New Beats Products to Debut Alongside iPhone 7 on September 7

[deany]

They may not have a 3.5mm headphone cable but TC will announce that AW bands have proven to be so popular Apple has re-engineered the headphone headband and it's now interchangable with other Beats designer "headliner bands": Heavy Metal (all steel), Ron Wood (hand carved oak), & Fake Plastic Trees (a plastic band for your radio head).

I'll go for the Dave Bowie eternity band
cheers

 

[Mackinjosh]

More overpriced garbage headphones for people who like overpaying for overpriced garbage.

 

[Spink10]

None taken. I literally just said 'holy sh**' when I got on and saw I had all those thumbs. I wasn't even that impressed with it when I wrote it.

Edit: I also appreciate your ability to not like something and state that without going full-tilt 'this is the dumbest thing I've ever heard in my life'. More people should learn this trait.

lol - congrats on all the thumbs up though!

 

[AntoineLec]

Don't headphones cause tinnitus ?

 

[kentsydney]

These look interesting and have a lightening connector too...


http://www.whathifi.com/news/audeze...orlds-first-in-ear-planar-magnetic-headphones

 

[BuffaloTF]

I just looked at the first 3 reviews found on google for the Solo 2. They are pretty much agree, they are much improved over the Solo, but they still have an unnatural bass heavy sound.

http://www.cnet.com/products/beats-solo-2/

http://www.trustedreviews.com/beats-solo-2-review

http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2460252,00.asp

They are all pretty much in agreement. If you like bass heavy unbalanced sound you will love them. If you prefer a balanced sound you will hate them. By its very nature people are going to have a love hate relationship with them.

The same is often true with speakers. Many manufactures tune their speakers for an unbalanced house sound, others tune them very flat. In fact many home audio receivers allow you to calibrate to a "house" sound or to a flat frequency response because they know different people have different expectations.

Apple can either keep the beats product line as it is for what it is known for, balance the sound out in future releases and risk alienating those that like the unbalanced sound, or create new Apple branded products that have a more balanced sound.

My preference would be for the new products to contain a DSP built into circuitry of the headphones or iPhone to allow the end user to tune the sound as they see fit. This is similar to what Audeze has done in their cipher cables. If it was built into the iPhone 7 even better.

Yeah... I was thinking more along the lines of real reviews by respected members of the audiophile community rather than catch-all rags.

Tyll Herstens - http://www.innerfidelity.com/content/time-rethink-beats-solo2-excellent#G36sdwLIUDkquPv9.97

HiFiGuy528 -

Scot Hull -

- for the Studio 2013, as a reference to the initial shift in quality.

These guys are among the most respected in the realm because they aren't afraid to tell it like it is and say the unpopular thing. The other sites are just lemming sites that follow the herd and tell you what you expect to hear.

And just for a giggle, the Wall of Fame even after 2 years:

http://www.innerfidelity.com/content/innerfidelitys-wall-fame-ear-pad-sealed#YXJPkwj0yeMvSPDY.97

 

[sp3k0psv3t]

Don't know if it's already been said, but this isn't really a surprise. They are releasing a new iPhone with no 3.5mm jack, so they are going to need to release a new line of lightning port headphones, right?

Will be interesting though. I see a lot of Beats phones connect to phones that aren't iPhone. Would be shooting themselves in the foot if they don't include the Lightning to 3.5mm adapter (or will it be vice versa?).

They could be releasing new models claiming to be updated and better sounding but the only real difference is that they come packaged with a Lightning adapter??
[doublepost=1472793442][/doublepost]
Ha ha ha, I have no problem with what you just said, but the very definition of a marketing professional is to tell people how they should spend their money ;-)

Haha. Very true friend. I must have missed the part about the "marketing professionals" but yes, you are correct and that is exactly their job lol. Spot on.

 

[kentsydney]

Haha. Very true friend. I must have missed the part about the "marketing professionals" but yes, you are correct and that is exactly their job lol. Spot on.

agree, yes The purpose of advertising and marketing is to create dissatisfaction and craving which can only be satisfied with the purchase of the shiny new product they luckily have for you

 

[yngrshr]

While Beats are generally overpriced garbage, if Apple poured some legitimate research and development into either making Bluetooth audio better or lightning audio clearly superior to the analog headphone jack - and released the resulting products under the Beats brand - I could picture myself CONSIDERING buying a set of Beats headphones.

