Are Beats headphones worth the money?

[Number1]

That article basically says there is no improvement going from an outboard DAC costing ~$100 to something stupidly expensive costing $2k+ Which I will agree with, unless you start adding in tubes.

However, the article also clearly shows that a listener can clearly tell the difference between a real decent DAC, and the onboard realtec DAC. So I really don't see what your point is. My DAC cost $100. Not exactly top of the line.

OK here is what I read in the article:

Quote: "Using world-class headphones, a $2 Realtek integrated audio codec could not be reliably distinguished from the $2000 Benchmark DAC2 HGC in a four-device round-up. Again, all four devices sounded great."

Dedicated DAC are a waste of money, period.

 

[waggy]

lol i just buy the $12 usb headphones and mic and they sound just fine to me.

 

[mnewsham]

Quote: "Using world-class headphones, a $2 Realtek integrated audio codec could not be reliably distinguished from the $2000 Benchmark DAC2 HGC in a four-device round-up. Again, all four devices sounded great."

Dedicated DAC are a waste of money, period.

Must have skimmed over the whole "testing" pages huh?

I honestly don't care if you can't tell the difference, my motherboard onboard audio however does not handle bass impact as well nor extreme high ends as well as my DAC/AMP stack does. Removing the DAC from play and just using my amp and the internal DAC and I can tell the difference in songs. It isn't a huge difference, but it is a difference for sure. Less precise, more muddy sounding.

To each their own, you aren't changing my opinion in the slightest, and I doubt I will change yours.

 

[RearAdmiral]

Yes, they are really that much.

Beats Pro Over-Ear Headphone (Black)

That's insane. Dropping that sort of money on almost anything requires at least a minimal amount of due diligence / research.

 

[waggy]

That's insane. Dropping that sort of money on almost anything requires at least a minimal amount of due diligence / research.

they do the research. I swear that most that buy them it ain't for the sound. it's for the social status.

 

[mnewsham]

it's for the social status

that's exatly what it is. The ATH M50s I recommended to someone earlier sell for about $100-140, but they sound as good as if not better than the beats studio pros which cost 4x as much.

 

[RearAdmiral]

they do the research. I swear that most that buy them it ain't for the sound. it's for the social status.

That is the general reason behind getting them. I listened to a pair and wasn't impressed besides having my skull rattled by the leet bass yo.

 

[ThatsABigOne]

I could also make a recommendation for JVC HA S680. Excellent headphones with a warm signature and excellent sound stage. Really, it is the sound stage that sets them apart.
They require a 200 hour burn in though to make them sound great.

mnesham, do you frequent head-fi?

 

[mnewsham]

I could also make a recommendation for JVC HA S680. Excellent headphones with a warm signature and excellent sound stage. Really, it is the sound stage that sets them apart.
They require a 200 hour burn in though to make them sound great.

mnesham, do you frequent head-fi?

Good suggestion, the burn in really is apparent with these cans though, give them some time.

I lurk on head-fi.
Mostly I am on r/headphones
or 4chan's /g/ board.

 

[PottedMeat]

Yes, they are really that much.

Beats Pro Over-Ear Headphone (Black)

holy shit. for $400 they better be b/g/n wireless with replaceable lithium ion batteries... and more.

 

[waggy]

holy shit. for $400 they better be b/g/n wireless with replaceable lithium ion batteries... and more.

i was thinking they need to come with a hot redhead to give you blowjobs for that price.

:biggrin:


but then again that's what i want with everything i buy..

 

[Fritzo]

My son has a set of the Pros. They're decent, but the build quality isn't quite as good as a lot of other headphones in that price range. They're also balanced more towards bass with low treble, so if you listen to anything other than pop, rap, or R&B the results tend to sound muddy.

Believe it or not, the Monster's Inspiration headphones are cheaper than Beats, have better build quality, and they're a lot more versatile. Can't believe I'm recommending a Monster product.

 

[BlitzPuppet]

You're buying a name. A very trashy, ghetto-loved name.

 

[ForumMaster]

they're popular, but way overpriced. i personally have a pair of Sony MDR-7506. they rock.

 

[mnewsham]

they're popular, but way overpriced. i personally have a pair of Sony MDR-7506. they rock.

another pair of excellent headphones, though i find them a tad uncomfortable for my head. I tend to stay away from sony's though I have owned probably 7 or 8 different models through the years.

 

[PottedMeat]

i was thinking they need to come with a hot redhead to give you blowjobs for that price.

:biggrin:


but then again that's what i want with everything i buy..

:awe:

they're popular, but way overpriced. i personally have a pair of Sony MDR-7506. they rock.

i'm a cheapass - went with the MDR-V6. if they've been making them for 29 years they're probably doing something right.

 

[JM Aggie08]

You're buying a name. A very trashy, ghetto-loved name.

Ya! White Power, amirite??

 

[JoLLyRoGer]

that's exatly what it is. The ATH M50s I recommended to someone earlier sell for about $100-140, but they sound as good as if not better than the beats studio pros which cost 4x as much.

X 10000000000000

I have a pair of these and they sound AMAZING! They're even halfway decent to mix with as far as headphones go since the response on them is fairly flat to begin with.

http://www.innerfidelity.com/images/AudioTechnicaATHM50B2012.pdf

Here's the sheet on the $400.00+ Beats Pro's for comparison's sake

http://www.innerfidelity.com/images/MonsterBeatsPro.pdf

 

[Mai72]

Bought $10 ear buds the other day. A very nice alternative to spending $300

I would take the money and give it to charity.

 

[BlitzPuppet]

Ya! White Power, amirite??

More like BLACK POWAH since I like Sennheisers quite a bit

 

[JoLLyRoGer]

that's exatly what it is. The ATH M50s I recommended to someone earlier sell for about $100-140, but they sound as good as if not better than the beats studio pros which cost 4x as much.

X 10000000000000

I have a pair of these and they sound AMAZING! They're even halfway decent to mix with as far as headphones go since the response on them is fairly flat to begin with.

http://www.innerfidelity.com/images/AudioTechnicaATHM50B2012.pdf

Here's the sheet on the $400.00+ Beats Pro's for comparison's sake

http://www.innerfidelity.com/images/MonsterBeatsPro.pdf



I recorded, mixed and mastered this track using nothing but my Macbook, Logic Pro, and the ATH-M50s for monitors:

https://soundcloud.com/groovemonkey-4/wasting-my-time
(p.s. if is sounds like it's underwater, then it's probably your browser. sounded like shit with Firefox for me, but Chrome played it fine)

 

[momeNt]

Audio has a measurable quality component, and also a personal taste component.

Beats caters to those looking for "fashionable" headphones, and whose personal taste is geared towards heavy bass, and who don't necessarily care about high fidelity.

It's almost like trying to quantify why true religion jeans have such a high price tag, when in every metric Levi's outperform.

 

[momeNt]

More like BLACK POWAH since I like Sennheisers quite a bit

Almost all the Nazi audio equipment was made by Sennheiser.

 

[JoLLyRoGer]

oops... was meant to be an edit of the above post...

 

[BlitzPuppet]

Almost all the Nazi audio equipment was made by Sennheiser.

Guess they knew quality :biggrin: