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Little brother absolutely wants beats for Christmas. Refuses Sennheiser, Beyerdynamic, PSB, Focal... - Page 10

post #136 of 206
11/22/12 at 5:21pm
You will literally get popular if you own beats and wear it in school(not about others, but mine, yes.) Those pig-headed Beats lover will never listen to your advice. They will just turn you away and shout "Beats Pro + iPod Touch is da beast(beast?)" But most of them, never tried it.

There's ones, a girl brought her purple colored Beats(Justin Bieber version) to school, everyone wanted to try it but she is too sellfish and refused all and listen it herself(that's why, never buy your brother Beats or else, this is what they learnt). Only few of my friends who know those are over-priced HP, sitting in their own place doing work & they are all friendly. They share/lent their headphone.

So please...once again, get him something else. Say the Noontec Zoro/Creative Auvana Live. Com'on it's their first headphone, don't have to quickly get him a $200 & above canes. You will never know, maybe he don't like being an audiophile? Let him try with a lower-end headphone see if he like it or not. Just my 2 cent smily_headphones1.gif
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post #137 of 206
11/22/12 at 5:46pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by CashNotCredit View Post

Quote:
Originally Posted by PanamaHat View Post

Sorry you feel that way. But in the grand scope of things, it's only a headphone c'mon now. And it's not like once the kid finds that he doesn't like them, he can't find another kid to sell them to. I don't think something like purchasing a headphone should be a life lesson, nor are Beats the bane of humanity. (though they are not up to snuff in comparison to other headphones)
"Only a headphone" has the potential to turn into "only a car". 

"Only a car" can turn into "only a house".

"Only a house" can turn into "only a second house".

"Only a second house" can turn into "Only $80,000 in debt".


Mind you, just purchasing the Beats isn't necessarily going to send someone down this spiral, but the core principal remains the same. The marketing that we are exposed to tells us that we need energy drinks to feel awake, pills to "satisfy" our partners, a new Ford with more LCD screens than horsepower to get to where we need to go in style, expensive cologne, acne medication, technologically-advanced razors and designer suits to get a date, payday loans to afford all of this stuff, and antidepressants when the bank takes all of it away.


But perhaps the marketing that Beats and similar companies in many areas use is the most evil. This style of marketing portrays an object as "cool" and "popular" directly towards impressionable and developing teenagers and children. This causes envy, resentment, and tension between children who have these products and children who don't, further socially isolating children from low socioeconomic households. 


When a child sees Beats, they don't see a "cool" or "trendy" or "fun" item. They aren't saying "Wow, this is so cool!" 


They're saying, "If I have this, people will like me."


This is the same mentality that fuels overconsumption. It leads to people buying seven-figure houses on five-figure salaries. It leads to people eating five-star dinners while their families eat hot-dogs and boxed mac and cheese. It leads to a lot of people on this forum buying $1000 cables that they don't even want.


And it may work for a little while. It'd be cool to have a friend with a mansion and jet-skis, not going to lie. That might lead to some fun times. But here's the issue, these people wind up being so deficient because they've never had to work at improving themselves to be liked. They didn't have to learn how to be funny, or empathetic, or wise, or intelligent growing up. They were liked because of what they had, so they had no reason to improve who they were. Well, as previously mentioned, children and teenagers are typically developing and impressionable. As adults, few people can relate to these "overconsumers" because they're deficient as people. They typically wind up feeling lonely and misunderstood.


The principles that can lead to overconsumption can be nipped in the bud right here and now with this lesson. If he's given the Beats, perhaps the OP's brother will learn this lesson in the future, and perhaps he already has. Regardless, reinforcing that"who you are" and "what you do" are the keys to being understood and appreciated, and that "what you have" is completely disposable, is imperative to the formation of healthy and happy individuals.

Well, with this speech we can all agree you should not give him Beats
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post #138 of 206
11/22/12 at 6:10pm

I'm in the same situation. My little brother (16 years old) really wants the Beats touring IEM's. I've heard them myself and know they're garbage. I let him listen to some of my own headphones, and he said they sound good and he knows the Beats wont sound as good. He said he knows Beats are a ripoff, but he still wants them. Honestly, it's more for fashion and social status than it is sound quality, but that's how things are when you're in High School. 

 

Honestly, I've thought about just buying him the cheap-o fake Beats for 1/3 the price, but it doesn't feel right to buy him fake stuff, even if the real stuff is crap. I think Jordans and other "name brand" stuff is stupid, but I wouldn't feel right buying a family member fake sh!t, unless they specifically request it.

