Do you secretly respect Beats?

This might be the one tiny positive from the beats craze, but I still think they are massively ripping off consumers and that is kind of depressing.

This isnt always a good thing
 

 

I go to 2 very popular forums, this is one of them. The other I will not name but they're all crazy about beats and I get flamed for even mentioning other headphones. All they do is talk about beats and at the mention of other headphones "of they must be **** because they're not beats" but obviously in lesser English.

its the beats that got me here, but i agree, i feel sorry for the people who gets ripped off, not those buying for the fashion, but for those who thinks beats sq is the best...

I respect that the marketing group behind them knew exactly how to sell them and did so with authority. I see them in commercials that are not even music related now, like sports things. I see them on every show that there's a celeb or artist or something. They're in apple stores. Everyone knows what Beats are. They advertised so well that they literally gained a market. Everyone still knows what Beats are, and will continue to know the idea of "expensive headphones" in the casual public sector because of Beats. It's so heavy on advertising that you don't even realize that Soul and Sync exist. They've not matched Beats for advertising, yet. That's very good marketing to be able to just drown everyone and everything and saturate the planet of mobile-device users with Beats-this and Beats-that. That's impressive.

 

The advertising and marketing is so intense that when I'm at work and talking headphones with someone, someone else chimes in, "Oh man, try some Beats. They're sick!" I can't help but vomit a little in my mouth.

 

I respect the business perspective of it all. But let's just say, I'm completely over the whole Beats experience. I wish it would stop. I'm over the whole hip-hop craze too. I'm over "endorsed" anything at this point. But then again, this is why I don't even have TV. I'm often confused why someone wants "audiophile" grade equipment to listen to hip-hop (and most metal for that matter) in the first place. But that's just my not-so-humble opinion.

 

Very best,

Completely agree with MalVeaux. What they did from a business standpoint is pretty amazing. 

 

I watch a lot of football (not the weird american version :)  ) and they often show the players walk out of the bus and into the dressing room before the games. These guys make $200 000 a week and 50% of them are wearing Beats Studio. It's not surprising that all the kids want to buy them when they see that. 

 

I had Beats a few years ago because I had money to spare and was tricked by their advertisement as well.  I didn't even bother researching or anything. Long story short, they broke after a few months and have been lying in a box at my parents house for 2 years. I have to thank Monster though, without them I would never have thought about spending this kind of money on headphones, (see sig) which in my opinion is completely worth it. 

 

I used to only listen to hip hop, but now I have discovered music. I can't stop listening and discovering new artists. 

 

I actually feel sorry for people that own them. Not only because the sound quality makes ears bleed, but also because of how uncomfortable they are. That being said, I don't criticize them, it's their choice.

 

“If you don’t know what you want,” the doorman said, “you end up with a lot you don’t.” ~FIGHT CLUB

 

Then again,look below, Barcelona FC: Superstar Gerard Pique(if you follow soccer/football you know him) is wearing what seems to be Z-1000(I think)

 

 

 

Edited by wrathzombie - 3/1/12 at 9:08pm

I first started off with Beats Pro thinking they were the best in the market 2nd bose..  LOLOLOLOLOLOLOL

man I was a novice... 

 

that's when I came across what REAL Hi-Fi is all about, what it really means to be a true audiophile. Thank you Head-fi forums for showing me the light!  

I haven't worn them in a long long time but from what I remember the Studios are the most comfortable headphones I've worn. 
 

 

I started with my interest (obsession) with headphones form Beats. I thought they were considered great in the headphone world. Then, their occasional bad review on Amazon led me to further research. And from there, I discovered bose. And after that, I kind of just blew up with all the other (reputable) headphone brands out there. And then when I found out about the Beats Mixr's, I got back into beats. And now, I'm completely off Beats. And I'm trying to be less ignorant about basically everything in my life. (Not because of headphones though...)

 

Beats were the first full-size headphones on the mass market that solved the problem of compact and/or low-wattage gear not being able to drive "good" headphones. The engineers and designers did this by integrating the amplifier onto the main unit. This allowed them to push major bass (the primary noticeable difference to the average American consumer, since high-end headphones most often lacked bass if underpowered).

 

I stood in a Best Buy store a few years ago and overheard two high school students talking about the Beats Studio. The one asked the other when putting them on his head:

 

"Dude, have you tried these? It's like they have subwoofers IN them!"

 

I shook my head as I was standing there, partially due to the apparent lack of knowledge in the area of audio terminology, but mostly due to the lack of other mainstream options available in the store at the time to help the consumer make an educated purchasing decision. When Bose and Beats are all that they had out for consumers to actually hear before purchase, consumer knowledge will suffer simply because consumers at large won't buy an audio product over about $50USD without first hearing it (unless they're nerds like me).

 

If nothing else, upon trying them I discovered the vast spectrum of sound that was missing compared to offerings from other brands for a fraction of the price (leaving out the cost of a discrete amplifier).

 

After Christmas last year, I decided to use my gift cards and Best Buy Reward Zone points to buy a good set of cans. The last set I had were my trusty Sennheiser 515s and I remembered being really impressed with their sound and build quality when I bought them in 2004. I admit I did briefly consider Beats before deciding on HD598s. I've occasionally tried Beats products in Best Buy stores since then, and the first thing I always notice is the oversaturation of bass relative to the lack of mid- and high-end.

 

I respect the vast marketing that made them so widely recognized, but the product itself is overpriced and an example of Apple-esque marketing: Make a product good enough for the average consumer and market it to the point where it is coveted.

 

My SRH840s and my cMoyBB "beat" the pants off a pair of Beats any day.

Edited by 4-HGeek - 3/1/12 at 9:24pm

Until I have heard their headphones with my own ears, I'm indifferent to them.