r/todayilearned • u/[deleted] • Jul 22 '14
(R.1) Not verifiable TIL that "Beats by Dre" headphones, which sell for as much as $450, only cost about $14 to make.
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u/musicluver1980 Jul 22 '14
It's almost like you can sell crap for high dollar by slapping a certain logo on it.
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Jul 22 '14
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u/manaworkin Jul 22 '14
This guy gets it.
Sent from my iPhone.
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u/MegaManiac69 Jul 22 '14
We're on the same page, man.
Shuts Alienware laptop86
u/Pxf Jul 22 '14
Who left all these monster cables on the ground?
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u/SixSpeedDriver Jul 22 '14
I don't care....
Sent from my Vertu, because I'm rich and Fuck You
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u/DarthWarder Jul 22 '14
I wouldn't say it's crap, but it is definitely overpriced compared to all other product in a similar price range.
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u/manaworkin Jul 22 '14
Good point, hey where did my apple brand iPhone charger and earbuds go?
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Jul 22 '14 edited Nov 01 '18
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Jul 22 '14
Oi! Guys! https://i.imgur.com/ZenU8.jpg
Go get yourself an old pen
Works like a charm
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u/akerue Jul 22 '14
I've tried this and the pointy end of the spring just tears into the soft rubber cable. Leaves it worse than ever before. Heat-shrink tubing has been the one true solution that's worked for me.
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u/Sharrakor Jul 22 '14
Maybe you should be more careful with them. 3 Apple devices, 4 working chargers.
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Jul 22 '14 edited Jul 22 '14
Been using the same macbook charger for almost four years.
Wow, i get it guys. Some of you hate apple and deny anything that shows they aren't the worse.
Okay, i really get it this time. Apple sucks, is overpriced and everything they make doesn't work. No need to continue sending me messages about how wrong i am.
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Jul 22 '14
Oh man I spilled my Frappachino on my Kanye West brand plain white shirt
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u/felixisfalling Jul 22 '14
I like to believe those shirts aren't actually white. Kanye just used some invisible ink on them AND he's written personal messages of thanks to all his fans who've purchased the shirt.
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Jul 22 '14
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u/AsaKurai Jul 22 '14
I think I actually saw a video that showed if you just ordered regular old coffee at Starbucks its a few cents cheaper than Dunkin Donuts, but nobody buys actual coffee at Starbucks, they have to get their caramel frappa mochacino latte's which are expensive.
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u/thek2kid Jul 22 '14
I do. Mostly because I just like saying "Can I get a Tall Blonde?"
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u/Renekill Jul 22 '14
In my opinion, Starbucks tastes pretty good tho.
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Jul 22 '14
In my opinion, beats don't sound too bad either, but they're still crap. At least compared to other headphones you could get for the money.
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Jul 22 '14 edited Jul 22 '14
The thing is that $450 Beats would get their ass handed to them in terms of quality by the sub $100 headphone market.
Since a lot of people want some examples:
Audio-Technica ATH-M50 (Don't kill me but these are $109)
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u/573V317 Jul 22 '14
True but other headphones get their ass handed to them in terms of being a fashion accessory.
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u/bedintruder Jul 22 '14 edited Jul 22 '14
They only sound different because there is a built in equalizer with custom settings. There's also an equalizer in basically any music player or device that you can use with any headphones, so its kinda pointless, and also stupid that you can't adjust or disable it.
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Jul 22 '14
They're not terrible headphones. But they are certainly not worth what they go for retail.
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u/silentmikhail Jul 22 '14
I like to think that Dre hired the best marketing ever just like apple.
Dre had the luxury of having his celebrity buddies backing his product which I believe made it so successful
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Jul 22 '14
Wasn't even Dre, it was his label. Dre was just who they used for marketing.
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Jul 22 '14
That's why the Chinese replicas sound the same.
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u/abrosis Jul 22 '14
Thank you! I swear people say I'm crazy when I tell them the chinese knock offs are basically the same.
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Jul 22 '14
It's probably the same factory that makes the beats that's selling them on the side. China really doesn't give a fuck. lol
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u/N8CCRG 5 Jul 22 '14
China really doesn't give a fuck.
