[aCanadianDude]

Hey all, I just bought some Monster Studio Beats today at best buy, I needed a new pair of headphones for listening to music on my PC and iPhone while laying in bed. I only bought these because these were $100 off with the Boxing Day sales. They do sound pretty good, I guess.. I was under the impression they would be amazing thought. I get distortion at some points and the bass isn't really all there, imo.
Plus the fact they feel really flimsy and not what I would expect from 300 dollar headphones. I wanted to buy some HD595's or HD555's but no stores here carry them, I was going to buy the HD428's but after listening to them in the store the sounded really lacking, so I impulse bought these.
So I have been trying to justify my purchase here for over a hour and everyone is saying the Beats are garbage. I'm no audiophile but I own a few headphones (mostly gaming ones, like the Astro A40s)
Anyways, I've seen the XB500's online and they seem to have alot of bass from what everyone is saying, and I can use them with my phone which is a plus aswell, I don't care what they look like, I'll only be using these indoors.
 
So, has anyone had experience with both the Monster Beats Studio's and the Sony XB500's? Which one would you reccomend if they both costed the same price?
 
P.S I mostly listen to Dubstep which mostly has heavy bass, I also enjoy classical as well. (I, know the genres are waaaay apart)
 
A quick response would be appreciated to see if I'm going to return these.

 

[ArmAndHammer]

Beats are not worth $300. If you can return them you would probably be off. Take your money and buy better for less. There are several threads about Beats already that have lots of recommendations for much better alternatives. Just read back a few pages and you'll get all the info you need.

 

[RPGWiZaRD]

Just get the XB500, they are better than Beats. Several people have tried both and come to the same conclusion. Although I must admit XB500 aren't really meant for classical but I do listen to video game music (console rpgs mainly with mostly classical music) as well personally on my XB500 and feel they handle it fine as long as I do some slight adjustments to the EQ and I actually enjoy it just as much as listening to other genres. In dubstep they will shine, probably their very best genre. I don't think the Sennheiser HD555/595 had been what you're looking for exactly, HD650 had been a totally different thing though but quite a lot expensier.
 
XB500 is REALLY comfy which is a big plus to me too and unlike Beats they will never distort even if you boost bass a bit (unless there's a problem with the recording itself ofc). XB500 is very hard to beat in price/performance though as long as you don't mind big bass.

 

[aCanadianDude]

Yeah, I just liked the way the 555's and the 595's looked tbh, never really looked into them. I bought these thinking I was going to get a buch of bass, but I'm dissapointed with it. My $50 Turtle Beach X1's (Xbox 360 Headset) Has better bass than them and was what I was using for my PC, until a earcup gave out on them last week.
 
Returning these Bets tomorrow.
 
Thanks a bunch for the amazingly quick response.

 

[RPGWiZaRD]

No problem, if you were dissappointed with the bass output in Beats you should really go for XB500 then. xD Notice the cord is only 1.2 meters though so you may possibly want to pick up an extension cord as well...

 

[damagedhearing]

I am new to the game, but I too had a listening session today with the Beats, the Senn 428, Senn 201 and the Sony xb500.
Just my opinion, but the Beats sound better overall than the Sony's. Stylish for younger people, but way over priced.(C)(should be $100 or less)
The 201's were not very good at all and my senn buds are better.(D)
The 428's were decent, but lacking in all ranges.(C)
The xb500 slams you with vibrating bass(sometimes muddy but sometimes clean hard slam) and literally made me feel like the old video where my cheeks were shaking. Not the greastest overall sound though.(C-)
If you want bass and want to buy only from stock in store at BB, I suppose the xb500's are your ticket and for much less money. You can also order some others online at various outlets for ~$125-$175 that would be ideal.
 
Again, only my opinion.

