[streetdragon]

as an older brother you have to be stern at times, get him an M80

 

[stainless824]

euthanise him please

 

[machoboy]

He just wants beats because they are beats. Buy him some counterfeit ones (make sure they are the worst possible quality counterfeits) and teach him a lesson.

 
 
Not so much to teach him a lesson (how much worse can they sound than the real thing?), just to save money. 
 
When the "Beats" fad is over and he shows a serious interest in audio the same money can go towards something truly nice.

 

[MegaMushroom]

If he liked the look of the Diamond Tears look into getting those for him.  I see no reason to turn into evil bro.  It is Christmas... A time for giving, not shorting.  I find the idea of giving him knock off anything to be appalling.  He is your brother not some idiot.  Why not show him a pair of Ultrasone HFI-580s?  They are snappy looking cans with a nice solid feel to them, and the sound ought to blow him away.  I'm guessing he wants something to wear around his neck.  Get him something flashy and out there.  (I guess grados fall out of the equation in this case...)  Or Sennheiser Momentum?  Those look nice.

 

[Lourdes]

Just let him have beats if he wants them, no need to be elitist, he's eleven ***... When you take him to the cinema do you insist on independent German films from the 1960's? And will you arrange a cheese tasting for his next birthday party?

 

[niten]

He just wants beats because they are beats. Buy him some counterfeit ones (make sure they are the worst possible quality counterfeits) and teach him a lesson.

Passive aggressive much?
I don't think Christmas is the time to pull something like that.

Though I still find it incredibly hard to tell you that you should go buy beats for your brother.
You still have time before Christmas, do all you can to try to change how he (or his friends-- likely one and the same) feel and view beats/headphones/fads.

 

[Christo4]

Quote:

Though I still find it incredibly hard to tell you that you should go buy beats for your brother.
You still have time before Christmas, do all you can to try to change how he (or his friends-- likely one and the same) feel and view beats/headphones/fads.

 
That or just get him something else. I wouldn't really get him counterfeit beats because if he finds out he's gonna throw a fit... And u don't want that on Christmas.
Maybe something like Halo or PS Vita, it has to be something that he really wants other than beats. Maybe it's just a passing fancy (the beats i mean) and I'm sure that you don't want to spend 300$ on some headphones that he won't even use anymore after a week or so. It's better to get him something else that he'd love for half the price and buy him some good cans later. Maybe for his birthday or something like that. Talking out of experience here, my little brother is so picky with his Christmas presents...

 

[streetdragon]

you all are so fortunate, i don't even get anything for christmas

 

[machoboy]

Quote:

Passive aggressive much?
I don't think Christmas is the time to pull something like that.
Though I still find it incredibly hard to tell you that you should go buy beats for your brother.
You still have time before Christmas, do all you can to try to change how he (or his friends-- likely one and the same) feel and view beats/headphones/fads.

 
He could go the openly aggressive route instead.
 
Just buy him those Hello Kitty headphones (which look remarkably like a Beats product). When he opens the box and gets all angry and teary eyed, stand up and point at him and yell "Happy now creampuff? You look pretty enough yet, sissy?" then spike them on the floor and kick all the wrapping paper everywhere.
 
That's what my Christmas mornings were like and now I'm a cold, hard, brutal capitalist with many girlfriends.

 

[devouringone3]

I don't get anything for Christmas because I already bought all that I wanted.
 
Dude, if he wants Beats, he doesn't want fake Beats... he won't be happy at all about fake Beats.
 
The only point in owning Beats is for them not to be fakes... wearing a fake makes you fake, he would not use them, he wouldn't want his friend to discover the truth that he owns fake beats. And I'm pretty sure he would tell the difference quickly by comparing his with those of his friends.

 

[stainless824]

get him some ATH- esw9's. those things are gorgeous in their african sovereign wood. They are unique, look great and he'll hold onto them for a lot longer than the plastic beats. Also something he wouldn't be embarrassed about wearing in public. I personally would only wear woodies in public. Makes you much more mysterious than wearing beats. Creates intrigue and presents you as somebody who's able to enjoy the finer things in life.

 

[machoboy]

wearing a fake makes you fake

lol
 
I can see that scene too, when his friends come to school and decide to test the authenticity of everyone's as-seen-on-TV gangster rapper headphones and his are deemed fake. Then all of the children in the yard chant "Fake, fake! He's-A-Fake!". This is the most traumatizing Christmas ever...
 
 
 
Seriously, as spoiled as I was as a kid if I wanted $300-400 headphones, I had to make a better case than "pimp swagger". Maybe things have changed since those distant '90s.

 

[iamthem]

Skullcandy Aviators are nice headphones. Classy looking and with pretty respectable sound, they're leagues ahead of beats. In fact, Skullcandy has suddenly gotten their game together in the audio area and most of their new headphones actually offer reasonable sound quality. As for Beats... the marketing team sure did a good job.
 
My story: I got into audio when I was around 15 - my first "audiophile" headphones were CAL!'s, which I found when I discovered head-fi. At first, I was disappointed that they were only "marginally" better than my cheap UE200s. Two years later and I'm rocking out with quad-driver CIEMs. As a person who started off not being able to tell the difference between a $20 headphone (UE200) and a $200 triple balanced armature top tier IEM (TF10), I think that audio isn't something you suddenly enjoy after being exposed once, like widescreen HDTV vs a CRT. It's something far more subtle that takes a long time before you truly appreciate good sound, and when you do there's simply no substitute for pure, undiluted music.

 

[repman244]

Quote:

 
Seriously, as spoiled as I was as a kid if I wanted $300-400 headphones, I had to make a better case than "pimp swagger". Maybe things have changed since those distant '90s.

This.
It was the same for me, I didn't always get what I wanted (sometimes I didn't get anything!)...was I sad? Yes. Did it kill me? No.
 
Looking at it now, I'm actually thankful I didn't always get what I wanted.
 
11 years old or not, you can't always give him anything he wants.

 

[Omshallom]

Get him the Beats, spread some Christmas joy ^^
 
Sounds like he's gunning for them, if you put some Audeze's on his head, he might say the Beats 
sound better. And it sounds like style is important to an 11 year old these days. 
 
11 is 11, can't miraculously give him the wisdom of someone many years older.
 
At least you tried to convince him that there are other options out there.