[bonafidesky]

That is part of Monster's marketing strategy. Don't be surprised if you bring home a pair n it doesn't sound as good as the one in store.

 

[glasslike]

I found this on AMAZON BEATS STUDIO REVIEW
He likes the HD595 better, but I wonder if actually knows what he's talking about. His arguments seems a bit lacking.
 
 
 
 
 
I have been really satisfied (and still using) with the Sennheiser HD-595 Premier Headphone (which cost about $300 at the time; the most expensive headphone I've ever spent). Sennheiser is known for making leading professional headphones/microphones/etc.

...And then there's MONSTER.

As far as I'm aware, I've only known MONSTER for selling really really expensive overpriced cables for TV/home theater/audio input components. Well, Monster has teamed up with hip hop artist/actor/record producer, Dr. Dre (made Eminem famous) and created this "High-Definition" headphones, which they call BEATS.

I'll be comparing the Monster Beats headphone with the Sennheiser HD-595, since it's the most expensive headset that I own (till this one), and I'd be shocked to find something that sounds better than the HD-595 (that's around the same price range or less).

I think it's obvious most people will expect the bass to be the #1 priority with this headphone, considering it's by MONSTER + Dr. Dre and called Beats. Well, it definitely doesn't disappoint there. The Monster Beats definitely wins in terms of bass. (Of course, Dr. Dre's genre relies heavily on it). If you listen to lots of rock/rap then you'll love the bass on these. If you get headaches with bass or you just can't stand it, then obviously, these aren't really for you.

The Monster Beats headphones require two AAA batteries to listen. You cannot use the headphones if no batteries are inserted, or if you don't have the switch to ON (located on the right side of the headphone). The batteries go inside the left compartment of the headphone. I've been listening with this headphone for the past two days and the batteries are still going. I'll have to use it longer to fully test the battery life, but hopefully it'll last several months because that would be really annoying if I have to keep replacing batteries. Since the headphone is powered by the battery, the sound is obviously amplified more, as well as the bass, than regular headphones. Whether you're using this on your computer, portable device or iPod, you can have the volume at a low setting and it'll still sound a lot louder than if you were to use a different headset at that volume setting.

For taking the headphones on-the-go and for traveling, the Monster Beats win again in terms of portability. The Monster Beats can be collapsed nicely and comes with a nice protective case to store it in; so you won't be damaging that nice shiny glossy sleek look of the headphone. The Beats definitely has a more youthful look and the shiny piano black finish will definitely catch more attention; however, personally, I think the Sennheiser HD-595 has more of a professional look. The Sennheisher HD-595 has more of a soft earmuffs cushion and the cups are larger, whereas the Beats are leather and smaller. The headphone cable for the Beats is also shorter, so the length is suitable for portable devices; whereas the HD-595, the cord is insanely long and not really made for walking around with it (but you can always replace the cord).

Without taking off your Beats headphone, you can press and hold the center button (The beat logo) on the right side of the headphone and it'll mute the sound until you release it again; this is convenient when someone needs to tell you something for a brief moment or you want to hear what's going outside for just awhile. The Beats headphone are closed headphones, so just by putting the headphone, you'll notice outside noise being reduced.

The vocals treble seem to be slightly higher than normal, but then again, it is also counter-balanced because again, the bass is stronger than what most headphones produce. The Monster Beats is great for hip hop/rap/rock music that use bass, of course, but what about others?

For overall music, despite the impressive bass on the Beats, I am still way more impressed with the sound of the HD-595. Compared to the HD-595, I feel the Beats lack more depth in surround sound. Granted, the Beats headphone are closed headphones, whereas the HD-595 are open for a more natural sound than some confined studio recording feel. When I'm listening to the same music with the HD-595, I feel like I'm actually there listening to a concert/theater and can really hear the separation of instruments/vocals/sound effects/etc.; it really feels like true surround sound. On the other hand, the Beats doesn't quite have that feel. With the Beats, despite some surround sound, I still know I'm listening with headphones. Don't get me wrong, the Beats doesn't have poor surround sound, but once you experience other high-end headphones, you will notice the difference in depth/separate channels.

