Why the Beats Hate?

[Eagle_Driver]

Oh, I gotta post in this thread, I gotta get this off my chest.

So I go to Apple Store like 2 weeks ago and listen to beats solo 2 I believe, it was a $300, wireless, over ear headphone. I know beats usually don't sound good, I remember listening to beats studio when they first came out and how uncontrolled the bass was. So I put these on and listen, knowing full well beats sound quality is pretty sub par, and I was legit SHOCKED at how BAD these headphones sound.

I don't know what it is, maybe I've been listening to more and more good quality sound, but these are just so SO bad. And not sound signature wise, I mean objectively, clarity, separation, these kinda stuff are just so incredibly low quality. I was in a pretty crowded store tho, so maybe that had something to do with it.

It caught me so off guard because some the more well known YouTube reviewers were saying they're actually pretty good now. I don't know what's going on, but yea, I'm pretty much done taking any of their opinions at face value, lol.

Before this experience I never considered myself a beats hater, I think they look great (and have absolutely zero issues with people buying headphones based on looks), I also think they have done a LOT for the entire headphone market, so I gotta respect them for that.

But I was legit a little pissed off when listening to them, they were UNEXPECTIDLY HORRIFIC, with msrp of $300!!! Holy crap! But like shown in the post earlier, if you can find these for $80 at least it's a little more understandable. Id still call it over priced, but that's prob cuz I just have zero interest in them. I don't know why they were so expensive at Apple, they were some kinda special looking colors (similar to sennheiser momentum on ear) maybe that's why. I don't know.

Funny thing is, I'm a bass head and a hip hop head, got 2 12's in my car and I stay slumpin!! I was under the impression that given my preferences I should at least think these are ok, but my god, no, HOT GARBAGE!

Anyway, sorry, I just had to let that out. I wanted to post about it that day, I saw the beats solo thread, but I don't wanna do that, just trash them in a thread for beats owners, that ain't cool or necessary. But since this is a hate thread, I had to, lol

But to any owners that enjoy the sound of these, hey, more power to you. We all have our preferences, who's to say who's right and whose wrong. They def look sick as hell too, which is something I value

Did that Apple Store have those headphones wired? Or were they running wirelessly?
 
Plus, store demo headphones of any type tend to be seriously, if not severely, abused: Many people who demoed them before you listened to them tended to raise the volume to the maximum many times, thereby causing major damage to their drivers.
 
That said, I have a Beats Solo HD and a Solo 2 (both wired), and found neither of them to be worth their original asking prices. Looking back now, I found the Solo HD to be horrific on an absolute scale, all murk and no depth or clarity. The Solo 2 is better, but still no more so than some studio monitor headphones that cost half its asking price. And the reason why the Beats Solo 2 and Studio wired headphones are priced so low at Best Buy right now is that Apple is planning to discontinue them with no direct replacement, leaving only their more expensive wireless versions in production.
 
I still use the Solo 2 occasionally, but I feel too self-conscious about being on the street with them on. I am now using the Audio Technica ATH-M50x as my main pair right now, but they are completely different from any Beats headphones.
 
By the way, a microphone and a remote tend to cheapen the quality of the headphones while keeping the prices high - in other words, degrade any bang for the buck.

 

[nastynice]

Did that Apple Store have those headphones wired? Or were they running wirelessly?

Plus, store demo headphones of any type tend to be seriously, if not severely, abused: Many people who demoed them before you listened to them tended to raise the volume to the maximum many times, thereby causing major damage to their drivers.

That said, I have a Beats Solo HD and a Solo 2 (both wired), and found neither of them to be worth their original asking prices. Looking back now, I found the Solo HD to be horrific on an absolute scale, all murk and no depth or clarity. The Solo 2 is better, but still no more so than some studio monitor headphones that cost half its asking price. And the reason why the Beats Solo 2 and Studio wired headphones are priced so low at Best Buy right now is that Apple is planning to discontinue them with no direct replacement, leaving only their more expensive wireless versions in production.