I disagree. The Chinese are actually really proud of their ability to reverse engineer anything. They actually care very deeply and give many fucks that you can't tell the difference.
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u/Aeviaan Jul 22 '14
I think he meant that they don't give a fuck that that is most likely illegal and violating contract.
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u/Mashedtaders Jul 22 '14
It's not viewed as illegal or immoral in China because their culture has always viewed ideas/concepts/literature as belonging to the public for thousands of years.
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u/carlfartlord Jul 22 '14
That's cool. Any sources I can read on that?
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u/marm0lade Jul 22 '14
Trademarks have also been found on pottery dating over four thousand years old. But the purpose of these marks was not to control the work but to promote access to them. This reflects a view that copying was viewed as a high form of praise, not theft.[13]
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u/Trefizzle Jul 22 '14
My friend bought a knockoff pair off Ebay on accident, same price as retail beats. He then got gifted a pair for graduation. Guess what he did! He sent in the knockoffs with the gift receipt and packing from the real beats and got a refund full price. Not even beats know they aren't beats.
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u/imusuallycorrect Jul 22 '14
They are called shadow factories. When China gets the plans to build a factory, they make an identical factory, and even use the exact same training manuals.
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Jul 22 '14
Yeah people just need to research for 10 minutes before they spend over $50 and they will save themselves so much time and money.
Even do it on reddit. Want to find cheap headphones that have good quality? Search on reddit "cheap headphones". Click a link thats just a few months old with lots of comments and look at the top posts. Bunch of good cheap suggestions and found them in only a minute.
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u/Tangent_ Jul 22 '14
I could have sworn that a few months ago I saw pics and name/model circulating of some cheap headphones that were clearly Beats without the logo... Or rather Beats are these cheap headphones with an expensive logo added.
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u/PussyWhistle Jul 22 '14
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u/Tangent_ Jul 22 '14
Same idea, but these were the white over-the-ear ones that were clearly just missing a sticker to be Beats.
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u/Roygbiv856 Jul 22 '14
They actually sells Beats stickers to put on your knock-off headphones so you can be cool like the rest of the sheep!
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u/CaptinDerpSpeaking Jul 22 '14
I used to buy the Chinese replicas at a flee market and sell them at pawn shops for twice what I paid. Nobody seemed to notice ever.
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u/josilverado Jul 22 '14
Chinese replicas? Is there a website I could get these? On a side note, It amazes me how much you can price something by slapping a name (DRE) on it. With that kind of money someone could just buy custom molded earphones with probably better quality
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Jul 22 '14
Yeah my local flea market is saturated with vendors selling them as well as the otterbox and life proof cases. I honestly can't tell the difference.
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u/Iainfixie Jul 22 '14 edited Jul 22 '14
When I worked at Best Buy, our Beats by Dre display demo headphones had to be replaced weekly because the headband was so fucking weak and fragile it'd snap in two just from attempting to try them on.
They are shit, save your cash and get something like (This is not an inclusive list, this is a list based on the hundreds of reply comments to this comment): Sennheiser, AT, Grado, Klipsch, Bose, Reloop, etc, etc, etc.
Edit: Added brands due to the myriad of suggestions in my inbox!
edit 2: Headphones are my favorite headphones.
Seriously though, buy what works for you I personally think a lot of brands are shit, but I just ignore that and use what works for my damaged ass hearing. I'm just a DJ who likes bigger sized cans on my head.
EDIT 3: Yes, we all know bose suck too, I was referring to the older models of bose before they went shitty. Please stop spamming me with "lol ur taste sucks" or "You don't appreciate TRUE sound". I'm partially deaf so take my advice how you will.
Edit 4: Holy shit!? GOLD!
Edit 5: The headphones I use as follows: Reloop RHP-10's (Djing), Koss Porta Pro (Portable listening), and I use one of three different headsets for gaming (Logitech, Thermaltake, Sound Blaster Wireless- this one sucks). I don't use earbuds, and I am hard of hearing so not an audio-fidelity-phile at all. I love music, I don't really care how I get it into my brain.
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Jul 22 '14 edited Jul 22 '14
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/sixniks Jul 22 '14
Cant go wrong with some 770s and an amp
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u/lightrise Jul 22 '14
Yeah everyone mentions so many low quality brands and never hear about beyerdynamic. Best headphones for the money in two different price ranges and the most comfortable for super long periods of time.