 

In the end, I paid $170 or whatever it was for the Beats Touring IEM's. Could I get them for $40 on ebay? Yes. Would he notice? Probably not. But it's Christmas. I'm sure I asked my parents for some pretty stupid and overpriced stuff when I was younger (ie: all the power rangers megazords that I recall being ridiculously expensive and poorly made), but honestly, I was incredibly happy when I got it, and I want my brother to have the same experience. 


Edited by PANGES - 11/22/12 at 6:14pm
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post #139 of 206
11/22/12 at 6:24pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by PANGES View Post

I'm in the same situation. My little brother (16 years old) really wants the Beats touring IEM's. I've heard them myself and know they're garbage. I let him listen to some of my own headphones, and he said they sound good and he knows the Beats wont sound as good. He said he knows Beats are a ripoff, but he still wants them. Honestly, it's more for fashion and social status than it is sound quality, but that's how things are when you're in High School. 

 

Honestly, I've thought about just buying him the cheap-o fake Beats for 1/3 the price, but it doesn't feel right to buy him fake stuff, even if the real stuff is crap. I think Jordans and other "name brand" stuff is stupid, but I wouldn't feel right buying a family member fake sh!t, unless they specifically request it.

 

In the end, I paid $170 or whatever it was for the Beats Touring IEM's. Could I get them for $40 on ebay? Yes. Would he notice? Probably not. But it's Christmas. I'm sure I asked my parents for some pretty stupid and overpriced stuff when I was younger (ie: all the power rangers megazords that I recall being ridiculously expensive and poorly made), but honestly, I was incredibly happy when I got it, and I want my brother to have the same experience. 

 

I realize you might just be sharing your experience, but a 16 year old brother makes your situation different from an 11 year old. I understand (but don't agree with) how Beats are status symbols in high school and college. But 6th grade? Not the same thing. 

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post #140 of 206
11/22/12 at 6:40pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by cel4145 View Post

Quote:
Originally Posted by PANGES View Post

I'm in the same situation. My little brother (16 years old) really wants the Beats touring IEM's. I've heard them myself and know they're garbage. I let him listen to some of my own headphones, and he said they sound good and he knows the Beats wont sound as good. He said he knows Beats are a ripoff, but he still wants them. Honestly, it's more for fashion and social status than it is sound quality, but that's how things are when you're in High School. 

 

Honestly, I've thought about just buying him the cheap-o fake Beats for 1/3 the price, but it doesn't feel right to buy him fake stuff, even if the real stuff is crap. I think Jordans and other "name brand" stuff is stupid, but I wouldn't feel right buying a family member fake sh!t, unless they specifically request it.

 

In the end, I paid $170 or whatever it was for the Beats Touring IEM's. Could I get them for $40 on ebay? Yes. Would he notice? Probably not. But it's Christmas. I'm sure I asked my parents for some pretty stupid and overpriced stuff when I was younger (ie: all the power rangers megazords that I recall being ridiculously expensive and poorly made), but honestly, I was incredibly happy when I got it, and I want my brother to have the same experience. 

 

I realize you might just be sharing your experience, but a 16 year old brother makes your situation different from an 11 year old. I understand (but don't agree with) how Beats are status symbols in high school and college. But 6th grade? Not the same thing. 

 

Hehe. That's all it boils down to- disagree (strongly disagree), but understand. Trying to convince someone of that age that my (insert common shoe brand here) shoes, it a better bang for the buck than Jordans is difficult to say the least. Not really much different than Beats or other heavily marketed mainstream things. 

 

IMO, when you're 11, you care just as much about what others think of you as you do when you're 16.

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post #141 of 206
11/22/12 at 7:01pm
Quote:

Originally Posted by PANGES View Post

 

In the end, I paid $170 or whatever it was for the Beats Touring IEM's. Could I get them for $40 on ebay? Yes. Would he notice? Probably not. But it's Christmas. I'm sure I asked my parents for some pretty stupid and overpriced stuff when I was younger (...) but honestly, I was incredibly happy when I got it, and I want my brother to have the same experience. 

I had put up a huge reply to this, but it just felt like further hijacking of the thread. I can barely believe it...

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post #142 of 206
11/22/12 at 11:05pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by JuanseAmador View Post


Bro, if he wants Beats, he will not accept anything else

That's not true, as I said, he's a smart kid, and he is really tempted for the beats. But he's not hard-headed. Once he holds and feels other products with his own hands, he'll be much more intrigued and have an easier time judging the quality and feel of the headphones. And as for SQ, once he hears something better, there's no denying it.

