[ThePope3290]

I've heard a few people say they do, but I've never heard it confirmed.

 

[Emooze]

Unless it comes with an extra plug for power, I suspect that is highly improbable

 

[El_Doug]

they didnt mention that to me when I demoed them

they do have active noise cancellation - perhaps that's what these people were referring to?

 

[Uncle Erik]

The battery is for the active noise cancellation.

 

[tvrboy]

Who cares? They still suck.

Yes, I know that comment doesn't help anyone...

 

[Rocksteady]

Back when I researched the beats, I came to the conclusion that they had a built-in amp. According to the marketing copy found on the apple store and headphone solutions websites, the Beats by Dre have an amplifier built in.

"With advanced speaker design, powered amplification, and active noise canceling, Beats delivers all the power, clarity and deep bass today's top artists and producers want you to hear." - Apple Store

"The high performance headphones have large speaker drivers and a high power amplifier – in Laymen’s terms, this means they sound freakin’ awesome. We name Beats headphones an up and coming trend that may very well pave the way for newer, more powerful, and more accurate headphones." - Headphone Solutions

I imagine its something akin to a fiio e5 or e3 built into it. In addition to increasing portability, the upside is that a separate amp shouldn't be required to power them and the included amp should "synergize" best with the drivers. A downside however is that some of the overall cost is for an amp that cannot be used with other headphones.

 

[tvrboy]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rocksteady /img/forum/go_quote.gif "We name Beats headphones an up and coming trend that may very well pave the way for newer, more powerful, and more accurate headphones." - Headphone Solutions

God I hope this isn't true. Otherwise we will have the HD-900 by Jay-Z.

 

[drizzt]

Another downside to the "built in amp" is if you run out of batteries they won't play music. So be prepared to carry around a back up set just in case

 

[Ferrariman]

Does that mean it's double amp'd all the time?

Also, when I demo'd the Beats, I thought they were pretty good, but does noise canceling cost that much? It they were $160~ it would be one of my favorite cans imo

 

[nhancakes]

Quote:

Originally Posted by tvrboy /img/forum/go_quote.gif God I hope this isn't true. Otherwise we will have the HD-900 by Jay-Z.

as long as it sounds good, who cares who endorses it?

 

[tenzip]

I was under the impression that no batteries=no music from the Beats, so I'd have to say they do have an amp.

 

[Aaquib]

1 battery is for the active noise cancellation
1 battery is for the built in amp

 

[swbf2cheater]

IMO it's not the same "Amp" as a typical audiophile would think. It's a built in audio amplifier, much like a bass booster switch on some cans. It is not a driver amp like portable box amps are. That "amp" is just a built in feature. It is always on bass and " amp " boost. You need batteries :\ The Beats are pretty good cans, but incredibly overpriced. If you have a great mp3 player/EQ you can set the bass to your liking and really get some serious pounding beats. IMO, they are on par with the overall sound quality of the Senn HD280 and sadly the ES7s ( ya i said it, it's true. The Beats are like a louder version of the es7s, maybe more like the es8s lol, even though that doesnt exist...its not as good as the esw9s, but it slightly better than the es7s . I've tested the HD 555 with the Beats...they are different audio experiences. Anywho getting back to the question...

...using a powerful amp with the beats makes it sound muddish and you cant stop it no matter how you set the EQ. I can't use them with my Penguin amp, makes them sound awful.

 

[ear8dmg]

Surely everything that has active noise cancellation needs a built in amp for it to function?

In order to be able to play sound out of phase with ambient noise, the power to the drivers has to come from somewhere.

I'm pretty sure my Goldring NS1000s (which also have a battery) have a built in amp - and it drives them better than a CMOY or FiiO e5 in passive mode. It sounds like it, anyway with the bass becoming much better controlled and the treble sound much hotter with more air. The soundstage opens up too, becoming more 3d.

 

[Sebhelyesfarku]

Quote:

Originally Posted by tvrboy /img/forum/go_quote.gif Who cares? They still suck. Yes, I know that comment doesn't help anyone...

It helped me.