Beats is on a roll with its sales this season. After parading out a string of deals on its in-demand headphones and earbuds earlier this spring, it’s now closing out the last weeks before summer by unleashing ever better deals, such as this deal on the Solo 4 over-the-ear headphones, now half off for $100.
audio quality without the active noise blocking
Like the most expensive Beats Studio Pro headphones, the Solo 4 includes Beats’”Personalized Spatial Audio.” It’s a buzzy name for an equally buzzy premise: Beats calls it “surround sound you can take anywhere.”
So how does that work? With dynamic head tracking, advanced built-in sensors create an interactive experience, so you can get lost in theater-like sound from your favorite content.”
It’s somewhat similar to how the fancier soundbars out there, such as the Sonos Arc Ultra, present their fine-tuned audio software as allowing for “3D sound.” The effect is more like being in a concert hall, where the sound seems to come from more directions in more natural ways than simply being piped into your ears flatly.
Headphones that go over the ears are just better at blocking out sound compared to similarly passive earbuds. But the Solo 4 doesn’t have active noise cancellation (ANC), unlike the Beats Studio Pro.

What’s ANC? The simplest way to describe ANC is that it uses software to detect and then cancel out incoming sound waves, and then when it’s activated you’ve got an ultra-quiet set of headphones. You can turn it off to lengthen battery life and block noise passively, or you can usually select a transparency mode that slightly amplifies ambient sound.
That’s where your extra cash goes when springing for the Studio Pro, which is also half off for $170. If you can live without it, though, you can save a bundle by choosing the Solo 4. Both are great headphones. It just comes down to how much noise you want to block out.
Frequently fly and want a pair of headphones to cover up a fair chunk of the jet engine noise? Go Studio Pro. But if you find yourself listening to headphones mostly at home or in the park, you can save some cash and stick with the Solo 4.
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Screenshot: IO Interactive Partners A/S