What's the Deal With Beats By Dre?

[HiFiTunes]

This is my view on the Beats by Dre. The sound is not that all great, the bass is over amplified, the hiss from the amplifier is just screams NOISE, and finally the pressure inside the headphone is just unbearable. So what does a over amplified bass sound like? It sounds like fart, well not exactly like fart but very close. The drivers are almost right on your ear so the sound you perceive is very solid and flat left right. I have a Sennheiser 595 and I would say that the 595 beats the beats in almost every aspect but looks. The beats do have better bass but it is overamplified. Unless you want the looks of the beats dont buy it. Personally I wish the 595s looked like the beats >.<

 

[Ishcabible]

Quote:

They claim the headphones being studio quality..


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People (though generally newbies) claim the M50's are studio monitors even though they have the same general sound signature too. Just saying... And technically, can't they be used in a studio? Don't they use boomboxes to hear how your average person will hear them? In the same vein, they can be used for that purpose. Not the way that they lead us to think, but it's a slant truth, if a studio chooses to pay so much for them.
 
But anyways, they aren't as bad as everyone says; the thing that annoys me is their stuck up high and mighty owners. The headphones themselves have an acceptable sound, and at the $130 they occasionally go for at Monster Outlet, they aren't that bad. Overpriced? Probably, since they're flimsy, but at that price, they don't deserve any hate. $300 is a joke, sure, but nobody's tried moddding them to better their sound yet.
 

 

[Borgbox]

I beg to differ. The M50s and any incarnation of the beats all sound completely different (just look at the headroom fq charts). But it's not the frequency response that matters in headphones because mixing on headphones is generally frowned upon as they do not translate to other outputs very well and generally waste a lot of time in the mixing process. The m50s are good for studio use thanks to the detail, bringing out all the clicks and pops from reverb, compression, and the transients whereas the beats are mush and cannot be trusted in studio settings.
 
Quote:

People (though generally newbies) claim the M50's are studio monitors even though they have the same general sound signature too. Just saying... And technically, can't they be used in a studio?

 

 

[MohawkUS]

I heard the Solos at Staples, my $50 AKG K81 beat the beats in almost every way. I also hate the look of them and the crowd they attract.

 

[Ishcabible]

I beg to differ. The M50s and any incarnation of the beats all sound completely different (just look at the headroom fq charts). But it's not the frequency response that matters in headphones because mixing on headphones is generally frowned upon as they do not translate to other outputs very well and generally waste a lot of time in the mixing process. The m50s are good for studio use thanks to the detail, bringing out all the clicks and pops from reverb, compression, and the transients whereas the beats are mush and cannot be trusted in studio settings.
 


 

Should've clarified. Don't studios use boomboxes or other low fi gear to test how the recording will sound to laymen? That's what I meant.

 

[kyuuketsuki]

I shall answer your question with a series of questions you should ponder.

1) think about your favorite artists and djs, how many use beats?

2) go into a studio, look around and count the number of beats. How many are there?

3) what kinds of people do you see using beats?

The first two answers are likely none. And the second is likely people who probably have never seen a frequency graph. what it comes down to is price vs quality. Most studios use sony. Why? Corporate deals and high quality, especially for the price. Artists tend to favor either flat response monitors or headphones whose sound signature fits their music. Beats can fit neither of those criteria. Heavily driven bass is not optional for almost any music. And they are anything but flat. Beats look good to some, and give most people what they think they want.. Super powerful bass at the expense of almost everything else.

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[myloveilove]

i have not once seen anyone in my town, or anywhere, wearing beats save for on the television. maybe the buds they sell, but i can't say for sure. they are on craigslist 100% of the time i search for headphones though, and are usually the only headphones available.

 

 

[Mercuttio]

See, here's the thing. I totally welcome Beats as a fashion statement because they're a necessary focal point for people who don't know anything about headphones. That's fine, it has to be there, and it allows me to wear my K272's in public without drawing any attention at all despite their similar price-point. 
 
I don't understand why people have such venom for something so trivial; it's not like the larger companies are taking a hit from the Beats (they certainly didn't from Bose) and there's SUCH a wider variety of headphones out there now than there was a few years ago. This, folks, is the Golden Age of headphones... we no longer have to mourn for the loss of the Orpheus or the death of the R10. God, a few years ago, that's all we did. That, and troll eBay for a mis-labeled auction for an HP1000.
 
