Beats by Dre

[fatboytyler]

Whats funny is everyone who hates beats love the M50's and the M50's also svck. After you hear a set of real headphones you will understand.

I've heard real headphones before. In the price range, the M50s destroy anything Beats have to offer. Your statement is pretty ignorant to assume that. M50s obviously don't compete with the likes of Sennheiser and others, but you also pay more. AT is a great entry into the higher end headphone market.

I'm an earbud guy and I know my ATH-CKS99's beat the hell out of the majority of earbuds in the same price range. Good bass response, even on the low end, pretty crisp (slightly overpowering) highs, and a mediocre mid range.

 

[whitedragon551 5,000+ posts]

I've heard real headphones before. In the price range, the M50s destroy anything Beats have to offer. Your statement is pretty ignorant to assume that. M50s obviously don't compete with the likes of Sennheiser and others, but you also pay more. AT is a great entry into the higher end headphone market.
I'm an earbud guy and I know my ATH-CKS99's beat the hell out of the majority of earbuds in the same price range. Good bass response, even on the low end, pretty crisp (slightly overpowering) highs, and a mediocre mid range.

My statement isnt ignorant. Ive been in the headfi world for a long time. I have several thousands of dollars of equipment and have had more than that pass through my hands. Id be willing to be Im far more seasoned in HeadFi than anyone on this site.

The argument your making is M50's vs Beats. Yes M50's win. My argument is everyone nut hugs the M50's for the $150 price range and there are far better headphones to be had over the M50's in the price range. My Shure SRH750DJ's at $110 absolutely crush the M50's as do the Shure SRH840's. If M50's are considered entry to high level headfi then your in the wrong hobby. Entry level to high end headfi would be something along the lines of Senn 558's or Hifi HE-400 or 500 series headphones.

As far as ear buds go I wouldnt be able to compare. Never owned a set worth less than $300.

 

[adulbrich 5,000+ posts]

Depends on what qualities you like. Sound stage? Bass?, V shaped signature, etc?
For that price range I would strongly recommend the Heir Audio 3.Ai. They are much better quality IEM's.

Bass is the main priority, but I also like crisp highs. I guess you could say that I like a V shaped signature.

I understand car audio soundstage, but I don't know how it applies to earbuds. The drivers are in the same location. How can you distinguish the soundstage? I looked it up, but could not find any useful information.

I looked up the 3.Ai's, and was not a fan of their looks. They look similar to some Shure earbuds

 

[LosIsATool 5,000+ posts]

The M50 is a great headphone. It's very solid, comfortable, sounds good but not great. My friend has the Shure 840s, while they sound great I felt they where just to flimsy to make it 9 months on a aircraft carrier. The ATs did it well. I do have Shure IEM 315s for the gym, I do love those but the cord is a PITA. Nothing is perfect so you have to pick your demons, at in the under $500 category.

 

[Based]

I tried beats in the store and I really was expecting more bass but really they just sounded like these 20$ sony headphones I got when I was a kid lol. And I'm pretty sure I tried the higher end ones because they were like 250$ but idk.

People like beats if they are the kind of people that don't even know what a frequency spectrum is, but if you know a bit about sound everything about Beats will bug you.

 

[whitedragon551 5,000+ posts]

Bass is the main priority, but I also like crisp highs. I guess you could say that I like a V shaped signature.
I understand car audio soundstage, but I don't know how it applies to earbuds. The drivers are in the same location. How can you distinguish the soundstage? I looked it up, but could not find any useful information.

I looked up the 3.Ai's, and was not a fan of their looks. They look similar to some Shure earbuds

Which Shure earbuds do you think they look like? Ive owned a set of 3.Ai's and they look nothing like Shures. They are a great well balanced and well made IEM. If looks are your issue perhaps you need to reconsider what your looking for in a headphone.

Soundstage applies to headphones the same way it does to car audio. Normally you want a wide stage with nice instrument separation. If an instrument is to the left of center stage, then the headphones should reflect that. In a set that doesnt have a decent sound stage an instrument left of center will appear like its directly in the middle.

 

[adulbrich 5,000+ posts]

Which Shure earbuds do you think they look like? Ive owned a set of 3.Ai's and they look nothing like Shures. They are a great well balanced and well made IEM. If looks are your issue perhaps you need to reconsider what your looking for in a headphone.
Soundstage applies to headphones the same way it does to car audio. Normally you want a wide stage with nice instrument separation. If an instrument is to the left of center stage, then the headphones should reflect that. In a set that doesnt have a decent sound stage an instrument left of center will appear like its directly in the middle.

vs.

They are by no means identical, but I do think they look similar.

Looks are not the main thing I am concerned about, but I don't want to spend $300 on something I don't find visually appealing.

I have only heard a few headphones/earbuds with really bad soundstage. As long as its decent, I'm fine.

I mainly want something with clear highs and bass that is reasonably loud for my budget.

 

[whitedragon551 5,000+ posts]

Your first image is Noble Audio not Heir Audio. Second they arent even close unless you mean they are IEM's so they are similar. The nozzle on the Heir's is straight not curved like the Shures, the cables on the Heir are 2 pin removable, the body shape is completely different, the internals are completely different. The shape is similar. Can only have so many shapes that fit in an ear.

