Apple Adds Dedicated Beats By Dr. Dre Accessory Section to Online Store

[AppleIsBack]

Beats headphones are aimed at over 40s?...... Is that the old dudes who dress like 20 year olds ? Still thinking they are cool...or maybe living with their mothers still

As to Bono.

Product red did very well for apple.

So did the U2 iPods.

I know their target isn't 40 & up it was sarcasm. Lol. And yes product red but product red is about more than "cool". Product red is about aids support. The U2 iPods...nah. Maybe in like 2003-2006 (idk when they were released) but never, never now.

We are all getting old.

 

[Agent OrangeZ]

Or they could give us a global graphic EQ with the same effect for free, like android has had for 4 years.

Is that going to make them more money?

 

[toneloco2881]

This thread is very...interesting.

Let's be honest here. The vast majority of people whom are trashing Beats audio quality have NEVER even tried on a pair. That includes the press whom were so quick on the day of the announcement to disparage the quality of the headphones, and then had to subsequently ask their buddy "are they really crap or not"?

I myself have never tried them to assess the audio quality, so I won't sit and pretend that I did. Nor will I ever believe that a massive group of 40-50 somethings Caucasian individuals ever did so themselves. I say this because I overheard a group of 3 of them at my local Apple store speaking as if buying Beats was the worst possible acquisition in the history of tech companies. Then, they all remarked to one another how they had never tried them, and "wouldn't be caught dead" wearing them, and how could Apple associate themselves with such trash. That let me know enough right there to know that most people are lying when they act like they have actually done auditory comparative experiments to assess these headphones, and it really speaks to something else...



As if Apples in-ear earbuds or the headphones included with iPods all these years have been anything more than mediocre. Those I HAVE used, and no one would rate them great so why are we pretending that Apple only puts out the best. I love Apple products just as much as anyone else but, come on...


Carry on.

 

[lk400]

I don't care much about the acquisition of beats, but seeing Apple themselves advertising beats accessories as "great sound" feels kind of painful. I don't know what it is.

You say that, yet even the "audiophiles" on sites such as head fi agree that the newer models (V2 of the studio and V2 of the solo) have good sound - still over priced 30% - 50% perhaps, but great sound none the less. I am not a fan of the brand, and do not profess to be an "audiophile", but I do own several high end headphones and also agree that those newer models sound pretty good.

Yet people still parrot these lines that beats headphones sound bad.

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Image
Audio-Technica ATH-M50x (AMAZON)
Best bang for your buck on headphones.

Sure - at one stage this headphone was a great buy - perhaps 5 years ago (the previous non X model, which was identical except for a few small features). It was also one of the most hyped headphone at that time which led to it riding the wave of everyone who cares about these things loving it and recommending it, to everyone quickly tiring of it, to everyone calling it the "newbie" headphone and hating on it.

Nowadays, with the X model relaunch, its still a great sounding headphone, but it also costs more so is no longer the great bang for buck bargain it once was.

I own both the non X and X model of this headphone and have done a direct comparison to the beats studio V2 and in sound, the beats win out on everything except sub bass. In comfort, style and portability the beats easily win. On price the AT easily win.

 

[lk400]

I tried the Beats Solo2 headphones, it is not bad...

but with the $200 price tag, Sennheiser Momentum headphone (when it is on sale), Sennheiser HD25s/Amperior headphone (when it is on sale), Grado SR80e, V-Moda XS, and Audio-Technica ATH-M50x can produce better music, with wider range...

I think the Beats Solo 2 use 40mm drivers, so the ATH-M40x would be a better comaprison. Half the price, but not close in sound quality.

The ATH-M50X use 50mm drivers, and are certainly very close in sound. Both have a bit of a V shape sound, neither are flat or analytical. Which is "better" depends on personal preference - I couldnt clearly pick a winner (although like i said in a post above, the M50 do have impressive sub bass, if thats your thing). Compared to the Solo 2, the M50 are not attractive, not portable, and quite heavy on your head. Solo 2 easily win on style and portability.

In my country, there is less than $30 between the two (M50x to SoloV2), so its certainly a much closer race than people make out, or than it was if comparing the M50 a few years ago (at about $120) to the $200 beats solo V 1 (which did sound pretty bad).

 

[PocketSand11]

Or they could give us a global graphic EQ with the same effect for free, like android has had for 4 years.

Yep, that's pretty much what Beats headphones do. They take whatever you're listening to and make it unbalanced so there's extra bass (sounds really bad for anything but rap) then play it out of semi-good speakers that cost 10X the price of comparable speakers. Lastly, they throw in some buzz words like "digital" and some fake terms like "triple reflex bass" in on the marketing.

