SOL Republic is fighting for a better experience for music lovers everywhere.
Co-founder Seth Combs bills his brand as more than your average headphone company. He prefers to think of it as more of a community, a culture. It's a global movement dedicated to enhancing people's listening experience and ridding the world of hollow-sounding headphones, one pair at a time.
"We're a music lifestyle movement that just happen to make headphones," says Combs. "You know, we really believe that if music sounds better, it feels better."
(Seth hails from San Francisco and is not to be confused with the Seth Combs in San Diego, former music editor of San Diego CityBeat. “You know, it's funny; because it's only a couple hours away we always fight, basically, for the social network site names.”)
The 'SOL' in SOL Republic stands for 'Soundtrack Of Life', which Seth says "follows the idea that with every great moment there's a song that goes with it". They've built a global following through their Saviours Of Sound, famous fans of the brand, from the likes of Michael Phelps and other athletes through to Boys Noize, Benny Benassi, Marina & The Diamonds and Lil Jon. Longtime friend and fan Steve Aoki has been there since the beginning, and even has his own signature headphone, the SOL Republic x Steve Aoki Tracks HD.
"So we were friends with Steve," Seth explains, "and he actually came up to San Francisco, the Bay area, with us and we sat down and we were just kind of talking to him about this idea we had for this headphone company. And he's been part of this whole ecosystem and the family of SOL Republic for, like, years."
The Aokis are powered by V10 Sound Engines, delivering deep bass, high clarity and crisp vocals. For the fashionable listener, interchangeable headbands and cables are available to pimp yo' headphones. They won't set you back as much as you'd expect, either; Seth and his buddies aimed to make their headphones accessible without compromising on sound quality. "We said back in the day before we launched the first Tracks that your headphones shouldn't cost more than your smart phone," he says. (For music lovers on a particularly tight budget, the Jax in-ear headphones with i2 Sound Engines and tangle-free flat cable come in at less than $50.) SOL Republic launched in Australia ten months ago, and Seth thinks the region is a perfect fit with his brand. “We have some incredible Saviours Of Sound here, from Tydi to the The Twins. You know, when I came down here last year people were like, 'Australians love a few things — beaches, beer and music'. So if you can tap into that, you know, they're gonna love you. I said, 'we're all about music', and they're like, 'well, we love you already'."
SOL Republic founders (L-R) Scott Hix, Kevin Lee & Seth CombsAussie fans — or 'Soldiers Of Sound' — can even get their hands on a pair of State of Origin Tracks. As for Seth's favourite headphones?
"My favourite? I always, absolutely always, rock the Master Tracks over the ears."