Overpriced? Sure. Garbage? Not at all.

Bought the wireless Studio 2s during Best Buy's 50th sale. At $180, they were well worth it.

 

[Nippi2000]

Unfortunately the headphones optimized for low impedance mobile device amps will not sound the same on other equipment with standard headphone specs. So the same set of headphones are going to sound different on every analogue device you plug it into.

Add to the fact that the mobile headphone jack is a compromise between Line Level Output and Headphone Level output, and doesn't do either particularly well. And that is variable from device to device.

So what you're suggesting for anyone who desires optimal audio quality, is that they will have to carry around multiple sets of headphones for whatever devices they intend to use. But even that doesn't change the line level output problem. That's still sub optimal, and will have different results from device to device.

I think you have misunderstood my post or you have to learn to read a bit more carefully. No, I haven't suggested anywhere that people need to use different headphonese depending on the equipment they are using. What I am saying is that manufacturers have realised that there are many audiophiles who like to enjoy their music on the go and there offering headsets with a lower impedance level than older traditional cans when during the development phase power requirements to drive them was probably not a priority.

Of course you can use lower impedance model on any equipment.

And I would argue that any average Amplifier of your home HIFI set will have a much better linear frequency response and will sound better than any what you say "optimised" tiny AMP included in a cable or the cans itself. So now a headset with included electric components would probably sound worse in most cases. Unless of course you swap cables (which would be a hassle).

Moving the DAC and amp into the equipment it's driving, and optimizing it for that equipment makes logical sense. That way, my headphones always sound the same, regardless of the equipment I'm using them on, and line level outputs can be optimized for the equipment it's connected to. Even balanced inputs/outputs from the iPhone are possible with the correct dongle. The other advantages of course are that using a digital output, power can be provided to various equipment directly from the iPhone. No more bulky battery packs on noise cancelling headphones, or running out of power mid-flight without replacement batteries on hand. Sensors can be built into the headphones that do things like automatically pause the iPhone when removed from the head. Etc.

I really don't think these arguments really justify the removal of the headphone jack in my opinion. And all the things you mentioned could be achieved already today. The Lightning port has been available for years. If we need to remove one option to force development of the others then it's a fail in the sense of technological evolution.

There's no question that there are advantages to digital. The real question is why are they removing the headphone jack? I'm not going to try and explain the benefits to you because you've clearly made up your mind. And because benefits are subjective from person to person. Something of value to me, may be of no importance to you. Apple is the aggregator. And as you point out, the customer has a huge say in this. Apple may have good reason to believe that most customers won't miss the headphone jack.

http://www.macnn.com/articles/16/01...o.ask.apple.shoppers.what.they.thought.131986

But if they're wrong, customers will vote with their wallet, just as they always have done.

I am not sure what makes you think that you have to or need to explain me anything? I am well aware of the "benefits".

You probably have to accept the fact that if people disagree with Apple's decision -or your postings- that they might have a very good understanding of the matter but they value different things. Like you correctly pointed out in the last paragraph of your post

 

[deany]

No, i don't think there's any evidence for this...

If Tim is to have any chance at all of convincing the audience that the loss of the 3.5 jack is not to be mourned, it will be by showing wireless technology as the solution. Whatever form that takes.

The next iphone will either have wireless earphones (apparently called AirPods) or no earphones in the box.
Wired lightning earphones will not be made by Apple.

I agree - fast charge (like apple pencil) "AirPods" free in the box.
Also in the box lightning to female 3.5mm adapter again free included the box.
This should keep everyone (well most!) folk happy.

 

[44267547]

Joueboy posted:

" If Apple actually believes that wireless headphones is the future, then they should stop selling wired headphones altogether. Make it uniform the entire product line instead of selling a bluetooth for a premium price."

You replied that you "were waiting for someone to point that out" and not only did you agree with him, but you thanked him for pointing it out. My comment, directed to both of you, highlighted that you and joueboy hadn't even hear what Apple had to say yet, just what rumors were, and even then were taking the unique position that Apple's belief in the future trend of wireless adoption required them to cease selling all current wired products.

Which is why this a rumored website. Again, for a second time, it was a general comment. You can't decipher my my thoughts off wired products based off a simple reply. Don't read to deep into replied posts, it shows in your posts.

