RSSMonster Cable Beats by Dr. Dre Studio Headphones Reviewed
- By: Andrew Robinson,
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Monster many things, but subtle they are not. They are arguably the most successful "garage brand" in the consumer electronics industry and, while Monster may have started from humble beginnings, their presence in the AV business is anything but shy. You can't throw a rock or a Wii controller, for that matter, in a Best Buy or any other big box store without hitting something with a Monster label on it. From batteries to amplifiers, Monster is everywhere. So it should come as no surprise when Monster decided to stick their toes into the headphone business, as the iPod market is brimming with consumer demand these days.Additional Resources
• Read dozens more high end headphone reviews from the likes of Sennheiser, STAX, Etymotic Research, Ultimate Ears, Grado and others.
• Monster Cable Partners with Basketball Star Yao Ming for Yao Monster products in China.
• Learn more about the brand Monster Cable here.
• Read a review of the Bowers & Wilkins P5 headphones by Andrew Robinson here on HomeTheaterReview.com...
Typically, when Monster launches a product, they tend to do two things: partner up with a high-profile event and/or celebrity and proclaim the product's brilliance at every turn. To put this in perspective, allow me an analogy. Sony is to Peyton Manning what Terrell Owens is to Monster Cable. The question is, with so much brouhaha over everything, the Beats by Dr. Dre headphones being no different, where does the marketing end and the performance begin? Are they any good? The answer ... not really.
Retailing for $349, Beats by Dre headphones are among the more expensive electronic ear warmers money can buy. They are rather stylish, if you're into that look the runway attendants at LAX have, with a high gloss black finish, accented by spots of red and silver capped off by a large lower case "b," symbolizing the product's name. I must say, for headphones as large and bulky as the Beats by Dre are, they are very lightweight, weighing a spry 270 grams with batteries installed. Surprisingly and rather tastefully done, the Monster logo is small and silk-screened in silver along the headphone's arch. Monster claims that the Beats by Dre headphones will bring you closer to the recorded event, the way the artist intended, than any other headphone money can buy. However the "artists" Monster is using in their testimonials for the headphones do little make this seem like something you would want.
Beats by Dre are isolating headphones, using a powered system not unlike other brands that require two AAA batteries that install in the headphone cups themselves. Along with active isolation, the Beats by Dre phones feature a mute or "Push to Listen" button, which effectively cuts the music and isolation to let you hear what is going on in the outside world. Between you and me, this may be the product's greatest feature, but more on that later. The Beats by Dre feature Monster's own Advanced Driver Design (whatever that means) and use extra-large speaker drivers for superb bass response in a headphone design. The headphones themselves are wired entirely with Monster Cable, including the Quadripole cable that is terminated with a Micro Mini jack that, unlike other Monster Cable connectors, is said to put less strain on connected audio components. The Beats by Dre headphones come packaged with one-eighth-inch and one-quarter-inch adaptors to allow for a variety of connection options with other components beyond an iPod or iPhone. The Beats by Dre headphones are collapsible and can be easily stowed in their included Touring Case and come with a Anti-Microbial Cleaning cloth to help keep them shiny and new all the time.
Read the High Points, Low Points and Conclusion on the next page
Comparison and Competition
Compare the Beats by Dr. Dre against its competition by reading our reviews for the Bower & Wilkins P5 mobile hi-fi headphones and the Bang & Olufsen Form 2 headphones. You can read all of our headphones reviews by visiting our All Things Headphones section.
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Comment on this article
I can speak directly to this review. I was surprised to see them on display last week at my local Best buy. Bass shy they are not, loud they are. And yes, the display on the right has a red rectangular button that lights up, to make it louder. I`m sure these phones were intended for those who like, soul, r&b, and hip hop. Maybe even trance and techno!!
However, without being able to try other forms of music, I can only say that if your looking to spend this kind of money on a great pair of cans, get the Sennheiser HD600`s, or AKG 701`s. Both can be now had for $299.99. And both will bring you the overall great sound from all forms of music, most of us are looking for.
