Why Not To Buy The Beats By Dre

thehustleman · Oct 29, 2013

HunterAMG said:
I was halfway reading through this post when I realize... Wait, this is Macrumors.com. First thing that comes to mind: OH THE IRONY!

As someone who hates sheep people, it's is actually funny to see a sheep criticizing sheep. I mean, isn't Apple all about that? They profit from mindless people who buy things because they're trendy, because 'my friends got one but I don't' and/or people who are so obssesed they buy only Apple products.
In fact let me rewrite your own paragraph:

Nothing screams originality like having an iPhone in your pocket. Having an iPhone shows that you can't make your own reasoned decisions and you just buy stuff because it's trendy. It's like tattooing 'I have more money than sense' onto your forehead.

Hmmm.. But Apple is probably the most evil company in the world

Apple profits from manufacturing really cheap and selling really expensive, what you're paying for is the Apple logo behind it, really.
They force carriers to buy them iPhones the full price but sell them to you half the price. Which makes carriers raise their rates for data and calling plans, which ends up screwing you. So yup, don't blame your carrier, blame your beloved Apple.

So did apple, 'nough said (read more here)

Oh seriously!? but Apple has the reputation for being one of the biggest bullies in the tech industry.
They tried to sue a family-run café over its logo
And a small grocery store
Don't forget that they sue other tech companies over ridiculous things.
Read more on why Apple is evil:
http://irjscott.likes.com/dirty-secrets-apple-doesnt-want-you-knowing

Luckily I haven't been in need of Apple's customer service as I have never owned an Apple device, but from what I have heard it isn't that good.

HAH, There are phones/computers that have better performance , are cheaper AND cooler. No need to explain this.

I actually thought the same kind of people that buy Beats buy Apple, and then I find this post.
Really if these are your reasons for not buying Beats, then why do you buy anything Apple to begin with?
Don't get me wrong, I don't support Beats at all and agree with your post but.. C'mon.
I'm probably gonna get a lot of hate as I will piss off many people here, probably get banned. But I'm hoping I can push some reason in some of you.

Wow, you TOTALLY said EVERYTHING I wanted to say forcing me to delete my post and rewrite it! Great reply.

Of course, you're going to get a lot of negative feedback for saying something uncomplimentary about apple no matter how true it is.

. I on the other hand, actually LIKE almost everything apple (just not the iPhone because they have fallen behind to android and STILL haven't caught up) but I'm unbiased enough to admit everything you said is true except apple's customer service is EXCELLENT!

JaySoul said:
1) Lady Gaga isn't a "Lady"
2) You clearly know nothing about him
3) You clearly know nothing about music
4) Well yes, that's true

Lol true.

Dr. Dre is a musical LEGEND and has made some of the finest music ever.

fyygame · Nov 12, 2013

fake very cheap.similar with original

yes,agree with you,the Fakes Are Better Than The Real Ones.
I bought a studio on fyygame.net.just need $29.99, it is highly copied, similar with original, I very like it.I bought the one below.
http://www.fyygame.net/monster-beats-by-dr-dre-studio-headphones-black.html

halfcack · Nov 14, 2013

Wary of labeled gear.

I was at Best Buy and was shown the Beats. I had one rule, I never bought in the last 10 years an artist named and endorsed product. I didn't even listen to them, to me they weren't even a consideration.

I listened to the rest of what they had and I was sort of pleased with the overpriced Bose headphone and purchased them. They have fulfilled the need.

The only set of phones I've trusted was a pair of ear buds made by Panasonic a long time ago. They were gold plated and had a "woofer" and a "tweeter."

I have always used them for final mixes as the final check, however I have always mixed as I record, just a real old habit so it really is just for consistency of my perception of my final product.

musty345 said:
So every now and again, I see a post on the forum about advice on buying the Beats By Dre etc. And I always want to shout at the person and tell them not to buy them... But I thought it'd be easier if we could put all the reasons why not to buy them on here. If you have any please post them here. So here goes:

1. The Fakes Are Better Than The Real Ones
A friend bought a fake pair of Beats from DHgate at the same time as I bought my real ones. Mine broke after three months of light use; his still work after a year of heavy use. This leads me to the conclusion that Monster build their headphones using even worse parts than the people who make the fakes. I've had three pairs in 12 months, they've all broken from very light use.