 

[robjulo]

Wonder if Dee Barnes will buy a set.

 

[PocketSand11]

And hideous as heck. So funny how all of us have no problem paying top dollar for Apple products when there are so many quality and less expensive alternatives. Why...because we all love the Apple logo and how it makes us feel.

Sorry, I don't like Apple products for their style, and neither do my friends. My Mac setup is so un-hip that most people see it and don't even know it's a Mac. Macs and iPhones work unimaginably better than anything "comparable" but cheaper, and Apple gets all the details right (usually).

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****** not going to sell if you put Bono on it.

Well of course. I'd buy one with Bonzo on it, not Bono.

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Maybe for the cultural clout they carry... and so Apple can engineer the things to sound better in a year or so?

Apple has had cultural clout since 1984. Beats doesn't have that really, just a trend, and no technology behind it. It'll be over one day like Silly Bandz (anyone remember?) were. I'm pretty sure Apple's EarPods already sound better than Beats earbuds too.

 

[JobsGang]

"Beats sound incredibly good compared to most headphones in the market"
Beats sound incredibly good compared to cheap crap.

"These are cools, sound good, have a high volume and bass and young people want this kind of sound."
Suits customers that don't know what good sound is.

It was always mentioned they don't sound good, not if they are cool or not cause cool is not in the sound spectrum.

how can you tell someone what good sound is?Good sound to you might not be good sound to the next guy.

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Image
Audio-Technica ATH-M50x (AMAZON)
Best bang for your buck on headphones.

who would walk around with those ugly things on?

 

[oldwren]

Who is Dr Dre?

I'm serious. Is he a rapper or something? I don't understand. No, I haven't been living under a rock. But is he an entertainer or something? If they wanted star power, I would have picked someone with a little more recognizability. Those of us over 40 might have a difficult time recognizing these strange names that mean nothing.

I'm 20 and had never heard of him either.

 

[krravi]

Sorry Apple, not falling for this one. I want headphones, I go to Denon or Sony.

 

[Teste]

Is Apple going to offer too beatings by 'Dr' Dre? Although knowing his history, that item would be exclusive to black women.

 

[nStyle]

I wouldn't buy Beats but this makes perfect sense and is a good move for them. People don't buy beats for much other than being ill-informed, a fashion decision, or both. Any Apple is taking advantage of that. They like to tout being best at some stuff, but they don't claim to be the best at everything.

What are they doing, working on an iPhone 6 release, iOS 8 (or call it iOS 7.5 if you will), Yosemite, and possible a new product (iWatch). So who cares about this. It helps them with streaming and acquires a fashionable profit producing company and the personnel responsible for it.

It's still a horrible fit for the reasons you mentioned...people don't buy Apple products for those reasons. At least not everyone. Beats really has no claim to fame. They don't do anything better than anyone else who produces headphones except marketing. Apple markets better plus just has better products. So I don't see why they acquired a headphone company since they could easily grow their own line of headphones for less than 3bn I would think.

It's a little appalling that Apple is putting its name in the "Pill". It's unanimously one of the worst, if not the worse, portable Bluetooth speakers on the market. It's so cliche by now to say "Steve would of never allowed this", but this time it's blatantly obvious!

Fortunately for Apple and shareholders, they will inevitably grow the brand just because they are pushing it.

What I don't understand is why Apple couldn't design their own headphones...they have the best speakers in their products already, why would it be such a leap for them to launch their own cans?

 

[ricci]

Oh god why... disgusting


Please kill me now.

And what is the problem here?

 

[koruki]

how can you tell someone what good sound is?Good sound to you might not be good sound to the next guy.

It's not hard really. Good sound isn't an opinion, there might be a preference but that usually varies in terms of what genre the listener prefers. Treble should be smooth & clear but not too bright, bass should be strong but controlled. Usually these headphones just dial it up and have airy base to give a strong first impression. You will find after the bass hits it drops off at the end and deflates. It's usually in the mids that preference comes in. The Beats should meet the minimum before Apple starts calling it "Great"

You had a comment about how the headphones look too and I can confirm there isn't any correlation between how headphones look and how they sound

 

[D-Love]

Beats Pros are phenomenal headphones, haters always ignore that model when hating on Beats

The revised Studios and Solos are also quite good. A lot of the bashing is based on the old models, which WERE terrible.

 

[JobsGang]

It's not hard really. Good sound isn't an opinion, there might be a preference but that usually varies in terms of what genre the listener prefers. Treble should be smooth & clear but not too bright, bass should be strong but controlled. Usually these headphones just dial it up and have airy base to give a strong first impression. You will find after the bass hits it drops off at the end and deflates. It's usually in the mids that preference comes in. The Beats should meet the minimum before Apple starts calling it "Great"

You had a comment about how the headphones look too and I can confirm there isn't any correlation between how headphones look and how they sound

I admit that comment about the appearance was a little dig at the audiophiles.

