[mastershake2393]

Quote:

You said the comfort is abysmal if you don't wear them properly - isn't that true with all headphones? You wear them with your ears slightly outside of the cup, which suggests that they don't fit
 
It isn't. There are some headphones that are just straight up uncomfortable to most people (aka Grados). I wear them slightly off my ears because that is the way they were intended to be worn; I had had my ears in the cups, which was ridiculous considering the diameter of inner cup can't be more than an 1.5 inches.
 
You're right about what you said about the lows - I did misquote you, so I apologize for that. However, it can be argued that most people who buy these headphones buy them for hip-hop (or as a fashion accessory

), so the bleeding of the lows on some hip-hop tracks is cause for concern for a significant segment of the target market. Ignorance is bliss, as they say.
 
Haha, that is true; people do wear them as a fashion accessory for the most part. Or they think that Beats are the best things ever... until they break
 
If the mids are just okay for the price, then the mids' quality doesn't support your opinion that they are great sounding headphones.
 
I didn't say they sounded "great", I said they sounded "good". 
 
The highs by your own estimation are easily outperformed by much cheaper IEMs, again not supporting your overall review of their sound.
 
I don't see where I listed any less expensive IEMs ;o. If you consider the SM3, UM3X, or FX700 to be cheaper than the price of a used Pro, you'd be mistaken. The IEMs I've listed retain their value when sold used; the Pros don't. 
 
Regarding the price, there are headphones that are sub-$250 that out-perform these, but most people who must have these will have to shell out the full $400 for the genuine article.
 
I don't see why someone would do that when you can either get them used on Amazon, or refurbished from Monster (when they have them). People who buy them for $400 are either: a) apart of the masses that think these are the end-all, be-all of headphones, or b) ignorant to other options.
 
It might be helpful to include your source (ipod, zune, etc.) and also the file type (128kbps, flac, wav, etc.). These things matter to audiophiles when considering a review for headphones.
 
Don't patronize me. It is a fault of mine not to include my source files, but I thought I did state that I was using an iPod in my review. For what it's worth, I use Apple Lossless or 320kbps mostly, but I do have mix tapes that are of a lower bitrate (I'm not entirely sure, but they may be 256kbps).
 
Once again, sorry for misquoting you - it wasn't intentional.
 

 

[doublea71]

 

 

[Swimsonny]

I have not heard any of the IEMs listed but from what i have heard they should be on par at least with other top-tier earphones such as TF10, DBA-02, BA200 and ASG-1. In this case i think it is insulting to compare beats pro to them sound quality wise even though you do say they are better. Beats bass does not bleed. I think it did and a lot, the mids were so warm and filed because of this. Your right about the treble which rolls of so easily and lacks detail. I personally thought everything was terrible on them bass included and is not good enough quality wise to satisfy a bass-head. At the time i had them, they were accompanied by the Superlux HD681, which were both technically better and comfier at £30 as well as the Sennheiser HD580s which i paid £50 and were in a complete different league (i know they are open but still). There comfort however you were them is unbearable in my opinion also.
 
Anyway, i still respect your opinion and that you enjoy them!

 

[mastershake2393]

How long was your listening session with them? Or did you own them?
 
I just compared them to the D1001's... holy hell. The Pros might have more bass, but damn, the D1001 are price/performance champions! It's really a shame that they were discontinued; IMO the D1100 sound terrible in comparison...

 

[DaBomb77766]

Quote:

How long was your listening session with them? Or did you own them?
 
I just compared them to the D1001's... holy hell. The Pros might have more bass, but damn, the D1001 are price/performance champions! It's really a shame that they were discontinued; IMO the D1100 sound terrible in comparison...

Isn't the Creative Aurvana Live pretty  much the same thing though?

 

[mastershake2393]

Quote:

Isn't the Creative Aurvana Live pretty  much the same thing though?

 
Yep. It has the same driver I do believe.

 

[Swimsonny]

I owned them for a year. I appreciate them for the fact they got me here and towards my current collection. I don't think you wrong, just saying I do not have the same opinion.

 

[mastershake2393]

Quote:

I owned them for a year. I appreciate them for the fact they got me here and towards my current collection. I don't think you wrong, just saying I do not have the same opinion.

 
No probs friend. I was just wondering how long you had them for.

 

[Swimsonny]

Yeh that's understandable. Let's just say I listened to them for a loads and loads and loads of hours ahah!

 

[NickRodriguezzz]

actually know it all, the pros are designed to be on ear not over.
 

 

[AyeVeeN]

Basically quoting everyone else.
 
That sound comes with a $400 price tag. At that price you can buy something with much better sound quality. May as well get some Ultrasones if you really want bass, though then again it doesn't have the look of the Beats (which honestly, I'm not fond of really anyways. Coming from a 16 year old who sees them on campus, a lot. There's not really any prestige in it since everyone has it).

 

[DeanKeith]

I didn't want to start a new thread... but I also didn't want to post in the other threads I found that are full of Beats hate.  LOL
 
I have not spent a lot of time with the Beats Pro, but I walked into a store (www.bjorns.com), and sampled all the headphones they had (including some even more expensive) with a track I like (Infected Mushroom - Never Mind).
 
The Beats Pro sounded the best to me.  So while technically, I know they are not flat response, and are bass-heavy and [size=11pt]treble[/size]-light, I loved the way they sounded.  I am kind of a bass nut.  But I am not going to spend $400 on them, and I am kind of the opposite of the people that buy them for fashion.  I'd be embarrassed to wear them, as I don't like being such a conformist.  But I can't stop thinking about how good they sounded. 

