Music Beats or cheapy headphones?

This isn't a "What should I buy" thread. I already have some Sennheiser HD201s I'm perfectly happy with and can't afford to replace.

My friend remarked that his in-ear Beats (£140) were waaay better in terms of sound quality than my HD201s. It got me thinking - for an even frequency response better than Beats, how low-priced can you go (while still getting a good pair of headphones)?

I don't doubt that they're better than my headphones, but for the price (£13 from Amazon for headphones that will almost certainly last a lot longer) I'd rather have the HD201s, or similar cheap headphones with reasonable build quality.

That brings me to another question - is there a way to test the frequency response of headphones? I'm sure it could easily be tested in a lab, but is there a way to test it at home with just a PC, the headphones and a mic or two?

 

Beats.. headphones..? You must have something confused. The Beats cannot be described as headphones. The term noise-generator covers their function a lot better.

I would look at Sennheiser CX-400 II. They are cheap, reliable and produce a better sound than the Beats.

 

They don't have to be in-ear headphones, by the way, just cheap and reasonably durable (ie not break in two weeks with reasonable use)

 

This is a joke right?

Let's just say the cognoscenti don't exactly approve of Beats.

CX 300 IIs are £30 at comet.

 

Someone saying Beats are 'good' headphones is like saying white apple headphones are better because they are white.

Beats are an overpriced fashion statement. End of.

 

http://qkme.me/3694kd

 

Beats lol, oh good lord no no no no.

 

Another vote for Sennheiser's CX300/400 series here, for the price they're great. Beats are terrible, but with street cred/marketing to make sales.

If you're actually dropping proper cash, B&W C5s.

 

+Rep.

I find the less you spend in the short term, the more you spend in the long term when it comes to headphones.

 

HD201's are the cheapest decentish overears available. For in ears I'd look at the creative EP630/830 and the already mentioned Sennheiser CX series.

Your friend shouldn't be comparing his £150 beats to £13 headphones, but things like the Shure SE425, which will blow them out of the water, clean dry and in little meaty gibbets.

 

I have a nice set of Blackbox noise cancelling headphones I picked up in HMV. 89.00£ and quite reasonable. The reviews from What Hifi were 4 out of 5 stars as they are essentially a company that make noise-cancelling equipment for other companies and this is their own branded setup. they are over the ear open-back phones so playing them loud on the tube will likely get you some stares but with the battery operated noise-cancelling, you can turn them down a tad.

 

Because i'm a cheapskate I tend to buy headphones at the cheaper end of things and i'd recommend the Sennheiser MX400s [you may prefer the CX 300s but personally i can't abide the rubber ear canal things], my pair before that were a pair of cheap sony ones to replace the stock sony ones that came with my mp3 player [which I accidentally crushed under my chair].

Avoid beats and skullcandy, they're expensive for what they are, crap considering how much they cost, and the skullcandy ones are incredibly flimsy.

 

Creative EP-630, £9.18 on Amazon, I prefer them to the CX300

 

Trust me my t-jays three are way better than any beats

 

People that have beats should be mugged for them, given £120 and shown a set of Sennhesier HD558's and the forced to buy them at knife point. I've heard a pair of neats, yes the bass sounded great but the rest of the music sounded distorted. Highs and mids just didn't exist with them, so ifg you were listening to some say fine detailed music all the extra detial in that piece was lost.

I sure wouldn't want to burn £150 on something thats hyped up and made out to be better than what they really are.

Anyway getting off my soap box for a second, I picked up some in ear Panasonic something or other for £13.00 and for general use with my MP3 player they are good for the money, and they haven't fallen apart at all in the time that I've had them, so win win really.

 

Beats are like vomit. In your ear. But not as good.

 

A couple of weeks ago, I saw a guy wearing some big round Beats, in red, adorned with the Ferrari logo. They were being used as neck speakers. I still don't even.

I'm happy with my Beyer DT100's.

 

Cheap ones. You won't be as disappointed when they turn out to be ****.

 

My £80 Sony MDR V700s that I have as backups have lasted 2 European tours and multiple gigs. They're a similar size to the over ear beats but, IMO, sound far better.