[Audio-Phile]

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Title is misleading, thought it'd be some sort of weird religious / cult discussion thread.

 
Actually, I think God will hate you if you buy Souls.  
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Yup. I too have/have had a few different hobbies where my knowledge far exceeds that of a typical consumer. Some of my friends would then ask for my advice with certain purchases, or at least acknowledge that I probably know what I'm talking about because I spent hundreds of hours researching or testing products within the hobbies.
 
But some just don't get it, and for these people marketing is typically the key to their buying decision.
 
When iPhone first came out it was THE phone to buy, even if the average consumer had no idea why it was supposed to be better than the competition. Once Android began to took off and legitimate competitors were released, many Apple fanboys still refused to acknowledge that another phone might do some things better than the iPhone. Even worse, when asked "Tell me what it is your phone does better than that Android phone" most of them were so uninformed that they simply couldn't, and would just say things like "Apple makes good products." Reminds me of your Monster comment
 
What's funny though is that Android fanboys have been taken in by the same type of hype. They are so anti-Apple that it is inconceviable to them that iPhone could do anything well compared to Android. No matter what iPhone 5 does, it will be the worst phone on the market to these guys. Even funnier, Samsung (in Canada at least) has reached a level of hype-driven hilarity with Android fanboys that now rivals Apple's fanboys. I personally know a few people who were/are anti-Apple and touted the merits of Android, even when they didn't understand what the iPhone offered. Soon it became all about the Samsung Galaxy S lineup. Why? Because Samsung spent millions more on marketing than other Android developers, and their advertising techniques now resemble Apple's. The Galaxy S III just launched and I've spent a bit of time with it. It's a great phone sure, but it has its flaws, some hyped features are very underwhelming, and many review sites have commented that it doesn't best the HTC flagship. But, these people I know are convinced that the GSIII is the absolute best and nothing I can say will change that.
 
When you don't know What you're talking about and are too lazy or uninterested to seriously educate yourself, you're prone to making uninformed and poor buying decisions based on word of mouth and marketing.
 
PS: My smartphone comments are made objectively. While I own an Android device, I sell both iPhones and Android devices and believe both have their merits and value for different types of consumers.

 
Haha well said.  I agree 100%, and I hate people that in any argument can't make a single point to actually support their argument. And these are the people that buy Beats and Souls.  It starts to bring up a new question though, and that is the issue of the actual sound quality.  I have had people tell me (and seen it countless times here) that Beats sound better than anything they've ever heard.  This is objectively not true.  We can measure it with charts and graphs, first of all, but even the feeling you get when you listen is clearly different. Even a cheap pair of Sennheisers will absolutely blow the Beats out of the water.  Yet there are many who either can't hear it or won't admit it.  Is this due to them not actually knowing what music "should" sound like (using quotes because every headphone sounds different and ultimately it is subjective)?  Or is that that a massive, almost scary percentage of our population has such poor hearing that they can't tell the difference?  It's always something that interested me.  I know for a fact I can tell the difference between any two headphones I've listed to, and I would have thought it was the same for most.  Apparently not.  I grew up around great stereo systems, great music, and maybe this had an effect.  Not too sure.  Either way, I just continue to be confused by how some people can listen to sh!t and not know it or even worse, not care.
 
Wow. This is getting deep. Haha.

 

[JayNetTech5]

Also people like to follow other people like sheep, that's why everyone listens to the same music these days, they want to be like everyone else and buy beats. They don't care if they waste their money. 

 

[Wirbel]

 
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Actually, I think God will hate you if you buy Souls.  
 

 
I think your points make sense, but I also think that having never been exposed to quality sound, most simply wouldn't know it if they heard it.
 
Think about it, most consumer retail headphones have fairly similar sound signatures that typically focus on the low end of the range, with the Beats taking this to the extreme. Thus, most consumers have probably never heard neutral sounding headphones, or bright for that matter. If this is what you are generally exposed to, your understanding of quality sound would likely be "this sound but magnified" which is exactly what Beats offer. Most consumers use the word bass as a blanket term and have no idea how to interpret the difference between bass extension, clarity, response, etc. Instead, the mass flooding of bass on the Beats is generally regarded as "tons of bass" which generally equates to a better quality headphone for the average buyer.
 
So I think many of you points stand and perhaps some people would never be capable of hearing the difference. But I think for most people they are just used to a certain 'retail flavor' of sound and they are unable to recognize quality sound characteristics. I've had numerous people come into my store and tell me they are looking for "the sickest headphones with the most bass possible" only to tell me that they are a "metalhead" ....

 

[streetdragon]

i like my bass to be moddest, deep and solid. i do not like boomy bloated shallow bass that the solo's have, the studio does have some deep  bass, that's ok but the active noise canceling gives me a severe headache  (even my friend who tried it at the shop said so) along with the non existant soundstage and treble
the whole day at the shop with friends, we were having a hard time contemplating how the beats studio can actually cost a just few dollars more than my HD558 + my friend's SRH 940 and sound so terribly bad.

side note: am i the only one who thinks that beats studio and solo looks ugly? i feel the design is quite cheesy and cheap looking

 

[Wirbel]

Why does Monster sell HDMI cables that cost $80 and produce the same video quality as the $15 one I bought off eBay?
 