You Look Like a Sheep
Nothing screams originality like having a pair of Beats around your neck. Having Beats on shows that you can't make your own reasoned decisions and you just buy stuff because it's trendy. It's like tattooing 'I have more money than sense' onto your forehead. Not to mention, that most thirteen year olds use them as neck warmers, so be ready to be treated like one.

Monster Is An Evil Company
Monster is a cable manufacturer who also make the Beats By Dre Headphones. Here's a few reasons why they're evil:
1. They profit off the common misconception that a $100 HDMI cable is superior to a $5 one. This simply isn't true, with the way HDMI cables work, you either get a 100% perfect picture, or you get no picture (there's more on this here). In some of their display booths, Monster actually had two side by side TVs playing video. One was using their magical HDMI cable, and the other was using a composite cable! They labelled these booths with things like "Can you see the MONSTER difference?".
If you don't understand the significance of this, composite cables are them old multicoloured cables that we used years ago, whereas HDMI cables are the new fancy ones. The difference you could see in these booths wasn't the 'MONSTER difference', rather it was a difference in technologies. It's like a motorbike dealer taking a buyer on a test drive with a fancy, overpriced motorbike, and a pedal bike. Of course the motorbikes faster, they're different technologies! (Link)
2. They supported SOPA, 'nough said (read more here).
3. They are bullies. Here's an example of them suing a small mini golf company called: "Monster Mini Golf" for harming their trademark. Personally I think Monster Mini Golf should have sued Monster Cable for harming their trademark, but maybe that's just me (more here).

Awful Customer Service
When my first pair of Beats broke after three months, I emailed Monster cable and asked them how I could return them. They replied after a week asking for serial numbers, a copy of the receipt and various other information. After a week of me sending them this information, they said they'd send me some code within two weeks, then they'd send me a box to send them the Beats in, and then they'd see if they could repair them All in all, it was going to take them about six weeks to get a new pair to me. God made the "Heavens and the Earth" in six days. Russia, which is 17 million kilometre squared, managed to mobilise their whole army in six weeks in WWI, yet Monster insist on taking six weeks to replace some faulty earphones. Luckily, I'd bought them with HMV and I got a refund on the spot in the store.

There're headphones which have better sound quality, are cheaper and cooler
Just some suggestions of mine: Far superior sound: Sennheiser HD650. Cheaper: Sennheiser HD 25 25-1 II. Cooler: Urbanears Plattan Headset.

I did a full article on this on my website here with all the fancy pictures and videos so feel free to have a look at that if you want. But anyway, what are your experiences with the Beats, and does anyone have any reasons not to buy them to add?

Shanghaichica · Dec 6, 2013

I've got a pair of beats solo HD's. I bought them because I needed a pair of over ear headphones with good noise isolation for travelling on the underground (subway). I bought those ones because I didn't want a ridiculously large pair and I wanted something that looked halfway decent and didn't want to spend a fortune. I bought some pink ones for £130, in a sale. I've been impressed with them. They are bass heavy and have decent sound quality and do the job that I bought them for.

deskell98 · Dec 14, 2013

tn9design said:
The only thing worse than buying something because everyone else has it is NOT buying something because everyone else has it. I am not going to let trends dictate what I will and will not buy. If tomorrow Britney spears puts out the most amazing album I have ever heard I will be the first one in line. Denying yourself the option of trying something because it's "trendy" is the biggest sell out .

