Beats Dr Dre Studio - Bose QuietComfort 15 or ...?

[The Known]

Oke so I went to a local store, and listened to a few models. In my opinion, the MonsterBeats Pro  were far the best of all.   I tried the Bose Quietcomfort 15, beats studio,  and also some of the Sennheiser series what you guys where talking about above.
 
The Beats Pro were the best by far (in my opinion).  So I'm gonna buy that one
 
Thanks for the suggestions though!

 

[zeno]

What, no one has mentioned to the poster Grado SR60s for a portable headphone option? They are a great portable headphone....by portable i mean great for iPOD use, and they work well unamped etc

 

[TehJam]

Well if you liked the beats pro im sure we could have given you options that sounded much like them for less money but as long as you are satisfied wth your purchase that is nice. 

 

[M-13]

You're a music producer and you thought Beats Pro sounded the best? When I was at BestBuy trying out the Beats demo right next to the QC 15s I thought the bass of the beats bled into the mids and highs distorting the entire frequency and the highs were harsh/grainy like scratching my eardrums with knives. (Just one man's opinion, take it for whatever it may be worth)
 
I want to suggest Denon D2000, very clean, very deep, hard hitting bass, can be used with a ipod (but not ideal obviously). Can be had for less than the Pros too.

 

[Dubstep Girl]

m50s are alot of cheaper and better as well.

 

[The Known]

Ok. I searched for some information about the Denon D2000 and it seems to be a better headphone than the Beats Pro. At least - most people recommend the Denon over the Beats.
 
So that changed my mind a bit. I didn't listen to the Denons yet...  As we all know, the bass on the Beats headphones rule, while the mids and highs are flatty.   How is - in your opinion - the bass on the Denon D2000 (compared to the Beats Pro)?

 

[Wishmaker]

I had the opportunity to select my D2Ks out of a handful of cans. In my comparison, I had the choice to look at the Beats Pro as well. Compared to the D2K, the Beats Pro lack Bass and on my head do not seem as comfortable. The Beats Pro is tuned for a different niche of people where the emphasis is on prominent midrange (not my style) and treble. I am not saying that the midrange and treble on the Beats Pro sound better on the D2K, I am saying that the overall sonic package you get from the D2Ks is superior. Furthermore, DENON tunes their cans for a totally different audience where the round and precise bass, mids and superb highs are a must. 
 
 
Equipment used for testing : Nokia N8 / iPhone 4 FIIO E11
Audio Tracks : FLACS (converted to WAV) :
 

1. Beyonce - If I were a Boy. Denon have better sound stage and you call the Beats Pro bassy cans, I beg to differ.
2. Remady feat Manu. - The way we are. The Denon D2K, again comes first. Sound stage, Bass, mids, and treble have a better separation.
3. Chris Brown & Benny Benassi - Beautiful People. The Beats Pro give good mids a bit too much for my taste and amazing treble. The bass is lower but this track was very enjoyable. As soon as I put the D2K back, I was immersed in a totally different experience. 
4. Dire Straits - Brothers in Arms. The Beats Pro are amazing on this kind of music. Knopfler's voice was clearer but the soundstage was a bit odd. Closing my eyes, did not give the same experience like on the D2Ks. Also, the D2K responds quite nice to a well configured EQ so another win for the D2K. 
5. Destiny's Child - Say my Name. This song is a heaphone decider. The first 25 seconds of the song prepare you for what will follow : a very delicate and demanding bass. The Denons were reproducing the Bass in a punchier manner and the push was both low and high at the same time. The Beats Pro focused more on pushing the instruments towards mids and high. The bass was there but compared to the D2K lacked the punch and not as round. Describing Bass is not easy. Many feel that bassy cans or the ones that give this boom in your ears. Wrong, the boom in your ears if often the inability of the can to go lower in frequency and because of the high volume you have the impression that this is pure bass. False, a good bass should be round and go low as it is intended. The Denon do just this! They go very low and increasing the volume does not make them boomy. The bass stays of a very high quality and very low. 

 
 
 
 
 
Another minus I found on the Beats Pro was the cable. The Denon Cable seems of a higher quality. In my quest for a second pair of cans to complement my HD650s, I tested quite a few from 30 pounds to 1400 pounds. I can wholeheartedly say that you cannot go wrong with the D2Ks. Up to 700 pounds there is no headphone that will sound better.  
 
