AT M50's or Beats by Dre?

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kalnius 

Hi,
I was wondering for the past 5 days whether I should get the so spoiled Beats by dre Studio's or should I stick to AT M50's? I've already tried the Beats solo's and it did not really impressed me as I thought it will...Your opinion will affect my choice. :)
Consider the fact that I would only use the headphones for travelling, not at home. (Size, battery drainage, compatibility with various portable devices etc.).

Thank You!

You're about to get flamed. Beats aren't taken well here, you could've easily known that by looking around. Use the search function and you will find loads about both these with comparisons.

ATH M50's have much better SQ and pretty much better everything. Not the best if you want a lot of bass though.

The Beats *Studio* have a lot more bass (though not better quality of bass), and the M50 doesn't have nearly as much. The Beats *Solo* don't compare in any way, shape, or form.
 

If you listen to hip-hip, like the image go with the beats.  Don't let people on this forum determine your preference.  You like the sound of boomy bass, you like them.  No more too it.

My brother asked me for headphone advice today. I really don't want to suggest the beats, but thinking about how he and his friends are (easily impressed by massive amounts of bass) I really don't know what to suggest.  Maybe I will suggest some fake beats pro

I've tried the Beats Solo and they sound really bad, especially considering its price.

If you want good bass (but still keeping clear mids and highs) and a good looking headphone, I'd suggest the ATH-ES7 (I've never tried the M50, but I've read they're more balanced, and not so "fun"). They are my portable cans and they sound great (they fold flat, the cable is just 1.2m and they're smaller than they seem in photos. The only problem is that they're a bit uncomfortable if you use glasses.

And isolation is not so great either (maybe due to the headband mod). But personally, I find this somehow useful (being able to listen to special announcements in the subway / train / airport).

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kalnius 

It's not just about the image and bass. If it was - I would have bought the Beats already. I travel a lot and I need a good pair of headphones. These two headsets has a huge contrast in many aspects and I just want to know your opinions. That's why this site is for, is it?

IF you want good bass but with a decent price, try the xb500 from sony or the ath pro 700 MK2

I second xb500 or even xb300 sound almost as "good" as beats at fraction of the price and since you mentioned cord length these have normal length cords not 9ft m50 length. m50 is not the most portable can... well to me no can is portable, get IEMs

Sony had a sad day when the XB series came out

Get some Sony MDR-V6's. They have great bass, a massive legion of fans and they are great all around headphones.

?!?! lmfao, I don't know about that, they seem to be profiting and enough people like it.  

Quote:

Originally Posted by BotByte 

Sony had a sad day when the XB series came out

i just bought the m50's (straight cable version) and i've compared them to my friends beats.

beats

pros: really cools design, comfortable to wear, cable is detachable, comes with a mic for making calls with your phone, noise canceling, comes with a hard shell carrying case, sounds awesome when listening to dubstep  

cons: way to much bass (but i guess if you like super thumping base this is a pro), the noise canceling kind of hurts my ears when i use for a long period of time (doesn't happen when it's off though), made with plastic which i don't think is very durable 

m50's

pros: i think they're sturdier and more durable than the beats, very balanced sound, sounds really good on acoustic songs, ear cups are very thick so there's little sound leakage and pretty good sound isolation, sound really good even when listening at a low volume  

cons: the cable isn't detachable, comes with a travel pouch which is pretty useless

overall 

i think if you're not too worried about the money and you listen to mostly bass orientated songs and you know how to take care of your headphones you should get the beats. if you listen to various genres of music though i say stick with the m50's cause they sound pretty good on just about everything. but on they off chance that you can't tell the difference in sound quality between the two then get the beats, cause you may as well look cool while you travel. 

Unfortunately, I STILL wouldn't get the Beats even though I "listen to mostly bass orientated songs". It's just way too overpriced.

I'm not flaming you or anything, but I just don't agree that bassheads should instantly reach out for the Beats. Compared to way cheaper alternatives etc. XB500 or the HFI-580, the midrange is very recessed, and coupled with the lethal combination of its bass bleed it destroys the naturality of the music. Consumers won't mind though; all they want is BASSSS and MOAR BASSSS...

The noise-cancelling doesn't work as well too. I used them for a week on buses and trains once, and they isolated just as much as my Klipsch Image S4. Hardly satisfactory given that my Goldring NS1000 cancels way more noise than both of them, at half of the Beat's price.

Not seing the Ultrasone HFI-580's really mentioned here, should always be in this discussion.  Excellent hip-hop headphones, not the quantity of Beats solo but they make up for it in mids/highs and quality of lows.  I like to think of the comparison in car audio terms, Beats are kind of like having a 15" sub running with a stock stereo system and the 580's are like a couple of 10's matched with a nice pair of amped components.  Not into car audio, ignore my comparison.

I've only listened to M50's in a store so I can't directly compare them, but a friend left town for two weeks and left me his Beats Studios. All I have on hand to compare them to are my Shure 840's unfortunately. Kind of a weird comparison since the m50's are slightly warm sounding, the Beats are forward, and the 840's are as cold as eight blizzards.

If you listen to hiphop you'll really like them, they're not surprisingly built completely around doing it well and maximizing bass impact. This also makes them very noticeably imbalanced in other genres since there's an abrupt bump around 60hz and a dip somewhere around maybe 300hz, and the highs are rolled off. They're actually pretty good at rock and metal as well (they have a nice midrange), but if you want a good all rounder Beats are not it. Compared to both the m50's and 840's the Beats seem to miss some detail, especially in the upper end. My overall impression is that they're good headphones, but a ~$120 sort of good.

They're more portable, look a hell of a lot better and are easier to drive, but they seem really flimsy, especially where the headband extends. I wouldn't want to travel with them personally, doesn't seem like they can take much abuse.

The noise cancelling doesn't seem to do anything noticeable but hiss and eat up batteries, and unplugging them with it on sounds like ripping speaker wire out of an amp that's still on, I thought I killed em first time I did it. Not a huge complaint but it's annoying.