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Dr Dre BeatsPro
- Thread starter MagnusF
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there are better sounding headphones for way cheaper price, however the question is what type of music do you mostly listen to, thats the most important thing, and studio headphones have the best sound range, although never look the greatest and almost never comfortable enough... i had a pair of audio technicas for £35 and they were by far the best sounding headphones under £25 i ever owned the sound depth for the price was insane!! but beats are good, just overpriced, id never pay that for them... look on reviews for a price range, you'll get some really good from world proffessional producers...
Hey dude, I understand you want some style and all that - but do yourself a favor and don't buy into the whole Dr. Dre marketing hype 
.
Now I'm not a style icon or anything - I'm wearing
right now - but there's plenty out there that both looks and sounds good.
Sennheiser HD598 - http://www.amazon.com/Sennheiser-HD...8CW2/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1319928564&sr=8-1 $250
AKG K142 - http://www.amazon.com/Akg-K142Hd-Hi...78HA/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1319928589&sr=8-1 $104
and
AKG K242 (bigger version of the one above - more comfortable and better sound) - http://www.amazon.com/AKG-242-HD-Hi...1?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1319928688&sr=1-1 $+-159
To name a few.
Also, in-ear monitors can be astonishingly good if you can stand them. They block out all sound - the ones above do not, and I'll list a few reasonable good looking ones that do below, and they're very inconspicuous.
Examples:
http://www.amazon.com/Westone-WST-W...4?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1319928824&sr=1-4 - $188
http://www.amazon.com/Ultimate-Ears...1?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1319928849&sr=1-1 - $230
http://www.amazon.com/Sennheiser-IE...1?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1319928967&sr=1-1 - $120
And some closed headphones:
http://www.amazon.com/Denon-AH-D110...1?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1319929017&sr=1-1 - $200
http://www.amazon.com/Audio-Technic...1?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1319929036&sr=1-1 - $159
http://www.amazon.com/Sennheiser-HD...9?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1319929056&sr=1-9 - $183
Just a few of the many, many headphones out there that are better than Dre's.
.Now I'm not a style icon or anything - I'm wearing
right now - but there's plenty out there that both looks and sounds good.
Sennheiser HD598 - http://www.amazon.com/Sennheiser-HD...8CW2/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1319928564&sr=8-1 $250
AKG K142 - http://www.amazon.com/Akg-K142Hd-Hi...78HA/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1319928589&sr=8-1 $104
and
AKG K242 (bigger version of the one above - more comfortable and better sound) - http://www.amazon.com/AKG-242-HD-Hi...1?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1319928688&sr=1-1 $+-159
To name a few.
Also, in-ear monitors can be astonishingly good if you can stand them. They block out all sound - the ones above do not, and I'll list a few reasonable good looking ones that do below, and they're very inconspicuous.
Examples:
http://www.amazon.com/Westone-WST-W...4?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1319928824&sr=1-4 - $188
http://www.amazon.com/Ultimate-Ears...1?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1319928849&sr=1-1 - $230
http://www.amazon.com/Sennheiser-IE...1?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1319928967&sr=1-1 - $120
And some closed headphones:
http://www.amazon.com/Denon-AH-D110...1?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1319929017&sr=1-1 - $200
http://www.amazon.com/Audio-Technic...1?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1319929036&sr=1-1 - $159
http://www.amazon.com/Sennheiser-HD...9?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1319929056&sr=1-9 - $183
Just a few of the many, many headphones out there that are better than Dre's.
As an Amazon Associate, MacRumors earns a commission from qualifying purchases made through links in this post.
I have Beats Pro headphones to use with my iPhone, and they are great if bass is your thing. I wear mine on my commute to work, and although I am not bothered by the size of the headphones, I do find the cord very thick and the coiled part is annoying.
I initially used a Beats Solo cable with the Pro's so I could have the microphone functionality, and although this also solved the thick/coil cable issue, when playing back audio using the Solo cable, the volume is not as powerful (approx <10% than using the Pro cord).
Due to the Pro's having a low ohm rating, the headphones are very easy to drive and they are definitely both louder and have better audio quality than the Beats Studio and Solo headphones.
However, I am thinking of selling my Pro's and buying B&W P5's, as the Pro's only really excel if listening to dance and hip-hop music (these genres of music only make up 40% of my music collection and I believe that the P5's will be better suited as an all-rounder type of headphone, which has been designed with Apple products in mind).
If you consider yourself a bass-head and are still contemplating buying the Pro's then the good points are:
1. Very loud and bassy (if that's your thing)
2. Easy to drive, no need for an additional amplifier
3. Good build quality
4. Exudes style (if that's your thing)
Bad points:
1. Very expensive
2. Pressure on the ears/top of head after 30 mins +
3. Shouts steal me if you use when commuting
4. Audio quality is not great when listening to any genre of music other than dance or hip-hop (very forward soundstage).
