My 11 yo will not stop bugging me about Beatz headphones

[preslove]

If they are so bad, explain why do so many people want them and why this guy's 11 year old wants a pair.

Why do people buy Bose sound equipment, Heineken, or starbucks coffee beans? If you think it's quality, you're a brandwhore who is incapable seeing through marketing for quality.

 

[classy]

OP, don't be a pussy. Explain to your dumb 11 year old that beats are terrible headphones with good marketing. If he wants to waste money on gimmicky shit, he can scrape together the money himself.



LOL, you don't know anything about audio, but you like them. Just because you've tried a bunch of headphones doesn't mean your opinion is worth a crap.


http://www.nytimes.com/2011/11/20/business/beats-headphones-expand-dr-dres-business-world.html?_r=0

And don't be a pussy. This is not some personal nonsense. I can relate to his 11 year old, whether or not anyone is audio person or not. And there is no way to tell if one thing sounds better than another, without listening to many. Sound is subjective to each individual.

 

[classy]

Why do people buy Bose sound equipment, Heineken, or starbucks coffee beans? If you think it's quality, you're a brandwhore who is incapable seeing through marketing for quality.

I listened to the headphones, not the ads.

 

[preslove]

I listened to the headphones, not the ads.

Subconsciously, you did. Plus, it ain't just the ads. There is much more to marketing than promotion.

 

[preslove]

Sound is subjective to each individual.

Nope. There are objective ways to measure sound, you fool.

 

[yhelothar]

Nope. There are objective ways to measure sound, you fool.

You'd be surprised that despite this, there are massive differences in sound signature between high end headphones of various brands. You'd think there'd be some kind of reference sound in the audiophile world. But even then, it's still sound signature.

 

[Scotteq]

Some food for thought, a lot of music now-a-days isn't close to produced, or mastered well. I have some mid end studio speakers on my PC...

Also a truism in Audio - As (you) move up the chain to higher quality, your components become good enough to reveal flaws in source material. And once you (learn to) hear the difference, it's never the same again. It's kind of the audio equivalent of finding out the cutie you've been sleeping with has the Herp..

 

[Baked]

Nothing so good as yours - Just my NAD T754 receiver at home and a NuForce for when I work weekends. While adequate, I don't think either is fully up to the task, IMHO. I have a Peachtree Nova 150 on order which should arrive this week. While the truth is I really got it for my new KEF LS50s, the Peachtree's headphone circuit is also supposed to be a superior bit of engineering. I have some other things planned over the next year, but if for some reason that doesn't work to my satisfaction then I'll add a dedicated amp to the list of potential purchases. I'd like to try a tube setup, so Schiit and {if I really go nuts} maybe Woo...

Yesss.... I hear the peanut gallery formulating their puns now.. :sneaky:

No worries. I haven't been following the audiophile scene at head-fi for a very long time. I think all this audiophile stuff has contributed to my hearing loss. Doesn't matter if I listen to music amped or not now. I mostly just listen to music from my Sony MP3 player with some UE TripleFi 10 on the go. Again, those IEMs are killing my ears. FML...

I was also very curious to try out tube amp in the past, but they seem so expensive! No point in doing that now since I can't tell the difference between reference audiophile headphones and B&M trendy headphones.

 

[Scotteq]

If they are so bad, explain why do so many people want them and why this guy's 11 year old wants a pair. Let me explain it you. They sound awesome for music. If you listen to rock or hip hop, they are tremendous headphones. I have no stake in any of them, are they worth the price, well thats the case.

As long as "Awesome" means "incorrectly bass heavy, and complimentary enough that people can better enjoy listening to poor source material", then yeah. We can absolutely agree that Beatz are awesome. Absolutely Perfect for their intended demographic.

 

[Scotteq]

No worries. I haven't been following the audiophile scene at head-fi for a very long time. I think all this audiophile stuff has contributed to my hearing loss. Doesn't matter if I listen to music amped or not now. I mostly just listen to music from my Sony MP3 player with some UE TripleFi 10 on the go. Again, those IEMs are killing my ears. FML...

I was also very curious to try out tube amp in the past, but they seem so expensive! No point in doing that now since I can't tell the difference between reference audiophile headphones and B&M trendy headphones.

/understood regarding hearing - Tinnitus is an aquired taste... :what:

You can get a Schiit tube amp for around $300. The Woos are more like a thousand+. So... Yeahh....

 

[dave_the_nerd]

Just say no. He'll break/drop/lose them anyway.

Also, "beatz" your child. Heheh.

 

[JM Aggie08]

What did you end up getting him? I'd like a post-christmas update!

 

[bigrash]

I wouldn't buy my kid Beatz. Tell him that you'll gladly spend money on quality product.

 

[LTC8K6]

Remind him that Dre is apparently a tax dodger with his beatz empire, using Ireland's low tax rates.

http://www.irishexaminer.com/ireland/aint-nuthin-but-a-cork-thang-for-dre-215749.html

Dr Dre’s business empire, Beats Electronics, this year established three separate companies in Clonakilty, Co Cork, to avail of Ireland’s corporate tax rate.

Dr Dre’s Irish subsidiaries, including Beats Electronics Services Ltd and Beats Electronics International Ltd, are owned by Irish-based Beats Electronics Holding Ltd, with the ultimate parent company based in California.

