I've listened to a few models of the Beats headphones.
They sure do pack a punch. Lots of bass and lower-mid. Bass guitars and the like really come to life.
For me, the midrange/treble was adequate, though a tad recessed.
I can see these having an almost "opposite" frequency response to the devices most people listen on - laptops, little iPod docks etc. Emphasis on the frequencies people are missing out on is likely to have helped sales.
Chris
They sure do pack a punch. Lots of bass and lower-mid. Bass guitars and the like really come to life.
For me, the midrange/treble was adequate, though a tad recessed.
I can see these having an almost "opposite" frequency response to the devices most people listen on - laptops, little iPod docks etc. Emphasis on the frequencies people are missing out on is likely to have helped sales.
Chris
Yes Beats suck, but I don't care for my HD558, either. I feel I paid way too much for the HD558.
My HD201s are outright offensive.
Reasonably good sounding headphones for a reasonable price are the Panasonic RP-HTX7 (Not the ultimate, but at least worth the asking price IMO)
I have heard Beats in store, others descriptions are accurate. Heavy on the bass, which muddies everything else.
I bought a pair of Sony's once that were a "xtra bass" type deal. I tired of them very quickly. It sounds better to EQ in some bass and/or use an amp then to live with mechanical personality these "bass" cans impart.
I suspect the beats would be the same case unless of course you like that sound.
What seems like a good idea turns out to be quite the compromise in other areas.
My HD201s are outright offensive.
Reasonably good sounding headphones for a reasonable price are the Panasonic RP-HTX7 (Not the ultimate, but at least worth the asking price IMO)
I have heard Beats in store, others descriptions are accurate. Heavy on the bass, which muddies everything else.
I bought a pair of Sony's once that were a "xtra bass" type deal. I tired of them very quickly. It sounds better to EQ in some bass and/or use an amp then to live with mechanical personality these "bass" cans impart.
I suspect the beats would be the same case unless of course you like that sound.
What seems like a good idea turns out to be quite the compromise in other areas.
I had another listen at a large Currys/PC World this week.
One thing is for sure, the build quality of other headphones in the same price range is terrible! Eg some Bose ones at GBP150 were so plasticy I would assume they were GBP15.. Perhaps the noise cancelling bit is the other GBP135?
Beats are definately well made at least.
Big problem though that they don't want you to audition them in this chain of stores with your own music device - the top models are only connected to the 5-track player on the display. The hip-hop type track was the one which was making my ears bleed with the upper mid-range. There's no telling if they've EQ'd the music to make the Beats sound better..
The previous listen, they had the display but also a pair of the Studios you could plug your own device into - it was these which sounded dull dull dull and lacking detail to the point of ruining the track, turning it into background music playing far away.
Listening to the other brands though, I was realising what poor sound quality you got from them too at the same price! Perhaps that's the thing, all the 'phones being pushed in these general electronics stores are poor and Beats end up being ok in comparison?
If I were to pay GBP150 for some new headphones and got something which wasn't much better than my free Sony ones (from some old walkman I think) other than more bass because of the larger drivers.. I would be very disappointed.
As I say before, can't beat a proper pair like my Denon DH5000s.
One thing is for sure, the build quality of other headphones in the same price range is terrible! Eg some Bose ones at GBP150 were so plasticy I would assume they were GBP15.. Perhaps the noise cancelling bit is the other GBP135?
Beats are definately well made at least.
Big problem though that they don't want you to audition them in this chain of stores with your own music device - the top models are only connected to the 5-track player on the display. The hip-hop type track was the one which was making my ears bleed with the upper mid-range. There's no telling if they've EQ'd the music to make the Beats sound better..
The previous listen, they had the display but also a pair of the Studios you could plug your own device into - it was these which sounded dull dull dull and lacking detail to the point of ruining the track, turning it into background music playing far away.
Listening to the other brands though, I was realising what poor sound quality you got from them too at the same price! Perhaps that's the thing, all the 'phones being pushed in these general electronics stores are poor and Beats end up being ok in comparison?
If I were to pay GBP150 for some new headphones and got something which wasn't much better than my free Sony ones (from some old walkman I think) other than more bass because of the larger drivers.. I would be very disappointed.
