• We’re currently investigating an issue related to the forum theme and styling that is impacting page layout and visual formatting. The problem has been identified, and we are actively working on a resolution. There is no impact to user data or functionality, this is strictly a front-end display issue. We’ll post an update once the fix has been deployed. Thanks for your patience while we get this sorted.

My 11 yo will not stop bugging me about Beatz headphones

Page 7 - Seeking answers? Join the AnandTech community: where nearly half-a-million members share solutions and discuss the latest tech.
Beats: Not one single product specification in any of their product listings. Proves what you are actually buying
Beats On the ear model
Beats Over the ear model
Beats Wireless on ear model

In the same price range with multiple product specifications and reasons why they sound good other than because "After 25 years, Dr. Dre was tired of spending months on a track only to have his fans hear it on weak, distorting ear buds. Two years and hundreds of prototypes later, Beats Studio headphones are the icons that bring you sound the way it was originally intended."
Sannheiser
Beyerdynamic
 
Been rocking custom mold UE-10 pros for 7 years now. Hold up well to stage use, jogging, stretching etc. Still sound superb. I know they are ancient but then again there are speakers over 60 years old that still can "hit it". :awe:
 
Rubycon said:
Been rocking custom mold UE-10 pros for 7 years now. Hold up well to stage use, jogging, stretching etc. Still sound superb. I know they are ancient but then again there are speakers over 60 years old that still can "hit it". :awe:
Click to expand...

I rock a pair of custom in Ear Monitors as well but you got to admit that's a whole different level of audio dedication from a $300 pair of headphones 😛
 
Beats has great marketing. Performance on the other hand is something I would like to see compared to Sennheiser, Beyer, AKG, UE, JHA, etc.
 
thecoolnessrune said:
I rock a pair of custom in Ear Monitors as well but you got to admit that's a whole different level of audio dedication from a $300 pair of headphones 😛
Click to expand...

I just can't swing a pair of cans on the go. I did like the sound of ES (Stax) back in the day (late 80s) but they aren't very practical for much outside of studio use.

The isolation of customs bar none is the best way to save your hearing. And if you still (foolishly) enjoy the 135dB SPL "stage monitor in your face" loudness you can destroy your hearing without disturbing others next to you! 😀
 
Anubis said:
i remember being 11, i had a walkman with some earbuds that came in a wind up tin.
Click to expand...

I'm a bit older...when I was that age...you were cool if you had one of these:

transistor+radio.jpg


and of course...you HAD to have this:

285-1003%20Earphone,%20Mono%20w-Clip.gif
 
mizzou said:
give him those old walkman style headphones with the metal bendy band that hurt your head
Click to expand...

oh god my hair used to always get caught up in that

Oh and I would never buy Beats headphones. If he wants them he can save up the money himself and buy them. You have to make some dumb purchases when you're a kid so you learn what buyer's remorse is and learn how to plan your purchases wisely in the future. I bought some stupid shit when I was a teenager.

Worst thing you can do is buy knockoffs. If he finds out it'll make him want real ones that much more, and if he doesn't find out it'll just confirm his love of them.
 
Last edited:
Man... you guys.

I finally traded the earbuds in for some ATH-M30s a few months ago and I've been blown away ever since. If I actually spend more than $60 on a pair of headphones, I'd probably be reduced to tears.
 
AstroManLuca said:
oh god my hair used to always get caught up in that

Oh and I would never buy Beats headphones. If he wants them he can save up the money himself and buy them. You have to make some dumb purchases when you're a kid so you learn what buyer's remorse is and learn how to plan your purchases wisely in the future. I bought some stupid shit when I was a teenager.

Worst thing you can do is buy knockoffs. If he finds out it'll make him want real ones that much more, and if he doesn't find out it'll just confirm his love of them.
Click to expand...

That's a tough age where peer image is very important. If an 11 year old doesn't have the things his/her peers have, it can make them feel left out. If his peers are dicks (which is guaranteed in 11-14 year old boys), they'll even make fun of you. I know it's shallow, but kids don't have the maturity to deal with that and it can cause lasting damage.

I honestly don't see the problem with getting you kid something expensive for Christmas and making it the "wow" gift...no matter what it is. If it helps their self esteem, it's something they genuinely want and would use, and it's not completely outrageous (like a $4000 dirt bike or something), then what the hell.

I got my son Beats Studios, and being a musician used to standard Tascam or Sennheiser studio cans, I will say they sound really good for music, and they're comfortable as hell. I like the active noise cancelling (you have to put AAA batteries in it to work)...if you turn it on you can not hear a freakin' thing, so I hope the smoke alarm doesn't go off while my son is wearing them 🙂 The packaging is very attractive...almost an adventure opening it. There nooks and crannies in the box, each one hiding a cool surprise, and I was shocked at the amount of detail they put into the presentation. The cable is detachable, allowing you to use a straight 1/8" cable, or a mic/remote cable for your phone. This is nice because it prevents snag damage (which is the #1 reason I go through a set of headphones every year).

