hifi80sman
Headphoneus Supremus
I wish they would just put the Studio3s on sale already. With all the adjusting, jumping up & down, doing backflips, and some David Lee Roth splits, just to get the Studio3s to a place where "happy" resides, $350 is a lot to ask. Especially since just last week (and Black Friday), the Studio2s were going for $159. Certainly, battery life and connection are better, but the Studio2s sound is arguably better (from what I've read) at less than half the price. The ANC also doesn't seem to be ground-breaking and sounds like it may use a better, yet still inexpensive, ANC chip. Like MICHAELSD stated earlier, the update just feels lazy. Either lower the price to make it a great value for consumers (and expanding the "Beats Army") or remake it from the ground up as a true premium headphone with top-notch fabrication and materials. If you look at the reviews, there are only 17 on Amazon and 18 on BestBuy, so people aren't excited about plopping down $350 when the Bose QC35 IIs and Sony 1000XM2s are available at the same price. Both the Bose and Sony feel more like "serious" headphones, while Beats seem to be in transition. Honestly, it almost feels like Beats does not have actual "engineers" or "R&D". Kind of like the janitor that has a title of "Sanitation Engineer". You know Sony and Bose have actual electrical engineers, etc.I thought it was just me! No lie, I ended up adjusting my Studio 3 to one notch extended. I also rotated the headband to the back of my head. When I did this, the sound became better and it fit more comfortably. Not that I wasn't happy with the sound before, but the sub bass became more audible and it appeared to my ears that the sound became more spacious. I agree with you in that the Studio 3s are the most picky headphones I've owned when it comes to how you wear them affecting sound quality.
On a side note, I sold my Bose QC35s and have been going with the 1000XM2 and the Studio 3. I'm not going to lie, a part of me is missing the QC35s. I'm back trying to decide if I'm going to swap anyone of these for the QC35 II. Decisions, decisions smh.
Headphones are like food, we don't always want the same thing everyday. I have a pair of Sony XB950B1s I picked up last week for $98 (MSRP $199), and while they are not my analytical Sennheiser HD 600s, they hit hard and are fun to wear in the gym. I also have the Sony 1000XM2s and Bose QC 35s (1st Gen), so sometimes I'm in the mood for the smoother, more relaxing sound of the Bose, while there are other times I want the more engaging Sony.
Oh, and the other issue I wish they would address is their marketing. We all know they will go on sale, and not just $20 or so, but the price cut will be $70 - $100 for their first round of discounting. The Studio2s aren't REALLY $379 and the Solo3s aren't REALLY $299; those are the sucker's price. Their ACTUAL retail price is more like $249 and $219, which you can find frequently at most retailers. It's a bit insulting to me as a consumer that the MSRP for the Studio2s is still $379. You JUST discounted them to $159 (I went to BestBuy and there were still tons left, the stock was not moving) and post-sale, you're going back to $379? I think people are on to the sophomoric marketing strategy now. To me, this is pure hubris on the part of Beats.
Sorry, a bit of a rant here, but there are so many things they could do better that would actually make their business more successful, creating a win-win for the company and consumer!
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