NEW YORK — SOL Republic announced the Master Tracks XC last week, a version of its over-ear headphones designed in collaboration with music producer, writer and DJ Calvin Harris.
Seth Combs, SOL’s chief marketing officer, came to the TWICE offices, here, on launch day to show off the newest model. Building off of the company’s Master Tracks headphones, the XC version was created in response to Harris’ desire to partner with SOL for a headphone he could use as both a studio headphone and a street headphone, Combs said.
Harris and SOL wanted to work off the Master Tracks platform, but Combs said it was eventually determined that the driver needed to be redesigned. The new XC driver is meant to emphasize the mids and highs of the frequency response, he said, noting, “Mids is where most headphones can hide from. Mids is where the vocals are. Most people put a lot of bass in there and say, ‘Now you feel the music,’ but how do you get the expression of music that you’re actually trying to convey, especially when you’re coming straight from the studio?”
As with SOL’s other over-ear and on-ear headphones, the XC drivers can be detached from the FlexTech Soundtrack headband and swapped with other SOL headbands. The XC will be offered in just one color: Singularity Red. They are currently available for a $249 suggested retail.
SOL Republic declined to provide tech specs for the headphones, as is custom for the company.
Also included with the Master Tracks XC is a coiled 6-foot cable that features a screw-on quarter-inch adapter for studio use. The cable also has glowing Left and Right indicators for use in low-light environments.
