[mralexosborn]

I believe your average consumer is not very smart. I have come to the conclusion that people buy Monster Beats because they do think they sound better than "audiophile" headphones (and marketing). Don't get me wrong there are a few who can hear but quite a few cannot. I am just saying it is not a move of pure ignorance but of deafness. I can't really explain but you can see my point after reading this.
 
http://www.amazon.com/Ultrasone-S-Logic-Surround-Professional-Headphone/product-reviews/B0026P4670/ref=sr_1_1_cm_cr_acr_pop_hist_all?ie=UTF8&showViewpoints=1&qid=1286333282&sr=1-1
 
This guy bought the Ultrasone Edition 8's. He previously had the Monster Beats Studio. He returned the Edition 8's because the Beats sounded better. I would understand better for the price but not better flat out. His reasoning comes down to the Ultrasone's lack of bass. Of course being an ignorant (not in a bad way) consumer he did not plug it into a decent source. 
 
Now, please don't flame me. I just wanted to express my thoughts/anger. It kills me that people just buy the most expensive "legit" headphones on Amazon without researching or even thinking!
What do you think?

 

[sokolov91]

Saw this a long time ago. Made me laugh...
 
This and the entire cable section of the forum shows there are a number of people with astronomically more green matter than grey matter .
 
Nothing you can do to change it so might as well just ignore it :/

 

[tisb0b]

i c wat u did thar
 
Quote:

 
This and the entire cable section of the forum shows there are a number of people with astronomically more green matter than grey matter .
 

 

[andtobis]

I would agree with this post, it makes me want to do terrible things when people think stuff like this. Its probably due to the fact that the beats cancel out noise, and the bass is really intense, and the average human being doesn't appreciate really good sound so that is why the beats are so successful

 

[mralexosborn]

Quote:

Saw this a long time ago. Made me laugh...
 
This and the entire cable section of the forum shows there are a number of people with astronomically more green matter than grey matter .
 
Nothing you can do to change it so might as well just ignore it :/

I don't get how someone couldn't pick out quality. My Grado's sound better than these HANDS DOWN. No competition. There is NO clarity in the mids of the Beats (in comparison).

 
Quote:

I would agree with this post, it makes me want to do terrible things when people think stuff like this. Its probably due to the fact that the beats cancel out noise, and the bass is really intense, and the average human being doesn't appreciate really good sound so that is why the beats are so successful

 

[Kernmac]

Quote:

This guy bought the Ultrasone Edition 8's. He previously had the Monster Beats Studio. He returned the Edition 8's because the Beats sounded better. I would understand better for the price but not better flat out. His reasoning comes down to the Ultrasone's lack of bass. Of course being an ignorant (not in a bad way) consumer he did not plug it into a decent source. 
 
Now, please don't flame me. I just wanted to express my thoughts/anger. It kills me that people just buy the most expensive "legit" headphones on Amazon without researching or even thinking!
What do you think?

I think that to express "anger" even frustration, over another person's purchase is simply silly.  This is not to flame you or your opinion, simply to put up another perspective. 
 
People buy things based on totally different motivations, needs, desires etc, from other people.  Some of these buying motivations are tangible, objective things and many others are emotional and subjective.  Brand/label marketing depends on this emotional decision making, things don't necessarily have to be "better" than a competing product, simply be percieved as being better.  Peer pressure and group acceptance all play a role in our buying decisions, goodness there is enough of that here on HeadFi.
 
I own a pair of ED 8s (love them) and have listened to DR Dre Monster Beats (albeit for a short period of time) and to me there is no contest.  However I don't find it inconcieveable that someone else might prefer the sound signature of the Beats, or because of "street cred" prefer the "sound" of the Beats.  Lets face it, here on Headfi there are people that love the ED8, people that think the ED8 is Meh, and people that think that it is an overwhelming bass disaster.  Who is right?
Of course all of them are. 
 
So do the Beats sound better than ED8s to some people? Well yes.  Will some people buy them not because they sound "better" but because they are "the Headphone" to have in their peer group? Well yes again.  And other people will buy them for different reasons.  Are they being ripped off?  Should they buy a "Better" sounding headphone because the "experts" on HeadFi believe they should?
 
My advice, stop worrying about Monster, Bose, Skullcandy etc-and concentrate on your own listening enjoyment and your own Headphone journey, and share it with your HeadFi peers.  Happy listening. 
 
Oh, and to  all the doof, doof car stereo freaks out there, what are you thinking?

 

[mralexosborn]

Quote:

I think that to express "anger" even frustration, over another person's purchase is simply silly.  This is not to flame you or your opinion, simply to put up another perspective. 
 
People buy things based on totally different motivations, needs, desires etc, from other people.  Some of these buying motivations are tangible, objective things and many others are emotional and subjective.  Brand/label marketing depends on this emotional decision making, things don't necessarily have to be "better" than a competing product, simply be percieved as being better.  Peer pressure and group acceptance all play a role in our buying decisions, goodness there is enough of that here on HeadFi.
 
I own a pair of ED 8s (love them) and have listened to DR Dre Monster Beats (albeit for a short period of time) and to me there is no contest.  However I don't find it inconcieveable that someone else might prefer the sound signature of the Beats, or because of "street cred" prefer the "sound" of the Beats.  Lets face it, here on Headfi there are people that love the ED8, people that think the ED8 is Meh, and people that think that it is an overwhelming bass disaster.  Who is right?
Of course all of them are. 
 
