Whats so bad about Studio Beats by Dr. Dre?

You said it yourself: the price. Even with the (somewhat annoyingly uninterruptible) noise cancelling, $300, even $200, is way too much to pay for them, imo. I A/Bd them with my 33 dollar JVC RX700, and SQ was pretty much identical, if not better on the RX700 for my tastes. And even though I can see some people preferring the beats sound, that doesn't justify the pricetag for what I feel was technically quite similar. That, to me, presents a serious issue with the Studio Beats. They are not bad headphones, and they are one of the best looking headphones out there, but they are just substantially overpriced. Also, I don't have a bias against Monster. They apparently make great not-liscenced-name IEMs, given several impressions on this forum.

I still preffer my XB500's in just about every way but I'd pay $50 for the beats if I could get them that much.

 

I gave them a listen at BestBuy today and was annoyed by the constant "white" noise coming from these cans, even when there was no music playing.  Maybe it was a problem with the demo setup, but the other smaller Dre phones there didn't have this issue.  I guess I'll reserve judgment for another time, but I'm skeptical that they'll be worth the $$$.

When i listened to them at BB I didn't notice any soundstage whatsoever and the bass was not detailed at all, but maybe that was just the demo track they were playing.  

at our local bestbuy, the demo track is waayyyyy too loud...

If you listen to mainly rap/hip-hop, then they'll suit you well I think. So would an M50 at a cheaper price. I do admit though, they are some sweet looking cans. Something about that red "b" really just gets my juices flowing. Seriously, I love that freakin b!!

 

yes the B look really good , draw a b on some cheep headphones and save couple bills 

i unplugged then from the display at the local BB and hooked them up to my iphone  the bass is over the top and drowns out everything else, not worth the money

10/10 compared to what? The very best headphone you've ever heard will almost always be your personal 10/10, even if it's a stock earphone one of the other dreadful mass-market headphones out there. Saying that something sounds great without a point of comparison is like saying that the Honda Accord is a fast car. Of course it's a fast car - fast enough for most people - but most car guys will still take offense to the statement without proper qualifications. 
 

If you like them, there is nothing wrong with them. Certainly, they aren't as cheap as some cans that sound good straight out of china, but then again, you can buy them locally, try em out and return em. Those things are worth extra to me. We all have different values. If saving a dollar isn't you priority and ya like them. Enjoy.

 

I agree.  I haven't heard the Beats Studio, but the Beats Tours are about a 6.5/10 compared to everything I've heard.  For reference, ibuds are 1/10, ep630 are 3/10, and IE8 are 10/10.  You have to quantify comparisons or they become meaningless.  I'm sure someday something new will blow my mind and become my new 10/10 thereby changing the ratings of my other phones by equal measures.

 

I must say that a lot of people probably do think the Beats are 10/10 simply due to lack of exposure.  When I first got my Tours they were 10/10 which spurred me to purchase some M50s which in turn made me suspect something was lacking with the Tours.  Then again, some people's minds are blown by the active noise canceling found in the Studios.
 

Active noise cancelling.  Never heard one that didn't do that.  That's why I have no active noise cancelling phones.

I'm not trying to defend Monster but I thought the XB500s were definitely inferior to the Monster Beats in terms of fidelity.  XB series had excellent bass impact for the price, but everything else is not worth mentioning.
 

The white noise is noise cancellation.

 

Hiphop craves a more upfront presentation. I agree about the soundstage, but not with the Best Buy demo tracks. The soundstage was quite large from the demo tracks that I heard. All the instruments and vocals were nicely separately which was not the case when I used my own music. Even the demo tracks for the Beats Solo made the Solo seem like it had good soundstage, but bring it home and you'll wonder where all the polyphonic separation went.

 

Studio Beats are probably worth about $150 but noise cancellation adds a lot, so ~$200-250 is about right. Buy it if you like the features(folding and noise cancellation) and sound (emphasized bass, small soundstage). Don't buy it if you want a more detailed headphone and everything else

Edited by wind016 - 10/4/10 at 10:30pm

It's not always about fidelity, it's about enjoyment.I enjoy these more for more then one reason. The first thing you notice when you get them is how loose they are then you put them on your ears and you seal up with the pads and the headband locks in place. Very nice touch with the headband and the cushions.

 

I mainly got these for comfort but I've grown to really enjoy the sound signature.

Edited by SoSpecial - 10/4/10 at 10:15pm

Am I the only one who HATES the look of those things?

Something that looks good to me is the AKG K480nc, AT ANC1, PX200-II and HD238.

They look fat, cheap (hate gloss on everything, especially cars), like deoxys defense and the people who are most often seen with them are less than tolerable.