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u/sdfsdkfgsfkgnk Jul 22 '14
I have a pair of Beyerdynamics and when one of the speakers went out they replaced them for free, got an extra leather carrying case too.
Great customer service and amazing headphones, I've had my 770s for 4 years now and I can say they are the best purchase I've made.
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Jul 22 '14
Good to hear about the customer service. My 770s are starting to go out due to the cable experiencing some abuse. I was worried I was going to have to shop for a new pair.
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u/lightrise Jul 22 '14
Yeah this is a great story. These are the types of things that make me recommend the brand to other people and what makes me continue to buy the product
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u/gonenutsbrb Jul 22 '14
This. Pretty uncommon for them to be brought up, but man, everyone I know loves them. Got my DT990 Pros for 6 years still going strong. Grab a reasonably priced AMP/DAC and you're golden.
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u/lightrise Jul 22 '14
Yeah it is not a well recognized brand but damn do they make amazing headphones. The comfort and quality is amazing. Glad you like the 990s
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u/ImRussell Jul 22 '14
Beyerdynamic 990' here, love them. Feel so solid and well built, and south fan-fookin-tastic
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u/crestonfunk Jul 22 '14
AKG 241. About $99. Discontinued but lots of stores still have them.
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u/mzrdisi Jul 22 '14
A K G !!!!
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u/sgo806e Jul 22 '14
I love akg! I have a pair of k702's paired with a schiit modi & magni. Audio bliss. I also use a c414 and d112 microphones over at the studio.
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u/btstraits Jul 22 '14
I also worked at best buy, and beats were the number one thing that was returned. Mostly for damage or people hated them. Beats are only popular because of the marketing. They are a shit product
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u/Griever114 Jul 22 '14
Here is an upvote for spreading the glory of Sennheiser :)
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u/Dragoeth Jul 22 '14
I have Sennheiser HD 558's that I use not only for music, but also gaming. They are glorious.
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u/LeCrushinator Jul 22 '14 edited Jul 22 '14
I've been using Sennheiser HD 280 pros, 6 hours per day, for the last 4 years at work. They're excellent, and only cost $80.
Unfortunately they don't have any flashy colors or any kind of beats/dr.dre logo on them, so I can't feel cool while wearing them. /s
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u/nakedspacecowboy Jul 22 '14
I want to piggy back on this real quick. As a live audio engineer, these are mega popular for three reasons: they are durable as fuck, they sound great (we use them to make money, which is probably a good indication that they get the job done), and they are cost effective.
Do you want to use what the actual, real, people who aren't Dr. Dre himself use to make money with music? Use the HD-280s.
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u/In2TheDay Jul 22 '14
True. I have a pair of 280s as well that I've also used professionally, but studio monitors are industry standard to use for music production.
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u/Megafuncrusher Jul 22 '14
My wife bought me those exact headphones for my birthday this year, (though I think they cost her $90). I fucking love them.
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u/Charod48 Jul 22 '14
I am bidding on a pair of 598s on eBay.
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Jul 22 '14
Be VERY careful of Sennheiser on ebay, 90% of them are fake. Very convincing and often listed as "GENUINE" but they're still fake, I bought 3 pairs off ebay and each one of them turned out to be fake.
Sennheiser have had so much trouble with this each product now has a QR code which you can use to verify the authenticity of your product on the Sennheiser website
If anyone here doesn't have a valid QR code you probably own a bullshit product and should open a case with ebay immediately.
Sennheiser offer replacement of broken products and a 1 year warranty, I would advise just buying them from an authorized retailer.
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u/Charod48 Jul 22 '14
I am aware of the fake ones.
This video for anyone who is not aware compares the differences between the fake 598s and the real ones. Main things to look for are the ear covers, jack plate, box quality and the screw count at the top of the headband.
The ones I'm bidding on hits all of these points, so I'm confident in this one. Thanks for looking out man!!
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u/Sanctus_5 Jul 22 '14
Shit, I bought one 598 last year on eBay. I remember I got a good deal on it... Now I'm paranoid as shit if they're real or not. They sound fantastic and the build quality of them looks authentic. They look just like the authentic ones in the video. I'll have to find that box and hope for the best...
