[Swoosh]

Quote:

Yep, you're right. They're 85% bling and 15% sound.  Problem is, they market themselves with words like "studio" and "high definition" and "audiophile".  I've heard people actually claim that they are used by professional audio engineers in studios, which is patently absurd.  Where do they get that idea?  Monster.
 
One guy even tried to tell me that HE was a "sound engineer" and his company bought them for all their engineers!!  Just the idea that he expected me to believe such tripe is evidence that Monster has succeeded in totally misleading and misinforming their customers about the nature of Beats and headphones in general.
 
Again, what bothers me is not that they are $400 pieces of bling, it's the deceptive advertising, especially in that it's deceptive advertising aimed at the most gullible and vulnerable consumers. 
 

They also shouldn't be talking about delivering music as it should be heard. I'm sure beats are an improvement over the iBuds, but again it's more a style thing. They probably think Dr.Dre + All my friends have them = I'm getting a new pair of beats.
 

 

[sailorman]

Quote:

> I disagree that people don't have time to research a $400 purchase. 
 
Well for some people, spending 8+ or so hours on headphone research would be time otherwise worth $400 anyway.
 
In any case, my point was just that most people simply don't research choices a lot. They go off of what they hear on TV and from friends, mainstream reviews, etc. 
 
I hope you're not forgetting the large number of rave reviews of the Beats from the traditional general review sites like Amazon, CNET, etc. My point is not everyone has the time or even researching skill to burrow down into the "obsessive" subculture (like this forum) to get the really comprehensive and reliable reviews of experts within the field.
 
You have to remember that the vast majority of people will go into a store and hear some Bose or Beats headphones, and they'll truly sound amazing compared to the ibuds they're used to. They might go on Amazon or some other site with reviews and see tons of other people who are raving about them, and not without reason too - they do sound good! So, they go and buy them, having done their share of "comprehensive research".
 
Truth is they'll never have heard of brands like Beyerdynamics etc. Ever. I can say this with a lot of certainty, because I was one of these people who never heard of these companies for the longest time, and I'm the type who does a TON of research before buying anything. I think a lot of you forget how hard it is to find head-fi.org type reviews and info.

If your point is that they don't or won't research, I'll agree with that.  I initially read it as if you were saying people are just too busy to have time to research.  But, you're right. People are, for the main part, stupid consumer sheep.  They'll spend hours and hours playing some online video game, but don't have a few hours to research a $400 purchase.  Lucky for companies like Monster.
 
I do find it unlikely that a significant number of people have decided that 8 hours too much time to spend for a mere $400.  For one thing, it doesn't really take that long to find out Beats are a bad deal. For another, the median American income is around $49K.  Someone who is pulling down $400/day is making well over $100K, so your talking about the top 5% of people and the top 0.0000001% of Beats' young target market.  Nah, people aren't too busy. They're too lazy and/or too ignorant, but not too busy. 
 
You're definitely right about the retail situation. Other manufacturers should be heavily criticized for not even trying to have their products heard, especially the larger brands like Sony, Senn, Panasonic and JVC who could afford demo stations and better markups for retailers.  They're going to take a beating (pun intended) and they deserve it. Unfortunately, audiophiles will suffer for it as well. Maybe they're just satisfied with being the fourth or fifth headphones someone owns.  I can't imagine someone spending $200-400 on Beats for a second or third time, but maybe I'm overestimating people. As you can probably tell, that's not something I do very often.

 

[DigitalFreak]

Quote:

> I disagree that people don't have time to research a $400 purchase. 
 
Well for some people, spending 8+ or so hours on headphone research would be time otherwise worth $400 anyway.
 
In any case, my point was just that most people simply don't research choices a lot. They go off of what they hear on TV and from friends, mainstream reviews, etc. 
 
I hope you're not forgetting the large number of rave reviews of the Beats from the traditional general review sites like Amazon, CNET, etc. My point is not everyone has the time or even researching skill to burrow down into the "obsessive" subculture (like this forum) to get the really comprehensive and reliable reviews of experts within the field.
 
You have to remember that the vast majority of people will go into a store and hear some Bose or Beats headphones, and they'll truly sound amazing compared to the ibuds they're used to. They might go on Amazon or some other site with reviews and see tons of other people who are raving about them, and not without reason too - they do sound good! So, they go and buy them, having done their share of "comprehensive research".
 
Truth is they'll never have heard of brands like Beyerdynamics etc. Ever. I can say this with a lot of certainty, because I was one of these people who never heard of these companies for the longest time, and I'm the type who does a TON of research before buying anything. I think a lot of you forget how hard it is to find head-fi.org type reviews and info.

