Why Do People Buy Dr. Dre Beats

The New York Times covers the Beats/fashion vs. quality cans story:

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/02/21/t...?pagewanted=2&ref=personaltech&pagewanted=all

Better than the usual Times audio reportage, but incredibly nebulous about differences in sound quality and accuracy. Also devotes a bizarre amount of attention to manufacturing cost vs. price.

Telling statistic: "NPD found that celebrity endorsement was extremely or very important to 30 percent of consumers, and was the top factor driving purchases of headphones costing more than $100."

 

What the "serious" headphone manufacturers can do is come out with a more stylish, yet quality model of headphone.

 

I have Harmon/Kardon in my car. I'm fine with that.

 

Bose does a good job with their noise canceling series. They get the noise canceling part right. They have set the standard in noise canceling performance.

The new AE2 is better than the older TriPort, but it still doesn't rise to a level of sound quality that is quite up to their $150 price.

 

30% actually doesn't seem like a large percentage of people to me. I actually expected it to be a little higher a percentage than that.

Celebrity enforcement seems to work as we see them in ads every single day. Why not on headphone ads?

 

I quite like the tonality they provide. The TriPort are just like mine, but without the noise cancellation. Just my opinion, though.

 

I auditioned Beats, along with a few others, and the sound really didn't justify the $$$. IMHO The Audio Technica ATH-M50's at half the price killed 'em SQ-wise, (as did the Sennheiser cans I also sampled).

Even if I liked Beats, I'd never wear them in public (seems like an invitation to get mugged).

 

The overall sound presentation is full and pleasant. Makes for enjoyable and pleasant listening. My comment about sound quality is about their ability to present details that are in the recording. Sonic details and separation that I believe should be there in a $150 headphone aren't quite there. My criticisms are a matter of inches, not yards. The AE and AE2 aren't bad headphones. It's not like they're Beats Solo or Beats Studio.

 

Saw this tonight thought of this thread:

 

Re my post about the mini driver wearing 'beats' - certainly in the UK it is illegal as he would be cited for 'driving without due care and attention'.

 

Over here they call it "unsafe operation of a motor vehicle" or simply "reckless driving".

 

I am actually thinking about ordering the Miles Davis or Copper Turbine Pro earphones from the Beat shop. It is sold with a massive 73% discount.
Instead of 238 euro at amazon.de they are on offer there atm. for 75 euro.
As much as I like my AT headphones they are just too darn huge - Not exactly the type you like to carry around when shopping or walking the main streets ...
OTh Musical fidelity got a nice air of earphones on offer, too. But with 200 Euro bit pricey for earphones.. they look gorgeous, though

 

I LOVE my ATH-M50's.

 

The Bose AE2 headphones sound very nice, a bit laid back which I prefer. They are a little quieter than some other headphones though. But still the sound quality is good. They are a little overpriced but I must point out they are the lightest most comfortable headphones I have ever used. I swear they are like a feather!

As for Beats headphones they are overpriced garbage. They were made by the Monster Cable company so that tells you everything right there. I tried some different models out and even the $300-$400 versions sounded like dung. Bloated, flabby bass that overpowered everything else. I really do not understand the obsession some people have with booming bass.

I bought a $100 Grado and instead and they sound 100 times better than Beats. Much more clear, even, balanced sound.

Beats are just overpriced junk based around a marketing gimmick. Avoid!

 

ESPN Magazine had Beats featured on the cover last month, and a story to go along with it. They delved into how Dr. Dre got these into the athletic world.
Hey, if my favorite athlete wears them, they have to be good. Right?

Marketing hype.

Just saw an investigative story on tv a few weeks ago that showed the counterfeiting of BEATS, and how the company is fighting against it.

 

Think about Beats this way- Just because the iPod is the most popular and most expensive portable MP3 player on the market does that mean it is automatically the best or has the best sound quality?


No.

 

I actually think my Rockboxed Clip Zip sounds just as good.

 

Anyone else own the PSB M4U-2 noice-cancelling phones? I think they're great.

 

Noise cancelling headphones always sound weird and phasey to me when I turn on the noise cancelling. That feature ruins the sound for me.

Nonsense. My Sony and Grado headphones give a ton of nice tight strong bass. Beats headphones are muddy flabby bass. They are purely a status symbol like a iPhone and do not represent hi fi quality.

 

No, I think it would be "only" careless driving. Big difference in LA. And it is definitely against the law to drive in California wearing ear buds or headphones.

That makes sense, giving that these devices are trying to slice out the noise with phase cancellation. When you turn your head a little bit, the results will change. I agree, it's an imperfect science. I think it's better to use full-seal earphones like the Etyomtics to block out most of the sound; those are what I use when I have to travel on airplanes.

 

That's interesting. So somebody is making real cheap, crappy, bad-sounding versions of the Beats Headphones. How would you tell the difference with the real thing?

 

Beats are marketed towards the fashionable, unlike audiophile gear which is marketed towards the knowledgeable. "How naive!"

 

Most people aren't that bright.

 

With all due respect, as I have no particular idea where you are coming from, your opinion is not actually fact. it may be a broadly based opinion shared by a number of people on these boards perhaps, but unless something has changed in the hi fi world, subjective opinions are just that, opinions.

I have owned 3 pairs of Bose noise cancelling headphones which I use specifically for flying and they have by far the best noise cancelling I have heard. I have also owned a pair of Sennheiser PXC 250 (something like that anyway) which are no where near as comfortable (to me) or as good sounding (they were cheaper) and the noise cancellation was of a reduced quality as well (to my ears anyway).

I have also heard a pair of noise cancelling Beats that a friend at work owned, not sure which model, that were bass heavy, had less effective noise cancelling than the Bose, but looked good and apart from the bass sounded okay on a short listen.

Maybe that's the missing piece here. You need to live with a pair of headphones over a period of time to learn if what was initially either beguiling or unpromising have a sound quality you can live with for more than 5 minutes or become tiring and as important as any other criteria; are comfortable to wear.

I also own what are often reviled by many in the headphone forum world, a pair of House of Marley TTR's. These things have a heavy bass, but are comfortable for a long period, plus they have a midrange and top end that reminds me of older more euphonic valve equipment. No, the noise cancelling is pretty average compared to the Bose, but I love listening to these phones and they only cost me $125 when the distribution model changed in Australia. Oh I hear you cry, no wonder they were cheap! (just in case you thought I might have missed any irony). So what, I like them, Lownote 30 likes his Bose headphones and any number of people in the street like their Beats/Skullcandy/Sol Republic etc.