 
So, what other headphones would produce a similar sound signature with hopefully more comfort, and Dr. Dre's name NOT on them? 

 
Here is what I currently own, and what I think of them:
 
IEM: NuForce NE-7M.  I won't say much since I linked that to my review, but the short version is: I love them, especially for the $$.
 
Open Air: Sennheiser HD570. These are great, but of course can't be worn at work since the sound bleeds A LOT.  I use them at home a lot for gaming and listening to the computer.  Using my FiiO E6, they sound really good even from my iPhone.  Comfort is the best ever... light and full velvety ear cups.  But they are not as tight and punchy with the rich lows of the Beats Pro.
 
Sealed: Sony MDR-XB500.  These are my bass-monsters, and for that, they are great.  But the sound is muddier than the Beats Pro, and they are really comfortable for a while, but then my ears start to sweat.
 
So any advice for someone looking for a Beats Pro type sound without paying for a name?

 

[Byakushiki]

Pioneer HDJ2000? If you're willing to be a bit spendy, then they're definitely a solid choice. Bassy sound sig without losing out too much on everything else. Looks nice and also built as well as VMODAs, which are notoriously tough. VMODA LP's and M-80's are also pretty good choices that won't fail to satisfy.

 

[LizardKing1]

Quote:

I didn't want to start a new thread... but I also didn't want to post in the other threads I found that are full of Beats hate.  LOL
 
I have not spent a lot of time with the Beats Pro, but I walked into a store (www.bjorns.com), and sampled all the headphones they had (including some even more expensive) with a track I like (Infected Mushroom - Never Mind).
 
The Beats Pro sounded the best to me.  So while technically, I know they are not flat response, and are bass-heavy and [size=11pt]treble[/size]-light, I loved the way they sounded.  I am kind of a bass nut.  But I am not going to spend $400 on them, and I am kind of the opposite of the people that buy them for fashion.  I'd be embarrassed to wear them, as I don't like being such a conformist.  But I can't stop thinking about how good they sounded. 

 
So, what other headphones would produce a similar sound signature with hopefully more comfort, and Dr. Dre's name NOT on them? 

 
Here is what I currently own, and what I think of them:
 
IEM: NuForce NE-7M.  I won't say much since I linked that to my review, but the short version is: I love them, especially for the $$.
 
Open Air: Sennheiser HD570. These are great, but of course can't be worn at work since the sound bleeds A LOT.  I use them at home a lot for gaming and listening to the computer.  Using my FiiO E6, they sound really good even from my iPhone.  Comfort is the best ever... light and full velvety ear cups.  But they are not as tight and punchy with the rich lows of the Beats Pro.
 
Sealed: Sony MDR-XB500.  These are my bass-monsters, and for that, they are great.  But the sound is muddier than the Beats Pro, and they are really comfortable for a while, but then my ears start to sweat.
 
So any advice for someone looking for a Beats Pro type sound without paying for a name?

 
If isolation isn't a big deal to you get the Creative Aurvana Live! it has a similar signature, maybe with a bit less texture, but more extended highs. They are comfortable except for the spot that rests on your head which after 2 hours gets annoying.
Also the Ultrasone HFI line is something to consider. I haven't heard it, so I'm just pointing you in a direction, but you won't have problems finding someone who has.

 

[DeanKeith]

Thanks so much for the suggestions... does anyone know of any brick and mortar stores that sell these brands?  I'd be nice to give them a listen.
 
Here is what I have found so far (and yes I know Amazon reviews are not to be taken too far, but I still like to see how things go, and what is a popular item with lots of reviews):
 
$99.99, 4.5 stars, 48 reviews, Creative Aurvana Live!
$102.00, 4.6 stars, 298 reviews, V-MODA Crossfade LP Over-Ear Noise-Isolating Metal
$153.15, 4.4 stars, 49 reviews, Ultrasone HFI-780 S-Logic Surround Sound Professional
$199.00, 4.7 stars, 46 reviews, V-MODA Crossfade LP2 Over-Ear Noise-Isolating Metal
$199.00, 4.6 stars, 58 reviews, V-MODA Crossfade M-80 On-Ear Noise-Isolating Metal
$251.87, 4.5 stars, 44 reviews, Pioneer HDJ-2000 Reference Professional Dj
 
So, just going by the numbers:
Creative Aurvana wins for price.
V-MODA Crossfade LP2 wins for rating.
V-MODA Crossfade LP wins for popularity.
 
If I could only make my decision on the above info, I'd probably choose the V-MODA LP.  They are the most popular, almost the cheapest, and very close to the top rating. 
 
I also did some reading on the V-MODA site, and it seems like the only differences between the LP and LP2 is that the LP2 has "refined mids + highs" and "slightly lower bass (~1dB @ 100Hz)".  So for my bassy needs, the LP is probably better, and half the price.  The other thing is, retail on both LP and LP2 is $199, so the fact I can get LP for half that is pretty awesome.  But I sure would like to hear some.
 
Some questions I have are: 
 
What is different about the HFI-780s that make them "surround sound".  Is that a gimmick?
 
Can anyone that's heard the HDJ-2000's help me justify the price premium?
 
Thanks again guys for putting some great choices on my radar!