Each time I work out at the club, I see 4 or 5 young people with Beats phones, usually driven by iPhones. (There is one iconoclast with what looks like AKGs) They look good, and I can't hear any sound leakage.
Do Beats phones really suck? I haven't heard any - for $300US could they be that bad?
To answer this question I checked out their site, and there aren't any specifications, but there are mostly positive reviews about comfort, color and "brilliant bass." 90% of the public doesn't care about frequency response, and the average quality of sound files is crap, but that isn't news.
It looks like they have "completely redesigned and reimagined" the Studio model. Has anyone measured this, or the classic, I guess we could call it?
I am only searching for knowledge...
Do Beats phones really suck? I haven't heard any - for $300US could they be that bad?
To answer this question I checked out their site, and there aren't any specifications, but there are mostly positive reviews about comfort, color and "brilliant bass." 90% of the public doesn't care about frequency response, and the average quality of sound files is crap, but that isn't news.
It looks like they have "completely redesigned and reimagined" the Studio model. Has anyone measured this, or the classic, I guess we could call it?
I am only searching for knowledge...
I tried a few briefly in a highstreet electronics store (Curry's - quite a big chain of stores in the UK). The top model (Studio?) had a lot of bass but lacked detail compared to others, muffled almost - the similar priced, £249 model from Monster sounded the best of their display with some Philips and Boses good too.
Some others in the range, also in the £200 price area sounded terrible - treble/upper mid was so harsh it must either be for the alredy deaf or will make you deaf pretty quickly. Only thing is that these were in a part of a display with their own audio player.. so could have been that.
The others listened to in the first paragraph were through my phone (old Nokia N900) which sounds as good as any ipod via my Shure SE530s if not slightly better than an ipod (because it can play flacs).
Certainly overpriced in my view and I bet a good pair of £25 Sennheisers would be as good but lacking bass extension - but that could also be said of quite a few lifestyle models out at the moment.
None anywhere close to my Denon DH5000s which I found thrown out (needed re-wiring).
Some others in the range, also in the £200 price area sounded terrible - treble/upper mid was so harsh it must either be for the alredy deaf or will make you deaf pretty quickly. Only thing is that these were in a part of a display with their own audio player.. so could have been that.
The others listened to in the first paragraph were through my phone (old Nokia N900) which sounds as good as any ipod via my Shure SE530s if not slightly better than an ipod (because it can play flacs).
Certainly overpriced in my view and I bet a good pair of £25 Sennheisers would be as good but lacking bass extension - but that could also be said of quite a few lifestyle models out at the moment.
None anywhere close to my Denon DH5000s which I found thrown out (needed re-wiring).
My advice is to try several headphones that you might consider, and find out what meets your needs. If they are something you want to keep for a long time, take your time to find the right ones.
Here's what worked for me.
I went on a headphone quest about 2 years ago. I wanted something with good sound quality, and had a budget in mind. What helped me the most was going to a local Head-Fi meet, where I could try out several pairs and find out what sound I liked the best. Some of the club members there were helpful giving advice and other info about headphones -- lots to learn. Even though my favorite (HiFi Man HE-500's) was way out of my budget, they gave me a baseline to compare to.
After doing some research, I came up with a list of 6 or 8 within my budget. Then I went to a store that had most of them to audition. Besides obvious sound quality, one important factor is fit and comfort.
Needless to say, I'm very happy with the headphones I selected.
Hope this helps.
Here's what worked for me.
I went on a headphone quest about 2 years ago. I wanted something with good sound quality, and had a budget in mind. What helped me the most was going to a local Head-Fi meet, where I could try out several pairs and find out what sound I liked the best. Some of the club members there were helpful giving advice and other info about headphones -- lots to learn. Even though my favorite (HiFi Man HE-500's) was way out of my budget, they gave me a baseline to compare to.
After doing some research, I came up with a list of 6 or 8 within my budget. Then I went to a store that had most of them to audition. Besides obvious sound quality, one important factor is fit and comfort.
Needless to say, I'm very happy with the headphones I selected.
Hope this helps.
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The OP isn't looking to buy anything.... wanted other people's experiences specifically of Beats headphones.
So often they are dismissed out of hand as crap by audiophiles - but is this really justified or is it snobbishness?
From my brief experiences with them, I'd say the criticism is justified for the money they're asking and their popularity, on a sonic level, defies belief...
I dissagree. The opinion of other people help eliminate bad buys, especially when the overwhelming majority tell you a product has problems.
I dislike Bose for their BS and the crappy 901 series. Yes, 901s suck! The actual frequency response of the drivers was lousy. Compensating by using an active equalizer and demanding so much power on the low end and high end is just a bad design from the get-go.
That said, I like the QC15s. Good product, nice fit. sound quality very good and ballanced. Sound suppression keeps me from hearing my co-workers.
I expect they would be great on commutes in subways and such as well.
They are not in the same league as my Sennheiser HD-600s, but I'd take them over the beats any day.
There was a bit about the design of the headphones elsewhere on this site. Basically they are voiced to be very much bass and virtually no high end. So if your like Dr. Dre, the headphones are voiced for his tastes.
As to the original question. YES and way overpriced. It has been a while since I looked at cheap headphones, but I suspect a pair of Sony headphones for under $50.00 would be far more accurate.
Now as to the Bose headphones, I know they have a much superior frequency response.
As to the original question. YES and way overpriced. It has been a while since I looked at cheap headphones, but I suspect a pair of Sony headphones for under $50.00 would be far more accurate.
Now as to the Bose headphones, I know they have a much superior frequency response.
"Do Beats by Dr. Dre Really Suck?"
Yes they do...but that does not stop people wasting their money on buying them.
You can buy Koss Porta Pro Junior for $50, you can buy Sennheiser PX-100 for $50, both small portable headphones with far more superior sound, more balanced fr response and lower distortion...and you can still comfortably move or walk, insted of ugly Beats...
For the price of Beats you can actually have audiophile big Sennheisers.
But it seems pointles to convice someone they are wasting money on Beats, they just have to learn hard way.
Yes they do...but that does not stop people wasting their money on buying them.
You can buy Koss Porta Pro Junior for $50, you can buy Sennheiser PX-100 for $50, both small portable headphones with far more superior sound, more balanced fr response and lower distortion...and you can still comfortably move or walk, insted of ugly Beats...
For the price of Beats you can actually have audiophile big Sennheisers.
But it seems pointles to convice someone they are wasting money on Beats, they just have to learn hard way.
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