I still use the Solo 2 occasionally, but I feel too self-conscious about being on the street with them on. I am now using the Audio Technica ATH-M50x as my main pair right now, but they are completely different from any Beats headphones.

By the way, a microphone and a remote tend to cheapen the quality of the headphones while keeping the prices high - in other words, degrade any bang for the buck.

Oh, good point about people abusing headphones and the drivers in then, I hope that's the case. Also, I'm sure me being in a full store had something to do with it, I don't know. It was the wireless ones, so maybe that lowers sq a bit

Conscious about the beats on the street? Hmm, I would think the opposite, I think they look pretty nice. Especially those special colors I saw at Apple, had like a sheen to it, really sexy looking IMO

 

[nastynice]

. I suppose it might suit a Hip-Hop fan, but that's sad.

Oh, no no, not at all. I played one of my fave tracks, the Jacka - I'm leaving, it just sounded so uninspired, so meh, blah, whatever. That whole cd is great to test bass head cans, dj child drops FAT bass line after FAT bass line throughout that album. Beats utterly failed that song, a very non demanding track compared to others on that album. sry to say.

 

[RERO]

I was actually more excited when I received my Hunter Green Solo 2 a few days ago than getting my first planar at an obscene discount.
 
Quote:

Oh, I gotta post in this thread, I gotta get this off my chest.

...beats solo 2 I believe, ...over ear headphone. I know beats usually don't sound good, ...SHOCKED at how BAD these headphones sound.

...just so SO bad... I mean objectively, clarity, separation, these kinda stuff are just so incredibly low quality. I was in a pretty crowded store tho, so maybe that had something to do with it.

...well known YouTube reviewers were saying they're actually pretty good now... I'm pretty much done taking any of their opinions at face value, lol.

...I never considered myself a beats hater...

...UNEXPECTIDLY HORRIFIC, with msrp of $300!!! Holy crap!

...We all have our preferences, who's to say who's right and whose wrong.

 
Well, there's a bit of wrong here.
 
First, Solo 2's aren't over hears. You probably heard the Studio 2 Wireless, which was less acclaimed than the Solo 2. That alone could've negated all your impressions. However, there a chance that the demo was withered down a bit. There's also a chance that your brain expected them to suck very hard and veiled your impressions (it can happen).
 
Okay, I must admit... Lachlan was partially the reason why I got the Solo 2s.
 
A lot of headphones are straight up overpriced when you look at their MSRPs. One example would be the Amperiors; it's a $350 rehash of the HD25 with not-so-special aluminium cups. But considering it's Sennheiser, it's still apparently okay...
 
Yes, it's all about preferences. But you did use the word "objectively", so that kinda contradicts your "who's to say who's right and whose wrong" statement.
 
Quote:

  Beats are competitive with sub-$100 headphones. Above that they are way overpriced.
 
In a world where you can buy X2s, DT 770s/770s, HD 600s, 7xx, etc. for $300 or less (the HD600 representing the most expensive of this group)--in a world with the SHP9500 at less than $100--there's no excuse for Beats.

 
I really really really really really really DO NOT LIKE this type of comparison.
 
WHY are you comparing 「closed, portable headphones」 to 「desktop and/or open headphones」???
 
Do you people really think lugging 3 meter and/or coiled cables FUN? Not to mention not hearing anything due to the lack of isolation...
YMMV, but I don't live in a desolate countryside... more like the direct opposite of that.

 

[GearMe]

Well, there's a bit of wrong here...

Ha! I gave thought to responding similarly but figured it really wouldn't make a difference.

Lotta pre-judgement in the land of Beats. Have to admit they've been priced too high for me to bite until now -- even with Tyll's stellar, Wall-of-Fame review.

Anywho, I had some Best Buy rewards to use, that when combined with $79 price, made them too hard to resist. Picked them up this afternoon and have been listening all evening (blues, rock, jazz, hip-hop and even some Vivaldi). TBH, I'm hearing them pretty much the way Tyll describes. Nice set of cans!

http://www.innerfidelity.com/content/time-rethink-beats-solo2-excellent-page-2

 

[nastynice]

Well, there's a bit of wrong here.