Pros:
+ Impressive Bass. Best for bass lovers.
+ Amplifies sound for portable mp3 players/iPod
+ Noise cancellation
+ Stylish/glossy finish design (great packaging/presentation)
+ Leather cushion/material feels high quality/comfortable
+ Headphones can collapse when you put it away
+ Nice solid case for storing the headphones
+ Quick mute button on the right side of the headphone (the Beat logo) by holding it.
+ Headphone cord only on the left side. (Also comes with iPhone, Blackberry, etc speaker black cord)

Cons:
- Could use more depth in surround sound. (compared to Sennheiser, there's more surround sound with the HD-595, as you'll be able to distinguish different instruments/beats as separate channels/different directions)
- Requires two AAA and you must turn on the headphone switch ON. Forgetting to turn the switch off can waste the battery. Headphones will NOT run without batteries.
- Too expensive. (like any other Monster Products)

Overall, if you absolutely love bass and listen to mostly hip-hop/rap/rock; noise-canceling; made for traveling; then these headphones are for you. However, if you want overall balanced sound, greater depth/surround sound concert/theater feel, then I highly recommend the Sennheiser HD-595 (not to mention, it's about half the price cheaper now than what I paid for it).
 

 

[Eric_C]

Quote:

All bose and monster has their own "stand"
 
Bose plays acoustic from 1 instrument, and ya it sounds good after the amp. Once you play acoustic song with more than one instrument, its all bunched together, no clear seperation
 
Monster plays pop, usually from Black Eyed Pea, which is bass centered. With amp and right music, of course they sound good.

 
So you're saying that Bose and Monster have external amplifiers for their demo units?

 

[LizardKing1]

Quote:

All bose and monster has their own "stand"
 
Bose plays acoustic from 1 instrument, and ya it sounds good after the amp. Once you play acoustic song with more than one instrument, its all bunched together, no clear seperation
 
Monster plays pop, usually from Black Eyed Pea, which is bass centered. With amp and right music, of course they sound good.

 
That's not what he said. Of course anything sound better with a good external amp. It's just that he, and myself I might add, never took Best Buy to be a store that would care enough to use an amp and high bitrate music with display headphones.

 

[KuKuBuKu]

Quote:

 
That's not what he said. Of course anything sound better with a good external amp. It's just that he, and myself I might add, never took Best Buy to be a store that would care enough to use an amp and high bitrate music with display headphones.

actually, I highly doubt they are amped. the music, however, is likely to be high bitrate music and it's actually equalized to sound better on the headphones. They can't be amped as the batteries in the headphones power both the noise cancelling and the amp that is built into the headphones. Double amping would make it sound worse.
 

 

[macrocheesium]

Technically all sources have an amp; you wouldn't listen to music straight out a DAC would you? I'm also guessing that they are equalized.

 

[LizardKing1]

Yes, we know the tale by now: "unamped" means "not using any external amp". But do you really think Best Buy would still go out and find 320Kb/s tracks to use on their iPods? I'm picturing a geek in the backroom of the BB headquarters using LAME converter and EAC to get good sample mp3s =D

 

[Ishcabible]

I thought it was rented space, and everything in the booth is Monster's responsibility. I'm probably wrong though, but don't Bose setups work like that?

 

[JamesMcProgger]

The truth to this questions lies in Joker's amazing cimpilation of portables http://www.head-fi.org/forum/thread/433318
both studio and solo are there.
 
 

 

[macrocheesium]

 
Quote:

I thought it was rented space, and everything in the booth is Monster's responsibility. I'm probably wrong though, but don't Bose setups work like that?

I assumed that Monster just shipped them the booth as well.

 

[Frequen C]

If the fakes, which can be had for about $65, sound as good as the originals, don't you think that there's something wrong?

 

[SpecterJin]

Quote:

If the fakes, which can be had for about $65, sound as good as the originals, don't you think that there's something wrong?

A fake LV bag is just as good as real LV; they both hold your stuff
Difference is between the build quality

 

[Eric_C]

Quote:

A fake LV bag is just as good as real LV; they both hold your stuff
Difference is between the build quality

Errrr that means they're not "just as good".

 

[macrocheesium]

 
Quote:

Errrr that means they're not "just as good".

I think what he was getting at was "works just the same".

 

[LizardKing1]

Quote:

A fake LV bag is just as good as real LV; they both hold your stuff
Difference is between the build quality

Maybe not a good example, since the oh-snap Beats build quality isn't something Monster is probably proud of. And fake LV bags are probably made in the same Chinese sweatshop as the real ones.