As I say before, can't beat a proper pair like my Denon DH5000s.
Beats arent for me either I dont like there sound. I wont say they suck cause opinions vary. I will say they are over priced. Panasonic makes some good sounding phones, surprisingly even a moderately priced set of buds I purchased sound great. They are nicely balanced with natural sounding bass thats there and lots of hf and mf detail. I only paid 20 CAD at winners for them, Reg. $40. I went back for two more sets as backups. They are small enough to wear under my motorcycle helmet which I also like.
I think that's the thing - so many of the high priced headphones appearing now in consumer stores have all the looks and life-style branding but so many cheap ear-buds can beat them in overall sound quality.
The demo pair at Best Buy was falling apart. Basically, they're fashion headphones. If you want to look like a person who owns Beats, just buy a fake and get the same result.
If you want a great value, try the Monoprice DJ phones. Under $20 if you find a discount code. Kicker sells the same thing for about $100. Personally, I liked them less than my mdr-v700 DJ phones... kind of tubby or boxy in the midbass. There may be mods to fix that.
If you want a great value, try the Monoprice DJ phones. Under $20 if you find a discount code. Kicker sells the same thing for about $100. Personally, I liked them less than my mdr-v700 DJ phones... kind of tubby or boxy in the midbass. There may be mods to fix that.
I really wanted to like the Sennheiser Momentum, but unfortunately in real life they are supra-aural for most users.
Even though my head is relatively big, my ears are small and fit partially into the cans. They should have made them a about 20% bigger.
Also I got to audition less expensive cans and went with the HD558 which were nicer sounding.
As I mentioned earlier I feel I paid too much for the HD558 because I paid full retail for them. I see they are now on Amazon for around $125 which is more inline with the sound quality.
I think my preference is for closed back over the ear (circumaural) cans, but I bought the Senns for home use and thought I would try something different.
Price is not always indicative of SQ I find with headphones.
Headphones seem to vary much more in coloration compared to say typical home speakers. They can all sound quite different IMO.
Just as the Beats are thick sounding, others are can be overly shrill sounding.
If you can try before you buy, you will be better off.
I hate to think of the money wasted buying blister packaged headphones over the years. I was just not able to try them out first aside from the Senns I mentioned earlier and the typical Bose display.
I suspect once you get to a certain tier (+$500) they should start to sound more alike one another, but this is more then I care to pursue in this extension of the hobby.
Even though my head is relatively big, my ears are small and fit partially into the cans. They should have made them a about 20% bigger.
Also I got to audition less expensive cans and went with the HD558 which were nicer sounding.
As I mentioned earlier I feel I paid too much for the HD558 because I paid full retail for them. I see they are now on Amazon for around $125 which is more inline with the sound quality.
I think my preference is for closed back over the ear (circumaural) cans, but I bought the Senns for home use and thought I would try something different.
Price is not always indicative of SQ I find with headphones.
Headphones seem to vary much more in coloration compared to say typical home speakers. They can all sound quite different IMO.
Just as the Beats are thick sounding, others are can be overly shrill sounding.
If you can try before you buy, you will be better off.
I hate to think of the money wasted buying blister packaged headphones over the years. I was just not able to try them out first aside from the Senns I mentioned earlier and the typical Bose display.
I suspect once you get to a certain tier (+$500) they should start to sound more alike one another, but this is more then I care to pursue in this extension of the hobby.
Ive had so very many different kinds. In comparison to say the apple and blackerry phones sound that many can relate to, the panasonics surpass them in sq and those arent exactly cheap. In all fairness they always made a pretty solid product that panasonic. Also worth mentioning Im kinda hard on headphones and they are lasting a couple of years already. My cell and other headphones usually start to fall apart before that, or just quit working on one or both sides. I was suckered into buying skull candy ear buds, 200 bones and they were absolute junk, sound and construction wise.
Last edited:
The Koss KSC75 for $30 or less sound more technical and intact than all Beats AFAIK so that should answer your question.
It's marketing, branding, status etc.
A lot of men and women want $50-$250 pure cotton T-shirts, even if they know more advanced fabrics and designs exist!