First, Solo 2's aren't over hears. You probably heard the Studio 2 Wireless, which was less acclaimed than the Solo 2. That alone could've negated all your impressions. However, there a chance that the demo was withered down a bit. There's also a chance that your brain expected them to suck very hard and veiled your impressions (it can happen).

Okay, I must admit... Lachlan was partially the reason why I got the Solo 2s.

A lot of headphones are straight up overpriced when you look at their MSRPs. One example would be the Amperiors; it's a $350 rehash of the HD25 with not-so-special aluminium cups. But considering it's Sennheiser, it's still apparently okay...

Yes, it's all about preferences. But you did use the word "objectively", so that kinda contradicts your "who's to say who's right and whose wrong" statement.

Sorry, I meant on ear. This is exactly what I saw

http://www.apple.com/shop/product/MKLF2AM/A/beats-solo2-wireless-on-ear-headphones-space-gray?fnode=7a

U could be right about my mind affecting what I heard, but really I expected them to be decent because lach and Tyler both mentioned it in their vids. I'm just shocked at how bad a $300 headphone can sound, and usually Apple is over priced but it is good quality stuff at least, so I was just thrown off from multiple angles.

But one thing I'm seeing is that people aren't paying $300 for these, more like $100, so thank god for that. It def tames my irritation a bit, lol

Ur right about diff headphones being over priced, I bought on ear momentums for a friend of mine, and wow they look so sexy, but the sound quality was pretty clearly sub par for how much they cost.

Ur also right about me contradicting myself, I was tryina come off a lil less harsh, lol. This is a hobby for all of us, so we all got a lil passion for our gear and what we picked up, so I was tryina tone it down a bit. But at the same time, when u see a train wreck u kinda owe it to others to point it out too. I was tryina play the middle, lol

But trust me, I'm not a beats hater, I was just honestly blown away by how bad they sounded, given the price tag I saw on them. I just had to let it out, lol! But I think anyone who enjoys this hobby has to give beats recognition for doing SO MUCH for this market in general. They have taken this market to new heights and are the reason for many other companies pushing their envelope.

Now Bose, I hate, lol, I sold home theatre for a few years and Bose is deceptive, I don't like them because of that. At least beats is straight forward, they're like this is the product, this is how it performs, this is how much it costs, and it's up to you to choose if u want it or not.

 

[SearchOfSub]

The reason why I'd buy them and take them home (in case you haven't figured that out by reading the last few sentences of my post), is to test them in a fair environment, not in a loud noisy store plugged into a smartphone,  but at home, used in a proper headphone setup. Instead of mindlessly hating them and being ridiculously ignorant, I'd like to see how good or bad they really are.

I actually did that. Beats is one of those products the haters are right about.

 

[SearchOfSub]

wellp we're all hipsters so we gotta hate on the mainstream stuff. i absolutely hate apple products(mainly their computers i suppose), reason being is that they are way overpriced and when i go to lectures all i see is a wall of macbook panels. now someone who owns an apple product is gonna post after me about how i'm wrong and apple products are indeed NOT overpriced, well-built, and worth the money. and then they realize "oh wait that's how beats owners feel about beats products". but then they obviously can't have beats compared to their sacred apple products so they'll continue defending apple and explaining how it's comletely superior to beats and how beats are just trash.

Apple is known to have the highest standards in manufacturing. It's QC pass test is much higher than non-apple products.

Just on build quality of the iPad mini2, it surpassed the samsung tablet in everyway. Just touching the backplate of the mini2, it was to a point where my fingers were cold when holding it. And it was like that even when using heavily for extended time. Power it off and wake up to hold it, my fingers freeze. They definately did their cooling design right atleast.

 

[GearMe]

I actually did that. Beats is one of those products the haters are right about.

At least you gave them a shot and made an informed choice. Many people hate on them without any in-depth experience.

Was it the Solo2's or another model in their line? The reason I ask is that, to my ears, the Solo2's pretty much sound like Tyll described in his comparisons (below) against the Momentum's and V-Moda XS's.