 

[yesjam]

The iphone already has pretty much the highest quality DAC and amp for its size and power. There are certainly higher quality options, but they use much more power and are also typically bigger (and get hotter). If, as the rumors suggest, that Lightning headphones will draw power from the iphone itself, the DAC and amp they use will not be any better as the limiting factor (battery) remains the same.

Look at the "superior" mobile DACs and amps out there. They're all huge bricks. Not because of poor design, that is just the technical reality today. Take the v-moda vamp for example - it has a 2200mah battery and weighs 190g. So it has a bigger battery than an iphone 6s and weighs more than an iphone 6s, and that is just for 7 hours of better sound. Do you really thing it's better to carry that sort of weight and size on your head, than in your pocket?

Really interesting post, +1

 

[Nippi2000]

The iphone already has pretty much the highest quality DAC and amp for its size and power. There are certainly higher quality options, but they use much more power and are also typically bigger (and get hotter). If, as the rumors suggest, that Lightning headphones will draw power from the iphone itself, the DAC and amp they use will not be any better as the limiting factor (battery) remains the same.

Look at the "superior" mobile DACs and amps out there. They're all huge bricks. Not because of poor design, that is just the technical reality today. Take the v-moda vamp for example - it has a 2200mah battery and weighs 190g. So it has a bigger battery than an iphone 6s and weighs more than an iphone 6s, and that is just for 7 hours of better sound. Do you really thing it's better to carry that sort of weight and size on your head, than in your pocket?

Yes, exactly.

And on a funny side note: You connect your headsets to the "high end" external DAC/AMP which are available today with a 3.5 mm Headphone jack.

Maybe they should get rid of the 3.5 mm jack, too. Then you connect your external DAC to your phone via the Lightning port and then connect your headsets via another Lightning port to your DAC. Then you have 2 DACs which are bypassed. Not just one.

Imagine all the benefits

 

[love-apple]

Apple plans to unveil new Beats by Dre products at its upcoming event set to be held on September 7, reports iGeneration. The news comes courtesy of an email that was mistakenly sent to the site from the Beats PR team, which iGeneration originally provided a screenshot for but was asked to remove.

The email announced the Apple event and specifically said "a selection of new Beats by Dre products will be unveiled."

It isn't known what new Beats products Apple has in the works, but it seems likely the company will debut both new wireless headphones and Beats headphones that adopt Lightning connectors, as the iPhone 7 and 7 Plus will not have a headphone jack. Apple was recently granted a number of product certifications from the Eurasian Economic Union, and three new Beats headphone models were among them.

Apple is also working on a set of wireless "AirPods" earbuds, which are not likely to be sold under the Beats brand. It is not clear if the AirPods are going to be announced at the September 7 event, but rumors suggest they are fully wireless with no connective cord between the earpieces, much like the Bragi Dash.

It appears Apple plans to offer a range of different jack-free headphone solutions for iPhone customers alongside the iPhone 7 and the iPhone 7 Plus. Along with new Beats and the rumored AirPods, Apple is also said to be planning to ship its two new smartphones with Lightning-equipped EarPods.

Article Link: New Beats Products to Debut Alongside iPhone 7 on September 7

[doublepost=1472897651][/doublepost]oopps,i already lost my new apple wireless earbuds, even did not see them

 

[Mac 128]

Yes, exactly.

And on a funny side note: You connect your headsets to the "high end" external DAC/AMP which are available today with a 3.5 mm Headphone jack.

Maybe they should get rid of the 3.5 mm jack, too. Then you connect your external DAC to your phone via the Lightning port and then connect your headsets via another Lightning port to your DAC. Then you have 2 DACs which are bypassed. Not just one.

Imagine all the benefits

There really ought to be a law against bypassing a device's DAC. What a horrible waste of resources! Maybe they should ban all wireless audio since all wireless devices have to have their own DAC and amp. That's the only logical way. I can't wait for the future being tethered to my audio equipment with wires, so I don't have to have more than one DAC in the equation, or worse yet an unused one! /s

 

[shaunp]

Soon whattaya gonna do after Samsung copies Apple?

Who says anything about Samsung? I said Android. Plenty of choice there. And if they all drop the 3.5" jack, they are more likely to go USB-C rather than Lightning. At least it would be a standard rather than proprietary.

 

[Mac 128]

Who says anything about Samsung? I said Android. Plenty of choice there. And if they all drop the 3.5" jack, they are more likely to go USB-C rather than Lightning. At least it would be a standard rather than proprietary.

