Beats by Dr Dre Solo HD with ControlTalk Headphones from Monster - Black

Just to get this straight - yes, they are quite strongly bass-weighted. But a lot of people like that, myself included. I listen mostly to metal/rock, but also a lot of trance/club, and they pack a very satisfying thud. That's exactly what I wanted, in fact I returned an £85 pair of other top-brand headphones because their sound was too 'balanced' and lacked the bass that I craved.

The mic makes the headphones a hundred times better still. I use it all the time with my iPhone 3GS. It and the headphones integrate perfectly with Spotify (I don't actually use iTunes) and all phone alert sounds. If you get a call, the music fades. After the call is ended it fades back in. One niggle I have is that now in winter, with gloved hands, it is a bit annoying to locate and press the central pause/play button. Another niggle is that the mic is at the height of the collar, so it ends up rubbing against the zipper on my jacket, which transmits loudly through the wire and into the headphones. But that's just my jacket I suppose..

The build quality is very good. I have been using them heavily since November and nothing is coming apart yet. I love the fact that the cord detaches at the earphone - I have damaged headphones in the past by crouching, letting the wire go around my knee, and then standing up - rrrrrippp! So this is a safety release of a kind.

Comfort-wise, I have worn these for 6+ hours straight. They are heavier and have a tighter grip than say the Sennheiser PX100s that I had before, so your ears feel a bit tender after 3-4 hours, but a small massage and they are fine, and you can keep listening. The ears get a tiny bit clammy but nothing to speak of really.

They provide a good seal from outside noise, but if you have the volume quite low, you'll still have an awareness of traffic, which I think is very important. But in the Tube you can crank them up and hear hardly any external noise. They really do not leak sound, which is fantastic as I can't bear other people looking at me and thinking 'what a moron', like I do...

I have quite a large head, and need them on maximum headband extension, so if you have a huge head, it's worth being aware of that and try them on first.

So overall, yes they are expensive, but if I have them for even 3 years it will be more than worth it. They are great fun to listen through, and if I ran a charity that helped all the poor imbeciles who still use the earphones bundled with their phone or mp3 player, I would definitely be recommending these.

Well, where to begin? These headphones are simply fantastic. They have a slick & sleek form-factor that hugs your head without being oppressive, the ear pieces are extremely comfortable for an 'on-ear' type rather than 'over-ear' (if you're looking for 'over-ears', try the headphones one-up in the range - Monster Beats). They are light and surprisingly comfortable to wear.

The folding design means that the headphones fold away neatly in their very own neoprene case, it's not a hassle to fold them up either, they pack-away with a reassuringly solid 'click'. The headphones also come with a branded anti-bacterial wipe to clean up any fingerprints on the glossy headband or - as mine is more frequently used - to polish up the screen on my iPod touch.

This is where the real functionality begins; the ControlTalk lead has become one of the best-designed pieces of electronics I own. The cable detaches from the headphones and from the iPod, meaning it is very easy to put-away. The lead itself has an antitangle design, the cable inside is flat rather than the usual wrapped-cylinder and as a result the lead doesn't twist inside the insulation and you get far fewer knots. In fact you can throw this in the neoprene case with the headphones any which way you fancy and it still comes out without a knot or one ounce of fuss.

The controls on the ControlTalk button are very slick; sitting 2-3 inches below the left earpiece, they are discreet but always within reach (never disappearing into the depths of your jacket) and manage the essentials with great aplomb. Volume; Up & Down on the respective keys, Centre Button; one press for pause, another for play and a double-press to skip to the next track. As a result my iPod stays in my pocket for longer without having to open the case, unlock the thing, then skip the track. Genius. The controls also work for the iPhone, one press to answer, double press to divert and in-call volume controls. What surprised me is just how little delay there is in-between pressing the button and the iPod responding, the software is obviously doing it's job.

Last but by no means least, the HD sound. There are some tracks that in-ear pieces just can't do justice and this turns out to be a lot more of my music collection than I had given credit to. The sound is rich and resonant but not overly bass-heavy as might be expected with a name like Dr Dre on the headband. The mids & the trebles all ring clear & true. The seal between your ear and the earpiece is impeccable, it stops practically all but the loudest outside noise and there is no leakage, meaning you really don't have to be considerate to your fellow commuters anymore!! As the title might suggest, the quality of the sound coming from these beauties means that you might have to listen to you whole collection again, just to hear it as it was intended - with studio quality headphones.

I can't recommend these headphones enough, do your record collection some justice and get these!!

I bought these headphones about a month and a half ago and I must say that I am impressed with them. I went into various shops and stores to first-hand listen to the quality of the music and test out how my music sounded on the headphones. I bought them from HMV eventually for alot more than the price shown here, but I did wish to try them out in a shop before deciding to buy them without even testing a pair.

After a couple of hours listening to music the headphones start to 'get used to' the type of music you listen to and the quality in the headphones start to increase dramatically. The bass starts getting stronger and each song sounds completely different to the next, in terms of the sounds heard.

In conlcusion, if you have the spare money then buy these headphones! But if you want stronger bass and even louder, intricately developed music I suggest you buy the Studio ones!!!