 

[silentstorm27]

Because they are out to steal from the sheep. It's like the cereal conspiracy. Cocoa Puffs cost a lot of money because there's a frilly character on the front but the generic Chocolate Balls is the same product only it comes in a bag instead of a box and the marketing department 86th the characters. These kids that grew up choosing Cocoa Puffs over Chocolate Balls are the same one's now choosing Beats over Grado/Sennheiser/Denon/AKG. It's a shame

 

[crinacle]

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Actually, I think God will hate you if you buy Souls.  

 
They aren't that bad for their asking price....! 

 Not compared to Monster/Beats/SMS by 50 Cent headphones anyway.

 

[streetdragon]

it all boils down to manipulating the consumer's mind, beats has done it well with it's shiny paint and convincing quote lines

 

[JayNetTech5]

seems like the ones who do not manipulate give you a better quality and deal. Like my ultrasones and jvc. Then again, ultrasone is kinda pitchy, but don't rip you off really. They kinda mean what they say. JVC gave me more than what they claimed their product to be.

 

[streetdragon]

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seems like the ones who do not manipulate give you a better quality and deal. Like my ultrasones and jvc. Then again, ultrasone is kinda pitchy, but don't rip you off really. They kinda mean what they say. JVC gave me more than what they claimed their product to be.

IMO best ever value for money are Goldring and Superlux, they do 0 advertising, but produce simply amazing sound for its price

 

[brunk]

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Because they are out to steal from the sheep. It's like the cereal conspiracy. Cocoa Puffs cost a lot of money because there's a frilly character on the front but the generic Chocolate Balls is the same product only it comes in a bag instead of a box and the marketing department 86th the characters. These kids that grew up choosing Cocoa Puffs over Chocolate Balls are the same one's now choosing Beats over Grado/Sennheiser/Denon/AKG. It's a shame

+1

 

[khoi14021993]

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I think your points make sense, but I also think that having never been exposed to quality sound, most simply wouldn't know it if they heard it.
 
Think about it, most consumer retail headphones have fairly similar sound signatures that typically focus on the low end of the range, with the Beats taking this to the extreme. Thus, most consumers have probably never heard neutral sounding headphones, or bright for that matter. If this is what you are generally exposed to, your understanding of quality sound would likely be "this sound but magnified" which is exactly what Beats offer. Most consumers use the word bass as a blanket term and have no idea how to interpret the difference between bass extension, clarity, response, etc. Instead, the mass flooding of bass on the Beats is generally regarded as "tons of bass" which generally equates to a better quality headphone for the average buyer.
 
So I think many of you points stand and perhaps some people would never be capable of hearing the difference. But I think for most people they are just used to a certain 'retail flavor' of sound and they are unable to recognize quality sound characteristics. I've had numerous people come into my store and tell me they are looking for "the sickest headphones with the most bass possible" only to tell me that they are a "metalhead" ....

As my first pair of earphones being Beats (shame on me), I totally understand the rationale of general consumers. They do not assume that all headphones sound the same. It really is the same for them sound-wise, or the difference is minimal. This is purely because their ears are not well-trained enough to be able to pick up any difference between headphones. For Beats it's different, because its obscene amount of bass is what make people think it's better than most, as they won't even be bothered to try other headphones in the future. It's sound signature is more consumer friendly compared to other headphones with the same price range, paired with its flashy design that lures teenagers in. While it's fair saying that Beats' sound is unbearable, it's just pure business mind and strategy that has made them so successful, and I must compliment their cheesy business. It pisses me off, though, how they prey on the ignorance of the society to make profit from that. DON'T BLAME THE CUSTOMERS. BLAME THE COMPANY.

 

[Wirbel]

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DON'T BLAME THE CUSTOMERS. BLAME THE COMPANY.

Meh. Personally, blame both.
 
Companies and business models like that wouldn't exist if your average consumer actually spent (indepedent) time researching their major purchases. Most don't and it is their fault that they get suckered into buying inferior products by companies like Monster. Nothing wrong with that really, it only becomes very annoying when these uninformed consumers try to lecture hobbyists about how their newest purchase (ie. Beats) is worthy of a divine designation. 

 

[brunk]

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Meh. Personally, blame both.
 
Companies and business models like that wouldn't exist if your average consumer actually spent (indepedent) time researching their major purchases. Most don't and it is their fault that they get suckered into buying inferior products by companies like Monster. Nothing wrong with that really, it only becomes very annoying when these uninformed consumers try to lecture hobbyists about how their newest purchase (ie. Beats) is worthy of a divine designation. 

Nothing is "inferior" about Monster. They are masters at marketing and I'll leave it at that. If the masses enjoy their products, who are we to point the finger?

 

[streetdragon]

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Nothing is "inferior" about Monster. They are masters at marketing and I'll leave it at that. If the masses enjoy their products, who are we to point the finger?

that is because they do not know of the many other headphones they will enjoy better once discovered