Couldn't agree more, the people who say beats are terrible are the people who love always being against the majority to make themselves look intelligent. People pay $500 for watches with the same quality as watches costing $50, and nobody complains about that. The fact is Beats have arguably the best product marketing in the world, the first company to successfully market headphones as a fashion accessory.

thehustleman · Dec 14, 2013

deskell98 said:
Couldn't agree more, the people who say beats are terrible are the people who love always being against the majority to make themselves look intelligent. People pay $500 for watches with the same quality as watches costing $50, and nobody complains about that. The fact is Beats have arguably the best product marketing in the world, the first company to successfully market headphones as a fashion accessory.

No, the people who say beats are terrible are audiophiles. Personally I think they don't sound bad at all, definitely better than any pack in earbuds but I have heard some headphones that sound better yet cost less.

And yeah it is some apple-level marketing

undesign · Dec 14, 2013

musty345 said:
Monster Is An Evil Company
Monster is a cable manufacturer who also make the Beats By Dre Headphones. Here's a few reasons why they're evil:
1. They profit off the common misconception that a $100 HDMI cable is superior to a $5 one. This simply isn't true, with the way HDMI cables work, you either get a 100% perfect picture, or you get no picture (there's more on this here). In some of their display booths, Monster actually had two side by side TVs playing video. One was using their magical HDMI cable, and the other was using a composite cable! They labelled these booths with things like "Can you see the MONSTER difference?".
If you don't understand the significance of this, composite cables are them old multicoloured cables that we used years ago, whereas HDMI cables are the new fancy ones. The difference you could see in these booths wasn't the 'MONSTER difference', rather it was a difference in technologies. It's like a motorbike dealer taking a buyer on a test drive with a fancy, overpriced motorbike, and a pedal bike. Of course the motorbikes faster, they're different technologies! (Link)
2. They supported SOPA, 'nough said (read more here).
3. They are bullies. Here's an example of them suing a small mini golf company called: "Monster Mini Golf" for harming their trademark. Personally I think Monster Mini Golf should have sued Monster Cable for harming their trademark, but maybe that's just me (more here).

This is reason alone not to buy ANTHING Monster related. But yes, the headphones are absolute JUNK.

For half the price of those, I bought myself a pair of Denon D1100 that sound unreal.

sszorin · Dec 19, 2013

Better alternatives to substandard Beats

musty345 said:
Agreed, do you have any you'd advise?

Beyerdynamic DT770 Pro LE [Pro Limited Edition] for those who prefer accentuated bass. Good for the beat and thump type of music. These headphones are circumaural [around ears] and closed, fit for the portable use.
Audio Technica A900X for those who prefer more balanced sound signature. These headphones still have good bass, they are more fit for real music, that means acoustic instruments and vocals. Circumaural and closed headphones, good for the portable use. Buy only from the authorised and reputable sellers.
Audio Technica ESW11LTD, these are a step up in sound quality from A900X [A900X are still excellent headphones for its price and five steps up on Beats]. No longer in production, you can buy them from 1 - the auction sites in Japan [Go to kuboten.com and send email addressed to Craig, he provides the service for the overseas buyers who want to buy from the Japanese sites] or you can buy them from 2 - the buy/sell forum on - head-fi.org [you'll have to register and become a member]. DO NOT BUY THESE HEADPHONES FROM EBAY, there are fake ESW11LTDs being sold on Ebay. These headphones are supraaural [on ears] and closed.
Audio Technica W1000X - About the same sound quality as ESW11LTD but with a bit different sound signature. Go to - head-fi.org - and in the search box type W1000X and read the reviews and threads on these headphones; do the same with the other headphones mentioned to know more about them. W1000X are circumaural and closed.
Audio Technica W3000ANV - the very top of the Audio Technica headphones line. The top in the sound quality, if you want them you will have to spend a lot. No longer in production, you'll have to get them from the auction sites in Japan or from the sites on this side of the ocean. See the reviews and the appreciation thread on head-fi.org . W3000ANV are circumaural and closed, they are for the home use or they can be transported for the use inside the buildings and not for the outside. They are amazing headphones.
For more options, better than the Beats, on the closed portable or transportable headphones see head-fi.org fora.

sszorin · Dec 19, 2013

lostngone said:
Beyerdynamic T 1

They are good for everyday use, not really high end but they are good quality and get the job done.

