“Whether Beats are worth the money is open to debate. Reviews are mixed, but many people love them. The headphones are sleekly Apple-esque, which is no surprise, since they were created by a former designer at Apple. Beats also offer a celebrity vibe and a lot of boom-a-chick-a-boom bass.
“So much bass, in fact, that some audio experts say that Beats distort the sound of the music.
“’In terms of sound performance, they are among the worst you can buy,’ says Tyll Hertsens, editor in chief of InnerFidelity.com, a site for audiophiles. ‘They are absolutely, extraordinarily bad.’”
Read the full article at the NY Times.
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Welp, this posts helps me save $179.
I cant bring myself to spend that much on headphones. I’ll spend it on some Jordans though. enh.
I cant bring myself to spend that much on headphones. I’ll spend it on some Jordans though. enh.
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same lol. I haven’t paid over $20 for headphones in ages, if i even paid for them. i only use the shits when i’m traveling and I usually fall asleep on the plane anyways so…yeah, wasted investment.
Heard good things re: Sennheisers and Bose though.
If I’m paying that much, I want some audiophile shit. Seriously, would Dre use the “Studio” model in his studio? Highly doubtful.
Thank you! I’ve been trying to tell people this for a minute now. I think people rock with the headphones for the status, not for quality.
I’ve told people this for quite a while now: Beats are weak! If you like paying exorbitant prices for inferior sound, go right ahead and keep lining Dre’s pockets. I’ve heard better sound from $30 Sony headphones.
Isn’t the celebrity endorsement a dead giveaway that these are just a shameless cash-in?
I’ll stick with Sennheisers..although those AIAIAI TMA-1s look pretty tempting…
klipsch are the way to go if looking for sound. the ‘beats’ are for people with self esteem issues.
Yeah, a 30 second in store demo totally turned me off of this crap. Stupid bass distortion. If you’re looking for good headphones, get the Bose IE on-ear headphones. Pricey, but mine have lasted me more than 5 years, and they make you feel like you’re sitting on a sub-woofer.
I disagree. I have a pair of beats (they were a gift, I’m not crazy) and the sound quality is great, and I’ve never noticed too much bass. Similarly, I’ve never gotten a pair of headphones for under fifty dollars that I felt was worth anything.
Koss PortaPro
Yeah – theyre a little funky looking, but they’re 40 bucks on Amazon, they sound great, and they have a lifetime warranty.
Also popular with Audio Nerds who like to modify headphones, cos the drivers are a damn good value.
Ultimate ears. Google that.
Hopefully, sales will decline since we wont be seeing every NBAer rockin these in Arena hallways for sometime.
@greed – same here.
@ Gotty: Sennheiser, AKG, Audio Technica and Sony. Stay the fuck away from Bose if possible. Seriously though, unless you’re listening to CDs buying high-end headphones to bump compressed-as-fuck mp3 files on your BlackBerry/iPod/mp3 player is pointless.
i thought it was common knowledge by people who actually listen to music that beats by dre headphones are for toys
etymotic are great…at least my Er6′s are…(though they no longer make that model)
Co-sign flea 100%. Ain’t no point spending your money on headphones when all you’re doing is playing it from your iPod, which sound processor isn’t worth buying some OD nice headphones. Even if you have CD-Quality/Lossless files on your PC, you still need a sound card that can give you the best possible sound.
Sennheiser’s >
I bought some Dr. Dre headphone, took them bitches back and got some Sennheiser. Best decision I’ve made. Them Dre’s so fucking cheaply made, I’m STILL mad about it. Mostly because they actually do LOOK good. But overall quality, they kill batteries, feel cheep, and the sound quality is disappointing. Bose and Sennheiser are where it’s at.
Oh, and I love how this post had NO author. lol.
Some of the very best headphones you can buy cost less than 35 dollars…. The Koss Porta-Pro has been sold for like 30 years based on the strength of its sound… PLUS they have a lifetime no questions asked warranty, so that thrity dollars is the LAST YOU WILL EVER HAVE TO SPEND ON HEADPHONES…. cant be beaten
Bose prices don’t play either! Bose in on that quality plus esthetics market, but if I had 180$ to drop on headphones, Bose would be the brand, not Beats. Besides I’ve been told the cords are shyte too.
Here in Paris Beats headphones are like jewelery.
Sennheiser’s >
______________
Co-sign. HD-25′s, son. What.
I finally decided to upgrade to some good headphones for production and mixing purposes and I decided to try out the beats…so I was mixing a beat with those headphones and it sounded fine…I listened to it in my car and all the eq I had done was extremely high probably to compensate for the huge amount of bass they give off…these headphones are totally unreliable if you’re going to be using them for producing music (odd since they’re endorsed by dre?) but yeah I picked up some technica ath-m50′s at half the price and twice the quality
I know I’ve said this before on a previous headphones post; if you’re working out the Bose IME2 are the most comfortable and position stable earphones in the history of ever…
But cop them bitches online or use a discount of your closest Best Buy buddy and you can get em for about $50
Beats are made to drown everybody else around you out not to actually hear the music.
Bet if they didn’t have Dre’s named stamped on them half of the world wouldn’t think about puttig the the money on the counter.
Never seen the purpose of buying expensive head phones if your not recording. Better rock some $10 Gummy’s and start bobbin your d**m heads that way
Yeah I couldnt see myself shelling out anything more than like 20/30 bucks on headphones even if they did perform fellatio. I got more important things to spend money on… you know, jerseys, fitteds, shoes, ciggs, liquor. Oh and food and shit.
Off topic of headphones but has anyone else noticed that snapback hats have been making a comeback now for at least a couple months? I cant wear those things but they have much sicker designs and colorways than your normal fitted. It sucks.