There's so much awesome gear out there, so clearly Beats aren't doing anything damaging to the hobby. 

 

[kyuuketsuki]

Its not venom to the headphones themselves, but the marketing and image. They are no where near studio quality, and should adjust their marketing to reflect what their headphones are meant for... And that is a higher level consumer headphone, that professionals would likely never touch. Monster has people thinking they are buying professional quality headphones when they really aren't.
 
Quote:

See, here's the thing. I totally welcome Beats as a fashion statement because they're a necessary focal point for people who don't know anything about headphones. That's fine, it has to be there, and it allows me to wear my K272's in public without drawing any attention at all despite their similar price-point. 
 
I don't understand why people have such venom for something so trivial; it's not like the larger companies are taking a hit from the Beats (they certainly didn't from Bose) and there's SUCH a wider variety of headphones out there now than there was a few years ago. This, folks, is the Golden Age of headphones... we no longer have to mourn for the loss of the Orpheus or the death of the R10. God, a few years ago, that's all we did. That, and troll eBay for a mis-labeled auction for an HP1000.
 
There's so much awesome gear out there, so clearly Beats aren't doing anything damaging to the hobby. 

 

 

[TwoEars]

Quote:

Its for this....
http://beatsbydre.com/products/Products.aspx?pid=B6134&cat=1
 
Authentic Justin Bieber's headphones...

 
Oh GOD, that's the most horrendous thing I've seen all year. Bring out the flame thrower... kill it.... kill it with fire....

 

[Ra97oR]

For me, its actually the user base that puts me off. Most are think that they are the best without indication to listen others. Therefore it became a fashion statement with us Head-Fiers to not wear them.

 

[Tablo]

+1, the black and yellow Beats someone posted in the Headphone Sightings thread looked much better than THIS ugly purple 

Quote:

 
Oh GOD, that's the most horrendous thing I've seen all year. Bring out the flame thrower... kill it.... kill it with fire....

 

 

[Ericy]

I'm basing the headphones strictly off of the people that I see with them mostly. It seems to be a "statement" more so than good headphones. I see people all day on campus wearing them around their neck just to look cool. To be honest I'd much rather have a 300 dollar watch than a 300 dollar plastic necklace.

 

[LugBug1]

 
Quote:

See, here's the thing. I totally welcome Beats as a fashion statement because they're a necessary focal point for people who don't know anything about headphones. That's fine, it has to be there, and it allows me to wear my K272's in public without drawing any attention at all despite their similar price-point. 
 
I don't understand why people have such venom for something so trivial; it's not like the larger companies are taking a hit from the Beats (they certainly didn't from Bose) and there's SUCH a wider variety of headphones out there now than there was a few years ago. This, folks, is the Golden Age of headphones... we no longer have to mourn for the loss of the Orpheus or the death of the R10. God, a few years ago, that's all we did. That, and troll eBay for a mis-labeled auction for an HP1000.
 
There's so much awesome gear out there, so clearly Beats aren't doing anything damaging to the hobby. 

Indeed a golden age of headphones, but as a members of headfi shouldn't we be warning people not to waste money..? After all this is a product that we know about and if we acknowledge it to be welcome then we are as bad as the marketers. The whole point of Headfi as far as I'm here for, is to tell the truth about our audio gear.. good or bad. Beats are one of the most popular headphones out there for the young and naive and if we don't say something who will!  
 
They are S$%# dont buy them kids.

 
 

 

[kyuuketsuki]

Also... 
 
When you see http://beatsbydre.com/products/Products.aspx?pid=B5622&cat=2 <-- those in a case BROKEN, they are clearly not worth the asking price. 
 
Allow me to repeat that... I went into a Best Buy, and passed by a CASE with the Lady Gaga Beats in ears, where they were BROKEN! No one could have touched them to break them. They somehow broke inside the case. 
 
@Ericy:
 
People seem to be wearing them on their heads rather than their neck more and more. I don't get why, since it looks ridiculous! Even Lebron James looks like an idiot wearing them like that!
 
Here, look!
 
 
Please somebody explain that to me. Really, I don't get it. I see people everywhere now wearing their Beats like that when they are not in use, and I can't even fathom why.