The corporate structure allows for money to be channelled between the separate companies in the form of royalty payments or licence fees to artificially but legitimately reduce profits as a means of reducing tax liabilities.

David Enright, who is an accountant for one of U2’s companies, is also a director of two of the Irish Beats subsidiaries.

 

[biostud]

 

[HumblePie]

Remind him that Dre is apparently a tax dodger with his beatz empire, using Ireland's low tax rates.

http://www.irishexaminer.com/ireland/aint-nuthin-but-a-cork-thang-for-dre-215749.html

With ireland's loophole with the cayman islands like facebook

 

[mmntech]

No worries. I haven't been following the audiophile scene at head-fi for a very long time. I think all this audiophile stuff has contributed to my hearing loss. Doesn't matter if I listen to music amped or not now. I mostly just listen to music from my Sony MP3 player with some UE TripleFi 10 on the go. Again, those IEMs are killing my ears. FML...

I was also very curious to try out tube amp in the past, but they seem so expensive! No point in doing that now since I can't tell the difference between reference audiophile headphones and B&M trendy headphones.

I can still tell the difference but there's a point where it does become transparent, and it happens a lot quicker than audiophiles believe. My $70 par of Grado SR60s are still the best headphones I've ever used, including studio monitors. I've got a pair of M-Audio reference ones at work that broke less than a month after normal use. Audio is a bit like wine. Just because it costs more doesn't mean its better. The opposite is usually the case.

The folks over at Head-Fi and other audiophile boards are nuts. If you spend move than a couple grand on a home stereo, you're just an idiot. Even the best speakers ever can't overcome the technical limitations of the recording equipment. Want to hear live music, spend your money going to the symphony instead.

I agree with HumblePie et al that there are different headphones for different music types. The Grados tend to do best with rock while the Beatz are designed for hip hop. If the Beatz were around $100, they might be worth it. They want way too much for them, mostly because it's got Dr Dre's name stamped on the side. Same game the clothing industry plays.

 

[PingSpike]

Your kid annoys me and says so much about the current young generation.

Please, this shit isn't new to this generation. When I was in 6th grade every asshole had to have a pair of Reebok pumps regardless of whether they were on the basketball team, soccer team, didn't play sports at all or even had legs. Those shoes were expensive and stupid as fuck but if you didn't have them you had the LA Gear Ames ripoff versions or at least a hard on for the real thing. Kids are morons.

 

[Pulsar]

And don't be a pussy. This is not some personal nonsense. I can relate to his 11 year old, whether or not anyone is audio person or not. And there is no way to tell if one thing sounds better than another, without listening to many. Sound is subjective to each individual.

1. I'm sure you can relate to his 11 year old...
2. For the most part, music is not subjective. People can listen to music, but to truly LISTEN you need to sit down with someone who actually knows music and can explain it. If you don't understand that, then you don't understand music. If you're buying a $300 set of headphones, then you damn well better go to some audio store (or even your local music-teaching location) and listen to some real music.

How do you know if a snare drum sounds like shit on your headphones if you have no idea what a snare drum is supposed to sound like?

It's like eating transfat loaded sodium laden Mcdonalds and saying "It tastes good!" because you have no real basis for comparison.

However, to go back to the OP's post, NO 11 year old needs $300 dollar headphones. Take the kid to an audio store, have him close his eyes, and then have him listen to 8-10 different sets that are under $50 as a double-blind test. Throw in the beats somewhere. If he chooses the beats, well then you've got a kid who actually knows what he wants. If not, you've got a sheep. Lead him in the right direction.

(He still doesn't need $300 headphones).

 

[Imp]

Your kid gonna be an antisocial loser if you no get him da Beats by Dr. Dre to buy friends, uo.

And if you're lucky, his new "friends" will "borrow" his Beats and never give them back, yo.

 

[OutHouse]

Please, this shit isn't new to this generation. When I was in 6th grade every asshole had to have a pair of Reebok pumps regardless of whether they were on the basketball team, soccer team, didn't play sports at all or even had legs. Those shoes were expensive and stupid as fuck but if you didn't have them you had the LA Gear Ames ripoff versions or at least a hard on for the real thing. Kids are morons.

when i was in the 6th grade every asshole had to have a sony Walkman. and nearly everybody did because they did not cost 300 bucks.

 

[JM Aggie08]

I bet OP purchased the Beatz...

:sneaky:

 

[HumblePie]

I bet OP purchased the Beatz...

:sneaky:

Meh, if I was going to listen to rap, hip hop, or pop only music I would get the DJ slims personally for the price. Deep boomy bass signature that has zero distortion that the human ear can reasonably tell at max volume. Same as the Beatz. Only difference is $70 versus $300. Just as stylish and has the same performance for that music.

If I wasn't listening to rap, hip hop, or pop I wouldn't touch Beatz or any similar head phone like it. For classical those headphones sound like pure garbage for example. Way to much resonance created by those headphones if you are listening to a symphony for example. they sound horrible in that case.

My guess is though the OP's son is into the trendy music which is why he is being peer pressured into the Beatz. But there are better alternatives for the money.

 

[SAWYER]

I just got some knock offs on craigslist for 50

 

[highland145]

Stolen beatz purchased from craig's list?

How do you know they're knockoffs and does the kid know?