This model cost $299, which is about the limit I place on "wow" gifts. However, I got up at 4am on black Friday to score them at $40 off + $50 store gift card, so they were a pretty decent deal.

If you can afford it, I say make the damn kid happy once a year and get him something he'll remember. I still remember getting a Commodore 64 with a disk drive and being absolutely blow away. It was considered and expensive toy back then, but it inspired me and gave me the skills to get a job when I got older.
 
If you can spend $299 yes the noise canceling model is very good. You are paying for the "Beats" name and the marketing. Same quality can be had for $50-100 less (Senheiser, AKG)

I had a friend who just came back from China. They have knockoffs of the $299 model for around $30. She brought back as many as she could carry. Gave set to kid as present and resold the rest.

Headphones and box look virtually identical to authentic. Long term quality probably isn't there.
 
SAWYER said:
Those mdr-v6's are better than the athm50s? I love my athm50s but if the Sony's are better I would like to try them
Click to expand...

They are VERY sensitive, and have an aggressive amount of Treble and Bass. It may sound unbalanced at first, but everything else will sound dull after.

I once got stopped on the Union Square 14st subway platform by the NYPD back in the day because my Panasonic [cassette] walkman was pushing them so hard that you could hear them clearly across the platform. LOL. These things were loud.

The only other headphone that I had that was somewhat close in sensitivity were some Pickering CD-1 that I paid $60 for. I have no idea what they were really worth, and I am sure that I got robbed...but they sounded even louder than the V6.
 
GoodRevrnd said:
Koss PortaPros! Hell ya!
Click to expand...

I owned one pair of PortaPros...and of all the headphones I've ever had, I remember this having the most bass for some reason. I can't imagine them having any bass at all when I look at them today.

I have only one vivid memory of listening to them on a bus somewhere, but I don't know when or where. I just have that memory of the bass.

I didn't like them because they couldn't get loud...
 
Talk to him like an adult and explain to him why beatz, and all monster products, are terrible. Give him enough information so he can explain it to his friends. Get him some decent headphones and then let him give his friends shit about their crappy headphones.

I still love it when grown men buy Bose.
 
As a kid, I had a limit on how much X-mas could cost. If I asked for those headphones, I'd get those headphones and some clothes.

I'm all for buying kids stupid crap, it helps teach them about stupid crap, but set a price limit, he'll realize he can get 5 video games or 1 pair of headphones.
 
Rubycon said:
Been rocking custom mold UE-10 pros for 7 years now. Hold up well to stage use, jogging, stretching etc. Still sound superb. I know they are ancient but then again there are speakers over 60 years old that still can "hit it". :awe:
Click to expand...

I really wish I could afford a good set. I had a pair of Westone ES3X but didn't keep them.

dave_the_nerd said:
Man... you guys.

I finally traded the earbuds in for some ATH-M30s a few months ago and I've been blown away ever since. If I actually spend more than $60 on a pair of headphones, I'd probably be reduced to tears.
Click to expand...

Actually there's a glut of pretty damn good headphones in the sub $100 category these days. If my pair didn't disintegrate because I used them as workout headphones, I'd probably still use the KSC-75s I paid $20 for regularly, and I have a lot nicer headphones than those. There's pretty big law of diminishing return from the entry level stuff. Not that nicer stuff isn't worth it and even more enjoyable, but it becomes such a crapshoot after that initial "wow" moment with audio.

Honestly, if you want to spend more, I'd say just save up for custom IEMs and then be done with it, they're good enough to be reference quality, portable, customizable if you want some extra flash, and while they'll shine with better equipment will sound pretty good out of just about anything that sounds good.

But then trying lots of different headphones is fun too if you can afford it or make it to meets regularly, but I get tired of the hobby, far too many take it as a pseudoreligion or something, and there's plenty of junk to have to sort through.

HomerJS said:
If you can spend $299 yes the noise canceling model is very good. You are paying for the "Beats" name and the marketing. Same quality can be had for $50-100 less (Senheiser, AKG)

I had a friend who just came back from China. They have knockoffs of the $299 model for around $30. She brought back as many as she could carry. Gave set to kid as present and resold the rest.

Headphones and box look virtually identical to authentic. Long term quality probably isn't there.
Click to expand...

I hope she didn't sell them as authentic ones.
 
Apple Of Sodom said:
Talk to him like an adult and explain to him why beatz, and all monster products, are terrible. Give him enough information so he can explain it to his friends. Get him some decent headphones and then let him give his friends shit about their crappy headphones.

I still love it when grown men buy Bose.
Click to expand...

They made fun of the "Parent that always gets the wrong thing" on SNL a couple of months back. I was that guy for a few years...it doesn't work. Especially with my daughter. It always ends up with something like this:

"Here honey, this Android phone is much better than the iPhone"

A month later: "DAAAD! All of my friends use Facetime after school to make plans and I'm the only one that can't! Why can't you just get what I ask for once in a while????!!!!"
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

TRENDING THREADS

Back
Top