[Kolkim]

Sigh, idk why I am writing this but after reading so many posts I feel like I have to put my 2 cents about Beats, click away if you don't want to read somebody complimenting Dr. Dre.
 
The Beats by Dre lineup is just like Louis Vuitton, Gucci, or any designer clothes brand. You are paying the extra couple hundred for the brand, not the quality or material (for the most part). With a Gucci handbag you can expect a certain amount of style, quality in their products but you know you could find something that looks the same without the logo for a tenth of the pricetag. But the logo will place you in a different level of style and lifestyle than somebody with a non designer bag. This is assuming you are around people who appreciate the 'higher status'. Beats spend most of their money on advertising. 2 minutes on their website will show dozens of celebrities rocking their products and most of them probably got their beats for free in return that they use them in high profile area. (Just like Christian Audigier did) and that could explain their high costs. You see their advertisements everywhere, on Youtube, TV, and even the music section of every Futureshop but how often do you see on TV an ad for anything even FROM Denon.
Their sound isn't **** either. I've owned solos, studios and the Pro. Actually the solos sound like ****. But to a regular consumer who has only listened to skullcandy or $20 panasonic earphones from wal-mart, they sound considerably better. 
 
So my point is this, you can spend $200 less and get something like the M50s for the same or better quality in sound, but if you are out, don't expect any double takes from most strangers as you would with the Beats Pro.

 

[PallidaMors]

*puts on anti-flame armor* I agree with you. If looks and brand are more important than sound, then yes, they are worth the price. Personally, I'm more inclined towards audio quality over "swagness", so I wouldn't buy nor recommend them. In the end, it's all about preference.

 

[HideousPride]

Topic has already been beaten to death. Never seen a dead horse suffer so long before. 

 
Yes, when they first came out Beats were considered very stylish. But with the amount of people that are wearing them now, do you really think the headphones are still deserving of a double take? Not saying this applies to everyone, but some of the people I see wearing Beats in public just seem like they're trying too hard to be noticed. 
 
Will agree that Beats catch more flak on Head-Fi than they deserve. It's definitely not everyone, but after some people get a taste of higher end audio they thumb their noses at everything that they consider beneath them. I personally think Beats making it big is a good thing for the headphone community. I believe part of the reason innovation is happening and new companies are competing in the audio world today is because companies have realized that well-designed headphones could reach out to a very broad audience. Quite a few people on this forum started off with Beats, and there's nothing wrong with that.
 
I don't agree that you can't wear M50s or other headphones and get noticed though. White M50s are gorgeous. I get stopped a lot wearing V-Moda and people at work have actually been drawn into my cube for a listen after seeing how stylish the Senn 598s look. To each their own.

 

[sneaglebob]

I feel that beats bashing is overrated. Infact the bandwagon effect is present sometimes when people bash beats

 

[sdpenha]

They aren't bad sounding to the average person, and are a fashion accessory first. There's a market for them and this is capitalism. I don't understand what is with the exccessive bashing - if you don't like a product, don't buy it. I don't think Beat's target audience would give Stax a minute's consideration, so there's no reason to be elitist.

 

[Parall3l]

Beats have gone from stylish to "the crap-12-year-old-kids-who-think-they-have-swag-wear"

I'm fine with paying for a brand name but Beats have basically "cockblocked" all the actual good brands from the stores.  

 

[Kolkim]

You guys have great non sheep input and I like it. Thanks for the replies, I totally expected to come back to tons of you`re an idiot and never heard (insert phone here) before!

 

[machoboy]

The Beats by Dre lineup is just like Louis Vuitton, Gucci, or any designer clothes brand.

Eh not really. I'm quite into designer fashion and I admittedly don't mind paying a premium for looks and quality.
Beats look pretty "bargain bin" to me. They look more like a tacky k-mart tracksuit than anything I own by Gucci.
 
AKG and Grado are more similar to designer fashion brands. They have classic signature styles that people who aren't "in the know" might not quite understand but people who are in the know are willing to pay for.
 
Beats look like children's headphones and as far as I can tell most of the people who buy them...  are basically kids (10-20). Imagine an adult male in a $4,000 Prada suit wearing "Dr. Dre Beats headphones"... It just wouldn't look right. It would be like some wallstreet CEO crawling around in a McDonalds Playplace or riding around on a BMX bike.

 

[Kolkim]

By beats are just like Louis I was implying the sense of a higher status, rather than the same style. 
In my mind, I can`t see a guy in a $4000 Prada suit even listening to headphones..

 

[machoboy]

Walking to your limo in Stax (with personal assistant carrying a full sized tube amp)would be CERTIFIED STYLIN'.
 
Beats??? Come on those are the baggy pants/backwards hat/stained t-shirt of the audio world. Cheap glossy plastic and low-brow rap music. Devoid of status.

 

[Kolkim]

Hahaha that`s awesome. With that much money he probably doesn`t know what Beats are. Thats a whole nother evel of being rich.

 

[sneaglebob]

Quote:

Walking to your limo in Stax (with personal assistant carrying a full sized tube amp)would be CERTIFIED STYLIN'.
 
Beats??? Come on those are the baggy pants/backwards hat/stained t-shirt of the audio world. Glossy plastic and low-brow rap music. Devoid of status.

Agreed! Swag is not cool. Class is

 

[Kolkim]

get beats. YOLO.
jk

 

[PallidaMors]

I'm not sure most people might think some dude in a limo with a chick carrying a "lightbulb" box to be stylish. I think it all comes down to a target demographic. Audiophiles obviously are not part of said group because we value different characteristics in our headphones. We think sound quality comes first, then goes looks. We are a niche. I'm not saying that people who use beats are correct, my point is that every person have a different opinion on what is good for them.

 

[machoboy]

Even if I had no clue what was going on and had never seen headphones or an amp before in my life... Some guy in a fancy suit with a giant contraption on his head and someone running behind him with a giant lightbulb box would tell me that guy is some sort of insane billionaire. I would automatically start assuming he controls the world but is rarely seen in public because he's too busy riding zebras around his fantasydome. That's the look we all want deep down. Swag is going half way. Go all the way.