[cb3723]

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[GearMe]

Beats give a lot of joy to their owners, and significantly introduced headcans as a music delivery system to many - me included.

I cut my teeth with beats headcans, which in turn led me here and onto other brands and styles of cans including "audiophile" cans.

Beats will always have a place in my headcan collection for sure.

"Yes, I believe there are things we can experience that can't be measured objectively.
How many pounds of Joy did you experience yesterday?"
(Tyll Hertsens, Feb 18th 2012)

When I buy beats, I know what I'm buying into, and this "very heavy bass" tuning you mention is relevant on early beats cans, not so much the current crop.

If beats were even a fraction of the criticism that gets thrown their way, Apple wouldn't be offering them a cent, never mind 3.2 billion USD.

 
Agreed, I have different cans/iems for different music/moods...not going to listen to Hip Hop/R&B with my Etys or, for that matter, classical/jazz with my Atrios!
 
That said, it's really the $$$ keep me from buying Beats.  For instance, I just picked up some new Denon AH-D600s at my local Magnolia store for $150.  I like them a ton and for me they deliver very solid bass as well as detailed treble.  Haven't spent any time with the Beats Pro but am guessing this would be their equivalent for $400...problem is they never go on a significant sale.  Guess they really are better if they don't have to discount!  

 

[cb3723]

Agreed, I have different cans/iems for different music/moods...not going to listen to Hip Hop/R&B with my Etys or, for that matter, classical/jazz with my Atrios!

That said, it's really the $$$ keep me from buying Beats.  For instance, I just picked up some new Denon AH-D600s at my local Magnolia store for $150.  I like them a ton and for me they deliver very solid bass as well as detailed treble.  Haven't spent any time with the Beats Pro but am guessing this would be their equivalent for $400...problem is they never go on a significant sale.  Guess they really are better if they don't have to discount!  

Beats are definitely overpriced for what they are as a stand alone product, that's one argument I'm not going to disagree with.

However, beats is also regarded as a lifestyle brand, and a lot of buyers are choosing beats as a fashion accessory - v-moda also understand this selling factor with their cans, notably their new xs model carry case with loop attach to carry case to thread their carry chains, turning it into a purse look (obviously for the lady head-fiers in mind).

I think a lot of beats buyers are looking to buy into the whole brand style and relate to this through wearing the beats brand, and this is how beats get away, for use of a better term, with their pricing - their perceived kudos lifestyle brand is a big puller which has worked amazingly for them with something like 60% domestic market share of the headcan market in the U.S.A alone.

Don't get me wrong though - if beats hadn't made model form and sound improvements from early models, the kudos factor would not have kept them to where they find themselves today - receiptients of a $3.2 billion USD buy out offer by no lesser giants than Apple.

(sorry to repeat the Apple/Beats deal, but its no short change of serious cash involved for sure!)

 

[GearMe]

Yep...from a business perspective, gotta respect their ability to hold firm on their premium pricing while commanding the market share they do.

I guess I own some lifestyle cans and iems since I got my M80s and Bass Freqs at Radio Shack. Still...wouldn't have paid retail but at $40 and $10 respectively, they were a steal!

 

[DisCHORDDubstep]

Yep...from a business perspective, gotta respect their ability to hold firm on their premium pricing while commanding the market share they do.

I guess I own some lifestyle cans and iems since I got my M80s and Bass Freqs at Radio Shack. Still...wouldn't have paid retail but at $40 and $10 respectively, they were a steal!

the new studios aren't selling very well... I've only seen one 2.0. I've seen 3 1.0's, and 7 solos (one solo HD.) but only one 2.0, and zero pro's. They aren't selling. The old 1.0's are still being sold in some places, but the 2.0's just are not common in the USA. More people are slipping back into the ear bud thing again... I know a ton of people who buy a new earbud every month because their old one they bought for 20$ broke... And they tell me they aren't going to buy a new headphone that costs 80$ because they keeping breaking their headphones they have right now... I try to explain to them the only reason they are breaking headphones is because of the shoddy build quality, and that they'd save money by buying something more expensive.

 

[rhythm is life]

I tried searching for "Beats Studio 2013 sales numbers" but found nothing relevant. My experience is just like yours though. I've seen the '13 Studio once, maybe twice since it came out about 9 months ago, and I've been seeing plenty of people with earbuds, and most of the time hearing them, as they blast their ears into oblivion on noisy subways. And yeah, people buy cheap crap, it breaks on them, then they continue to buy cheap crap. As someone who has been studying accounting for nearly a decade, I have learned to be a frugal person, but sometimes it's good to spend a little extra if it will pay off in the long term.

 

[Coq de Combat]

I've seen maybe 3 beats altogether this year. Last year I think I saw 5. I see lots of senns hd25, m50 and some beyers though. Mostly I see urbanears and other crap.

 

[SomeGuyDude]

Depends on where you are. 
 
I was in NYC a few weeks ago and in the span of an hour I saw at least ten pairs of Beats just walking past me. Generally the Solos, but a couple Studios. 

 

[DisCHORDDubstep]

Depends on where you are. 

I was in NYC a few weeks ago and in the span of an hour I saw at least ten pairs of Beats just walking past me. Generally the Solos, but a couple Studios. 

2013's?... And did you turn any heads with those smexy m-100's?

 

[SomeGuyDude]

2013's?... And did you turn any heads with those smexy m-100's?

 
I actually don't know which they were off hand. Mayyybe the 2013s? I admit I can't tell anything on sight. XD 
 
The folks at AC Gears definitely liked the M-100s, I'll say that. I think I ended up selling someone on a pair that day, haha. 

 

[RiriG]

I just got some Dre Beats Solo HD for free, they'll pay for my TMA-1 and a nice beer

 

[SomeGuyDude]

  I just got some Dre Beats Solo HD for free, they'll pay for my TMA-1 and a nice beer

 
Tragically, the Solo HDs are the one model I wouldn't say "just keep 'em" with. 

 

[White Lotus]

They aren't selling.

 
What's your source?
 

 NPD Group reported that Beats had a market share of 64% in the U.S for headphones priced higher than $100, and was valued at $1 billion in September 2013

from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beats_Electronics

 

[SomeGuyDude]

   
What's your source?
 
from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beats_Electronics

 
That's Beats as a brand. Doesn't say how the 2013 Studios specifically are selling. I'm not saying one way or the other because I don't know, just that the link there doesn't say.

 

[White Lotus]

   
That's Beats as a brand. Doesn't say how the 2013 Studios specifically are selling. I'm not saying one way or the other because I don't know, just that the link there doesn't say.

 
It's more information than just guessing.
 
I see beats all the time, worn by people in public. I refuse to believe "they aren't selling" unless I see proof/figures.