Why the Beats Hate?

[Vero Golf Champ]

I've never met an audiophile that accurately identified correct bass. Most like it rolled off. Very few headphone companies make headphones with correct bass because it isn't profitable. 

For a headphone to be priced in excess of $1000 you have to roll off bass and boost treble and mids to spotlight treble and mid detail. Most of the time it's a conscious tuning choice by high end headphone companies.

Technology has gotten to the point where everything has the potential to give you excellent sound quality and it doesn't matter if it's planar magnetic, electrostatic, dynamic, or anything else.

I suspect most on HeadFi are trebleheads, unlike myself and perhaps the majority of consumers.

Picked these up from a pawn shop. Built like a tank and sound more like the 80W Integra receiver and Onkyo floorstanding speaker two channel system in the lounge than my other 'phones (Audioquest Nighthawk, Yamaha PRO500, Denon D600, Sol Tracks HD). So easy to drive my Meizu Pro 5 refuses to allow high gain (it measures the impedance).

Probably five years old as they are the Monster Beats Pro, manufactured before Beats sold Monster down the river. To be fair I can't understand why Monster signed a deal which left Beats holding all the rights. To my knowledge Beats still sell this exact same aluminium and steel design, which I personally find quite fetching.

.

 

[god-bluff]

[quote name="Vero Golf Champ"

I always thought the Yamaha PRO500 was a similar but much better sounding Beats alternative. Ironically if they didn't look so much like Beats I would have probably had a pair. They were fantastic value not so long ago and are highly efficient I believe

Are you saying you prefer the beats to the Yammy?

 

[Vero Golf Champ]

[quote name="Vero Golf Champ"

I always thought the Yamaha PRO500 was a similar but much better sounding Beats alternative. Ironically if they didn't look so much like Beats I would have probably had a pair. They were fantastic value not so long ago and are highly efficient I believe

Are you saying you prefer the beats to the Yammy?

I've only had the Monster Beats Pro a week, so it will be interesting to go back to the Yammies, which I love and got for an absolute steal. Suspect they will sound brighter with marginally better resolution etc but less bass response.

Indeed the PRO500s bear a remarkable resemblance to the cheaper plastic Beats (not that the Studio models are cheap). Plenty of plastic too, however the paintwork is very nice and they do have high grade aluminium alloy earcups and some seriously fast drivers. Earpads are a touch small, with comfort about par with the Monster Pros, which have bigger pads but more clamping force.

Interesting that both designs are quite old, yet are still in production.

 

[billqs]

I think the problem is that 
 
1. Beats are not remotely accurate- which means they fail in monitoring situations which is what they were originally designed for
2. The quality of sound, parts and build are nowhere near what headphones costing the beats kind of money put into quality products (this kind of makes them the bose of headphones.)
3. If you want the beats sound, you can get SkullCandy. They're no more accurate than beats but they put out a sound like the beats for a lot less money.

 

[ccdan]

  I think the problem is that 
 
1. Beats are not remotely accurate- which means they fail in monitoring situations which is what they were originally designed for
2. The quality of sound, parts and build are nowhere near what headphones costing the beats kind of money put into quality products (this kind of makes them the bose of headphones.)
3. If you want the beats sound, you can get SkullCandy. They're no more accurate than beats but they put out a sound like the beats for a lot less money.

You "think" ... but I can bet real money you haven't heard the Studio 2. 

 

[god-bluff]

You "think" ... but I can bet real money you haven't heard the Studio 2. 

Why do you always THINK that

 

[ccdan]

Why do you always THINK that

Because it's IMPOSSIBLE to claim that they sound worse(provided that you have good hearing) than headphones like M50x or MDR-1A, which have a pretty good "reputation" among audiophiles. 

 

[inthere]

  Because it's IMPOSSIBLE to claim that they sound worse(provided that you have good hearing) than headphones like M50x or MDR-1A, which have a pretty good "reputation" among audiophiles. 

 
 Everyone has their own preferences and hear things differently so it's not impossible. 
 
Ear canal size, pinnae, even position of the headphone on the head can play a part

 

[akg fanboy]

  Because it's IMPOSSIBLE to claim that they sound worse(provided that you have good hearing) than headphones like M50x or MDR-1A, which have a pretty good "reputation" among audiophiles. 

