Yeah well, we kind of knew it would though (hence my caution early on). But we all know why this is so...
Head-Fi is one of the best havens for people that pursue fidelity, and high-fidelity at that. The order of the day here is neutrality and transparency - the rendering of sound in the purest form possible via headphones. As such, almost everything else takes a backseat. What drives many a Head-Fier here is the longing to hear angels dancing on the head of a pin. Actually, its more like hearing those angels catch their breath while they dance on the head of that pin. And this longing is a seriously powerful drive here. Anything that gets in the way of that is going to cause a bit of ire. Coloration is accepted but not praised. Comfort is grudingly considered somewhat essential, though still secondary to SQ. Think about how many times people are advised to switch pads, stretch headbands, or mod cans before giving up on them for something more consumer oriented.
I personally love the typical AKG sound, but as much as I like the soundstage, I do end up having to qualify some of my remarks by mentioning that AKGs are "fun" cans - and not necessarily pure audiophile cans (at least not in the same vein as Senns, Audez'es, etc.). And that's fine, I've gotten used to it. But there is scorn for "lesser" (i.e. less analytical) cans here in these forums, and things tend to go downhill rather quickly once people start talking about non-audiophile or less analytical cans. I mean think about it. The Grado guys here have more or less coalesced into their own crowd. Sony cans are generally frowned upon. Discussion of basshead cans are merely tolerated, and almost never encouraged. Fashion is decided here by patterns of woodgrain and not colors of plastic. Then you have Bose and Beats coming along trying to crash the party and all hell breaks loose.
They show up saying that they've mastered the science or art of sound, and the common man/woman simply accepts that out of ignorance. Then Head-Fiers end up having to hear that marketing speak repeated back to them wherever they go. And from time to time, someone [stupid] will show up here and say something about how Beats rock and sound better than anything else. Its the kind of statement that Head-Fiers know will be said by a great many people somewhere out in the world. But to bring that crap here is kind of the last straw for many a Head-Fier, and I can certainly understand that
Now, I'm not saying that I know all about Head-Fi and its body of members, but I did lurk for years before I joined, and posted almost nothing during my first year just so I could learn from those that know more than I. And while I might be lacking a certain precision, I don't think the above is too far off the mark.
Hey obobs, IMO the three biggest sins commited here are regarding price, priority and fraudulent claims.
Beats are priced at a point where they compete with mid-fi (and some hi-fi) cans. This will naturally invite comparisons with cans that strive for better sound quality as opposed to better sales/revenue. Unfortunately, these comparisons are made (increasingly as of late) by the average consumer. In other words, people with limited listening experience and relatively untrained ears. We're talking about the kind of people where louder = better. We're also talking about the crowd that believes if it costs more, it must be that much better. It's irrational I know, but some lights are just that dim.
Secondly, Beats cares more about how the cans look as opposed to how they sound. Don't think this is true? Take a look at what happened when someone else (Sony) put out cans with an incredibly similar sound signature (MDR-XB###). Nothing happened, and Beats just ignored it. But now try making cans that look like Beats and see how quickly Beats wants to sue the ever loving **** out of you. They are taking a tool where the primary purpose is sound reproduction and making it about looks. I'm a new Head-Fier, but even I can tell you how that tactic is an affront to the Head-Fi ethos on so many levels.
And lastly, they lie. Not gonna repeat the lies here, but there are multiple threads about Beats' claims to audio superiority with rampant pseudoscience explanations. I think that under the best of circumstances, these types of statements tend to irritate Head-Fiers. But more often than not, the general public will blindly believe these statements and perpetuate them without thinking. This simply pisses most Head-Fiers off (albeit to different degrees). Clearly, WiR3D has heard a few of these statements and simply refuses to indulge people anymore.
I've never liked Beats for all of the above reasons. Even with that initial disdain, I decided to try them out and owned both the Studios and SoloHDs at one point. Both were returned - and to this day remain the only cans I have ever returned and not tried to acclimate myself to. I don't know a thing about the Pros beyond a cursory listen, but I can tell you that I was not impressed.
I applaud HiFiGuy for taking what I feel is the most rational course of action here - subjecting himself to the Beats experience. That's what I feel any rational person should do in order to form a valid opinion. And in doing so, he does earn the credibility one needs to speak about Beats. However, having already done that myself, I agree with WiR3D's assessment of Beats.
And for the record, I think WiR3D is trying to caution against a specific danger here - that being anything less than critical (like we should be with all of our cans) can cause a lot of damage. Giving Beats and inch will result in their marketing taking the proverbial mile, and the next thing you know some idiot kid is gonna try and tell you that some dude on Head-Fi said they were good. I could be way off about this WiR3D, and feel free to correct me if I am, but I think you're just trying to preach some vigilance here.
