Since I haven't seen any fair reviews on the Monster Beats Studio headphones, I will be making an unbiased straight-forward review on this pair of cans.
First, I've read alot of bashing with this set of cans. I thought the sound quality of this set of cans is fairly decent and a guilty pleasure for bass-heads. If you are an audiophile enjoying your music in a silent room, then this headphones aren't meant for you. I thought that this headphones is good for noisy environments (i.e. djing in a club, riding a train, strolling the city), right amount of noise cancelling which will not lead you to getting hit by a car
The marketing of Beats headphones should be for general consumers not pros or audiophiles, that said let's not get ahead of ourselves.
I thought Monster and Dre just used the wrong branding for this set of cans, it shouldn't be named as "Studio" for one, that is probably why it is not getting any love from audiophiles. Another thing, it is overpriced for the overall value of the product.
So let's get started with the review.
I'll be doing two sets of reviews per category one for general consumers and for audiophiles.
Design: I thought Beats Studio has one of best good-looking headphones I've seen, it has an Applesque design, minimalistic, and a glossy finish. Unfortunately, Monster have sacrificed too much of its build quality over its design. As an industrial designer myself, I would've prefered a matted ABS-plastic over the scratcheable glossy-finish although Monster claimed it has a scratch-free coating. No amount of coating will prevent scratches when it is being dropped.
Build Quality: As I have discussed earlier with the design, they have sacrificed too much aesthetics for its build quality. In just a month's use, the outer screws of this headphones are getting loose. The solution? Swap the inner screws with the outer screws and tighten them up with a T5 screw driver. Another issue is the headband. The base of the headband is made out of very thin plastic, if you have a fairly large cranium, over time it will break; there is too much stress for that thin plastic to withstand it. I've seen Youtube videos of users pulling the headband horizontally and it wouldn't break, of course it wouldn't. But, say in 6-12 month's use, it will have this hairline cracks that will ultimately cause it to break. Overall, the build quality needs improvement.
Comfort: One of the most comfortable headphones that I've used. The ear cushions are so soft, the head padding are thin, but you wouldn't feel a thing.
Sound Quality: For general consumers, who just wants to have fun, enjoy fine design and have money to burn then this headphones are for you. But, if you are in a tight budget, then I would't recommend this cans at all.
Setting the cost aside and purely judging this set of cans with its sound quality, this headphones are fun to listen too. Since I do work as a Club DJ from time to time, you would appreciate a headphone that you can actually hear in a very noisy environment. It doesn't have the swivelling features of other DJ headphones, but you can just wear and take it off for cueing.
For outside use with fair amount of noise, the noise cancelling feature is good enough. You don't want to block out all the noise as you might get hit by a car.
Now we got to the
AUDIOPHILES:
For audiophiles, if you are listening in your quiet room, this set of cans is
ABSOLUTELY NOT FOR YOU. The bass of this thing is overwhelming. It has an electronic sounding bass, not very natural.
If you listen to it intently, it is fairly detailed with its mids and highs; however, because of the overwhelming bass it muffles the sound. Quick fix, of course is play with your EQ and remove the bass. The highs are extended, when you hear percussions, cymbals or claps, they very well extend to the next note which is not good when you want absolute detail.
For studio use, not recommended. Too much sound leaking, highs are extended and bass aren't natural sounding.
Cost: For consumers and audiophiles alike, this set of cans are overpriced. I think the price of this cans should be in the range of $80 to $130. But, if you have money to burn, and just wants to have overwhelming bass and something you could use in the noisy streets or if you are a club DJ wanting style, then go ahead buy the cans. Not recommended for serious listeners (audiophiles and music producers)
I would rate this cans 6/10. It is an eye-candy, bad build quality (cannot take abuse), good enough beats for people on the go (not for serious listeners), overpriced (but for those who have money go ahead and buy it).
For people who wants fun, flash, style, definitely for urban living who has money to burn. Not for serious listeners, purist, audiophiles.
For people hating the headphones, I'll make this simple. If you give an Audio-Technica M50s to say, general consumers then they might not like the sound of it because of its warmth, which us audiophiles love it. If we audiophiles get Beats Studio or Bose headphones, we don't like because of its lacking detail.
Bottom line, there is a headphone for everyone. So we must look at that fine line, objectively. And, stop all these pop-culture hating. The Studios might be their ticket to the Audiophiles' world, then they might discover the M50s, HD800s, the Grados
Blessed are those who wear fine headphones, for theirs is the sound of heaven