Tracks Ultra V12

Published on December 14, 2012, by Phillip Layford - Posted in Hardware, Reviews 571

8 Overall Score

Appearance: 8/10

Quality: 9/10

Price: 8/10

Great audio quality | Sturdy design | Customisation options

A bit pricey

Sporting a slick metallic blue finish, the Tracks Ultra V12 are the latest edition to the SOL Republic family.

At a glance, they are a pair of on-ear headphones with a 3.5mm headset jack plug, suitable for use with portable music players, mobile phones, PCs, laptops and practically anything else with a standard audio jack port.

The headphones come with a headset cable that has a remote control and microphone. The remote and microphone is fully compatible with the iPod Nano, iPod Classic, iPod Touch, iPhone (3GS onwards) and iPad 1 and 2. Only the remote is compatible with the iPod Shuffle.

The most bizarre thing I found with them was that the headphone cups themselves were not attached to the headband and are completely removable. Since they can be slid up and down the headband they allow for a good head fit for practically all head sizes. At first I was sceptical that this slide-on slide-off action would make the cups prone to sliding off, but they remained sturdy throughout my time with them.

Since the headphone cups are not confined to the headband, the ability to completely customize the headphones is possible, from the earcups to the headband to even the headset cable.

In general, I’ve found them to be quite comfortable to wear for long periods of time and compared to my current headset they have been a lot more tolerable (I can wear them for hours, whilst I can only tolerate about 45 minutes of use with my SteelSeries).

As well as using them with my iPod I’ve also tried them out on my PC on Spotify, Skype and a handful of Steam games and have found the audio quality to be great across the board. My only petty issue I found was the lack of audio controls and volume adjust when I used them on my PC, although they are tailored primarily at smartphone and MP3-player devices so this can be excused.

The audio quality from them is great with minimal sound leakage. There seems to be an emphasis on vocals and a softer bass compared to my SteelSeries, but the overall quality of the Tracks Ultra V12 is definitely superior. Hands down. My SteelSeries are literally nothing compared to them.

The headphones themselves are quite lightweight and come with their own carry case, allowing them to be used and stored on the move. The headset’s cable is quite flexible and is reportedly tangle resistant.

All in all, the Tracks Ultra V12 are a solid piece of kit, sporting a snug and comfortable fit whilst delivering great audio quality. Obviously my main concern is the price; they’re about £60 more expensive than my SteelSeries and whilst they do seem a bit pricey, the quality completely blows them out of the water. Did I mention that the headband is reportedly indestructible? I haven’t tested that out yet… But with a 1000 day guarantee you can’t really go wrong.

Author: Phillip Layford View all posts by Phillip Layford

PC and console player! I make videos with Liam for the Gamer Nation YouTube Channel and the Gamer Nation Network. Contact email: phill@gamernation.co.uk