These Dr. Dre`s, must be for his and Snoop Dog`s music only.
i love these headphones. i listen to a variety of genre's and am totally happy with these...not too mention they work great with my iphone.
With all due respect I have THREE WORDS FOR YOU ----
House Ear Institute....
Learn about it.
If there was ever a headphone I wanted to like it was the Beats by Dre. I think they look okay, they are uber comfortable and while expensive would warrant the price if they were good, but they just aren't.
Andrew
It pains me to say this as Noel Lee, I consider a friend - but these were the worst headphone I have ever heard in terms of their display. The LOUD and LOUDER buttons could have taken me deaf.
They are good looking. They are comfortable. But they sound yuckie. Spend 1/2 the $$$ on Etymotic in-ears or something from say Sennheiser.
Stick with Monster for cables. For the dollar - they are a GREAT value.
j
Well Let Me start by saying this To all the Clowns That talk smack saying monster only makes good cables . well cable deals with signal dum asses so if monster makes great HDMI cables and other top of the line Audio cables well why wont they make Great Head phones?? Don't be stupid. The cable men came threw HUGE ..I got a pair of the Monster Turbine in ear speakers and let me say this INCREDIBLE... when i first open them i was like wow they package these babies like they were for 007..I did not think they would be that good but i was blown away. I set for hours playing them with the rubber ear pieces that come with them as soon as you open them.and i was very happy Then i happend to put my fingers on each turbine and it got ridiculous .Thats when i went threw all the rubbers that came with them to find the perfect fit for my ear .Once i did that i was took away to another world.it was like having the best sounding system planted in side of your Head .No words for how good the turbine head phone are wordless.. they leave you in a state of shock..finally the perfect head phones for a ipod .. so light so right so real dammmmmmmm.
the Bass drops on a hip hop track like thunder in your dome. you can hear prince fingers pluck the strings on his recording. you hear things you never herd before with these head phone..and keep in mind ipods are MP3 so imagine turbine listening on a master copy HELLO. Who is this Noel Lee guy. They say he the head monster that made these ear speakers.it is a must i meet this guy .HE NAILED it with these i would love for this guy to make a home system for Blu ray .Monster came correct scale of 1 to 10 i will say 1,000 Now since im about to record a album i really want to hear the over the ears Beats By Dre Head phones.. Monster is a sound company not just the cable men.So far best head phones i ever herd on a long tour bus ride.
I appreciate your enthusiasm but DUDE - you are going to go deaf if you have "thunder in your head"
Seriously. Its a major issue. Be CAREFUL....
I just bought the Beat Tours, and they sound awesome! Does anyone know how they compare to the Monster Turbines?
after receiving these headphone they were put to the test. we used them for all our music editing as well as
all the DJ backed performances on our TV shows. All the users were very pleased with the sound quality exhibited by these headphones. The most amazing aspect was the bass response, which is something that
is lacking in other head-sets. BEATS is what they call them, Beats is what you can heard and feel.
This is Rick Lee The Dragon from 106 KMEL & SBC DJ’s...and I just wanna say these are the most cleanest lookin headphones out on the market today...besides its looks the sound is out of this truly out of this world...very crisp and bass driven...on top of that the headphones are light weight and very portable on its fold up design! If your a true DJ I definitely recommend the use of these on and off the road for your music desire!
I've been using monster cables since '88 on my home hi-fi set-up, their intricate & tuneful Bass is legendary compared to audio technicas or even solid core # 12s. the Tours i just bought hours ago reminded me this attribute. Now I can turn down my n95 8gb volume level to 70 even 60 ! now ALL the sound I listen to make sense from a reproduced audio point of view. I can think the Turbines may sound better, or not.............
bonjour a vous I'm happy to share the pleasure of his French pure craftsmanship of French products in very fine speaker back to scene very good audio and hautrendement even if the pictures attached and address of our site If you're interested to distribute or purchase one of our product coordialement kelihorn handshake of France my adress site visite http://www.kelihorn.com/hifi/
I can only imagine how crazy you would go if you actually listened to some good headphones. The Beats are nothing more than sizzle, booming inarticulate bass and too much of it all. They are in no way accurate and are honestly obnoxious to listen to.