So do the Beats sound better than ED8s to some people? Well yes.  Will some people buy them not because they sound "better" but because they are "the Headphone" to have in their peer group? Well yes again.  And other people will buy them for different reasons.  Are they being ripped off?  Should they buy a "Better" sounding headphone because the "experts" on HeadFi believe they should?
 
My advice, stop worrying about Monster, Bose, Skullcandy etc-and concentrate on your own listening enjoyment and your own Headphone journey, and share it with your HeadFi peers.  Happy listening. 
 
Oh, and to  all the doof, doof car stereo freaks out there, what are you thinking?

It is not just this. This same type of ignorance ties into everything. I mean shoot, if it weren't for ignorant consumers where would Bose be? What about Monster Cable? NOWHERE! Where would Best Buy be? NOWHERE! Especially Geek Squad, they are a joke. 
I could bring other things up but those topics aren't allowed here. 
 

 

[revolink24]

Quote:

I think that to express "anger" even frustration, over another person's purchase is simply silly.  This is not to flame you or your opinion, simply to put up another perspective. 
 
People buy things based on totally different motivations, needs, desires etc, from other people.  Some of these buying motivations are tangible, objective things and many others are emotional and subjective.  Brand/label marketing depends on this emotional decision making, things don't necessarily have to be "better" than a competing product, simply be percieved as being better.  Peer pressure and group acceptance all play a role in our buying decisions, goodness there is enough of that here on HeadFi.
 
I own a pair of ED 8s (love them) and have listened to DR Dre Monster Beats (albeit for a short period of time) and to me there is no contest.  However I don't find it inconcieveable that someone else might prefer the sound signature of the Beats, or because of "street cred" prefer the "sound" of the Beats.  Lets face it, here on Headfi there are people that love the ED8, people that think the ED8 is Meh, and people that think that it is an overwhelming bass disaster.  Who is right?
Of course all of them are. 
 
So do the Beats sound better than ED8s to some people? Well yes.  Will some people buy them not because they sound "better" but because they are "the Headphone" to have in their peer group? Well yes again.  And other people will buy them for different reasons.  Are they being ripped off?  Should they buy a "Better" sounding headphone because the "experts" on HeadFi believe they should?
 
My advice, stop worrying about Monster, Bose, Skullcandy etc-and concentrate on your own listening enjoyment and your own Headphone journey, and share it with your HeadFi peers.  Happy listening. 
 
Oh, and to  all the doof, doof car stereo freaks out there, what are you thinking?

 
I certainly don't think they're on Head-Fi reading this, unfortunately.
 
Does that bass make anyone else have a headache after 5 minutes? It sure does to me.

 

[amp2xpand]

I really tried to give the beats a chance by listening to them a few times, i believe that they are not the worst headphones i've ever heard. But i probably wouldn't even buy them if they were sold for $30. All I hear is ear aching bass. I get better sound out of my koss portapros.
 
I do know some people buy them as fashion statement. Apparently some people buy them because they think it looks good. The average consumer also concludes that more bass = better sound quality.  

 

[noonealive]

120% agreed with this post. Let's see it this way. If everyone in this world is not "deaf",
 
those high-end audio equipment would be way much cheaper due to massive production.

 

[AudioDwebe]

I've never understood this line of thinking.  Why do you care in the slightest what others like or dislike?
 
If it's approval for the insanities of your (our) hobby, you won't get it from them.  From us, yes.  Them, no.
 
So why even bother?  

 

[amp2xpand]

It irritates me seeing people waste money on something overpriced and sub-par, just because it's in style and fashionable. They're a victim of good marketing tactics, if only the average consumer were enlightened with quality audio equipment. 

 

[Kernmac]

Quote:

It irritates me seeing people waste money on something overpriced and sub-par, just because it's in style and fashionable. They're a victim of good marketing tactics, if only the average consumer were enlightened with quality audio equipment. 

Who determines what is overpriced and sub-par?
 
Value is not determined by democratic majority of a sub-class.  IE: More headFiers than not (allegedly) believe that Dr Dre Beats are "sub-par".  I'm sure there are plenty of music consumers that would say that K701s are sub-par to Bose, Beats.  I think it is arrogant and closed minded to say that that other people are wasting their money purchasing things we don't value.

 

[Matt B]

I personally find it interesting that the audiophile community will regularly lament the average consumer spending money on the likes of Monster Cable, Bose, Skull Candy, et al because of things like marketing, perception-reality, hearsay, and group pressure without stopping to consider the potential for hypocrisy there... similar things go on in the highest levels of audiophilia a primary difference being the prices and profit margins are much higher, and arguably far outstrip the (hopefully) concurrent increases in performance...even with the law of diminishing returns taken into account.
 
 The one thing I have learned from tons of reading on speakers, headphones, amps, and like....is that no one agrees on anything, ever...As already mentioned, opinions on sound quality are very subjective....however one thing that is objective is price, and there really is a frightening amount of price=quality as a literal and direct correlation that goes on in high end audio...or high end anything really...and I believe that may account for alot of the sweeping opinions of product superiority.  I recently saw an article commenting on the huge discepencies on a blind listening test (for loudspeakers) and how once the subjects listened again after knowing which speaker was which, alot of their opinions changed.
 
As odd as it sounds, I believe the biggest problem we face in audio with regard to determining the quality of a product is that we know what the product is. Psychoacoustics is quite real, and in my heart of hearts I think that if there were a proliferation of double blind listening tests alot of the audio community would be turned on it's ear...some of those who really dislike product x might feel quite different once the don't know what it is...

 

[Uncle Erik]

I'm not crazy about the Ed. 8 or the Beats.

Forced to choose, I might go with the Beats.