Monster Beats Headphones by Dr. Dre

Reviews: Multimedia

Author:
Editor:
Sponsor:
Published:

Mark Korff
Kurtis
Monster
Oct. 13, 2008

Specifications

<< Home

Next >>

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.

<< Home

Page 1 of 3

Next >>

Page 1: Introduction, Features & Design
Page 2: Specifications & Sound Quality
Page 3: Conclusion

Subscribe to Headphones [more info]

View All

Related Reviews

Sennheiser HD 595 Headphones

Headphones November 21, 2008

Etymotic ER-4 microPro Sound Isolating Earphones

Headphones November 10, 2008

Ultimate Ears Super.Fi 4 Sound Isolating Earphones

Headphones September 29, 2008

Turtle Beach EarForce X4 XBOX 360 Wireless Headset

Headphones September 10, 2008

Add Comment

4 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/

Add Comment

To add a comment without being a member, you may omit the password field, but you must enter your name (or nickname) along with your comment. * Denotes required fields.