Quote:
Originally Posted by KimLaroux View Post

It just doesn't make sens. How can he become "popular" by getting to own what everybody else does? That looks like an oxymoron to me. He won't become popular, he'll become a sheep. Nobody here watched the movie Wall-E?

 

People who are popular are people who do things, not have things. I believe your little brother is at a point in his life where he thinks that you are what you have. Most people go trough this stage, which is inevitable in the capitalist world we live in. Some people mature out of it, but sadly many people do not. Getting your little brother the beats he wants will only confirm his view of the world, and it'll reinforce his idea that he really is what he has. He'll then go trough his adolescence with the sole idea of owning more and more flashy toys, and literally "measuring" his life's success by the amount of money he gets to walk around in. (as in the price of his clothes and the toys in his pockets)

 

I understand 11 is young to understand this, but hey, it's worth a try. If I had a little sibling going trough this, I'd try to make them understand. Even if it takes years. I'd be more willing to buy a kid an expensive gift if the kid didn't feel like owning it was a matter of life or death.

 

I'm just curious, do you guys have V-Moda gear at the store?

Very smart post mon ami, very good morals and values in there; agree on every account.

 

As for v-moda, no we do not sell them, but you can get them at the Apple store right up the road I believe.

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post #143 of 206
11/22/12 at 11:15pm

Someone may have already suggested this, but if there's a Microsoft Store anywhere near where you live he can easily audition the Beats and V-Moda's side by side.

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post #144 of 206
11/22/12 at 11:33pm

People wear HD25, Pioneers and Audio Technicas at my high school. No one really cares about Beats here. I really don't see why Beats are such a status symbol. Beats users are generally labelled as the "try hard" types where I am.

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post #145 of 206
11/22/12 at 11:46pm

no one wears headphones where i live, they have positive regards towards beats but fortunately are fairly easy to be informed that beats are bad once some explanation is done.

and on topic, these are not 'just headphones'. this stuff costs almost as much as a phone. and the principal as stated earlier may cause this to lead to a bigger problem.
V-moda is a good alternative, M100 or M80 especially. the Crossfade LP isn't so good

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post #146 of 206
11/22/12 at 11:50pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by CashNotCredit View Post

"Only a headphone" has the potential to turn into "only a car". 
"Only a car" can turn into "only a house".
"Only a house" can turn into "only a second house".
"Only a second house" can turn into "Only $80,000 in debt".

Mind you, just purchasing the Beats isn't necessarily going to send someone down this spiral, but the core principal remains the same. The marketing that we are exposed to tells us that we need energy drinks to feel awake, pills to "satisfy" our partners, a new Ford with more LCD screens than horsepower to get to where we need to go in style, expensive cologne, acne medication, technologically-advanced razors and designer suits to get a date, payday loans to afford all of this stuff, and antidepressants when the bank takes all of it away.

But perhaps the marketing that Beats and similar companies in many areas use is the most evil. This style of marketing portrays an object as "cool" and "popular" directly towards impressionable and developing teenagers and children. This causes envy, resentment, and tension between children who have these products and children who don't, further socially isolating children from low socioeconomic households. 

When a child sees Beats, they don't see a "cool" or "trendy" or "fun" item. They aren't saying "Wow, this is so cool!" 

They're saying, "If I have this, people will like me."

This is the same mentality that fuels overconsumption. It leads to people buying seven-figure houses on five-figure salaries. It leads to people eating five-star dinners while their families eat hot-dogs and boxed mac and cheese. It leads to a lot of people on this forum buying $1000 cables that they don't even want.

And it may work for a little while. It'd be cool to have a friend with a mansion and jet-skis, not going to lie. That might lead to some fun times. But here's the issue, these people wind up being so deficient because they've never had to work at improving themselves to be liked. They didn't have to learn how to be funny, or empathetic, or wise, or intelligent growing up. They were liked because of what they had, so they had no reason to improve who they were. Well, as previously mentioned, children and teenagers are typically developing and impressionable. As adults, few people can relate to these "overconsumers" because they're deficient as people. They typically wind up feeling lonely and misunderstood.

The principles that can lead to overconsumption can be nipped in the bud right here and now with this lesson. If he's given the Beats, perhaps the OP's brother will learn this lesson in the future, and perhaps he already has. Regardless, reinforcing that"who you are" and "what you do" are the keys to being understood and appreciated, and that "what you have" is completely disposable, is imperative to the formation of healthy and happy individuals.