 
P.S: I am not trying to discredit the Beats Pro. They are good cans, unfortunately, their sonic signature is not as good as the D2Ks and in the area you asked, not even the HD650 (which I own) HD 595/598 and the corresponding alternatives do not have the precise and accurate bass like the D2K. Some people say the D2K has quite a strong bass, I disagree, it is sufficient and in a typical Denon fashion : of a very high quality.  I have used the D2Ks for 15 hours now and I have noticed a break in / burn in effect. The Bass is even better. 

 

[The Known]

@WishMaker,  thank you so much for the reply. That really confirms that the Denon is better than the Beats.
I'm gonna try the Denon D2000 in a local store!! Can't wait.

 

[tbger99]

The Known,
 
I see you're a bit hesitant about your purchase, which is going to be a serious one by all means.  You shouldn't decide too quickly on a $400-500 purchase, especially when it's going to be for music producing.  I'd suggest you to give yourself some time and read up some more about the cans you consider.  Also, read what people have recommended on other threads on here.
Here's a good (i.e., unbiased) review of the Beats Pro from Innerfidelity: http://www.innerfidelity.com/content/monster-beats-dr-dre-pro
 
Headphones for music producing got to have no tendency towards any side of the frequency spectrum.  There should be no bass emphasis, no highs roll-off, etc.  You should be looking for a headphone that
1) is as closest to neutral as you can afford, to get a good image of what you are producing (a basic requirement),
2) is preferably open, or semi-open, to get a spacious sound stage and avoid resonances that alter the frequency response, and to be able to wear them for long sessions (personally I find closed cans to be more fatiguing, due to the relatively narrow sound stage and more emphasized L/R separation),
3) has high impedance rate, to be able to play around with volume levels, and have higher damping factor combined with your amplifier.
 
Portable-use headphones can't (always) meet all these requirements, especially 2 and 3, assuming you will not invest in portable amplification (if you're limited on budget, and want to get good job done at home, you'd better leave portable amplification at this time), and that you also don't want to bother your environment.
 
So you need to hit somewhere in the middle.  This is why I recommended the DT-1350, which is, in my experience, a very good option in your case and for your needs.  These will also run very well unamped (and will be able to give you more when amped as I wrote earlier).  Speaking of the price, you can get them for around $240 used and still have some left for amplification.  I haven't heard the D2000, so I can only comment on the tonal balance according to the data sheet on Innerfidelity - it looks like these have too much treble energy, and too prominent mids.  Also it looks like the bass is missing some tightness, but that's just a guess.  I wouldn't use these for mastering, any way.
 
Having said that, if your preference is more towards portable use and listening pleasure on the road, things are way difference of course, and you'll probably want a good budget portable amplification combined with a colored headphone that should increase your bass, mids or highs, for a reason that is beyond me.  Also, if your music producing isn't very demanding that would definitely change the entire picture as well.

 

[Wishmaker]

A decision to buy a pair of cans should not be made according to the datasheet, consequently, as a smart buyer, I spent one hour testing everything the shop had to offer. If I were to listen to all the datasheets and recommendations I would have never bought these. The datasheet and recommendation is my ear as I was lucky to inherit quite a good one. The Denons are quite expensive so before you shell out the cash, go into a store and listen to them. That is what I did and I was not disappointed. It is very rare that I find a pair of cans that satisfy me the way these do. You might not like them or you are looking for a different sound. It is up to you but I wholeheartedly recommend them as they do not have too much treble energy or prominent mids. On the contrary, the Beats Pro have this and I did not read a graph to deduce this. 
 
 
 

 

[tbger99]

^^^  I hope my words were not offensive to you by any means ... we're trying to give some help here 

  No decision should be made based on objective data like graphs (and not majorly on subjective reviews, as well) - definitely, but it's always a good point to start from and get general impressions.  Auditioning is obviously a must, it's all about listening isn't it ? 

  You're lucky to have tried the D2000s yourself, so do I wish the OP to do.  Further on this, to really know what a headphone does to the sound you have to listen to tracks you know very well, preferably something you have produced yourself and know its sound.

 

[Wishmaker]

Hey there, 
 
I am always up for a healthy debate. You need not worry, you were not offensive

 

[The Known]

Yea. Thanks for comments guys. I will go to a local store again (that has some more professional stuff), and listen to their headphones...