 

[aCanadianDude]

Quote:

I am new to the game, but I too had a listening session today with the Beats, the Senn 428, Senn 201 and the Sony xb500.
Just my opinion, but the Beats sound better overall than the Sony's. Stylish for younger people, but way over priced.(C)(should be $100 or less)
The 201's were not very good at all and my senn buds are better.(D)
The 428's were decent, but lacking in all ranges.(C)
The xb500 slams you with vibrating bass(sometimes muddy but sometimes clean hard slam) and literally made me feel like the old video where my cheeks were shaking. Not the greastest overall sound though.(C-)
If you want bass and want to buy only from stock in store at BB, I suppose the xb500's are your ticket and for much less money. You can also order some others online at various outlets for ~$125-$175 that would be ideal.
 
Again, only my opinion.

They had the 428's, some skullcandy's the Bose QC15 and the Beats setup at my Best Buy, The Beats sounded best with the bass, but I have read bestbuy hooks them up to a amp and pumps up the bass on them.
 

 

[FreedomG]

If your going to game with them I recommend the XB700's. The XB500's have more bass though.

 

[Xymordos]

The XB700s really do sound good. IMO they sound better than the beats in terms of bass quality and quantity. Mids are a bit recessed, and the highs are very similar. Good soundstage too.

 

[aCanadianDude]

Just an update for those who care, returned them and picked up the XB500's for $50.... Wow, thank you so much!! Exactly what I was looking for, I would of never thought to buy these either.
 
Thanks!!

 

[RPGWiZaRD]

Great another satisfied user that head-fi was able to save from "Monster" company. Mission accomplished.

 

[sonypro312]

well i was planning to get the doctor Dre studio beats but then my cousin showed me the xb500. and all i have to say is i  was amazed. the xb500 have so much better sound quality and have much better bass than the studio. i spent almost a year trying to figure out which one to buy and i went with the xb500. the studios are also pretty good but not worth the money, first you have to pay for AA batteries all the time and the sound quality cant compare to the xb500. the only thing i would say is good about the studios is that they are lighter. but overall i 100% suggest to get the xb500.

 

[dailysmoker]

I think i wanna buy all the different set of beats that are out there,I heard that they are the best sounding headphones ever build,even better then most headphones above his price range and not a rip off at all.....i think i am going to spend like 6000 $ to get all of the different beats......or should i buy the xb500 and save a lot of money.....?
 
d^^b

 

[ratchetman123]

Okay, 
heres what I think about Beats.  1.) They are overpriced:  They sound (in my opinion) pretty awful.  The bass is there but is muddy and distorts easily.  The midrange is nowhere to be found.  I would describe the highs as being "decent" but not incredible.  Not up to 300 dollar standards by a long shot. 2.) They are overrated: They are endorsed by celebrities and all the kids at school or people walking around with them around their necks think they are "the best" and want you to know it.  Of course everyone wants some because that cool kid over there has them.  Unfortunately the Monster corporation is riding on this (or I guess just Beat's by Dre now) I bet you the price to manufacture these things is incredibly low.  You are right they do feel flimsy and the arent worth 300 dollars. 3.) They look cool so everyone wants some.  Yes for some people they look pretty slick but whats the point of they sound like crap?  I honestly would say that the Sony XB-500's sound better (which is incredibly sad considering the Sony's are around 80 dollars or something like that)  I have the Sony MDR-7506's, the Sennheiser HD 280 Pro's and the Sony MDR-XB700's all of which can be found for 130 dollars or less and they sound better than 300 dollar Studio Beats. Most people hear what people say about Beats and just go out and buy them just on what they have heard.  Thats ridiculous.  People need to do research and find the headphone that best suits them.  And I mean in depth internet research and if possible a listen at the local audio store to determine if you want them or not.  Don't just go on Beats by Dre's website and read the review there they are obviously going to endorse there product.  Go on Amazon, read the 1 star reviews as well as the 5 star reviews, Go onto acclaimed headphone audio websites like this and then determine if they are good enough for you.  Theres my essay long amount of information.

 

[Kaip]

THE XB500s look amazing! 3 times as good as the beats (for me).