With their sleek all-black design, the SOL REPUBLIC 1601-30 Master Tracks Over Ear Headphones are attractive and wonderfully minimalistic. Sol took their attention to design to the next level and added the compatibility with the REMIX collection of headbands. This way, you can easily create your own look that’s unlike anything else on the market.

Design and build quality

We really enjoyed the clean, modern look of these headphones and found them to be a welcomed addition amidst the vast sea of colorful youth-oriented headphones and the typical professional look of audiophile headphones. The matte black housing is void of any unnecessary contours, interrupted only with an elegant logo on the sides.

All plastic materials are thick and scratch-resistant. There are two rectangular protrusions covering the cable where it goes into the earcups. We tough that this is a very nice touch, as the cable is probably the most likely part to break.

The overall construction is pleasantly lightweight, allowing for a long listening free of any discomfort. The FlexTech Sound Track headband is built to withstand heavy abuse, and is compatible with the REMIX collection of headbands.

Speaking of the cable, the one that comes with these headphones has a built-in 3-button volume controller with an integrated microphone. You can use it to adjust the volume, pause/resume/skip music tracks and answer/hang-up calls. The microphone is of decent quality and manages to deliver a clear reproduction of your voice.

Sound quality

The SOL REPUBLIC 1601-30 Master Tracks Over Ear Headphones rely on the X3 sound engine speakers to deliver powerful bass, clear highs, and supreme vocal accuracy, or that’s what the Sol’s marketing department claims.

The bass is, indeed, powerful. In fact, it’s not just powerful but also very enjoyable to listen to. The headphones don’t mess around in their delivery, which results in many surprising moments when the energy of the music rushes through your body.

Unfortunately, all of this untamed power negatively affects the overall clarity and the level of detail these headphones have. You can forget about analytical listening and the appreciation of every detail. What’s interesting, however, is that the clarity seems to improve at higher volumes. It’s almost like the mids and highs need the extra power to climb above the bass.

What’s in the box?

The headphones come with a soft pouch and one adapter that allows you to plug the headphones into your home audio system.

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