T1 are the top end, the summit, electrodynamic headphones [the other two are the Sennheiser HD800 and the new AKG K812, my choice is T1 as they are more euphonic] and they have an excellent sound quality. Having 600 Ohm impedance they have to be used with either a portable amplifier or with a 'desktop' home amplifier. If they are not used with an amplifier or if a particular amplifier is not capable of providing enough voltage to deal with the 600 Ohm impedance then the sound quality of these headphones is low. The only portable amplifiers able to drive these headphones properly are the ALO Audio / the Continental and Ray Samuels Audio / SR-71A [single ended] and SR-71B [balanced]. I'd say the Continental is the better choice.

sszorin · Dec 19, 2013

Edit feature not working

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turizwan said:
okay, after a lot of comparisons, i decided that the denon ahd2000's are way better than the beats pro's.
But then i got to know about the major sound leakage that occurs while using the denon ahd2000's. :|

i love every other bit of them, but i do not want to disturb others, in a library etc, or make them hear what im listening to.

Advice people?

ATH-A900X
ATH-W1000X

sszorin · Dec 19, 2013

Open headphones vs. Closed headphones

ChrisA said:
"Open" headphones that leak sound in both directions will sound better for same price "closed" headphones. The reason is that is is easier to make "open" ones. The open type do not have to compress the air inside the ear cups.

Open heaphones are make for use in quite locations like studios where engineers mix music and edit video. They work in living rooms too.

When you buy headphones READ the description to see which type you are buying

In some aspects the open headphones sound better and in other aspects the closed headphones sound better than the open ones. The open headphones, as a general rule, have a better left-right projection / width of the soundfield, or soundstage and they sound more naturally 'airy', but not always, it depends on the quality / price of the particular headphones. There are some top end closed headphones that in these audio aspects sound very close or even like open headphones.
The closed headphones, as a general rule, have a better bass volume [do not confuse it with the bass impact] and those with the wooden enclosures / cups have more pleasing tonal qualities since the wood of the cups can suppress some and enable and/or enhance other resonances to create the harmonic overtones. What is also important, the closed headphones block the outside noise to a good degree and also minimize the leaking of sound outwards. [...except Fostex TH900, they are closed but leak the sound as if they were open ones].

NT1440 · Dec 19, 2013

Not an audiophile in any way. I just can't stand Beats because I listen to mostly rock music (not metal), and all I hear is a way overblown bass section.

I want to listen to music, not tech or bass beats.

WILLY1000 · Dec 21, 2013

worst product and worst customer service

last year 2012 l bough my kids and wife dr dre beat ear buds for about $450 at that time. didnt last more than 5 months before they all 3 were coming apart and didnt work. what monster wants as a company for you to do is amazing to get another pair. NOTE they first will want to repair yours first if they can and send them back. So l wanted the studio head phones really bad so this christmas 2013 l went and got them for myself and guess what. They lasted me one movie that l watched on my ipad and than they stopped working. If you played with the mute button multi times it would work for about 3 seconds and than cut off again.
l owned them for 1 day, l couldnt take them back because they have a return to maker deal with most companies that sell there product unless you pay for an ext warranty in case they brake you dont have to call beats you just go back. So at Target if you paid another $50 you could just return them there for a free pair. $50 really for a pair of $250 head phones, l guess l didnt see the value in that.

So l called the company and l was told they would send a package so l could return them and they would REPAIR them and send them back to me. But this could take from 4-6 weeks to do. REALLY. l have spent now $700 on head phones in less than one year and thats the service l got.

So l went back to Target and demanded a manager and got a refund. l did buy a different pair and not Dr Dre Suck ass beats but another brand but man what a joke. For what they cost and what type of service you get from them they really suck. l should have known that buying the 3 ear buds that lasted only 5 months that this is probly not the best brand to go with.

take my word for it they might look and sound cool but there is better out there and trust me cheaper!!!!
Beats will never see another dollar from me again even if they do make a better product.