At $79.99, they represent a solid value for a portable headphone. My only real negative after 4 hours of listening last night was the fit but I'll bend the headband incrementally until I get that right.


Tyll's comparison..."spent most of my time comparing the Solo2 with the similarly priced Sennheiser Momentum On-Ear ($199) and V-Moda XS ($212), both InnerFidelity "Wall of Fame" headphones. Changing types of music would change the magnitude of the various differences heard, but in the end I decided that:

* The Beats Solo2 delivered the most natural midrange and tended to deliver superior vocals.
* The Beats Solo2 delivered the tightest most impact-full bass response, but the excesses in upper-bass/low-mid-range made it sound as off, though in a different way, as the looser bass response of the other two.
* The more articulate and resolving treble of the Sennheiser Momentum made it superior with some types of complex contemporary music, delivering a more exciting listening experience.
* The V-Moda XS spit the difference between the two having a bit tighter bass and more linear response than the Momentum, and more treble emphasis than the Solo2, but it didn't have the resolving power of the Momentum's treble or the impact of the Solo2's bass.

In sum, I find the Beats Solo2 a more even sounding headphone, but lacking a bit of excitement due to slightly excessive upper-bass/low-mid-range and rolled-off top octave. I found the Sennheiser Momentum On-Ear more exciting and resolving, but a somewhat emphasized low-treble and loose bass make it sound a bit too "V" shaped. The V-Moda split the difference to some extent not having as obvious "problems" as the preceding two, but also not having their strengths. In the end, it's a bit of a toss-up between the three—they're all good sounding for an on-ear, sealed headphone, but none are perfect."

Tyll's summary..."In the end, if I had to pick only one, I would choose the Solo2 over either the Momentum On-Ear or V-Moda XS due to it's smooth and coherent mid-range and warm character, which I tend to prefer, but only by the smallest of margins and I'm sure others would make different choices depending on tastes."

 

[SearchOfSub]

At least you gave them a shot and made an informed choice. Many people hate on them without any in-depth experience.

Was it the Solo2's or another model in their line? The reason I ask is that, to my ears, the Solo2's pretty much sound like Tyll described in his comparisons (below) against the Momentum's and V-Moda XS's.

At $79.99, they represent a solid value for a portable headphone. My only real negative after 4 hours of listening last night was the fit but I'll bend the headband incrementally until I get that right.


Tyll's comparison..."spent most of my time comparing the Solo2 with the similarly priced Sennheiser Momentum On-Ear ($199) and V-Moda XS ($212), both InnerFidelity "Wall of Fame" headphones. Changing types of music would change the magnitude of the various differences heard, but in the end I decided that:

* The Beats Solo2 delivered the most natural midrange and tended to deliver superior vocals.
* The Beats Solo2 delivered the tightest most impact-full bass response, but the excesses in upper-bass/low-mid-range made it sound as off, though in a different way, as the looser bass response of the other two.
* The more articulate and resolving treble of the Sennheiser Momentum made it superior with some types of complex contemporary music, delivering a more exciting listening experience.
* The V-Moda XS spit the difference between the two having a bit tighter bass and more linear response than the Momentum, and more treble emphasis than the Solo2, but it didn't have the resolving power of the Momentum's treble or the impact of the Solo2's bass.

In sum, I find the Beats Solo2 a more even sounding headphone, but lacking a bit of excitement due to slightly excessive upper-bass/low-mid-range and rolled-off top octave. I found the Sennheiser Momentum On-Ear more exciting and resolving, but a somewhat emphasized low-treble and loose bass make it sound a bit too "V" shaped. The V-Moda split the difference to some extent not having as obvious "problems" as the preceding two, but also not having their strengths. In the end, it's a bit of a toss-up between the three—they're all good sounding for an on-ear, sealed headphone, but none are perfect."

Tyll's summary..."In the end, if I had to pick only one, I would choose the Solo2 over either the Momentum On-Ear or V-Moda XS due to it's smooth and coherent mid-range and warm character, which I tend to prefer, but only by the smallest of margins and I'm sure others would make different choices depending on tastes."

It was the solo2 I purchased from Best buy and returned the same day. With tax it was like 230.00 something - For $80.00 though, I wouldn't mind it.

 

[GearMe]

Yeah...I wouldn't be happy with them at $230 either. Only paid $179 for my DT-1350's!

 

[vantt1]

 

wellp we're all hipsters so we gotta hate on the mainstream stuff. i absolutely hate apple products(mainly their computers i suppose), reason being is that they are way overpriced and when i go to lectures all i see is a wall of macbook panels. now someone who owns an apple product is gonna post after me about how i'm wrong and apple products are indeed NOT overpriced, well-built, and worth the money. and then they realize "oh wait that's how beats owners feel about beats products". but then they obviously can't have beats compared to their sacred apple products so they'll continue defending apple and explaining how it's comletely superior to beats and how beats are just trash.

Apple is known to have the highest standards in manufacturing. It's QC pass test is much higher than non-apple products.

Just on build quality of the iPad mini2, it surpassed the samsung tablet in everyway. Just touching the backplate of the mini2, it was to a point where my fingers were cold when holding it. And it was like that even when using heavily for extended time. Power it off and wake up to hold it, my fingers freeze. They definately did their cooling design right atleast.

Not only that, their products are designed to have very good fit and finish. In terms of how components come together and how people interact with it, they just feel like they have more thought put into them compared to competitors' products. Take I/O ports, for example. Like this iPhone Lightning Dock:
 

 
The Lightning connector in the dock is presumably steel reinforced like it is in the 30-pin to Lightning adapter (which is also designed to hold up a device) and doesn't put stress onto soldered connections.
 

 
The Lightning port in the phone side is affixed directly onto the chassis using four screws (six if you count the pentalobes), so the stress is relieved by the whole phone, unlike a soldered Micro USB port found in most Android phones.
 
 

 
For what it is, the Lightning connector is the most durable mobile device connector on the market right now. It's reversible, it is strong enough to freestandingly (I think I just made that word up) hold up most devices that have it, and you can't really break it during normal everyday use unless you deliberately do or let it get clogged up with debris. Micro USB is prone to breaking somehow...
 

 
...Especially that misleadingly rectangular Micro USB A port that can allow a trapezoidal Type B connector to be inserted with enough force...
 

 
...and Type-C is only beginning to gain traction. 3rd party Type-A to Type-C cables are dangerously hit-and-miss if one doesn't know an out-of-spec cable can possibly fry your non-Type-C-ready AC adapter.
 
And If you take a look at the ports in any unibody Mac (desktop or laptop):
 

 
You'll see that the unibody also comprises the most load-bearing part of a port (save for the headphone jack), so the stress isn't all concentrated on the port itself. On many Windows (well, more like non-Apple) devices, however, the grounding sheath of the port is the most load-bearing part, so it puts stress directly onto where it's soldered on the motherboard and more likely to break.
 
 

 

 
On the inside of a typical port:
 

 
Vs. a Mac port:
 

 
 
This happened to an HDMI port in one of my PCs:
 

 
Ouch.

 

[Svatopluk]

My previous Samsung phone once cartwheeled down a concrete street at 25 mph after falling off the bicycle. I picked it up, than used it for a year or so more before upgrading to my current Note3.
Now, let's get back to the Beats Hate!

 

[KipNix]

Let's make this thread positive by helping consumers. Here's my method.
 
First, if you bought Beats and are happy with them, fine. I'm happy for you and hope you enjoy them.
 
However, if you're reading this before buying them, you need to know (and most of us in here would agree) there are many products that perform better at a better price. Read the reviews; look at the recommendations from people who don't want you to make a costly mistake.  
 
It's what I did and I'm glad!

 

[god-bluff]

Let's get negative

Yesterday I had the delightful experience of seeing a young man in a 4x4 (S.U.V. in American) boom boom boom indefinable music pounding out, baseball cap reversed and pair of lovely Beats round his scrawny neck. All this in a quiet little market town in the Yorkshire Dales.

As he sped away in a mixture of diesel rattle and thumping bass my first thought that came to mind;

WA*KER

This experience summed up Beats for me

edited for language (bad).