Except over half-a-billion Apple customers would have to throw out all of their Lightning cables and accessories purchased over the last 4 years, and buy all new ones for USB-C, which won't even be usable anywhere else for a few more years, by which time Apple is likely to drop all ports from their iPhones.

 

[scaramoosh]

As someone who bought the Studio Wireless................. Beats SUCK! Like a lot of Apple products, just over priced crap. It's a shame because Apple do have good products like the iPhone, but the they're let down by crap like Beats.

 

[deany]

As someone who bought the Studio Wireless................. Beats SUCK! Like a lot of Apple products, just over priced crap. It's a shame because Apple do have good products like the iPhone, but the they're let down by crap like Beats.

Beats was overpriced - IMHO apple should have started their own streaming service and ditched the silly dr head phones and saved 1 to 1.5 billion $ and bought SONOS for say .5B and and teamed with them - better fit.
anyhow, hey ho.
$3B was a bad board meeting decision https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2014/may/28/apple-buys-beats-dr-dre-music-streaming

 

[shaunp]

Except over half-a-billion Apple customers would have to throw out all of their Lightning cables and accessories purchased over the last 4 years, and buy all new ones for USB-C, which won't even be usable anywhere else for a few more years, by which time Apple is likely to drop all ports from their iPhones.

Since when has Apple cared about pissing off it's customers.... So long as the money keeps rolling in they don't actually give a ....

 

[Nippi2000]

There really ought to be a law against bypassing a device's DAC. What a horrible waste of resources! Maybe they should ban all wireless audio since all wireless devices have to have their own DAC and amp. That's the only logical way. I can't wait for the future being tethered to my audio equipment with wires, so I don't have to have more than one DAC in the equation, or worse yet an unused one! /s

I was obviously talking about wired connections. But please don't let it stop you from dabbling into sarkasam in an attempt to bring humor into our world.

I can't wait for the pas.. ah, future, where I have to use dongles, adapters and having to change cables (all proprietary and 5x the price of standard Audio and USB gear) in order to use my headphones at home or during traveling. Reminds me of my Motorola and early Nokia days.

 

[deany]

Since when has Apple cared about pissing off it's customers.... So long as the money keeps rolling in they don't actually give a ....

the market has changed in the last 5 years iPhone being 50%+ apple profit - android with their approx 75% market share means apple needs to be more on its toes.

 

[Nippi2000]

Except over half-a-billion Apple customers would have to throw out all of their Lightning cables and accessories purchased over the last 4 years, and buy all new ones for USB-C, which won't even be usable anywhere else for a few more years, by which time Apple is likely to drop all ports from their iPhones.

Couldn't you use a simple adapter? Something similar to this? Imagine a Lightning Version:

 

[Mac 128]

I was obviously talking about wired connections. But please don't let it stop you from dabbling into sarkasam in an attempt to bring humor into our world.

I can't wait for the pas.. ah, future, where I have to use dongles, adapters and having to change cables (all proprietary and 5x the price of standard Audio and USB gear) in order to use my headphones at home or during traveling. Reminds me of my Motorola and early Nokia days.

Well at least I'm not a cynic.

Couldn't you use a simple adapter? Something similar to this? Imagine a Lightning Version:

Oh, now look who's "dabbling into sarkasam [sic] in an attempt to bring humor into our world". And with a healthy dose of cynicism too!

So what you're proposing is that over half-a billion Apple customers should buy Lightning-to-USB-C adapters for every one of their Lightning cables and accessories, in order to use a new USB standard that isn't even widely implemented yet, for which they'd have nothing else to use them on? A standard that has so little market saturation, if they every forgot their cable at home, they would be hard pressed to find one in any corporate office, much less a 7-11 at 3AM, something likely to be true for several more years? You'd suggest this over a smaller subset of iPhone users who use the 3.5mm headphone jack (unless you want to suggest that 99.9999% of all iPhone users use wired headphones and not the free ones Apple includes -- in which case I shall need proof ), many of whom will be happy using Lightning headphones, or upgrading to wireless headphones, or typically only have one set of headphones, buy an adapter? Even if Apple eliminates the Lightning port completely by the time USB-C finally reaches market saturation?

Wow, maybe I have you wrong -- perhaps you should try to get a job at Apple with those ideas (well if Apple were the evil greedy company you think it is). Or, as a standup comedian!