I can’t justify spending that much on headphones when 90% of the music I listen to is low-quality MP3s of mixtapes. This article confirmed my suspicions though, you’re basically paying for a name.
I tried Dre’s phones in the store a couple years back and they didn’t sound good. I thought they were broken but either way I didn’t give them the benefit of the doubt. I also had a pair of Sennheiser’s. They were good but they broke within a year. Since then I just gave up and got some cheap joints since I mainly use headphones with my iPod while commuting/traveling.
On another note, just say NO to earbuds kids.
I have a pair of studios and They sound damn good. If it were up to kme now, I would’ve gotten a pair of Bose or The Sleek by 50′s. The wireless and how unbreakable they seem make those the one’s that I want. But then again, I got the studio’s for $160 so ey….
anyone else noticed that snapback hats have been making a comeback now for at least a couple months?
—
last few years b.
rockin the hippo vb…small in size great in quality
Yeah I’m definitely part of the snapback return party. But I’m slowly making the transistion to fitteds. If you’re lookin for some good snapbacks the best brands(to me) are 47 Brand, Zephyr and New Era
@cell
Damn man, out of the fashion loop… which im alright with… but years though? damn.
@willie
cant wear them. looks kinda funny on me what with hair coming out of the back/front where the snaps are and the fact that I have to set it to the loosest setting generally… 7 5/8 to 8 fitted.
Imma 8 in fitteds too. Too big for snap backs too… I’d have to use a saftey pin just to make the snaps meet…
bose are probably some of the best headphones you can find at like a meijers and they dont cost too much maybe 20-30 for a good pair
the value has dropped a ton in my eye since EVERYONE has a pair. Sony & Sennheiser have much better headphones for a fraction of the price.
I use the Vmodas and I believe they are better and I got em for such a low price.
Klipsch >>
I am Crazy and I like them jawns So Fuck It
I’ve had Bose IE, but I prefer my current V-Moda Vibes, it has really good bass and blocks most outside sound.
AS A 34 YEAR OLd WHOS LISTENED TO HIPHOP FOR 30 YEARS IN HEADPHONES I CAN TELL U . MY EARS RING ALL DAY ITS CALLED TENITUS. ITS WORTH IT . THE MORE BASS THE BETTER HAHA
I GORT SOME WESC. CHEAP,AND FULLA BASS,. HAS ANYONE TRIED THE BOB MARLEY FAMILY JOINTS?
as a long time club dj and now manager i have a little experience with headphones,
1) avoid anything that is marketed with a celeb label, you are paying for the name
umm 2) thats it
my top 3 right now are 1) Allen and heath xone xd 53 – a newer model from a long time blue chip mixing desk maker, great balance, noise isolation and freq response (newcomer, now provide for all dj’s in my clubs)
2) Pioneer hdj-1000 good solid performers and sturdy the 2000 are good as well but priced a little high for djing, more for studio work (current phones replaceable cable great everyday use and strong)
3) Sony MDR-700 , workhorse been around a long time, good balanced audio range but a weakness in the ear hinge marks them down (had 3 pairs over the years all broke in the same place)
4) Denon dn-hp1000 – not a personal favorite but good performers, some people prefer these, more on the budget end weaker copnstruction marks them down and sound isolation is not as good
all the above have large drivers in them and provide a full range of freq respose, ok nerd time over back to the fights and cosplay
Sony MDR 7506. had cats throwin their headphones away after putting them on to these cans. nothing comes close, imo
I would never drop that much money on a pair of headphones. How can you even justify it? People nowadays just rock them for the status. Just like snapbacks.
Dre Beats are just really bassy and loud. I wouldn’t pay that much for them. I was gifted a pair of Sennheisers earlier this year, and I love them.
I’ve been using these Sennheiser HD 205′s for while now. I love the sound, but they are tight as hell on my head. Much better than the Skull Candy Skullcrushers (ugh) I was using a while back.
Co-sign on the Beats being brittle. Had mine snap on me about a month in, lucky enough they were a gift though. Gotta give it to whoever was in charge of the marketing campaign though, they had a pair of those on everybody who was a “somebody” everywhere.
its a matter of opinion of course, and my fucking avatar doesn’t help… but that stands for Bryan, and obviously the Beats logo.
I bought the Studio and have never heard better sound in any headphones ever, can someone who has tried the Studios suggest some that are better then please, i’ll happily try them!
Beats=definitely have the celebrity appeal but smarter consumers aren’t fazed by it anymore. Decent sound but to audiophiles they’re the bane of their existence.
Senheissers=Bedroom DJ special aka the audiophiles staple. Pretty good, but not my cup of tea.
Sony(MDRV7s and the like)=A classic headphone but with poor construction. But affordably replaceable. Older hiphop DJ’s love these for the bass response and somewhat better sound isolation. These have been mimicked throughout the years.
Pioneer HDJ 1000/2000=The MDRV7′s younger brothers. These have taken over the game. Better construction especially with the 2000s.
Aiaiai TMA1′s=My next pair for sho. HD25 like but without the branding. I’m still undecided about on ear headphones. But if I was going to replace my V7′s I’d go with these. Amazing construction and will probably last you a lifetime.
For those hesitant to spend over $50 or even $100 for headphones be aware that most of the time you get what you pay for. The only exception to that rule would be headphones like Beats and the like. If you’re willing to pay $250 for Beats then you’re probably looking to upgrade your status. But again consumers are smarter today and are not fooled easily.
Yea this has been on frontstreet for a while now. Beats by Dre SUCK for the money, waayyyy overpriced. You’re basically paying for the flooded marketing and to line the pockets of all the higher ups. If you really want good sound thats worth it go with Klipsch, Bose, Audiotechnica, or TDK if you want to keep the style.