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Updated January 10, 2024·
The Beats Solo 3 are great for on-the-go listening with strong bass response, wireless capabilities, and a built-in microphone for calls, making them suitable for everyday use, especially for those who prefer a heavy bass sound and need portability. On the other hand, the Sennheiser 560S are tailored for an audiophile experience, offering a more expansive and detailed soundstage, which is excellent for critical listening at home, particularly for genres that benefit from a wide frequency range. If you're focused on sound quality and use them mainly in a home environment, the Sennheiser may be worth the extra expense; whereas, if you prioritize convenience, portability, and a microphone for calls, the Beats Solo 3 could be the better choice 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
Very good for air travel
Advantages of the Sennheiser 560S
Best in class for music
Excellent for TV and video
Very good for podcasts and audiobooks
Key differences
Music
6.3/10
9.5/10
The Sennheiser 560S is best in class for music, while the Beats Solo 3 is only fair.
Gaming
5.3/10
6.9/10
The Sennheiser 560S is only fair for gaming, while the Beats Solo 3 is poor.
Podcasts and Audiobooks
5.8/10
8.1/10
The Sennheiser 560S is very good for podcasts and audiobooks, while the Beats Solo 3 is poor.
TV and Video
5.6/10
9.1/10
The Sennheiser 560S is excellent for TV and video, while the Beats Solo 3 is poor.
Noise Reduction
5.3/10
2.5/10
The Beats Solo 3 and Sennheiser 560S are both poor for noise reduction, though the Beats Solo 3 is somewhat better.
Battery
41.5 Hours
N/A
The Beats Solo 3 has 41.5 hours of battery life. The Sennheiser 560S does not have a battery.
Cost
$117
$180
$50
$100
$150
$200
$250
The Beats Solo 3 has a price of $117 and the Sennheiser 560S costs $180.
"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."
"Sennheiser made a near perfect pair of studio monitors with the HD 560S. Flat bass response? Check. Neutral and uncolored midrange? Check. Extended treble with a bit of lower-treble emphasis to highlight mastering flaws? Check. Fairly easy to drive? Check. Good soundstage and imaging? Check, and check."
Get a great deal on the Beats Solo 3 or the Sennheiser 560S
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 Sennheiser
A family-owned company, Sennheiser is a German, high fidelity, audio equipment manufacturer founded in 1945. Their consumer audio division is now owned by the Swiss hearing aid and cochlear implant manufacturer Sonova. Sennheiser offers a wide variety of, very high quality, audio equipment solutions, from headphones to earbuds, full sets of monitoring speakers, amplifiers and microphones. They also make what is widely regarded as the best, and most expensive, headphones in existence, the HE-1 Orpheus, costing a whopping $59,000 dollars.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.