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That's not true. Plenty of celebrities endorse Ultimate Ears and they make the best IEMs on the market. Granted, they aren't named after any celebrities.

It sounds to me like he just prefers less accurate sound. A lot of people prefer headphones/speakers that make the music sound "more blended" (as my girlfriend says). That isn't my preference at all, but I understand why some people don't care to analyze the music and just want to listen, even if that comes at a cost to sound quality.

I haven't personally heard the Beats and I really have no desire to. There are many excellent headphones in that price range and I would say the Denon D2000 would be the front runner, however that wouldn't suit his application as they aren't rugged at all, rather quite fragile. And I don't agree with the suggestions for the DT770/80ohm. Personally, I think they sound like garbage (even on my system), but regardless, they aren't easy to drive without a more powerful amp. The Equation Audio models feel like you've stuck your head into a vice grip. How anyone could stand those on their head for more than 30 seconds is beyond me. The new Shure line-up sounds like a perfect match for him, but he decided to go with the Beats so the recommendations will only serve to help him in the future when and if he decided he is looking for cleaner audio.

GEEEEZE I think the issue isn't whether the beats sound good/bad, because by that logic, if he likes them, then great.

The point is that they are way overpriced, and that buying them is buying into a huge marketing scheme that convinces people to buy products not by their substance, but by their surface level appeal. This is really what makes me sick about the beats.

If you like that sound, then great, you should go for that sound. The point that should be made here, is not to convince you that you have bad ears, but to help you find the sound you are looking for. There are many phones that would give you that sound, or maybe even something you would like better, for a much better price, and then when you were on the subway, you wouldn't be another idiot who blindly threw down money because of surface level attraction.

AKG K81dj - if you put tac into the back of these, they will suit your needs, and sound better than the beats, but similar, IMO

any of the other phones that were suggested in this thread... Audio Technica ATH M50, or RP-21 or Ultrasone 780, these are all great recomends.

also, I just want to add that just because a certain phone sounds better amped than unamped, doesn't mean it is not a great value for the sound you get unamped. For example, an unamped RS2 stilll sounds better than a ksc-75, and even though the rs2 sounds better amp'd, it still may sound better enough than the ksc75 unamped to warrant the cost. just IMO of course

First off, I have to say I like the Beats. They're good looking, comfy and have DECENT SQ. Worth $300? No... Get a DT770 + M^3 instead.

Okay, so bottom line you can do me only 1 out of two favors...

1. Go with bose and never come back.

2. Get the Dre's for $200 @ 6ave.com open box or craigslist it.

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So you're basing a headphones sound and build quality due to the maker of it, without even having trying them out.

OP, if you like the beats, and they sound good, go ahead. You're the one that's gonna be listening to them, and it's your money. If you truly enjoy them, then do it. Don't let anyone hold you back. There's a lot of blatant and unreasonable hate for these phones JUST because of the fact that they're produced by Monster Cables.

One more vote for the DT770/80's I carry mine in a backpack every single day and also use them every single day, the have held up for four months already with no visible signs of wear.
They do not NEED an amp - yes like everything else they will sound better through an amp but the amp is not a necessity for comfortable listening levels. Even from an iPod.

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I agree but i personally wouldnt buy anything made by Monster simply on the principle that the company is sleazy to the point of attempting to strong arm smaller companies into illegitimate licencing fees.

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mmmm..reminds me of something....

Oh yeah:
Apple confirms presence of proprietary chip in shuffle headphones, licensing fee

That said, the Monster Turbines and the Apple In-Ear Headphone are both considered here to be among the best in their respective price ranges in the IEM world. lols. We like objectivity you see.

For $300, I would have gone with the SR-325is.

Awesome.

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There's a headphone that surprisingly almost no one here knows anything about! I say it's surprising b/c the RP21's are/were very popular here. During my research for a new main headphone, I narrowed it down to the RP-22x (which seems to be an RP21 with better bass) and the M-audio Q40. Went with the Q40 b/c it's quality was confirmed by more users here. I love them, but naturally have always wanted to hear the RP22x and compare them.

Can you give us any more info the RP22X? Does the bass make one smile big right out of the box? The Q40 did for me.

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i dont own any Apple products either.

My roommate bought these tonight. They're terribly harsh and make listening to music feel like hard work. Bass is nice but mids sound like they're trapped in a box. Highs are present but unpleasant.

Bad enough you didn't throw them into your sig, eh?

I heard them in Best Buy in one of their stations, and there was a "compare to your headphones" port. That port was conveniently unamped and could barely drive my 325s. Marketing's a pain sometimes.

darthdiddy. Sad to see that we did not manage to talk you out of buying the The Beats.

I'd love to know what he thought of them though after apparently testing against those at Guitar Center.