I initially used a Beats Solo cable with the Pro's so I could have the microphone functionality, and although this also solved the thick/coil cable issue, when playing back audio using the Solo cable, the volume is not as powerful (approx <10% than using the Pro cord).
Due to the Pro's having a low ohm rating, the headphones are very easy to drive and they are definitely both louder and have better audio quality than the Beats Studio and Solo headphones.
However, I am thinking of selling my Pro's and buying B&W P5's, as the Pro's only really excel if listening to dance and hip-hop music (these genres of music only make up 40% of my music collection and I believe that the P5's will be better suited as an all-rounder type of headphone, which has been designed with Apple products in mind).
If you consider yourself a bass-head and are still contemplating buying the Pro's then the good points are:
1. Very loud and bassy (if that's your thing)
2. Easy to drive, no need for an additional amplifier
3. Good build quality
4. Exudes style (if that's your thing)
Bad points:
1. Very expensive
2. Pressure on the ears/top of head after 30 mins +
3. Shouts steal me if you use when commuting
4. Audio quality is not great when listening to any genre of music other than dance or hip-hop (very forward soundstage).
I've never in my life seen a pair of headphones like the stax-sr202. Thought it was a joke till I looked them up.
i kicked myself in the face dont worry, i meant to say £25 for each.....specsaver's it is..
Hey dude, I understand you want some style and all that - but do yourself a favor and don't buy into the whole Dr. Dre marketing hype
Now I'm not a style icon or anything - I'm wearing
Image
right now - but there's plenty out there that both looks and sounds good.
Image
Sennheiser HD598 - http://www.amazon.com/Sennheiser-HD...8CW2/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1319928564&sr=8-1 $250
Image
AKG K142 - http://www.amazon.com/Akg-K142Hd-Hi...78HA/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1319928589&sr=8-1 $104
and
Image
AKG K242 (bigger version of the one above - more comfortable and better sound) - http://www.amazon.com/AKG-242-HD-Hi...1?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1319928688&sr=1-1 $+-159
To name a few.
Also, in-ear monitors can be astonishingly good if you can stand them. They block out all sound - the ones above do not, and I'll list a few reasonable good looking ones that do below, and they're very inconspicuous.
Examples:
http://www.amazon.com/Westone-WST-W...4?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1319928824&sr=1-4 - $188
http://www.amazon.com/Ultimate-Ears...1?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1319928849&sr=1-1 - $230
http://www.amazon.com/Sennheiser-IE...1?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1319928967&sr=1-1 - $120
And some closed headphones:
http://www.amazon.com/Denon-AH-D110...1?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1319929017&sr=1-1 - $200
http://www.amazon.com/Audio-Technic...1?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1319929036&sr=1-1 - $159
http://www.amazon.com/Sennheiser-HD...9?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1319929056&sr=1-9 - $183
Just a few of the many, many headphones out there that are better than Dre's.
TOTALLY agree... half of your money goes to Lady Gaga ... and the packaging... the headset itself only worth about $20
As an Amazon Associate, MacRumors earns a commission from qualifying purchases made through links in this post.
They're ridiculous. The design is from the 70's, the technology is from a bit before that, and they creak with every move. The build quality is terrible. They're absolutely unlike anything Apple has ever made. But they make up for it by having one of Apple's core values - they're insanely great. They sound like nothing else in the world and they give me a benchmark to apply to anything else - even with the lacking low-frequency response.
The SR-009:
This is their flagship. Gorgeous aluminium, amazing build quality and nice leather pads. But they're also $5600+- excluding the required amplifier (which, if you're buying that thing, should cost about the same to get the same reference class quality). This is the pair of headphones that $100k speaker rigs should look up to. From the reports, they are the most detailed things ever made. Steve would have loved and hated them.
Anyway, back on topic:
Another, kind of crazy option, is the custom in ear monitor market. Per example, Fidelity: http://www.fidelitycustomearphones.net/products-page/earphones/fidelity-duals/
They're all-custom, bespoke made-for-you earphones. I've owned a pair of Ultimate Ears UE-11's for a few years. For portable use, they might be the best sound you can possibly get. But the UE-11's are over a thousand dollars, and the Fidelity is the same idea brought to 260-ish dollars.
They can have a lot of different looks, although they will always look a little like hearing aids. Mine look like this:
http://dl.dropbox.com/u/11612892/IMG_0126.JPG
http://dl.dropbox.com/u/11612892/IMG_0127.JPG
They contain four drivers each. The cable is replaceable. And that goes for the Fidelity earphones I mentioned as well, which is closer to the OP's price.
It's something unique
.