Most costly component in Beats headphones is the box

[Gjwilly]

Saw this article and got a good chuckle.
They dissect the Beats Solo headphones and give a breakdown on the parts and the manufacturing process.
They also claim that the few metal parts in the headphones are there, not for function, but solely to add weight and thus perceived quality.
The electronics, they claim, are generic off the shelf parts and the box itself, is the most costly component.
https://medium.com/@BoltVC/how-it-s-made-series-beats-by-dre-154aae384b36

 

[interstella]

I can agree with that! People expect them to be great because they are expensive. Sadly, they aren't as good as they're made out to be.

 

[venom600]

I really don't understand what this was trying to achieve. There are at least half a dozen varieties of Beats headphones with varying levels of build quality, and that quality has improved dramatically in the last couple of years. And am I to believe that other headphone makers looking to cash in on Beats success aren't taking similar shortcuts?

 

[z31fanatic]

Yeah, and Apple is selling a $2 leather band for $49.

 

[matreya]

I just got a pair of Sony MDR-1As and they're very nice headphones... cheaper than Beats too.