[streetdragon]

some of them might not listen though, as they believe in the endorsement and celebrity claims so much that they push away our statements cause what we say might be VERY different from what they expect, so different its hard to believe

 

[machoboy]

Well it may be "elitist" of me but I think everything is like that. Life is one big marketing case study..
 
People heavily into audio equipment generally can't fathom why casual consumers blindly throw hundreds of dollars at Monster/Bose. They know too much to hear through the ears of the casual listener.
 
People heavily into political science generally can't fathom why we elect the politicians we do. They know too much to see through the eyes of the casual voter.
 
A professional financial analyst probably cringes when his friends yap to him about the awesome Facebook investment they just made. It doesn't matter though, because all of those people who lost thousands of dollars on the Facebook IPO "saw it on TV so it must be good".
 
In the end, no single person can have a deep knowledge of every subject and penetrate the marketing veil, so the most popular option almost always tends to be a pretty crappy option. We are all guilty of this, just in different areas.

 

[obobskivich]

I think it's the simple fact that you're buying "just OK" headphones which have been jacked up to audiophile prices via a "gangster rapper endorsed" marketing gimmick.

Some people will pay a few hundred extra $$$ to be "gangster rapper endorsed", but I think people who take audio equipment seriously will just feel like their intelligence is being insulted and react with hostility or satire.

I tried them out and since it was quite brief I don't know how detailed I can be. I'm not going to lie and say that I sat down with them for several hours and analyzed them.
That said, to me they sounded like any old $30 JVC/Panasonic/Sony headphones you find in Wal-Mart. I guess they sounded "fun".
You might love them, but I mean for $300, you could have some of the nicest headphones in the world instead of effectively buying $50 headphones and making making a $250 donation to Dr. Dre's lowrider collection.

I would absolutely agree with this. I actually have a $30 ($33 if you want to split hairs) pair of Koss headphones that really do sit about on-par with the rappercans; neither sounds "bad" but why do I want to pay $200-$300 more for the same bologna?

some of them might not listen though, as they believe in the endorsement and celebrity claims so much that they push away our statements cause what we say might be VERY different from what they expect, so different its hard to believe

This. It may not even be as deep as disagreeing with the celebrity, just that it's so opposed to their frame of reference and draws on such a different set of knowledge. The phenomenon is known as "psychosocial numbing."

Well it may be "elitist" of me but I think everything is like that. Life is one big marketing case study..

People heavily into audio equipment generally can't fathom why casual consumers blindly throw hundreds of dollars at Monster/Bose. They know too much to hear through the ears of the casual listener.

I would agree off-hand, but as I have said in the past, Bose (and honestly some of the other "mainstream" brands) catches a lot more heat than I think they earn. Bose is more of the "high maintenance girlfriend" of the audio industry - the end result is really livable, and in some cases actually good, but you pay quite a lot for it. Beats are more along the lines of those toys they used to sell at ice shows (I don't know if they still do, I don't have small children in my life right now) - you know, where they break before you even get out to the parking lot. But they cost $300, instead of $10. That's where I'm just flabbergasted.

 

[warrenpchi]

Quote:

to the new guy's view, they're getting their face bitten off, but to the veteran, they're the millionth person this week to ask the same exact question and expect the same exact answer.

 
+10.  Things get old, spoiled, and eventually rotten.  And when that happens, the vitriol is a just an outward expression of a visceral gut reaction.  Welcome to Beats threads, sorry about your face.

 

[ilikedonkeys39]

Quote:

I agree with what you, and warren, have been back-and-forth on. But I think the reality is, the majority of people who are deriding those products likely haven't heard them - it's popular to rip on the cool kids after all. And all that. I'm not saying that if you sent out the Beats headphones to all of Head-Fi that you'd see unanimous positive response in threads though. The other problem, methinks, is fake headphones tainting the pool - there are A LOT of fake Beats, Bose, etc headphones on the market, and they are very common. IME fake headphones always sound horrible. Again, I'm not trying to excuse anything, just some more insight.
Regarding the legitimate products, they're unpopular for a reason - they cost a whole lot, are not very durable, and have other comparative flaws relative to their competition. In the light of what that money should buy you, it's not hard to see why most people get up in arms about it (because, and I may be off base here, but I'm assuming that most people on Head-Fi are not billionaire playboys, so wasting $300-$500 is not a "oh well" and ensuring that the money is spent well is pretty relevant to most people). I agree that the vitriol and derision directed at people innocently asking questions is somewhat disheartening, but that's part of the problem with a forum-based system - to the new guy's view, they're getting their face bitten off, but to the veteran, they're the millionth person this week to ask the same exact question and expect the same exact answer.

exactly

 

[warrenpchi]

Just to be fair, I only deride two specific Beats models... and that's only as a result of prior ownership FWIW.

 

[HiFiGuy528]

I'm not going to tell what people should buy with their money.  I just think if you like how a headphones look/sound and it fits your needs.  You should get them regardless of brand.  I know I do that.  Let's face it.  A lot of models from our trusted brands are crap for the money they charge.

 

[obobskivich]

I'm not going to tell what people should buy with their money.  I just think if you like how a headphones look/sound and it fits your needs.  You should get them regardless of brand.  I know I do that.  Let's face it.  A lot of models from our trusted brands are crap for the money they charge.

I think nothing truer has ever been spoken around these parts.

 

[machoboy]

Quote:

Honestly guys, you should really check out Tobu99's post history.  He is not at all interested in a real recommendation.  I'm not even certain he actually cares about buying any of the cans in this poll.  Seems like he's just on a mission to get someone saying that Beats are good.  Seriously, just check out his posting history and decide for yourselves what he's on about.

 
Maybe its Dr. Dre

 

[warrenpchi]

Quote:

Maybe its Dr. Dre

Haha, Iovine more likely.

 

[Bradsnake412]

Quote:

I'm not going to tell what people should buy with their money.  I just think if you like how a headphones look/sound and it fits your needs.  You should get them regardless of brand.  I know I do that.  Let's face it.  A lot of models from our trusted brands are crap for the money they charge.

That is very true ^_^

 

[ilikedonkeys39]

what if monster or beats created a account on head fi and started reviews and such on there pruducts....oh that would be god They would say beats are high quality professional headphones....ect hahah

 

[warrenpchi]

Nah, that wouldn't work.  This community is self-policing.
 
The reviewer's credibility would be called into question.  Epic flames would result from the user trying to explain/defend their positions.  The user would get banned.  And it's very possible that the entire review thread (including the flame posts contained therein) would be deleted thus messing up everyone's post count.  It would be messy and not very productive.  It'd probably be easier for them to just improve the SQ of their cans (which frankly they should be doing anyway).

 

[obobskivich]

Nah, that wouldn't work.  This community is self-policing.

The reviewer's credibility would be called into question.  Epic flames would result from the user trying to explain/defend their positions.  The user would get banned.  And it's very possible that the entire review thread (including the flame posts contained therein) would be deleted thus messing up everyone's post count.  It would be messy and not very productive.  It'd probably be easier for them to just improve the SQ of their cans (which frankly they should be doing anyway).

This. The admins here are good at keeping MOTs identified as such - I think Beats could join and have a MOT account all it wanted, but I think they probably don't care very much because most of their marketing is more viral/social networking based.

Shill reviews usually don't stand up here.

 

[ilikedonkeys39]

i wounder if beats or monster has ever read anything about beats on this website, if they took suggestions from her they would be more likes by audiophiles i think