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Monster Beats Headphones by Dr. Dre
Introduction
If you've ever walked into a Best Buy and tried to purchase just about anything in their A/V department with any kind of "assistance," I'm sure that by the end of your joyous experience you "learned" that your equipment would short circuit, your home would immediately burst into flames, and you'd lose everything precious to you if you didn't use hundreds of dollars worth of Monster Cables with your new TV or sound system. That's the best story I've heard at least. I'm sure most of us associate the Monster brand with exorbitantly priced A/V cables that have become the geeks' punch-line on so many tech forums that it's already cliche, but the company seems to be trying to diversify their product offerings of late. Could this have something to do with their "rip-off" reputation among those in-the-know? The fact that technology such as wireless HDMI is already trickling into the marketplace making many of their product irrelevant? Regardless of the impetus behind this diversification, today we'll be looking at one of their new products, the Monster Beats by Dr. Dre headphones. As you can probably guess from the rather interesting name, Monster teamed up with Dr. Dre to get some celebrity name recognition for this new offering. I'm not so sure Dr. Dre would be the first person to pop into mind when thinking of audiophile priced headphones, but he is in the recording industry and should be instantly recognizable to anyone slightly familiar with the Rap/Hip-Hop scene nonetheless. Let's get past the names involved here, though, and see if the Beats are truly worthy of your hard-earned cash. Features & Design While pricing has made Monster infamous, the build quality of their products has been outstanding and the Beats are no exception. The sleek, metal reinforced headband combined with the soft faux leather earpads and headrest combine durability with comfort and functionality that is missing in many competing models. While in use, the Beats feel lighter than you might expect considering the materials used. Even though the earpads rest directly on the listener's ear, they don't crush your skull like other headphones. Looks are always subjective, but I think a lot of people will like the unique style of the Beats even if they don't care for the "beats by dr. dre" logo along to the top of the headband.     When using the Beats for the first time, you'll immediately realize that there's a little more to them than just plugging in and enjoying your music. That's because they incorporate active noise canceling technology which requires you to insert two AAA batteries into the the back of the left earpad. Batteries are included, but you're going to need to stock up on them (or invest in rechargeables and a charger) since the Beats won't even function if they aren't powered. You can expect about 24 hours of continuous listening from disposable batteries before they'll need to be replaced. On the right earpad there's an on/off switch and a large button that allows for quick and easy muting of the headphones when held down.        Instead of hardwiring a cable to the Beats, Monster includes two different detachable cables that plug into the bottom of the left earpad. The first cable is just a standard 3.5mm audio connector, while the other one is meant to be used with your music-enabled phone. It allows you to press the microphone button on the cable in order to talk, and then press it again to hang up. Both cables are the same length and only reach about four feet, which is a concern in some situations. In my testing I couldn't plug the Beats into the back of my computer, and found it frustrating to try and play my electric guitar through the headphone jack on my practice amp, since I had to sit extremely close to it without moving. Of course, there are a number of situations where the shorter cable length is actually a plus, but Monster includes two cables so it's a bit odd that at least one of them isn't a bit longer than the other since that would add a lot more utility to the product. There are also a couple of adapters included with the Beats so you can go from 3.5mm to 6.3mm as well as a double pronged connector so you can use it on airlines. A soft carrying case and cleaning cloth are included as well so you can keep your Beats protected and maintain that glossy finish.