Solomani · Dec 21, 2013

musty345 said:
Monster Is An Evil Company

I drink Monster all the time. Did you have a bad experience with it?

roadbloc · Dec 22, 2013

deskell98 said:
Couldn't agree more, the people who say beats are terrible are the people who love always being against the majority to make themselves look intelligent.

Or maybe its because you can get much better headphones at a much lesser price. Don't get me wrong, beats are nice, but they aren't half expensive for the hardware in them.

A bit like Macs I guess.

kbfr08 · Dec 22, 2013

WILLY1000 said:
last year 2012 l bough my kids and wife dr dre beat ear buds for about $450 at that time. didnt last more than 5 months before they all 3 were coming apart and didnt work. what monster wants as a company for you to do is amazing to get another pair. NOTE they first will want to repair yours first if they can and send them back. So l wanted the studio head phones really bad so this christmas 2013 l went and got them for myself and guess what. They lasted me one movie that l watched on my ipad and than they stopped working. If you played with the mute button multi times it would work for about 3 seconds and than cut off again.
l owned them for 1 day, l couldnt take them back because they have a return to maker deal with most companies that sell there product unless you pay for an ext warranty in case they brake you dont have to call beats you just go back. So at Target if you paid another $50 you could just return them there for a free pair. $50 really for a pair of $250 head phones, l guess l didnt see the value in that.

So l called the company and l was told they would send a package so l could return them and they would REPAIR them and send them back to me. But this could take from 4-6 weeks to do. REALLY. l have spent now $700 on head phones in less than one year and thats the service l got.

So l went back to Target and demanded a manager and got a refund. l did buy a different pair and not Dr Dre Suck ass beats but another brand but man what a joke. For what they cost and what type of service you get from them they really suck. l should have known that buying the 3 ear buds that lasted only 5 months that this is probly not the best brand to go with.

take my word for it they might look and sound cool but there is better out there and trust me cheaper!!!!
Beats will never see another dollar from me again even if they do make a better product.

Um... nearly any company will repair rather than replace if possible. If you're within the return policy, taking it back to the retailer is probably the best choice, otherwise warranty repairs are not an uncommon practice for any industry. Very few companies swap out products after just one issue, I'm not quite sure why you had that expectation.

SomeGuyDude · Dec 29, 2013

roadbloc said:
Or maybe its because you can get much better headphones at a much lesser price. Don't get me wrong, beats are nice, but they aren't half expensive for the hardware in them.

A bit like Macs I guess.

Yeah. I'm wearing some Monster NCredible NTunes, which aren't even Monster's higher end "urban" line, and they sound so much better than Beats it's silly. For music listening with extra low end, these are the best I've ever heard for under $300. I have Shures, Sennheisers, Beyerdynamics, and Audio Technicas that didn't give me this lively a response.

The problem with Beats is like Bose. They're fine, but they REALLY don't justify the cost. If they were worth the money, I'd buy a pair. And anyone on a frigging Apple forum complaining about "you look like a sheep" is such pot calling the kettle black it's silly. Apple is the DEFINITION of it.

----------

NT1440 said:
Not an audiophile in any way. I just can't stand Beats because I listen to mostly rock music (not metal), and all I hear is a way overblown bass section.

I want to listen to music, not tech or bass beats.

That's because the way Beats increase the low end is sad. They just artificially EQ it up instead of actually beefing up the drivers. It makes bass heavy music sound really bad. Like using a stock car radio and just turning up the bass knob as far as it goes.

rboy505 · Jan 28, 2014

kbfr08 said:
Um... nearly any company will repair rather than replace if possible.

Not with items like earbuds that require more than 2 minutes repair from a company that serves the consumer rather than the professional. It costs them as much repair as give you another pair, even if the headphones retail for $200.

I don't believe anybody repairs their own earbuds and returns them to you rather than just sending you a replacement factory second.