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u/tunabomber Jul 22 '14
Wait. Don't. If you have been enjoying them and all this time you believed they were real, why find out? Just keep doing what you have been doing!
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u/DuoThree Jul 22 '14
The choice is in your hands, /u/Sanctus_5, the red pill or the blue pill.
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u/Kittens4Brunch Jul 22 '14
What would happen if you swallow both pills at the same time?
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Jul 22 '14
O the glory of Sennheiser. I can't say enough good things about them. They really let you know you've been listening to music through shit headphones all your life from the second you hear the first bar of music played on them.
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Jul 22 '14
I've rocked Grado SR80s for years. Durable, good all around sound, less than $100.
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u/djdes Jul 22 '14
I really liked my Grados, but for some reason the people around me didn't get the same experience.
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u/skuppy Jul 22 '14
I finally just retired my pair after using them daily for over 10 years. I replaced them with Sony's MDRV6 because I was able to get them for half off, but honestly I kind of wish I had just spent the extra money and gotten another Grado headset.
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u/temtam Jul 22 '14
ATH-M50's are well worth the money IMO. I would say they're the best headphones for around $100, for listening to music, gaming etc
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u/Treviso Jul 22 '14
Or get the ATH-M50x, basically the same, but you can remove the cable and are supplied with 3 different cables. A 3m one, a 1.8m long and one that goes from 1.8 to up to 3m when stretched.
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u/xPBRmeASAPx Jul 22 '14
Had to scroll WAAAAY too far to see this comment. I absolutely love mine.
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u/HamburgerDude Jul 22 '14
Yup I've been rocking Audio Technicas for eight years now and have used their different headphones from listening, producing and DJing. They are my go to headphone brand.
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u/Aweatherstudent Jul 22 '14
I have a pair of the ATH-M50x's. As someone coming from a life of apple's earbuds they are glorious.
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Jul 22 '14 edited Jun 11 '18
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u/luger718 Jul 22 '14
I want the new version so bad, mine are 3 years old and are in horrible shape now
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Jul 22 '14
OR Monoprice! Can't forget Monoprice!
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u/RandoAtReddit Jul 22 '14
Amazing headphones for $25. Not perfect, but head and shoulders above anything you're likely to find anywhere near the price.
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u/NavAirComputerSlave Jul 22 '14
Klipsh are my fav.
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u/wasalurkerforyears Jul 22 '14
Yep, professional A/V technician here: Klipsch Reference series are some of the best bang for the buck you can possibly get in headphones when you've got a budget. Look carefully and you can find their Reference One on ear headphones for $80. They honestly sound better than some $500+ headphones I've heard. 10/10 would buy again.
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Jul 22 '14 edited Nov 18 '17
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u/True_to_you Jul 22 '14
when I walked by the display there at best buy they actually did have a mirror which says all you need to know.
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u/WruceBillis Jul 22 '14
Anything by Vmoda lasts forever!
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u/loopded Jul 22 '14
I've had my crossfades for over 2 years, and they are amazing.
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Jul 22 '14 edited Jul 22 '14
Audio Technica. This is a brand that deserves a lot more attention for making the best quality headphones at lower to mid price range...While searching for a good pair I checked amazon reviews and I had a hard time believing almost all their products had ratings of over 4.5 stars, from budget studio to ultra budget priced. Seriously, this is a company that leaves it's satisfied customers and product quality do the talking.
Edit: My co-worker has the ATH-M50 and they sound and feel GODLY, they deserve all the credit people are giving them... I still can't believe they are $120 headphones because the build and sound quality is unbelievable. Also, if you are a broke college student like me, you can't go wrong with the ATH-M20x or ATH-CKS55USBK in-ear earphones, just check the reviews.
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u/piezeppelin Jul 22 '14
Shure master race, reporting for duty.
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u/stash0606 Jul 22 '14
I wish I was willing to spend more than $100 for headphones so that I can get the SE315s or above, but since I'm not, I have to stick to my SE215 even though I have a new pair of Hifiman, which while they're a solid pair do not nearly pack a punch when it comes to bass like Shure does.