I would like to say that I completely disagree with the negative statements regarding the sound produced by these remarkable headphones. First off the bass is insane, to say the least. Secondly the sound that would likely be made by tweeters on regular speakers is also very clear. Since owning these headphones, I've heard the music I used to listen to completely differently. I have noticed miniscule details in the music that I would have never noticed when using standard headphones. The isolation these headphones provide is also incredible, when listening to the headphones I can't hear a single interruption from the outside world. Most importantly, the statement pertaining to the quality of the headphones at higher volume is entirely inaccurate. As loud as you turn these headphones up the quality remains the same, without distortion. I do agree, however, that the drum claps and high pitched sounds can be a bit overwhelming when at high volume, but that can be easily fixed with the 'treble reducer' EQ setting found on all iPods. In summary, the author of this article is terribly mistaken when he says many things about the headphones quality. Maybe if he took the time to listen to them outside of a public event, and on top of that listened to them for longer than a mere 30 seconds, he would realize how truly ignorant and incorrect his article and opinion is. If you're considering buying these headphones, don't let this guy's negative article influence you. Take heed of advice from a more educated source.
As the publisher of the site and someone with a degree in music and recording from USC - I will suggest that the demo of these headphones with their "loud" and "louder" button is not just horrible but it is outright dangerous.
Moreover, you will note when talking about trusted sources that Monster has a "street crew" to do promotion and SEO that tries to manipulate the press and social networking. We will not fall for their tricks or shills.
Overall Monster is an excellent company. The idea that they can market on HomeTheaterReview.com for free is not something I am going to allow to happen - especially not for bad headphones. I recommend Ultimate Ears and or Etymotic ER4 for a better sounding, more safe solution in the world of high end ear phones.
I sampled these at Best Buy in my search for "affordable" audiophile quality headphones and like the reviewer was unable to listen for more than 30 seconds. I walked away wondering what I was missing. I was terribly disappointed with them and thought that there must be something better out there. Was glad to know that I am not the only one who thought this product was pretty lame.
bonjour a vous I'm happy to share the pleasure of his French pure craftsmanship of French products in very fine speaker back to scene very good audio and hautrendement even if the pictures attached and address of our site If you're interested to distribute or purchase one of our product coordialement kelihorn handshake of France my adress site visite http://www.kelihorn.com/hifi/
best headphones you have ever used.. L oh fulkin L.
Then you have never used a set of high end headphones.
Ultrasone
Sennheiser
Denon
Audio Technica
Ultimate Ears
These are high end headphone companys..
The beats by dre are marketed at teen's and early twenty somethings who have listened to crap headphones their entire life, with no experiance to judge the acually quality of the sound.
Ask anybody on Head-fi.org about beats by dre and you will get get 10,000 laughs.
Just make sure to put your flame retardent suit on.
10 bucks says that champtown was paid to write that crap. Anyone who does their research on respected audio sites will find that the overwhelming unbiased consensus is that Monster makes way overpriced and over marketed crap. (cables and headphones)
Why do you NEVER see Monster or Bose products reviewed in respected audio magazines?
You can get an equal product for much less or a MUCH better product for the same amount of money.
how much did "dj rick lee dragon" get paid for that comment? i guarantee you he's on the payroll for Monster.
just do a side by side comparison with these suckers with any respected brand such as the ones that jim mentions.
They carry their name well. They will beat your ears alright. What's surprising is when you play them at lower levels. You really wish you were listening to something else, even playing your favorite tune. This is meant for already-deaf car-audio-enthusiasts who've already blown up their hearing with too-big subs bashing all but too loud. They're loud enough for that.
OOOHH! I get it!! These were made for the DEAF!!
Can't think of another word than "atrocious".
Any price ranged wired Sennheizer will be better than this junk.
They look good, though. Had me looking.
