-wise though, especially for the price range. The Sol Republic Tracks Air offers really great value that few if any can surpass for the price of roughly $100.
Check Current Price on AmazonBeats Solo2
The Beats Solo2 comes in two versions, wired and wireless. They are pretty much identical except for the fact that one of them is wired and the other one is wireless. Oh yeah, and a price difference of about $100. But since the Sol Republic Tracks Air are wireless, we’ll be comparing them to the Beats Solo2 Wireless.
First off, although these are really good headphones, they’re expensive. Honestly, they’re overpriced. They cost about $200, so here’s what you get for that.
They have very clear, hi-fi sound. As can be expected from the Beats brand, they are great for listening to hip hop and R’n’B, as their lows are very deep and rich. They’re some of the best headphones for having good bass. The battery lasts for around 12 hours on a full charge, and of course the auxiliary cord can be used to power them instead of the battery.
The Solo2 Wireless headphones are good from 30 feet away from your device. The headband is pretty flexible, more so than the previous Solos. They’re pretty comfortable to wear, though they might feel a bit too snug on some people. The snugness helps them stay on though. They feel durable and even fold up for easy storage.
Although you’re pretty much paying top dollar for a pair of these due to their brand name, they are very good headphones with great, clear sound quality and good bass. If you can swing the approx. $200, I doubt you would ever regret buying them.
Check Current Price on AmazonCompare and Contrast
Now that we’ve had a look at each of them, lets tally up the advantages and disadvantages of each compared to the other.
Price – The Tracks Air are about $100 cheaper. The Solo2 Wireless cost 2.5 times as much. The Tracks Air obviously has the advantage when it comes to value for your money.
Sound quality – Beats Solo2 have a clear advantage here, as the Tracks Air’s bass levels are no match for the Solo2’s. They both have crisp and loud highs though, so that may be a matter of preference. If you plan on listening to audio books and classical music, the Tracks Air could actually even sound better to you.
Battery life – 12 hours from the Beats vs 14 hours from the Sol Republics.
Range – 30 feet from Solo2s vs 150 feet from the Track Air, that’s 5 times as much.
Conclusion
For the money, the 1430-00 Tracks Air is the clear winner. There’s no question that they offer a far better bang for buck ratio. But if you enjoy sporting expensive name brand things that are easily recognizable by those around you or would put quality of sound as your first priority no matter what, then the Beats Solo2 are the best option for you.