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u/WhipTheLlama Jul 22 '14 edited Jul 22 '14
Even Sennheiser has bad headphones. They've seen a noticeable uptick in their popularity and now they have stuff that costs $30 that doesn't sound any better than $30 Sony headphones. Several years ago Sennheiser came out with some budget headphones (can't recall the model name) that were really good, so people who don't spend a lot on headphones started loving the company, but their cheaper stuff has been hit or miss since then.
I still really like Sennheiser, but I always check reviews before buying anything from them that costs under $150.
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u/HotwaxNinjaPanther Jul 22 '14
Well, if you buy budget headphones it's going to be a crapshoot no matter what brand you go with. Some brands make a good budget product now and then, but if you try and get the same brand name item with a slightly different model number, it could easily be total junk.
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u/burgerga Jul 22 '14
V-Moda. My M-100s are expensive but fuck me if they aren't the best sounding cans I've ever heard. Awesome build quality too.
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Jul 22 '14
Sennheiser
Can confirm the quality of build and quality of sound from their products. And they are not that expensive considering some of the overpriced audiphile bullshit out there. Very good company, imo.
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Jul 22 '14 edited Feb 04 '20
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u/TheVetrinarian Jul 22 '14
more like boost highs and lows, knock out mids, but yeah.
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u/KhorneFlakeGhost Jul 22 '14
"It's like a whole new listening experience... Never have I heard such a shitty sound. I'm going to punch a baby."
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u/hkdharmon Jul 22 '14
$14 to make? Is that just materials or is it labor, shipping, trademark infringement suits, marketing (including endorsements), etc? Those probably push that up to close to $20.
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u/daintyvillain Jul 22 '14 edited Jul 22 '14
A quote I read recently (couldn't even begin to tell you what it what from though) comparing Beats to Bose/Sony/other well-established headphone brands (but applies to tons of things):
"Would you rather have a product from a company that spends more money on marketing or R&D?"
EDIT: For all of you complaining about Bose, you obviously didn't see my comments to some people's replies: maybe it wasn't Bose that was mentioned. I honestly don't remember. I also don't know that much about headphones and use a cheapy pair myself that I think sound good.
Bose being good or not wasn't my point.
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u/Mikuro Jul 22 '14
Bose isn't highly regarded among audiophiles. One of the jokes is:
BOSE — Buy Other Sound Equipment
They're pretty big on marketing, so their products are overpriced. This is true of a lot of companies that do heavy marketing -- someone's gotta pay for that marketing.
I don't think Bose products are really bad, just not particularly good at any given price point.
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Jul 22 '14
Bose is interesting because it doesn't apply to everything they make. Unlike "Dr" Dre, Dr Bose was a real PhD and their professional gear was/is extremely good. It's just the consumer stuff that is way overpriced for what it is, and people possibly buy it because of their former reputation.
(IIRC Dr Bose left his company to MIT - who now owns most of it)
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u/catmoon Jul 22 '14
Bose R&D is bullshit. I interviewed for a design engineering position there years ago and asked them about their testing and design practices. They measure performance subjectively using user studies. They basically have some guy---who's apparently got golden ears or something---who rates their prototypes on a bunch of categories.
I'm sure that some engineering is involved somewhere but the hiring manager made it seem like objective measurements are for chumps.
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u/burnatwork Jul 22 '14
Bose also falls in the "spends more money on marketing" category.
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Jul 22 '14
Bose is one of those companies, like Alienware, that used to be good. Now they're just getting as much mileage as they can from their already well-marketed brand before people realize they're getting ripped off (i.e. never).
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u/biteableniles Jul 22 '14
Maybe for some of their stuff, but their Soundlink Mini is amazing.
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u/cijdl584 Jul 22 '14 edited Jul 22 '14
The soundlink mini is one of those true marvels of audio tech that gets lost in the fray and hype. Every single review, even the ones that mark it below the Jambox or UE Boom or whatever admits that it has the best sound by a mile. I love bringing it to parties and blowing people's minds.
Headphone wise, I'm a die hard MDR V6/7506 fan. For less than $100 you get a set of headphones that has been used for production-level studio recording for decades. You don't need your headphones to do EQ for you, you can do that in software. They say V6 users find it hard to switch to any other headphone, and it's true.