I respect Monster as a company who can make people believe in psycho-acoustics when it comes to wires. They're very good at that. In fact, they're the best at make believe.
Unfortunately, when the world turned digital, many of us realized zeros-and-ones travel just as good in a cheap wire as is does in a 200$ wire. But some still buy them, keeping this company alive and well.
Too bad that with all this money made from thin air, R&D at Monster couldn't come up with a better pair of headphones! And they go charging us 299$ for it!
Okay, I'm done.
People should just realize that people will never agree on what sounds the best. Folks, there is a reason why some people who've studied music intensely (all their lives) aren't making money in the areas of music that pay the most.They don't like the way that music sounds. If HIP HOP, RAP, or RNB is your favorite type of music, then you will most likely adore the sound made by these phones. Period. I don't think the phones they listed as alternatives are better for the styles of music listed above. I've never heard these styles of music sound better than they do through these phones. If you don't like these styles as your favorite styles, then why review phones made for them?
People should just realize that people will never agree on what sounds the best. Folks, there is a reason why some people who've studied music intensely (all their lives) aren't making money in the areas of music that pay the most.They don't like the way that music sounds. If HIP HOP, RAP, or RNB is your favorite type of music, then you will most likely adore the sound made by these phones. Period. I don't think the phones they listed as alternatives are better for the styles of music listed above. I've never heard these styles of music sound better than they do through these phones. If you don't like these styles as your favorites styles, then why review phones made for that style of music?
All of the "audiophiles" out there say they sound terrible... then again they say my Current Onkyo powered Klipsch setup sounds terrible too... too harsh of highs... blah blah blah... F-3's w/ Sub-12 and 320watts per Main... I like the harshness...
The Beats Studios are honestly some of the best sounding headphones i've heard... I've listed to the old Koss and Seinheiser(sp?) and the Beats make it sound like i believe it should... I want to feel 15hz in my skull when i listen to a rap song... and i like hearing a high hat hiss at me when i listen to Pantera... And if i break out the Donald Fagen, Morph the Cat had better make my vision rattle and The Nightfly will, as always, sound AMAZING...
My normal headphones that i use at work are cheapo Skullcandy Ink'd ($20) and I've yet to find anything less than the Tour Beats that sound better...
Roadcone,
Everyone is allowed to have their opinions. If you like the Beats then they are good for you. Its that simple.
With years of experience in the AV business and having owned other high end headphones, I personally do not like them. They aren't accurate. They have boomy bass. They are more for walking around urban areas with a big B on your ears. Branding.
All that I'm going to say is, for anyone for the love that is holy and good don't buy these headphones you're only getting hosed. Monster has NO EXPERINCE when it comes to audio ecuipment like Audio-Techinca which I purchased a pair of headphones from. They actually make professional line microphones and various other types of ecuipment for recording artists. And just to point this out, their high end sets, like the AD700s which I have on right now are true audiophile headphones, and you know, are actually built with quality and aren't plastic garbage that will fall apart in three months.
Trust me, you will find lots and lots of negitave opinions about the beats by avarage people, and people who actually know a thing or two about audio ecuipment and music. Just because a celeberty endorses a product dose not mean it's the second coming of christ. Serously, look eleswhere like Audio-Technica or any of the other quality brands who actually know what they are doing.
first thing is first. just because you do not like loud music doesn't mean the headphones are crap.
they do play at a lower volume if you choose to the whole point of the *loud louder* is to prove that even at high volume they still play clear with minimal distortion
With all due respect - the above comment is factually wrong.
Today's music is WAY louder with less distortion yes and that is EXTREMELY dangerous. You don't KNOW when you are damaging your hearing.
Additionally, here is a blog post from AudiophileReview.com's Steven Stone who cites the New York Times about how the EXACT demographic that Monster Cable is targeting is in fact 1 in 5 are losing their hearing.
Don't get me started about the way today's music is mixed (with no dynamic window and all of the levels pegged) but I am sorry you simply can not make the argument you did above. It doesn't hold water.
Jerry
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