 

[Jayomat]

Image
Audio-Technica ATH-M50x (AMAZON)
Best bang for your buck on headphones.

may be true, but unfrtunately they look like '****', which is a no go for a product people literally wear on their head.

 

[Agent OrangeZ]

may be true, but unfrtunately they look like '****', which is a no go for a product people literally wear on their head.

Wow... with all the crap people talk about Beats being a fashion accessory first and sound quality second... I think Beats is on to something if people care about how their headphones "look."

 

[MH01]

I know their target isn't 40 & up it was sarcasm. Lol. And yes product red but product red is about more than "cool". Product red is about aids support. The U2 iPods...nah. Maybe in like 2003-2006 (idk when they were released) but never, never now.

We are all getting old.

That we are.... That we are...

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may be true, but unfrtunately they look like '****', which is a no go for a product people literally wear on their head.

It may shock you that the origins of headphones was to listen to music, unbelievable eh!!!!! These days people only know them as bling fashion accessories.

There are rumours of old people still using them for music.... Fools eh

 

[fazekas]

Beats headphones = Garbage

Beats headphones are bass heavy cr*p! I'd never pay that much money for garbage. Still don't fully understand why Apple bought them, unless it was for their "talent".

 

[roland.g]

It's still a horrible fit for the reasons you mentioned...people don't buy Apple products for those reasons. At least not everyone. Beats really has no claim to fame. They don't do anything better than anyone else who produces headphones except marketing. Apple markets better plus just has better products. So I don't see why they acquired a headphone company since they could easily grow their own line of headphones for less than 3bn I would think.

It's a little appalling that Apple is putting its name in the "Pill". It's unanimously one of the worst, if not the worse, portable Bluetooth speakers on the market. It's so cliche by now to say "Steve would of never allowed this", but this time it's blatantly obvious!

Fortunately for Apple and shareholders, they will inevitably grow the brand just because they are pushing it.

What I don't understand is why Apple couldn't design their own headphones...they have the best speakers in their products already, why would it be such a leap for them to launch their own cans?

2 reasons really. First, because people buy them. Develop their own cans and then market them, maybe they'll sell, or it will be like the Apple iPod Hi-Fi and not do that well. Or they acquire Beats and masses already buy them and Apple gets the benefit.

And you say, why drop $3B on it. Well, that's the 2nd reason. Apple probably bought Beats more for the subscription service, the subscribers, and the streaming deals, as well as the execs who made those deals, than anything else.

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you can substitute Beats with Apple and still have a perfectly logical paragraph.
but i'd better not start this argument here and now
i just mean to say that apple has never been interested in providing us with the best performance for the buck, but rather has other priorities: appeal, aesthetics, functionality.
in this point of view beats is a perfect match and mate of apple ecosystem, especially in the US, not so much here in the EU, yet.

Apple products, computers, smartphones, etc. are arguably top tier in performance, and coupled with innovation, i.e. Air, Retina, battery life, weight, etc. But they don't always match spec for spec with competitors, part because that isn't their strategy and part because of their release cycles. Now they don't go to war on price in producing high end tech, and that is true. But that isn't to say they don't perform as well as most high end stuff. Add to that that Apple does a lot more with their vertical integration from OS to hardware.

But the other point is that while computers are performance, benchmark, spec heavy consumer goods, the performance you talk about there and the performance in the headphone market is a different game. And that is a huge difference and doesn't make them interchangeable.

 

[barkmonster]

My HD 25 ii's are better than any beats headphones and they've recently made a more consumer orrientated version with a simple overhead band instead of the modular version I have with replacable audio leads and a fully adjustable headband.

So that's either £170 or £90 (on average) for headphones that beat the over-priced fashion headphone or the even more over-priced laughably "studio" headphones and they're not even the most high end headphones you can buy if you use the Beats price range.

I'm sure a cheap pair of JVC in-ear headphones are better than £100+ Beats earbuds too.

 

[6836838]

Beats headphones are a product of Monster CABLES. They were never a quality audio manufacturer from the get-go. I'll never buy Beats headphone and will stick to established companies, such as Sennheiser.

Beats even make Bose look good!

 

[wilsonlaidlaw]

New HP laptop with Beats Audio just announced???

I was somewhat surprised to be offered via email today from HP, whose printers I use, a new HP laptop with Beats Audio. I assume this must a contract legacy from before the Apple takeover.