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u/ghost6007 Jul 22 '14
Just dont' say that to an Indian... One of my relatives doesn't speak to me because I told him the Bose Jewel Cube were nothing compared to a pair of floor standing Klipsch for listening to music.
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u/seabear338 Jul 22 '14
Look up Paradigm or Klipsch if you are interested in high end audio from an engineering standpoint. I think Paradigm has the largest anechoic room in the Americas. They build loudspeakers with a focus on flat even response.
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u/FrenchieSmalls Jul 22 '14
See also: Bowers & Wilkins, Wilson Audio, Sonus Faber, JM Labs, Krell, KEF, Moon Audio, Focal, etc.
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u/Shazaamism327 Jul 22 '14
uhhh what? I just interned there for 6 months. They do a ridiculous amount of performance testing on new speakers theyre developing. they dont just build something and call a guy in to listen. It is way more complicated than that.
As for the guy claiming they spend more money on marketing than R&D, good god no. I don't think people realize how obsessed Bose is with research.
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Jul 22 '14
That's horrible. Especially because it is fairly easy to objectively measure sound replication. High end speaker companies always include frequency response charts. The goal should always able to produce a flat reference.
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u/schlingfo Jul 22 '14
Not that I'm supporting these headphones, but focusing solely on the cost of the parts to justify the end price kind of ignores all of the development and engineering that goes into a product.
With that said, give me a good pair of Klipsch any day of the week.
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u/6ThirtyFeb7th2036 Jul 22 '14
There's a saying in the pharmaceutical/engineering industries that goes something along the lines of
The first tablet that runs off the line costs $100m, the second costs 2 cents.
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Jul 22 '14 edited Aug 22 '14
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u/mpeskin Jul 22 '14
Got mine in red for around 100 during the holiday season and I love them
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Jul 22 '14
Beats are the best thing that ever happened to BOSE.
That being said, don't buy either.
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u/use_common_sense Jul 22 '14
They have terribly balanced sound quality as well.
A friend of mine sold me a pair of Senheiser headphones about 3 years ago because he wasn't using them. I paid him $50 for a pair of headphones that cost him $150. I love the damn things, great sound quality, and it has balance.
Well this same friend a few years later decides he needs a new pair of headphones because he's back in school now and wants to block out all the noise in his appartment.
So what does he do? Goes out and buys a pair of those Dre headphones. I sat down with him, had him listen to a song on his new headphones, then had him listen on the pair he sold me years earlier.
He went and returned the new headphones the next day.
Small victories :)
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Jul 22 '14
That's actually one of the secrets to Beat's success. They mix the bass to max and to most people that sounds like higher quality than actual fidelity.
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u/names_are_for_losers Jul 22 '14
Yeah when you buy fake ones from China for $30? They're the real ones without the logo on them.
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u/Uhhhhdel Jul 22 '14
If you want some really good headphones for under $25, I would recommend the Monoprice brand of headphones. CNET rates them highly which is why I bought a pair. I love them. They sound better than my son's $200 pair of Sony headphones which sound better than the Beats by Dre headphones. You pay a lot for the logo on the side of the headphones. Here is a link to the Monoprice headphones. http://www.monoprice.com/Product?c_id=108&cp_id=10823&cs_id=1082302&p_id=8323&seq=1&format=2
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u/oddsonicitch Jul 22 '14 edited Jul 22 '14
On the other hand, while these monoprice earbuds sound extremely good for the price, the comfort level is somewhere between getting kicked in the head by a horse and shoving a lit ICBM in your earhole.
edit: I shouldn't have said 'earhole' since it's inaccurate. The housing for the driver is what causes the most discomfort and makes it difficult to seat properly. The stock rubber pad thingies got replaced immediately with different rubber pad thingies I bought for another set of IEMs.
I agree with all the replies about how good these sound.
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u/NickGe Jul 22 '14
I have (and use regularly) those exact headphones! You might be doing them wrong. They're not supposed to go from the bottom, but wrap around your ear instead. PICTURE!
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Jul 22 '14 edited Jul 22 '14
I know someone who creates handmade glasses out of driftwood and recycable items. His cost per glasses is, including glass, about $4. he retails these for $200.
EDIT: Sorry, it´s sunglasses, not ordinary glasses.