VideoBeagle · Jan 30, 2014

btymciw said:
Hey, So I just wanted to add something. Before you buy headphones, do some research to what exactly makes one set of headphones better then the other (sound quality wise.) The other day I went into factory direct and I wanted to get a headset due to my upcoming vacation. So I began to read the specification on the back of all of the headsets, and to my amazement a $17 pair of headsets where infact better then a $99 pair by the same company... Sony. .

What are good stats to look at/compare?

(what's sad is I used to know all this stuff, but that was many years and many beers ago :

ScottishDuck said:
I was wondering when the racism would start.

Beats are not bad because a PoC made them.

Whoa...slow your roll. Dismissing rap as a musical form is not racist. It's a sad 25 year old cliche, mind you, but it's not racist. (Now if at the same time as dismissing Dr. Dre he was dismissing, say, Quincy Jones and Barry Gordy, you might have a case.)

Eiren · Feb 5, 2014

Headphones

Beats are great for heavy bass audio but overall they are very poor quality; not just construction but audio reproduction.

A lot of the other headphones mentioned are great - Beyer Dynamic, Shure, Sennheiser, etc.

I picked up a pair of AKG 550 reference headphones from Amazon as they're only £109 in the UK now - they were highly rated at their original price of £250 and are a great buy at £109

Superb audio reproduction and very highly rated in numerous audiophile reviews as well.

Also depends very much on what you're looking for in headphones - sit at home? On the train? etc. In Ear? Over Ear? On Ear?

In ear I have settled on Atomic Floyd Super Darts - blew my Shure, UE, and Etymotic's away and have lasted longer than any of them too; great balanced audio sound.

Not a fan of on-ear cans myself

iLog.Genius · Feb 8, 2014

Right now, my favourite headphones are the Grado SR80i and Audio Technica ATH-M50 or ATH-M30. SR80i's if you're just looking for clean and neutral sounding headphones, they don't attempt to hide or be something they're not and at a great price. The ATH-M50 or M30 if you're looking for that full audiophile sound that is well rounded.

But it comes down to what you're looking for. I can't say Bose or Beats are bad because they have their own distinctive sound that some people do look for and let's be honest, while not audiophile quality, they still sound relatively good but the price is all wrong.

Lunfai · Feb 9, 2014

iLog.Genius said:
Right now, my favourite headphones are the Grado SR80i and Audio Technica ATH-M50 or ATH-M30. SR80i's if you're just looking for clean and neutral sounding headphones, they don't attempt to hide or be something they're not and at a great price. The ATH-M50 or M30 if you're looking for that full audiophile sound that is well rounded.

But it comes down to what you're looking for. I can't say Bose or Beats are bad because they have their own distinctive sound that some people do look for and let's be honest, while not audiophile quality, they still sound relatively good but the price is all wrong.

I like the m50s. For portal headphones, I liked the p3 bowers and Wilkins but I recently replaced them with KEF M500s. IMO they blew away the senheiser momentums that I had.

Zellio · Feb 9, 2014

I've owned a pair of sennheiser 595's for several years, got it on sale for $120, and it not only blows the beats away but the bass is excellent too!

You can get far more for your money if you look around. Beats is a $170 fashion statement with $10-$30 headphones attached.

iLog.Genius · Feb 10, 2014

Lunfai said:
I like the m50s. For portal headphones, I liked the p3 bowers and Wilkins but I recently replaced them with KEF M500s. IMO they blew away the senheiser momentums that I had.

I was so excited to get the chance to hear the KEF 500s but was extremely disappointed as to how bright they were. Perhaps they could use some burn in but I don't think it would've made a huge difference. I used to like a bit more treble than the average listener but having been around loudspeakers from Harbeth, Neat, Castle and even KEF, I became a fan of the deep, warm and "airy" sound, something the M500's were not.

Dav1boy · Feb 12, 2014

Zellio said:
Beats is a $170 fashion statement with $10-$30 headphones attached.

Lmao! My friend u just won quote of the year! And its only February.

Why Not To Buy The Beats By Dre

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