A comparison of specs, key information, reviews, and best pricing from top retailers
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Solo 3
Company ProductName Specs




Live 770NC
Company ProductName Specs




What we think

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The PerfectRec Earbuds or Headphones team Learn more
Updated April 11, 2024·

If you're on a tighter budget, the Beats Solo 3 may appeal to you as they are often slightly less expensive and still offer good overall sound quality. They also have the advantage for those who travel often with their active noise cancelling feature and longer battery life without a case, making them suitable for long flights. However, the Beats fall short in comfort, microphone quality, and do not support wireless charging like the JBL Live 770NC does. If comfort, call quality, and the convenience of wireless charging are priorities, and you don't mind spending a bit more, the JBL Live 770NC would be a better fit for you. Give Feedback

this description is based on the product variant with some specs and product variant with some specs. At the time of writing, the variant with some specs cost some dollars and the variant with some specs cost some dollars.
Advantages of the Beats Solo 3
  • The Beats Solo 3 has no clear advantages over the JBL Live 770NC.
Advantages of the JBL Live 770NC
  • Good for music
  • Excellent for air travel

Key differences

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Music

6.3
Solo 3
Live 770NC
7.4
The JBL Live 770NC is good for music, while the Beats Solo 3 is only fair.

Phone Calls

4.7
Solo 3
Live 770NC
5.2
The JBL Live 770NC and Beats Solo 3 are both poor for phone calls, though the JBL Live 770NC is somewhat better.

Noise Reduction

5.3
Solo 3
Live 770NC
7.0
The JBL Live 770NC is good for noise reduction, while the Beats Solo 3 is poor.

Battery

41.5 Hours
Solo 3
Live 770NC
76.0 Hours
The Beats Solo 3 has 41.5 hours of battery life. The JBL Live 770NC has 76 hours of battery life.

Cost

$117
Solo 3
Live 770NC
$130
Product image
Product image

$0

$50

$100

$150

$200

The Beats Solo 3 has a price of $117 and the JBL Live 770NC costs $130.
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Key similarities

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Gaming

5.3
Solo 3
Live 770NC
5.6
The JBL Live 770NC and Beats Solo 3 are both poor for gaming.

Podcasts and Audiobooks

5.8
Solo 3
Live 770NC
5.9
The JBL Live 770NC and Beats Solo 3 are both poor for podcasts and audiobooks.

TV and Video

5.6
Solo 3
Live 770NC
5.8
The JBL Live 770NC and Beats Solo 3 are both poor for TV and video.

Build Quality

8.0
Solo 3
Live 770NC
8.0
The Beats Solo 3 and JBL Live 770NC both have very good build quality.

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We’re constantly working to improve.

How the Beats Solo 3 and the JBL Live 770NC compare to other earbuds and headphones

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Spec Comparison

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Beats Solo 3JBL Live 770NC
Beats Solo 3JBL Live 770NC

GENERAL

Price
$117
$130
Brand
BeatsJBL
Release Date
October 1, 2016March 1, 2024
Form Factor
HeadphonesHeadphones
Connectivity
Wired + WirelessWired + Wireless

SOUND

Music Score
6.3/107.5/10
Phone Calls Score
4.7/105.3/10
Gaming Score
5.3/105.6/10
TV and Video Score
5.6/105.8/10
Exercise Score
5.9/106.1/10

PERFORMANCE

Battery life
41.5 Hours76 Hours
Wireless charging
NoNo
Charging time
2 Hours2 Hours
Bluetooth version
4.25.3

FEATURES

Active Noise Cancelling
NoYes
Noise Reduction Score
5.3/107/10
Virtual Surround
NoYes
Android App
YesYes
iOS App
YesYes
Mic Quality
5.4/107/10

BUILD AND DESIGN

Build Quality
8/108/10
Comfort score
5.7/107/10
Size
N/AMedium
Weight (headset or single earbud)
213.1 Grams220 Grams
Microphone style
IntegratedIntegrated

Shopping

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Beats Solo 3

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Dig into reviews and images

Sound Guys

Lily Katz | May 2023
"The Beats Solo3 Wireless is an old set of headphones but still works reliably well with iPhones, due to W1 chip integration and AAC support. The Beats Solo3 Wireless holds up well today with just a few features showing its age."

Get a great deal on the Beats Solo 3 or the JBL Live 770NC

About Beats

Beats is an American, consumer-focused, audio products manufacturer. Founded originally by American rapper and producer Dr Dre, the company is now a subsidiary of Apple. Beats sells a wide range of audio products, including several models of headphones, earbuds and speakers as well as full car audio systems.

About JBL

JBL is an American audio equipment manufacturer. Owned by Harman International which is, itself, owned by Samsung Electronics. JBL markets a wide array of monitoring speakers, professional headphones and consumer market headphones and earbuds. It was founded in 1946 by James Bullough Lansing (whose initials give the company its name) and has become one of the most prolific audio companies ever. Their products were responsible for audio during the 1969 Woodstock Festival.

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Why trust us

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This information was produced and vetted by the PerfectRec earbuds & headphones team. We are a product research and recommendation organization that meticulously reviews and evaluates the latest earbuds or headphones information and makes it digestible for you.

By the numbers

108
Earbuds and headphones evaluated
11,340
Earbuds and headphones stats compiled
15
Proprietary Earbuds and headphones ratings developed
122,900
Recommendations made
18,435
Consumer hours saved

About the Earbuds or Headphones team

Joe Golden, Ph.D

CEO and Earbuds and Headphones Editor
Joe is an entrepreneur and lifelong electronics enthusiast with a Ph.D in Economics from the University of Michigan.

Jason Lew

Staff Expert & Software Engineer
Jason is a staff expert and software engineer that has been making laptop recommendations for 7 years and moderates one of the largest laptop subreddits.

Chandradeep Chowdhury

Staff Expert & Software Engineer
Chandradeep is a staff expert and software engineer and expert in televisions and monitors. He’s been making monitor recommendations for ten years.

Luis Torres

Earbuds and Headphones Expert
Luis is a Mexico-based headphones expert. He’s been making headphone recommendations for five years and has close to 100 pairs in his personal collection.

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