So why exactly are Beats by Dre so derided in our community?

[lethal_pizzle]

I've tried 'em, and from of DJing viewpoint the bass is far too prominent. I prefer a flatter response to my headphones.

[dayvue]

Wow... I come back today and this thread has reached almost a thousand views. I didn't realize that headphones were such a contentious issue. I'm going to edit the original post so that those that search in the future don't have to go through the pages of commentary.

[DJ Sunshine]

As a proud owner of the Beats Pro for some time now and a budding audiophile, here's my personal take on them.

They are some pretty decent-sounding cans. I've found the bass response to be a bit more than is reasonable in a headphone, however when DJing I think this is a benefit, not a detriment. People will disagree with me, but that's because it's solely a matter of preference. I think the huge bass boost is not as prominent in the case with the Beats Pro edition vs. the regular Beats HD or whatever. The bass kicks for sure, but it's not overpowering in the Pros. The midrange is definitely there, maybe slightly scooped but good enough for mixing. Highs can be tricky, as it depends on the song. The tiny cymbals in a lot of hip-hop can be lost sometimes if they're quieter in the mix, but for just about everything else, it provides an accurate, well-rounded sound to me. One of the main reasons I think they're hated on is that they are indeed so incredibly overpriced for what you get. I tried on a $160 pair of Skullcandy cans (Skullcandy's "boutique" model I think) and I was getting almost IDENTICAL performance. I got mine as a gift, so pricing wasn't really a factor for me, which is probably why I haven't really understood the hate.

I'd say if you're getting Beats, get the Pro's and be done with it, because I've found the sound of regular Beats to be "MOAR BASS!!!!!11!1"

Idk, I also came from $20 Sony behind-the-neck headphones, so take that with a grain of salt

[Rukks]

I hate beats because people who know I dj always suggest that I should get them. I don't go around telling people things to make is seem like I know more about music or gear than them so why do they feel the need to act like they know more than me?

I own HD-25s, ive obviously done my research and i know a good pair of cans, so saying that I should have beats pisses me off.

And honestly I can't hear the initial part of the kick very distinctly in beats, because the low end to me seems distorted and not clean. I've always owned sennheiser though so maybe im used to that sound.

[rotebass]

As a proud owner of the Beats Pro for some time now and a budding audiophile

This bothers me to a large extent, when ever I hear someone talk about gear, whether it's speakers, amps, cans, etc, they always have to drop that they are an "audiophile". What I want to know is, what qualifications must one attain before they can call themselves an "audiophile"? As far as I can tell, there are none and anyone that claims to be an audiophile probably doesn't have a damn clue what they are talking about.

I sell MI and Pro Audio gear, as well as install, service and operate live audio/video systems, I do everything from super high class corporate affairs, live rock shows, dance and theatre all the way down to broadcast systems down at the local race track. It may sound like I'm trying to build myself up, but what I'm actually doing is showing that when I make a statement about a piece of gear, I'm probably speaking from experience and not just ad-libbing what some guy on a message board said that one time. Anyways, do you want to know how many times a week some joker saunters into my shop, tells me about his wicked Kenwood sub he got off Crutchfield that totally does 160dB in his car and then proceeds to tell me what I should flavor of the week gear I should use instead of my JBL SRX rig. I can't argue with him either because he is totally an "audiophile" and he knows all the good gear, but I just want to tell him to shove his Peavey Versarray up his corn hole.

Even better is the guy that tries to tell me that Mackie HR824s are "teh best monitor eva, get rid of dos blue skies. Oh yea, what is an NS10 and why is it so ugly?"

I don't mean to come down on you DJ Sunshine, but it would be a lot easier to find merit in your review if you hadn't opened with that little charmer. "Audiophile" says to me: I spent too much money on *insert x flavor of the month gear* and I need to justify it to myself.

[tech2400]

most juicers at my gym wear the beats to get noticed, they are ok headphones for ipods, even then you look like ur wearing giant balls on ur head..ohh well had to rant.

[lethal_pizzle]

Everyone got their Beats as a gift huh? Nobody wants to own up to buying them? OK then

[rdubs]

I bought mine, dont even bring up the Solo's or Studios as they are not worthwhile. I have the Pros, and I love em. Is there better DJ can's out there, maybe, but I got a sweet deal and they look fucking great and sound great too, not to mention at least for me, I find them to be the most comfortable headphones I've owned. Not to mention someone finally realized that using plastic joints for swivels was a bad idea. No complaints from me all-around.

Honestly if your headphones are affecting your mixing that much, I think you should work on your mixing, I could mix with iPod headphones in... If you are talking about production, then it is a different story, but you shouldn't be producing in your can's anyway if you can avoid it, get monitors.

[manchild]

You'd pay more for poorer sound quality?

Sound quality happens to be only one factor out of the many factors I consider when I'm looking to invest in a pair of headphones for DJ'n

[DJ Sunshine]

This bothers me to a large extent, when ever I hear someone talk about gear, whether it's speakers, amps, cans, etc, they always have to drop that they are an "audiophile". What I want to know is, what qualifications must one attain before they can call themselves an "audiophile"? As far as I can tell, there are none and anyone that claims to be an audiophile probably doesn't have a damn clue what they are talking about.

I don't mean to come down on you DJ Sunshine, but it would be a lot easier to find merit in your review if you hadn't opened with that little charmer. "Audiophile" says to me: I spent too much money on *insert x flavor of the month gear* and I need to justify it to myself.

No worries good sir, I realized what I had said as soon as I posted it, and was waiting for that to come back and bite me in the ass

What I mean by "audiophile" is that if someone wants me to hear a song on youtube through their computer speakers, I won't even look twice at them. I hate listening to crappy, unbalanced sound systems, but unfortunately I don't have the budget to act fully on this, and as such am forced to work with what I am given. At the moment, I'm rocking an old 2.1 Bose system my dad gave me when I went to college, and for mixing/monitoring, it works quite well. When it comes to high-end audio products, I usually like the middle-of-the-road price point. I know a dude who dropped $13k on some Swedish amplifier for his super-hi-fi sound system in his house, and I looked at him like he had 7 heads. I have no idea why a 65 year old man would need a system capable of 96khz when his hearing is pretty much shot to hell. I guess "audiophile" was the wrong word. I'm an audiophile who actually gives a shit about his wallet and uses his ears rather than Consumer Reports.

And I agree, I know many a stupid ass who does the same stuff as some of the customers you deal with, and I want to just slap the sh!t outta them.

OT: I've found it's really hard to get an accurate review on headphones, as it depends largely on their utilization within a particular setting. I love Bose/Klipsch headphones, but would never use them for DJing, as they just don't have what I'm looking for in a DJ setting. So once again, use those weird fleshy things on the side of your head and use what you like!!!