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Are Beats headphones worth the money?

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mnewsham said:
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.
Click to expand...

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.
 
Number1 said:
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.
Click to expand...

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.
 
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waggy said:
they do the research. I swear that most that buy them it ain't for the sound. it's for the social status.
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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.
 
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?
 
ThatsABigOne said:
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?
Click to expand...

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 said:
holy shit. for $400 they better be b/g/n wireless with replaceable lithium ion batteries... and more.
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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..
 
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.
 
ForumMaster said:
they're popular, but way overpriced. i personally have a pair of Sony MDR-7506. they rock.
Click to expand...

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.
 
waggy said:
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..
Click to expand...

:awe:

ForumMaster said:
they're popular, but way overpriced. i personally have a pair of Sony MDR-7506. they rock.
Click to expand...

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

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

I would take the money and give it to charity.

:colbert:
 
mnewsham said:
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.
Click to expand...

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)
 
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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.
 
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