Beats by Dr. Dre vs. Sennheiser HD 485? Which One?
Apr 4, 2010 at 4:32 PM Post #31 of 45
^^ That's why I plan to buy a pair of Beats Studio (the bigger, more expensive one), drive them out of an iPod Classic, write something, and return them.
Whole thing about Beats is that 'Quality Control' seems nonexistent. If you're lucky, your pair can survive a 3-feet drop without even a scratch. Unlucky, well, you can't even pull the zipper without it breaking.
 
Apr 4, 2010 at 5:43 PM Post #32 of 45
I try the demo at Apple store the other day. The noise-cancelling is pretty good as I couldnt most of the noises around when I put them on. The ear pads are pretty comfy with memory foam like the Bose QC15. The sound quality is similar to Bose with over-emphasized bass and slightly better high. Not sure about the soundstage cos I didnt spend enough time listening.

One complain picked up from many users of the Beats is that they actually leak a considerable amount of noise to people around you (considering its a pair of closed cans hmmm).

Did any reckon the Shure SRH240 has a similar shape to Beats. Im wondering if they are the same pair of headphones with different brands.

Shure - Headphones - SRH240 Professional Quality Headphones
 
Apr 4, 2010 at 6:53 PM Post #34 of 45
dookiex I applaud you for "sticking it" to all these self-proclaimed audiophiles that give biased opinions based on flawed logic. In a similar thread people were literally laughing at the OP for asking such a question and I had to come to his defenses.

I even felt obligated to send him a PM apologizing for the idiocy of some of the head fi members.

Here is a link to the thread: http://www.head-fi.org/forums/f4/sen...-beats-448211/

The bottom line is that when used properly (just like other headphones), they are not bad at all. In fairness they are not everyone's cup of tea (they weren't mine's IMO) but they don't deserve all the crap they people give them, EVEN THOUGH they should be a bit cheaper.
 
Apr 4, 2010 at 7:25 PM Post #35 of 45
Quote:

Originally Posted by swbf2cheater /img/forum/go_quote.gif
I feel the 485 to be one of the 2 best headphones ever made. They are far nicer than the Beats and then some.


Ever made? Out of all the headphones in and out of production? Seriously? What's the other one?
confused.gif
 
Apr 4, 2010 at 8:35 PM Post #36 of 45
Quote:

Originally Posted by Noobiiee /img/forum/go_quote.gif
I try the demo at Apple store the other day. The noise-cancelling is pretty good as I couldnt most of the noises around when I put them on. The ear pads are pretty comfy with memory foam like the Bose QC15. The sound quality is similar to Bose with over-emphasized bass and slightly better high. Not sure about the soundstage cos I didnt spend enough time listening.

One complain picked up from many users of the Beats is that they actually leak a considerable amount of noise to people around you (considering its a pair of closed cans hmmm).

Did any reckon the Shure SRH240 has a similar shape to Beats. Im wondering if they are the same pair of headphones with different brands.

Shure - Headphones - SRH240 Professional Quality Headphones



They sound absolutely NOTHING like the Bose QC series. I have a pair of QC 3s sitting in the junk pile that I occasionally take out every time I read someone comparing pretty decent phones to the Bose QC and saying "Ah, these phones sound just slightly better than Bose QCs, way overpriced, etc. etc." Reason being, I tend to ask myself at those times "Hmmm, maybe I remembered the QCs differently, let's give them another go." When there's not much going on, the Bose QCs sound ok, as soon as you throw a busy track at them, you can no longer tell what is what anymore. It's not even due to a overbearing bass response, the Bose QCs are just plain ole incapable of reproducing busy tracks properly and the only thing that are left is very inaccurate and loose bass.

The Beats do not sound anything like the QCs, throw a busy track at them and boom, you can pick out what is what perfectly fine (unlike the QCs, where all you have left is very muddy bass). They are also remarkably well controlled in the bass department. They do have a bias towards the lower frequencies and due to the active NC, there is a slight grain to them in the upper frequencies but not so that they create classic Sony style sibilance. If you're looking for a pair of studio monitors with a absolute flat response, these are not it. Purely for listening to music, they do quite well and they do more than well for what a pair of active NC phones should do at $250. Their original price however was pretty ridiculous ($350) and their current Apple store price is just a tad overpriced ($300) but it's absolutely ridiculous to have posts that goes "Oh, they are worth no more than $50 dollars." However, people now have choice between the newly released B&W P5s and the Dr. Dre Beats, they both retail for $300, I would say between the two, B&W gives you the better audiophile experience (but that's not really much of knock on the Beats, the Beats are still the more fun sounding of the two, but fun sounds as most of us know can become hard on the ears after extended listens).
 
May 2, 2010 at 2:04 AM Post #37 of 45
I was able to test the beats side by side with my m50s at best buy. I had my m50s plugged into the same source as the beats. I can say that the beats were definitely louder and the bass was strong. However I thought that the bass was overexaggerated and i thought that the overpowering bass made the music lose some character. My m50s were actually purchased the day before so they were not burned in but the m50s delivered quite enough bass for me while maintaining clarity and overall balance. I believe that the beats would be fatiguing for long periods of listening and at the $300 price tag they aren't worth it at all. So far the m50s are solid and I recommend them or even the ad700s also by audio technica if noise cancelling is no issue.
 
May 2, 2010 at 3:05 AM Post #38 of 45
Quote:

Originally Posted by skidu /img/forum/go_quote.gif
I heard the Beats at the weekend and I too was quite disappointed. They didn't necessarily sound bad in any aspect but they certainly didn't live up to the £280 price tag - would probably pay around £100 for them max.
In regards to the HD485, i've had a pair for about 2 years now and use it mainly for my PC/iPod Classic - soundstage/bass are fantastic on these phones, especially considering they only cost me £45 -great for the music you listed.
Although advantage with the beats if they do look a lot 'cooler' compared to the bogey green of the Sennheisers - but they're for home use, so who cares!



Senn HD485? Ick, and not good for bassy music or for metal IMO.

If you are willing to pay around £280 you can do a lot better than the HD485. M50s for starters, you can also pick up a Beyer DT770 or something.

Regarding the Beats and the QC3... they do *NOT* sound alike at all. The QC3 is very laidback, relaxed, and quite sluggish and lacking in clarity. Their strength IMO is in their atmospheric airy warm ambience. Beats Studios on the other are very crisp and detailed, with clear highs and heavy pounding bass.

Oh, and the DT880 is open, not closed.

And SRH250 doesnt sound anything like the Beats either.
 
May 2, 2010 at 3:13 AM Post #39 of 45
Quote:

Originally Posted by grokit /img/forum/go_quote.gif
Monster's top-tier IEMs (Coppers, MDs) get a lot of love here at Head-fi, so the "negative bias" seems selective at the very least. I tried the Solos and wasn't impressed, but I didn't give them a chance to break in because of connection issues for my intended use. But I refuse to own any headphone that takes batteries (unless they are wireless), so I was never interested in their bigger badder model. I can see why everyone makes fun of the Lady Gagas tho...
rolleyes.gif



The funny thing is that the Monster Turbine (vanilla) sounds very, very close to the Beats Studios, and the Turbines got LOTS of love here on Head Fi.

I can understand panning the Beats Studios for being overpriced, because they are, but people act as if they sound like a pair of $5 earbuds. Which is hilarious.

I too passed on the Studios though because I can't stand that it needs batteries. If they had designed it such that it would work without noise cancellation if the batteries died or aren't present, they would be near perfect in my book for a fun, mobile pair of cans.
 
May 2, 2010 at 6:38 AM Post #41 of 45
Why are you suggesting closed headphones if he doesn't need them to be closed-back?
In your position i would go with the HD555, better than the ATH-M50, bassier than the ATH-AD700, and you can mod it so it will sound more like the hd595.
 
May 2, 2010 at 6:38 AM Post #42 of 45
Quote:

Originally Posted by dookiex /img/forum/go_quote.gif
Their original price however was pretty ridiculous ($350) and their current Apple store price is just a tad overpriced ($300) but it's absolutely ridiculous to have posts that goes "Oh, they are worth no more than $50 dollars."


You can buy the Sony XB500 for $50 which has a similar bass spike, I'd absolutely say the Beats are worth nothing more than $50, I wouldn't even pay that! I can't even believe they are being discussed on head-fi let alone in a positive manner, they are absolute crape and should be banned!
 
Nov 6, 2010 at 11:38 AM Post #44 of 45
That's exactly what I thought the moment I found the SRH240s lol..
 
Quote:
I try the demo at Apple store the other day. The noise-cancelling is pretty good as I couldnt most of the noises around when I put them on. The ear pads are pretty comfy with memory foam like the Bose QC15. The sound quality is similar to Bose with over-emphasized bass and slightly better high. Not sure about the soundstage cos I didnt spend enough time listening.

One complain picked up from many users of the Beats is that they actually leak a considerable amount of noise to people around you (considering its a pair of closed cans hmmm).

Did any reckon the Shure SRH240 has a similar shape to Beats. Im wondering if they are the same pair of headphones with different brands.

Shure - Headphones - SRH240 Professional Quality Headphones



 

Users who are viewing this thread

Back
Top