With all due respect that's really not an excuse in this day and age. You only have to type in a few short search words into Google and you're greeted with hits about Sennheiser, Audio Technica Beyerdynamic Grado etc. I find it hard to believe people are generally that lazy or I would hope they weren't. Yes you also get Skullcandy and Beats but the information is still there for those who take the 30 short minutes of their time to surf around and read. Yes Beats are better sounding then iBuds but what product priced under 30 dollars is? Common sense in my opinion should be the overriding factor in dictating the obvious. Let's be completely honest, as depressing as it may be society is more concerned about fitting in and looking like the ten million other people who buy the same blinged out products to attain a look of financial prominence. Life isn't about money and in the end the great equalizer doesn't care who has the more blinged out toys. When you've left this world and you're laid into that hole the people you leave behind remember you for who you chose to be and how you chose to live your life. Following the consumerist hoard isn't living if anything it's more akin to being to scared to truly live.
 
Just my two cents
 

 

[sailorman]

 
Quote:

They also shouldn't be talking about delivering music as it should be heard. I'm sure beats are an improvement over the iBuds, but again it's more a style thing. They probably think Dr.Dre + All my friends have them = I'm getting a new pair of beats.
 

They definitely think that. Look at some of the comments on Youtube.  Over and over again, you hear (presumably) kids saying that Beats must be better then Senn's because you don't see celebrities wearing Senns.  Monster has them convinced that rich celebrities and music professionals actually use and prefer Beats to listen to music with in their real lives.  They're evidently totally ignorant of how endorsements work.
 
This idea that they're better than iBuds is true, but it's no excuse. Someone posted an example of someone who has only eaten beans his whole life before being introduced to a Burger King hamburger. Of course, he's going to think the hamburger is heaven.  But, BK doesn't charge $30 for a hamburger. If they did, and the person eventually found out they'd been taken advantage of, what would they think of BK?  Hopefully, enough teenagers will smarten up and that will be the fate of Monster.  They're already known for being ripoff artists in the field of cables.  Hopefully, they'll also get the reputation they deserve as ripoff headphone marketers.

 

[sailorman]

 
Quote:

.......When you've left this world and you're laid into that hole the people you leave behind remember you for who you chose to be and how you chose to live your life. Following the consumerist hoard isn't living if anything it's more akin to being to scared to truly live.
 
Just my two cents
 

Reminds me of a line from an old Don Henley song that I always liked.. Something like, "They don't make hearses with luggage racks". 

 

[Byakushiki]

Quote:

With all due respect that's really not an excuse in this day and age. You only have to type in a few short search words into Google and you're greeted with hits about Sennheiser, Audio Technica Beyerdynamic Grado etc. I find it hard to believe people are generally that lazy or I would hope they weren't. Yes you also get Skullcandy and Beats but the information is still there for those who take the 30 short minutes of their time to surf around and read. Yes Beats are better sounding then iBuds but what product priced under 30 dollars is? Common sense in my opinion should be the overriding factor in dictating the obvious. Let's be completely honest, as depressing as it may be society is more concerned about fitting in and looking like the ten million other people who buy the same blinged out products to attain a look of financial prominence. Life isn't about money and in the end the great equalizer doesn't care who has the more blinged out toys. When you've left this world and you're laid into that hole the people you leave behind remember you for who you chose to be and how you chose to live your life. Following the consumerist hoard isn't living if anything it's more akin to being to scared to truly live.
 
Just my two cents
 

Altec Lansing says otherwise. See backbeat 326/606.
 
Otherwise, yeah, many people are too lazy to look past their local WalMarts, TJ-Maxx, Target, etc for headphones. You'd be surprised. Amazon's #1 result for headphones is a set of Coby IEMs. Search it yourself if you don't believe me.
On the bright side...The ATH M50 on amazon has more total reviews than Beats. Happy?
 

 

[bcasey25raptor]

Quote:

Ok, I feel like I have to contribute to this conformism debate. I have met, and was once, the kind of person to credit something only because it was not common, on to dismiss something only because it was mainstream. We all have that one hipster friend who only cares about unknown bands, and wears the kind of clothes that make him stand out. Honestly what does it matter? Is he doing anything different than the conformist crowd?
 
I consider myself a quite down-to-Earth and intelligent individual - I don't care if it's snob to pretend like I don't believe I'm intelligent, I won't lie due to some social norm of behaviour. From what I have understood in 2 decades of existence, liking something only because it's uncommon is a pathetic call for attention. Something isn't good just because it didn't "sell-out". And something isn't bad only because it's mainstream.
 
Look at the Beatles, a very widely known rock band that started a youth way of thinking through music. Or Nirvana, that expressed the apathy of the first teen generation to not have much to care about. They were incredibly mainstream, and were they bad? Some of my favorite movies are very much mainstream: The Godfather Triology (yes, even part III), Fight Club, Hard Candy. On the other hand, I can think of a few examples of unknown bands or movies that suck, however are enjoyed by many because they are unknown, and people want to say "I know this band you've never heard of".
 
