Bad News: Beats Controls 57% of High-End Headphones Market

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Fallen Kell

Diamond Member
Oct 9, 1999
6,100
467
126
For $300, get either a pair of Senn Momentums or Mr.Speaker Mad Dogs. It's what I just did :)

I have been really looking at the Mr.Speaker Mad Dogs and Alpha Dogs. I just wish I knew someone who had a set so I could listen to them before I purchased. But everyone has been raving how good these are for the price. I think your post is just the one that is going to put me on the tipping edge to have to purchase a set.
 

Oyeve

Lifer
Oct 18, 1999
21,995
855
126
Beats are the Tri-Ports of the 2010s. Good, but not worth the money. Like the triports.
 

mmntech

Lifer
Sep 20, 2007
17,501
12
0
Do you really need to high fidelity headphones to fully appreciate Jay-Z going "yeah, uhh, uh huh" over songs he heard on the local oldies station? I suspect this is what the vast majority of Beats owners listen to.

I'll stick with my Grado's thank you. Inexpensive but good sound.
 

Ayrahvon

Senior member
Aug 7, 2007
683
4
81
This is a painful continuous trend, but it isn't all that new. I got a pair of Sennheiser HD-580s in 2004 for about $130 and they're still going strong. I don't see myself getting another pair of headphones unless these die.
 

cmdrdredd

Lifer
Dec 12, 2001
27,052
357
126
Do you really need to high fidelity headphones to fully appreciate Jay-Z going "yeah, uhh, uh huh" over songs he heard on the local oldies station? I suspect this is what the vast majority of Beats owners listen to.

I'll stick with my Grado's thank you. Inexpensive but good sound.

I do like Grado too. They reproduce the distortion of an electric guitar very well. I'm a rock music listener so I appreciate Grado's sound for that.
 

cmdrdredd

Lifer
Dec 12, 2001
27,052
357
126
$99 is the start point for "Premium"? Shens

What?

Who are you speaking to? I didnt see anyone claim that. Although in some ways, yes... Most people I would bet don't spend more than $50 on headphones so by that marker I may say $100 would be considered the start of the more premium models.
 

sandorski

No Lifer
Oct 10, 1999
70,241
5,810
126
What?

Who are you speaking to? I didnt see anyone claim that. Although in some ways, yes... Most people I would bet don't spend more than $50 on headphones so by that marker I may say $100 would be considered the start of the more premium models.

It's in the quote in the OP.
 

mindbomb

Senior member
May 30, 2013
363
0
0
Consumers actually ended up getting good headphones because of this. The akg k550, sennheiser momentum, and philips fidelio were direct responses to beats headphones.
 

mmntech

Lifer
Sep 20, 2007
17,501
12
0
I do like Grado too. They reproduce the distortion of an electric guitar very well. I'm a rock music listener so I appreciate Grado's sound for that.

The only problem with them is the earpads suck, and they're not cheap to replace. I made my own out of foam rubber. Bit ghetto but they work.
 
Mar 11, 2004
23,285
5,724
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The only problem with them is the earpads suck, and they're not cheap to replace. I made my own out of foam rubber. Bit ghetto but they work.

I wouldn't say only problem.

To me, Grados are just as bad as the Beats (or similar thwompy bass headphones), in that it has a strongly distorted FR that might be good for some music, but they don't offer anything that a properly designed headphone with an EQ setting to offer that distorted sound could offer (better even, since it would likely still be able to offer better low end), and the latter will be a lot more versatile. Even compared to the Beats its a tradeoff, where you can get better sound for cheaper in the SR60/80, but the Beats are more comfortable, and you can use them without irritating everyone around you by injecting that hot treble out for all to hear.

Don't get me wrong, I definitely think they're worth a listen, especially the SR60 or SR80. Their higher end offerings are flat out embarassing though in my opinion, just more of the same sound (seriously, not even better in absolute terms over the 60/80, just somewhat different, at times arguably worse) with audiophile bling (metal or wood cups) with somewhat better (but still not very good and frankly ridiculous for the prices) earpads. The original statement headphone they made was actually quite good, offering a high end refined sound, since then I don't know why you'd bother with their higher end offerings. Plus, and maybe this changed in the last couple of years, but their customer service and quality control had also turned spotty. Then couple that with their "whiskey barrel Elijah Wood" promotion and I just can't help but feel they're doing the same path that AKG is, its quite disappointing really. I'm not even going to mention their expensive CMoy in a wood block amp. Ultimately, I can see the appeal of Grado, they're very punk rock, but they're just too flawed for me to like.

To be fair, they're not the only brand that's missing or has a lot of misses or going for gimmicks and marketing over real quality development, but few companies consistently make the same mistake over and over like the Grado lineup (mostly because they use a very similar formula for their lineup, excluding their IEMs and lineup that doesn't really fall into the audiophile category).

This new level of headphone popularity is certainly odd. We're getting both much better and much worse headphones. Seems like one step forward one step back in many ways. Luckily now, there's much more robust testing and general feedback so its easier to sort through things.
 

zerogear

Diamond Member
Jun 4, 2000
5,611
9
81
Screw your Beats/Bose, I raise you:
ath5000w.jpeg
 

TheAdvocate

Platinum Member
Mar 7, 2005
2,561
7
81
Those AKG K550s are on sale right now (check your favorite deal site). Tempted to trade my K240s for a pair.