I have heard the mdr 1 long time ago, all I remember is that I did not like them. I have not heard an m50x actually but I still think they are overrated and far from the best effort from audio technica

 

[god-bluff]

Yes maybe not best examples.
 
In the UK for price of Studio 2 you can get better headphones than those.
 
Try
 
Beyer T51 and Custom Pro, the newer Sony MDR100 (or even the much cheaper more balanced MDR10RC), Focal Spirit S and new Focal Listen, Soundmagic HP150 and Audio Technica MSR, Possibly Sennheiser Momentum 1 if you can still find them, To name a few
 
(I admit i only have Focals and MDR10 from that list so some in fact a lot of speculation...)
 
Maybe try those to get a better reflection of where your Beats stand
 
EDIT how could I forget my beloved HD25s !!!!!

 

[akg fanboy]

  Yes maybe not best examples.
 
In the UK for price of Studio 2 you can get better headphones than those.
 
Try
 
Beyer T51 and Custom Pro, the newer Sony MDR100 (or even the much cheaper more balanced MDR10RC), Focal Spirit S and new Focal Listen, Soundmagic HP150 and Audio Technica MSR, Possibly Sennheiser Momentum 1 if you can still find them, To name a few
 
(I admit i only have Focals and MDR10 from that list so some in fact a lot of speculation...)
 
Maybe try those to get a better reflection of where your Beats stand
 
EDIT how could I forget my beloved HD25s !!!!!

I have tried the momentums before and I really did not like them. They sounded congested for me, it was a long time ago though so maybe my impressions can change if I try it again one day

 

[god-bluff]

I have tried the momentums before and I really did not like them. They sounded congested for me, it was a long time ago though so maybe my impressions can change if I try it again one day

Well I did say say maybe

Beautiful headphones but I don't think they are a patch of my Focals (more expensive Classic in my case at least in terms of dynamic natural sound) but a lot of people do like then it seems

 

[gerelmx1986]

beats bought by apple is a very coincidence, both brands are fashion statements, apple is ruining the computer industry by releasing these macbooks without microSD slot and only USB-C, beats ruined the music enjoyment (in the truthful sonic reproduction POV)

 

[inthere]

  beats bought by apple is a very coincidence, both brands are fashion statements, apple is ruining the computer industry by releasing these macbooks without microSD slot and only USB-C, beats ruined the music enjoyment (in the truthful sonic reproduction POV)

Apple did bring the GUI to computers way back in the 80's and also lead the industry to get rid of floppy drives and other dated techs. You have to wonder if we'd still be using all that stuff if it weren't for Apple.
 
Right now they're herding us all into a reality where everything is online in "clouds" where it can all be accessed with ease-by whoever...........
 
Beats ruining sonic reproduction? Not alone. High end headphones are even less balanced with the treble boosted, bass reduced, and they charge 4X more than Beats on average. 
 
Head Fi'ers are upset because people are spending $300 on Beats? Well, Imagine how upset i was when I spent thousands on a Stax 007, then had to buy an electrostatic amp......only to ask the question "where's the bass?"This peddled as the ultimate in sound quality.........
 
To me it's like someone complaining about a pair of $20 Panasonic earbuds as a ripoff because they only cost 89 cents to make. 
 
It all depends on your perspective

 

[GearMe]

You should try the Studio 2, they're better than Solo 2 or any other Beats headphone. 

Interesting to hear they're better than Solo 2s...always heard they were wonky and not as good as the Solo 2s. Will take a listen next time I'm in a store. Is there a way to listen in 'passive' mode or is NC always on?

FWIW, I picked up a set of Solo 2s for $79.99 at Best Buy. TBH, they were a good value for $79. Ended up giving them to my son and he likes them. That said, even at that price, I have several sets of cans that I've picked up in the past few years that are much better values to my ears:

V-Moda M80 for $40
Onkyo FC300 for $40
Grado SR60 for $80
Yamaha HPH-200 for $80
Senn Amperiors for $93
AKG 545 for $99

Cans that the Studio 2's would be competing against in my world...

Senn HD558 got for $119 but go for $80-100 now
Beyer DT770 for $140
AKG Q701 for $145
Beyer DT990 for $149
Denon D600 for $150

Soon...Senn HD6XX for $199 (drops mike)