If you dont find the Burl wood appealing they have carbon fiber and tons of other options. Also at $300 your not paying for looks. Your paying for quality and sound. If you want to cheap out and get something visually appealing then the $300 mark isnt where you want to be. The sub $100 mark is.

http://www.heiraudio.com/Gallery.html?page=1

 

[Joseph7195 10+ year member]

I hate it when I am ******* dick and I get nervous and turn my head and get a load blown in my ear, and not think about, and then put in my headphone and it gets glued into my ear canal.

 

[adulbrich 5,000+ posts]

Your first image is Noble Audio not Heir Audio. Second they arent even close unless you mean they are IEM's so they are similar. The nozzle on the Heir's is straight not curved like the Shures, the cables on the Heir are 2 pin removable, the body shape is completely different, the internals are completely different. The shape is similar. Can only have so many shapes that fit in an ear.
If you dont find the Burl wood appealing they have carbon fiber and tons of other options. Also at $300 your not paying for looks. Your paying for quality and sound. If you want to cheap out and get something visually appealing then the $300 mark isnt where you want to be. The sub $100 mark is.

http://www.heiraudio.com/Gallery.html?page=1

My mistake, I must have linked the wrong image. I didn't like the Burl Wood, and did not realize it came with other finishes.

Would there be a large difference between the Sennheiser's I linked, and the 3.Ai's? I don't want to cheap out and buy a sh*tty pair of headphones.

I like the look of the IE80's a lot. Would I be sacrificing quality and sound if I got them?

 

[fatboytyler]

My statement isnt ignorant. Ive been in the headfi world for a long time. I have several thousands of dollars of equipment and have had more than that pass through my hands. Id be willing to be Im far more seasoned in HeadFi than anyone on this site.
The argument your making is M50's vs Beats. Yes M50's win. My argument is everyone nut hugs the M50's for the $150 price range and there are far better headphones to be had over the M50's in the price range. My Shure SRH750DJ's at $110 absolutely crush the M50's as do the Shure SRH840's. If M50's are considered entry to high level headfi then your in the wrong hobby. Entry level to high end headfi would be something along the lines of Senn 558's or Hifi HE-400 or 500 series headphones.

As far as ear buds go I wouldnt be able to compare. Never owned a set worth less than $300.

Again, it comes down to the sound you like.

Out of curiosity, is there any reason why you haven't kept any of your supposedly thousands of dollars worth of headphones?

 

[whitedragon551 5,000+ posts]

Again, it comes down to the sound you like.
Out of curiosity, is there any reason why you haven't kept any of your supposedly thousands of dollars worth of headphones?

I have. I have a set of Gorilla Ears AT5's and Aurisonics ASG2's. These 2 pairs alone were worth $2K. I had a pair of 3.Ai's, but liked the ASG2s more so the 3.Ai's didnt get alot of use. I have also owned VMODA Crossfade LP2's, Grado SR80i, Shure SRH750 DJ, Shure SRH840's. Ive gotten rid of all of my on ear sets except the 750DJ"s. Im currently looking for a set of Grado SR2 or 3xx series with the metal cup. Of course this list isnt complete. Just what I can remember since being in the headfi game.

As far as sources go I have a Yulong Audio Sabre DA8 32bit, 384Khz DSD Amp/DAC. which is another $1200 piece of equipment.

 

[whitedragon551 5,000+ posts]

My mistake, I must have linked the wrong image. I didn't like the Burl Wood, and did not realize it came with other finishes.
Would there be a large difference between the Sennheiser's I linked, and the 3.Ai's? I don't want to cheap out and buy a sh*tty pair of headphones.

I like the look of the IE80's a lot. Would I be sacrificing quality and sound if I got them?

As for sacrificing quality probably not. They are both good quality. Sound however depends on taste, which is why I asked what type of signature your looking for.

The 3.Ai's were great IEM's. Mine didnt get alot of use because I had custom IEM's and the Aurisonics ASG2s that I favored the sound signature on. Now dont take this wrong because the ASG2's is a set of $800 IEM's where as the 3.Ai were $300. Completely different league.

Heres a decent thread on the differences and comparisons of a few $300 sets of IEM's.

Heir Audio 3.ai vs. Westone 3 vs. Westone 4 vs. Sennheiser IE80

 

[gunz4me2 10+ year member]

I never understood the Beats by Dre headphones from a listening standpoint. From a marketing standpoint, I get it, but I never cared for the way they sounded.

As for in-ears... One of my friends has a $1,500 set of Shure in-ears that were custom molded for his ears. He's a hardcore audiophile when it comes to headphones whereas I preferred the Sony MDR-7506 or V600s for listening to music at my computer. I also have a set of Pioneer HDJ-1000s from my DJing days, but I found them way flatter than the Sony offerings of old.

I have some lower priced Sony, Klipsch, and Shure in-ears that I use for exercising with. I always go for the $50 to $100 range because no matter how hard I try to protect them, I'll end up destroying them in the gym. That reminds me, I need to start working out again!

 

[supra1987]

The only thing worth mentioning about beats headphones is or was there marketing genius.sound quality,not so much.