I think buying a piece of junk at a very high price is a societal statement in itself.
It's marketing, branding, status etc.
A lot of men and women want $50-$250 pure cotton T-shirts, even if they know more advanced fabrics and designs exist!
I think buying a piece of junk at a very high price is a societal statement in itself.
I use my Bose QC3's for travel - they are comfortable and the noise cancellation is very good. But, they are definitely NOT hi -i phones. The bass is bloated and the mid range very sucked out when you compare them to a neutral pair..
The $70 Sony MDR-NC33 in ear NC's have a much better sound, clean open mid range and well balanced bass. But, if you sit with those things in your ear for 8 hours you get . . . ear ache - and its specifically the ear canal that takes a hammering.
I used a Stax ES tube system for about 6 months when I was in Japan ('loaned' them out the lab) - fantastic sound, great mid and silky top end, but I thought the base was 'loose' for my tastes and there's zero between you and any background noise - they leak sound like hell and my wife would tell me to turn it down. More often than not at the time she was watching 'Dexter'
My current cans are Audio Technica ATH-AD900 'Air' 's. Before I bought them, I had a pair of non-cancelling Bose phones that I also bought in Japan. They sounded ok in the shop and when I got them home, I ended up being mightily disappointed - hugely overblown bass, and same midrange 'suckout' as the NC's - in fact, they look exactly the same as the NC's, but no NC function.
So, I went out looking, and that why I ended up with the AT's - I spent about 2 hours with my iPod. The best pair I heard at the time were the top end AT's, but they were about $600, and I ended up going for the pair I have at about half the price.
A little light on the bass, but the mid and top are absolutely fabulous. The new pre has tone controls, so a little boost in the bottom end and they really are good.
I had two pairs of Senneiser's in my younger days - awesome for the time. One of the best I had a few years ago were some Koss Sports ones with the neck band that had an amazing sound - but they were terribly designed and made, and nits broke off after a month or two and the cable perished. A great pity, because they sounded incredible.
Many others in between, but I think my top phones are the ones I have now.
The $70 Sony MDR-NC33 in ear NC's have a much better sound, clean open mid range and well balanced bass. But, if you sit with those things in your ear for 8 hours you get . . . ear ache - and its specifically the ear canal that takes a hammering.
I used a Stax ES tube system for about 6 months when I was in Japan ('loaned' them out the lab) - fantastic sound, great mid and silky top end, but I thought the base was 'loose' for my tastes and there's zero between you and any background noise - they leak sound like hell and my wife would tell me to turn it down. More often than not at the time she was watching 'Dexter'
My current cans are Audio Technica ATH-AD900 'Air' 's. Before I bought them, I had a pair of non-cancelling Bose phones that I also bought in Japan. They sounded ok in the shop and when I got them home, I ended up being mightily disappointed - hugely overblown bass, and same midrange 'suckout' as the NC's - in fact, they look exactly the same as the NC's, but no NC function.
So, I went out looking, and that why I ended up with the AT's - I spent about 2 hours with my iPod. The best pair I heard at the time were the top end AT's, but they were about $600, and I ended up going for the pair I have at about half the price.
A little light on the bass, but the mid and top are absolutely fabulous. The new pre has tone controls, so a little boost in the bottom end and they really are good.
I had two pairs of Senneiser's in my younger days - awesome for the time. One of the best I had a few years ago were some Koss Sports ones with the neck band that had an amazing sound - but they were terribly designed and made, and nits broke off after a month or two and the cable perished. A great pity, because they sounded incredible.
Many others in between, but I think my top phones are the ones I have now.
Yes, the Beats headphones really do suck. I haven't tried a single pair of Beats headphones that sound better than my Koss Porta Pro which I bought for like $35. If you want to spend money and want noise-cancelling I think the AKG K490 is a good choice, been travelling around the world with them for nearly a year now.
For home use I prefer my Denon AH-D2000. Absolutely wonderful headphones I think.
For home use I prefer my Denon AH-D2000. Absolutely wonderful headphones I think.
- Status
- This old topic is closed. If you want to reopen this topic, contact a moderator using the "Report Post" button.