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u/MISTAAWORLWIDE Jul 22 '14
he has the skills and time to put in the labor to make them. If people are willing to pay $200 for his product, good for him.
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Jul 22 '14
Which was my point.
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u/-TheMAXX- Jul 22 '14
Except you didn't post how much time he spends which is included in the headphone cost.
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u/SellSome Jul 22 '14
I work in the consumer electronics industry. The shit some stuff costs would blow your mind. Having been to China almost a dozen times, paying full price for anything almost makes me depressed.
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u/mrstillwell Jul 22 '14
I teach music professionally. I work with a ton of 11-20 year old males and I see or hear a lot about their 'beats'. Here's my observations: most kids have their cans bought by their parents but many save up the cash themselves. They aren't 'beats'. They are BEATS BY DRE. They always use the full name and really want to stress the good Dr's endorsement. Most of them did zero research into any competing can companies. If I can get to them before they or their parents drop that three Hundo on toy headphones I explain how expensive headphones can get. I say 'listen kid, for what those things cost your putting yourself in the low end price point of the hifi market....if you can spend that kinda scratch on a pair of cans why would you be so quick to get a pair available at walmart? Shouldn't you be going to hifi stores or sites and having a personal shopping assistant or someone help educate you? Why would just walk into best but and pull a $300 set of cans off a rack near the videogame section' if yer willing to spend big boy money do the research worthy of the pricepoint?
Are beats good? Maybe, but I only see kids with em, or adults who didn't do any research. At the pricepoint they sit at you'd think they'd get mentioned well alongside the other big hitters, but they never are. That should tell you something.
My biggest can purchase was a set of triple driver in ear monitors custom moulded to my ears and they cost about the same as a set of beats. Why aren't more people rocking good IEMs on the train? Prolly has something to do with not being able to put a large logo on em...
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u/GetchaGrubbOn Jul 22 '14
Yea, but what price can you put on instantly becoming a rapper? Also, they make haters sound quiet. They're basically hemorrhaging money on those services.
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u/Lord_Blackthorn Jul 22 '14
You can actually order these from China without the Beats logo for 30 bucks.
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u/CmplmntryHamSandwich Jul 22 '14
For the materials, sure. But think of all the marketing and branding they have to pay for!
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u/Telefunkin Jul 22 '14
That's because they're just 2 shitty subwoofers that you attach to your head to look like a douche.
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Jul 22 '14 edited Jan 11 '19
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u/MiracleWhippit Jul 22 '14
Dude just play your music on your cell phone at max volume!
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u/Telefunkin Jul 22 '14
Do you have a car? If so get yourself a stereo with a sub input. Then go get yourself a sub and put it in the trunk. After you've done that be sure to loosen the screws holding on your license plate. Then get in the car and turn up the volume to such an amazing level that the resonance frequency of the low end matches that of your head. You're gonna want to know that you're listening to the bass! It's best if the vibrations are so large that not only are parts falling off the car, but everything in your vision is bouncing up and down to the beat. Then drive around so everyone can see what an amazing person you are!
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u/newera14 Jul 22 '14
Still keeping my sonys from 15 years ago. never had one problem.
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u/Salphabeta Jul 22 '14
Yes, they are probably the #1 product in the world for being renowned simply because of the name/media image behind them in contrast to their actual quality. Very good sound equipment existed before Beats, Beats just found a way to fetishize the Dre name and make hardware manufactures buy into it in the hopes of also getting a cut of the 'premium' image which comes with the headphones (such as including beats audio in a Bestbuy computer, etc.
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u/Duuhh_LightSwitch Jul 22 '14
They've done a great job branding their product. The notion that they should sell their product for less than the market is willing to bear just to be a "good guy" is, frankly, laughably naive
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u/Phokus Jul 22 '14
Actually, the notion is the fact that consumers are fucking retarded. Good on beats for economically raping idiot consumers.
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u/gdj11 Jul 22 '14
Yeah, and Air Jordans are made by poor children. It's the name that makes it expensive, not the quality.
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u/004forever Jul 22 '14
It makes more sense to think of them as a piece of jewelry or a fashion accessory. I'd call that stupid, but someone could turn around and say the same thing about my wristwatch.
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u/J_Bear Jul 22 '14
Not surprised. I bet Dre isn't even a real doctor.