 

 

Jesus Christ dude. Chill out. 

 

As an aside, energy drinks, erectile dysfunction pills, antidepressants and interactive touch screen displays in cars all have their place.

 

Have you ever had to work an 8 hour shift in retail on 4 hours of sleep? An energy drink is like a cup of coffee and some may prefer the taste. 

 

ED pills? Erectile dysfunction is a recognized medical problem. Sexual health should be important to everyone. So why you're dumping on ED pills is beyond me. 

 

Do you take antidepressants? I do. And they have helped save my life. So it may be wise to check yourself before you make any more foolish, uneducated claims. 

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post #147 of 206
11/23/12 at 12:12am
Quote:
Originally Posted by armyowalgreens View Post


Jesus Christ dude. Chill out. 

As an aside, energy drinks, erectile dysfunction pills, antidepressants and interactive touch screen displays in cars all have their place.

Have you ever had to work an 8 hour shift in retail on 4 hours of sleep? An energy drink is like a cup of coffee and some may prefer the taste. 

ED pills? Erectile dysfunction is a recognized medical problem. Sexual health should be important to everyone. So why you're dumping on ED pills is beyond me. 

Do you take antidepressants? I do. And they have helped save my life. So it may be wise to check yourself before you make any more foolish, uneducated claims. 

I'm not saying that the stuff doesn't have a place, and if that's how things came across, I apologize for not making my point very well. What I was trying to get at is that every aspect of our lives is competed for by corporations, and this is often done by feeding on personal insecurity. How many of those Ford comercials say, "Ehh, these touchscreens are kinda cool, but you can do without them."? Are we ever going to see an energy drink commercial that says, "Dude, your work hours are ridiculous and inhumane. Talk with your boss about getting them rescheduled, because you need your sleep to function properly." ? No! I'm not trying to dump on E.D. pills or antidepressants, but the fact that either of those things would be marketed is ridiculous to me. Why would I need a commercial to convince me about getting either of those things? Why wouldn't I just ask a doctor or psychiatrist? Why do the E.D. commercials only show happy, smiling couples? Does that imply that if I am able to "satisfy" my partner, my relationship will be happy too?

Think about the point of this thread. We are talking about someone becoming popular because of HEADPHONES. Re-read that until the ridiculousness becomes evident. Then realize that many people on Head-Fi do the exact same thing, but with Sennheisers and Stax instead of Beats.
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post #148 of 206
11/23/12 at 12:33am
Quote:
Originally Posted by armyowalgreens View Post

 

 

Jesus Christ dude. Chill out. 

 

As an aside, energy drinks, erectile dysfunction pills, antidepressants and interactive touch screen displays in cars all have their place.

 

Have you ever had to work an 8 hour shift in retail on 4 hours of sleep? An energy drink is like a cup of coffee and some may prefer the taste. 

 

ED pills? Erectile dysfunction is a recognized medical problem. Sexual health should be important to everyone. So why you're dumping on ED pills is beyond me. 

 

Do you take antidepressants? I do. And they have helped save my life. So it may be wise to check yourself before you make any more foolish, uneducated claims. 


Maybe he is rather talking about the world being **** because you need such stuff to keep you going.

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post #149 of 206
11/23/12 at 12:41am

The core principle of a slippery slope as suggested is flawed.

On a different note, as a person that lives in a mess of popular culture, I agree that the marketing that promotes such products is pretty bad. It shapes an entire generation to be essentially the same people with the same possessions.

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post #150 of 206
11/23/12 at 12:44am
Quote:
Originally Posted by davidsh View Post


Maybe he is rather talking about the world being **** because you need such stuff to keep you going.

Drinking an energy drink every day is no more dangerous to your health than drinking a cup of coffee. Although coffee may provide certain health benefits that energy drinks do not. The point is that they are a tool that can be used responsibly or irresponsibly. What business is it of yours if someone had a bad night of sleep and needs a pick me up at work? 

 

Would you make fun of a person with a heart condition that requires an automatic defibrillator to "keep them going?" Depression and bipolar disorders are serious medical conditions that can be treated successfully with therapy and certain types of medication. I can attest to the success of such treatments. 

 

Again I ask, what business is it of yours or anyone else what it takes for someone to "keep going" as long as it's not harming you or the user? 

 

What about such things do you think honestly makes the world "****"? 

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Head-Fi.org › Forums › Equipment Forums › Headphones (full-size) › Little brother absolutely wants beats for Christmas. Refuses Sennheiser, Beyerdynamic, PSB, Focal and V-Moda