I'm not saying people should be conformist sheep. But to try and not be a conformist, to me, is just as bad. You should like what truly sounds/looks/feels good to you, what relates to you, regardless of the fame that group is going through. You shouldn't base your opinion of something on the number of people that enjoy that something, but only in your enjoyment of that something. Everybody drinks beer, does it taste any worse because of that? Stop thinking if something makes you a conformist or not, just enjoy it!

Most of my music is metal. Metal is rarely mainstream and most mainstream metal REALLY IS TRASH. I still enjoy some mainstream metal bands though. Such as system of a down, 80s thrash, mastodon, nightwish, etc. I personally can't stand pop music. Its a personal preference not because i want to be a hipster. 90% of the mainstream i have heard is trash. The other 10% is passable.
 
 
Oh and btw i thought i should say this.
 
The beatles are decent and only serve one purpose, that is to influence most music which has come out since then. Their music really isn't anything special and is quite poppy.
 
Regarding nirvana. Did you just say nirvana was good? I am laughing really hard right now. Without nirvana music nowadays might actually be credible. Nirvana is highly overrated. The guy can't sing very well and the music is very simple. I will give nirvana credit for the emotion put into it. But it killed the band.
 

 

[r31ncarnat3d]

Yeaup I have before. Two Beats and one Bose users have had their lol's at how I don't run their headphones through an iPod Touch for "quality sound". Now I'm not a prude and pick on people for choosing bad headphones (although I'm not above loling at them in my own mind), but it seriously irks me to no end when people buy overpriced headphones and laugh at others for not doing the same. Stubborn people, really.
 
Although I did have one victory with a different Beats Studio user. I changed his mind by bringing in my AD700s (Which seems to be considered by most to be entry-level on here, and at <1/3 the price of his Beats Studio) and letting him try it out.
 
He ended up selling it two weeks later for A900s.
 
 

 

[Redtoo]

I just feel like you guys care too much. Out of the 4 people i know i was only able to convince 1 of them to stay away from the beats, even after trying my senns, m-50s, xb500s and pro-900s. Reason why is that it shouldn't matter what headphone you have, it should be about the music and they think its better looking and better portability. I personally just don't understand why their is so much hate for them. Monster and bose have done their research and i know people who have purchased more than 1 pair of beats, trust me they can keep their demography on lock down and like i always say everyone as different tastes, the beats have been marketed to people with those tastes, ever since I feel in love with headphones ive not been a fan for all them, for example i hate the shr840, i dont know why, i just hate them but doesn't mean I don't think anyone should not by them. I hope this clears up why i was backing them up. As for the spelling thing i hate correcting what i type and i drives me nuts when people correct my spelling over the internet, like really.
 
ps- many studios today do mix with the beats because of how mainstream it is.  

 

[Armaegis]

Overheard at a school the other day by a kid wearing beats...
 
"I had to quit smoking [pot] for a month to afford these."
 
Um, I guess that's a good thing... sort of?
 
 
 
Quote:

Personally I can't but help think sometimes society in general has evolved into a class of fashionista follow the leader sheep. In a lot of ways I'm especially disappointed in SOME of the younger crowd out there. If anything it should be the younger crowd who should be the most vocal anti fashionista establishment type individuals. I know my comments are harsh and I apologize if I rubbed anyone wrong but seriously whatever happened to the 16 year old rebel without a cause type's? What happened to the kid who didn't care if his cloths were manufactured by the latest trendy fashion designer and chose instead to wear tattered jeans and a 10 dollar T-shirt and couldn't care less what some wanna be school hipster thought? What happened to that wild free spirited kid who threw his middle finger in the air in the face of mass commercialism?
 

They sell designer ripped jeans now that cost more than my headphone rig. Kids pay good money to look poor.
 

 

[crinacle]

 
Quote:

Overheard at a school the other day by a kid wearing beats...
 
"I had to quit smoking [pot] for a month to afford these."
Um, I guess that's a good thing... sort of?

Hey, if it keeps the kids away from weed, anything's a good thing.

 

[DigitalFreak]

Quote:

 
 
 
They sell designer ripped jeans now that cost more than my headphone rig. Kids pay good money to look poor. 

God that's so depressing

 

 

[Parall3l]

Quote:

Overheard at a school the other day by a kid wearing beats...
 
"I had to quit smoking [pot] for a month to afford these."
Um, I guess that's a good thing... sort of?
 

 

[Dubstep Girl]

 
They sell designer ripped jeans now that cost more than my headphone rig. Kids pay good money to look poor. 

 
i buy both

 

[unrlmth]

Haven't really had anyone say that to me.  Right now I'm trying to convince my younger brother to get something nicer, but he seems pretty set on the beats.