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Add Comment
9 User Comments 1 - Posted by
someguy
on October 14, 2008 - 11:17 am You can also get them directly from http://www.beatsbydre.com They also have cool music videos from artists who love them 2 - Posted by
Brian Albers
on December 8, 2008 - 12:29 pm Hey Mark. Thanks for your write-up. "there are better sounding headphones to be had at less than half the price of the Beats, and with none of the compromises involved here" Which makes/models? I've been looking to replace my Bose Quiet Comforts and I've considered the Monsters, but after you made that statement I wondered which ones you would recommend. I've had plenty over the years (Sennheiser, AKG, Sony) and have found that I generally like the high end consumer types rather than the proper recording studio cans. The Monsters sound great, but if I can find that sound for less than the fortune that Monster is asking, I'd want to check them out. 3 - Posted by
Mark Korff
on December 9, 2008 - 10:16 am Hey Brian. While there are certainly a lot of good headphones out on the market, I'm only going to recommend the ones I've personally used or reviewed. Right now my personal headphones are the Sennheiser HD 595. I haven't written a review of them, but they're great sounding and very comfortable. They're not meant to be noise cancelling at all though. If you're looking for great sounding noise reducing headphones, take a look at my review of the Altec Lansing iM716 in-ear headphones. They block out just about everything, and it's all done passively so you won't get any of the digital noise you'd experience with active noise reduction technology. Finally, if you really want great bang for your buck, take a look at any of the headphones from Grado. You really cannot go wrong with any of their products. Just pick the model they offer that is closest to what you want to spend and you won't be sorry. Even their cheapest model sounds better than some headphones that cost over three times as much. I've owned both of their lowest models (SR-60 and SR-80) and would recommend them to anyone that loves great sound. 4 - Posted by
Kurtis
on December 9, 2008 - 12:42 pm Heh, we actually just had Cameron review the Sennheiser HD 595 as well: http://www.thetechlounge.com/article/596/Sennheise... Only potential problem with those is that they're an open design, so they're not great for loud environments or for when you are trying to keep the audio to yourself. Another thing worth mentioning is that you -may- want to consider in-ear headphones. We've reviewed several recently, and we've got more on the way: http://www.thetechlounge.com/list-articles/53/ 5 - Posted by
Tyler
on April 24, 2009 - 2:50 am The DrePhones are unreal. I nabbed them 2 weeks ago and realized that I'd been living like an animal, listening to my music with apple earbuds. If you really care about your music, get the drephones. You will hear more detail and aspects to every song with the drephones than you ever thought possible. Thanks Dr. Dre.
6 - Posted by
Intoit
on August 21, 2009 - 4:30 am I would say this novel of a review is upsetting to those who own a pair of the studio headphones. I own one myself and I can't get enough of 'em. I use them when I work out and even just chill around the place, walking or sitting down. They might be pricey, but if Boses' best cost 350 then shit, you have to compete somehow. I've personally listened through the more expensive Bose headphones and would say the Beats win in every category. Especially in the clarity of the music and the comfortness. The style is just a plus. It's new. It fits in ideally in the generation of music. The bass is ridiculously sweet, the highs and low's are easy on the ears and the clarity of the background noises are good. True that it can get distorted but when are you really going to be listening to your ipod at the highest peak of volume? I know when I use them in the gym, I have to turn my up almost to the highest but it still sounds excellent. Can't hear anything at all on the outside either. And I mean NOTHING AT ALL. It's case and cleansing rag are another sweet edition plus it's other little cables and whatnot. Pretty convenient. I give them a 5/5. In other words................. THESE HEADPHONES ARE SIIIIICK! 7 - Posted by
Intoit
on August 21, 2009 - 4:34 am "I have to turn mine* up..." ha
8 - Posted by
Cobra
on September 30, 2009 - 11:04 am Personally, all I hear in these reviews is people mostly bitching about the price. WAN WAN WAN! If they were $100 you'd be sucking yourselves off with your great purchase. Find someone that works at best buy and save $150 off the retail price. Even at $240 I'm sure you're all still crying, but w/e I love them and I don't give a shit. They are step up for me, so I'm happy. Plus, they look mad sexy. And, to the person who posted that there are videos of people wearing them on the dre website...I hope you didn't buy it cause Lady Gaga is wearing them. You noob. You're all noobs. No one gives a shit about your opinions. Just buy them cause you like them, not cause some poodick on the internet is bitching about prices. Sure noise cancelling could be better and changing batteries suck, but buy some rechargeable's. It's 2009 for christ sake! Anyway, much love to all the people in the world! Keep it positive! lol 9 - Posted by
djplasticairplanemodels
on September 30, 2009 - 11:10 am I think all the dead rechargables are piling up in cobras head and it's clouding his vision because the sony v-700's are the best headphones for the price... thanks for comming out!
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