Beats headphones - are they really as good as hyped, and for all genres and styles of music?

[Buried Alien]

When it comes to high-end earphones these days, the hype is all about Beats. They're very expensive and very trendy, but do they actually offer superior sound quality that justifies their price and hype? In particular, do they offer any notable improvement for users whose tastes run towards older classic rock type recordings originally made on analog? As far as I know, Beats proponents tend to be fans of newer, digitally recorded music from the hip hop and techno-inspired genres, and the Beats might very well enhance the listening experience for those styles of music, but would they do the same for older analog recordings in a more guitar rock vein?

Buried Alien (The Fastest Post Alive!)

[Pharozonk]

I've never bought into the hype behind Beats. I usually prefer Skullcandy headphones over other brands simply due to the price and quality both being fair.

[Kid A]

No, they're absolutely overpriced. They're not terrible in sound quality, but there are better brands that sell at lower prices. Both Beats and Bose sell at high prices on basically reputation alone.

I'd personally go for Sennheiser.

[WestPhillyPunisher]

Well, I bought into the hype, and I think Beats are pretty damn good as they make my music sound better than ever to me.

[Buried Alien]

What about durability? Do they endure normal wear and tear well? Will they function well for at least five or six years of normal use?

Buried Alien (The Fastest Post Alive!)

[Scarlet Frost]

What about durability? Do they endure normal wear and tear well? Will they function well for at least five or six years of normal use?

Buried Alien (The Fastest Post Alive!)

I have a friend who sells them and the way he talks about them you're lucky to get 6-7 months out of them. The cord is usually the first thing to go.

[dupont2005]

I have a friend who sells them and the way he talks about them you're lucky to get 6-7 months out of them. The cord is usually the first thing to go.

That's a one dollar repair.

[dupont2005]

I bought a pair of Studio Beats a few years back. I liked them. I purchased them because I was actually able to try them on. I'm very particular about a headphone's fit, and these ones fit and felt nice. probably the nicest fitting headphones I've ever tried on. I would have liked the cone to be a bit larger so it didn't rest on or up against my ears, after wearing them about an hour my ears are sore. I used them mostly on the computer. I sold them recently to fund a purchase of some 7.1 channel wireless headphones that operate off a USB port rather than the headphone port (I hate that headphone jack). The sound is better, the cones are larger and do not rest on my ears, but the headphones don't have that snug firm fit that the Beats did, and they don't look as cool.

The thing about high priced headphones, I'd never drop $300+ on something I couldn't try on first. Brands I've never heard of that aren't stocked in any local stores will never get any business from me.

[clayholio]

I ended up getting a pair of Skullcandy Aviators - they're about half the price of the top end beats, and to my ears they sound great. I listen to a range of stuff, from classic rock to current hip-hop, and I've had my pair for a year or two, and they work great for that.

Beats' rep has always been that they're very bass-heavy, which is awesome if you're listening to rap and electronic music. I don't know that they're a perfect fit for classic rock. If you are able to get to a Best Buy, you can plug whatever you want into their variety of headphones (so you can compare using a track and device you're familiar with). But I wouldn't automatically go for Beats.

Also, if you keep your eyes open, you can find last year's models for a considerable discount. I've seen those top end Beats at places like Ross or Marshalls for under $200, if you don't mind not having the most recent version.

[ExcelsiorPrime]

No, they're absolutely overpriced. They're not terrible in sound quality, but there are better brands that sell at lower prices. Both Beats and Bose sell at high prices on basically reputation alone.

I'd personally go for Sennheiser.

Well, I bought into the hype, and I think Beats are pretty damn good as they make my music sound better than ever to me.

I have both Sennheiser and Beats and I found them to be equal. Sennheiser if you like range of sound not too much Bass or Treble--but an excellent mid range. Beats if you like your music with harder tones. Bass. Treble and a softer midrange.

I use Senns when I listen to Movie soundtracks--sweeping violins, horns, etc. Beats for Rock. Hip hop. Jazz. Dub. Guitar riffs/

[Wolvie616]

I don't know know about the hype. But for me they are definitely not worth the cost. My hearing is a little sensitive in the lower frequencies and to me they sound wayyy too bassy. And a little tinny in the mid frequencies. For me they're not the right hardware, and not definitely not worth it at the price.

I still have my $99 Sennheiser over ear headphones I bought in 2001 that are still rocking and have certainly paid for themselves by now. Amazing sound - good frequency response, bass, low distortion at high volume. But not exactly stuff in your pocket material. So they stay home. Love Sennheiser.

For my portable needs, I use my $50 Klipsch S3(?). They're great. High impedance, low distortion, v responsive. good driver matching. And they're sound isolating.

In fact, if you're buying head/earphones I'd recommend running this hearing sensitivity test on yourself just so that you have some idea of your own hearing sensitivities. And to test your 'phones for dynamic range, spectral flatness, stereo imaging, driver matching etc., go to this page.

This guy knows what's up.

It also depends on what you're wanting the headphones for. If you're going to make music, doing score analysis, dj, etc. Sennheisers, Audio Technica's, Byers-Dynamics, etc. are all great.

If you just want listening headphones, those $99 dollar Bose headsets are durable as hell and have far superior quality than beats

Beats, while decent, are CERTAINLY not worth the price. You can find superior or equal headphones to Beats at a much lower cost

[ExcelsiorPrime]

To be fair he asked were they any good, not if they were too expensive.

And I wouldn't play certain music on Bose or Senns. they cant handle deep bass.

[The Riddle Factory]

Cannot beat Sennheiser if you ask me, my daughter has had Skull Candy and Beats but asked if she can sell her Beats to buy Sennheiser as she liked the sound so much.

She is 13 and likes Indie music, i am 34 and like Rock and Hip-Hop and my misses is 32 wholike any kind of music but usually dance pop stuff and we all use Sennheiser and wouldn't change.

The sound is so clear even on the cheap pairs that you wont want any other when tried.

[Ilan Preskovsky]

I have a pair of Sennheiser HD518 headphones and I couldn't be happier with them. Buried, I listen to a lot of the same stuff that you do, I think, and these are perfect for forms of music that are about more than just bass, bass and more bass. I've listened to a couple of Beats headphones in-store and, to my mind, my Senns beat (haha) them in terms of both build quality, comfort and sound quality. The Beats just sound way too artificial with a souped up bass muddying up everything else. Plus, the HD 518s, which are Sennheiser's entry level HD headphones are half the price of seemingly the cheapest Beats over-the-ear headphones.

These particular headphones are open-ear so they're not great for travelling but they're amazing for at-home use.

[gantz_alien_killer]

I had a pair and they were the battery powered ones. totally lame. i won them at a christmas party and quickly sold them on ebay. too much base not enough mids and almost no highs.