Beats Solo3 Wireless (2018) EQ settings

Parametric EQ correction for the Beats Solo3 Wireless (2018), derived from measurements by Rtings. It moves the measured frequency response toward a neutral target.

How the Solo3 Wireless (2018) sounds before EQ

Measured against a neutral target, the Solo3 Wireless (2018) comes out V-shaped. Boosted bass and treble with recessed mids: exciting at first, tiring and vocal-shy over time.

The bass region, punch and bass lines, sits about 2.9 dB forward of neutral, so bass lines carry extra weight. The treble region, cymbals, sibilance and sparkle, sits about 2.4 dB forward of neutral, so cymbals and s-sounds can sting. The lower mids region, warmth and the body of voices, sits about 2.4 dB behind neutral, so voices lose body and sound hollow. The mids region, vocals and most instruments, sits about 2.3 dB behind neutral, so vocals sit behind the instruments.

The largest single move in the correction is 5.7 dB around 730 Hz, on top of a broad tilt of up to 2.9 dB. That is not subtle. This model benefits clearly from correction.

These figures are read from the correction itself: whatever the EQ lifts, the headphone lacked, and whatever it cuts, the headphone had too much of. The target is the community's neutral reference, and how far above 10 kHz you can trust any measurement varies by rig. More V-shaped models.

The correction curve

The solid line is the full measured correction (all 10 filters). The dashed line is what Atrium applies: the same shape at 65 percent strength, capped at 6 dB per band, so the headphone keeps its own character instead of being forced flat.

What the EQ fixes

Summed across every filter, these are the changes the correction actually makes, largest first:

• Around 730 Hz the correction lifts the middle of the mids by 5.7 dB, over a medium-width band about 1.4 octaves wide.
• Around 145 Hz the correction cuts the upper bass by 3.5 dB, over a broad band about 2.3 octaves wide.
• Around 8.6 kHz the correction cuts the treble by 3.2 dB, over a medium-width band about 1.1 octaves wide.

The preamp of -5.7 dB offsets the boosts so nothing clips at full volume.

Parametric EQ settings

This is the full measured correction in AutoEq format. It pastes straight into Equalizer APO or Peace on Windows, and into most parametric EQ apps. Enter every row, including the ones that cut. The fitting process is free to use large opposing filters that cancel down to a small net change, so a single large gain here does not mean a large change to the sound. The curve above is what the whole set does together.

How to use these settings

Manually: enter the preamp and each filter into any parametric EQ. On Windows that is usually Equalizer APO with the Peace interface. On a Mac, eqMac or SoundSource. Set the type, frequency, gain and Q exactly as listed.

With Atrium: pick your Solo3 Wireless (2018) in the app and it applies a tuned version of this correction: 65 percent strength with a 6 dB per-band cap, which fixes the rough spots without erasing what the headphone does well. Atrium also measures how you hear with a short listening test and layers your personal hearing profile on top. Two people with the same headphones do not hear the same sound. Headphone corrections are part of Signature Edition; the app itself is free.

Solo3 Wireless (2018) vs other Beats models

Bass and treble are each model's average distance from the neutral target in that range. Positive means more than neutral, negative means less.

Headphones that sound similar

Closest matches across all 4,332 measured models, by distance between their deviation curves. Useful if you like how the Solo3 Wireless (2018) is tuned and want alternatives.

More Beats EQ settings