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| Reviewed.com > Personal Electronics > Headphones > Monster > Over-Ear > Beats | |||||||
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The only additional feature on the headphones themselves is a mute button: press and hold the "b" above the power switch to mute playback and stop noise cancellation. In the box there are a few interesting extras. The Beats come with two cables, one of which has an in-line microphone for use with cell phones. The mic cord is a great addition, one that isn't typically included with noise-cancellers, it seems to come at the expense of an extension cord, which noise-cancellers generally do come with. Since either cord option will only stretch from the headphones to your pants pocket, you'll need to provide your own extension cord if you want to hook up to a stereo across the room. Other bonuses you'll find in-box: a 1/4-inch adapter, an airplane adapter, two AAA batteries, and a cleaning cloth for ridding the Beats' glossy black case of fingerprints. Performance (read the full lab performance results at HeadphoneInfo.com) The Beats have great detailing, which means you'll hear all the subtle details of your music clearly. Unless you've got a particularly discerning ear, good detailing can sound a lot like excellent quality playback. Crispness of sound isn't all there is to audio quality, however, and the Beats didn't perform as well in other areas. Out of all our audio tests, the Beats performed the best on our frequency response test. They have a slightly-emphasized, well-rounded bass, which means it will sound decently loud, but never boomy. The high-middle frequences, relative to the bass, were a bit underemphasized: this means the attack (initial hit) of some drums might sound a bit quieter than they should. Also, some vocals might have a slightly thinner, or airy quality to them. On our other tests, the Beats didn't fare quite as well. They suffer from quite a bit of distortion, so the Beats aren't for music purists. The Beats didn't have particularly good tracking either: there's a spot around 2kHz where the volume suddenly shifts from slightly heavy on the right channel to moderately heavy on the left and back to the right. Sounds in this area will appear to dart off to your right and then dart back again. The Beats's noise cancellation also created more problems than it was worth. Out of all the noise-cancelling headphones we've reviewed, the Beats had the weakest: there isn't much difference between just wearing the headphones and wearing them with noise cancellation on. Other noise-cancellers get a huge boost to the amount of low-frequency noise they block out, but in the Beats's case, the gain is meager. Also, there's a fair amount of noise created by the noise cancellation toward the high end. While the Beats isolate better than open-backed headphones, they pale in comparison to other noise-cancellers and in-ear headphones. The active cancellation also doesn't mesh well with the Beats's poor leakage control. Typically when you can't hear external noise, it's because the headphones are physically obstructing sounds from reaching your ears, which also keeps your playback contained. In the case of active cancellation only external sounds are negated, which means you probably won't realize how loud your headphones sound to others. Unfortunately, the Beats have relatively poor leakage control. Keep that in mind when you're in a relatively quiet public place, since even moderate volumes will end up leaking out of the Beats. Comparisons (read more in-depth comparisons at HeadphoneInfo.com) While the Beats are definitely an interesting option -- especially since the detailing will amaze those new to headphones -- they don't really have any area they excel in. Judging from what comes in their box, they're meant to be a portable set of over-ears (they fold up, and there's no extension cord included). As a set of portable headphones, they fail, since their isolation is so bad. Also, if you turn up your music to drown out external sounds, you'll flood the immediate area with your own music. The Beats might be good for use in the home, but the active cancellation isn't put to good use in such an environment and the noise the feature creates is noticeable and annoying. Also, without an extension cord, you'll be tethered quite close to your stereo system. Really, the Beats try to be a jack of all trades, but fall a bit short of adequate in just about every situation in which you'd use them. Overall, while the Beats are priced a bit much for what they offer, they do make a good alternative for those thinking of buying a set of Bose noise-cancellers. While they don't have the best cancellation, and technically they have inferior audio quality, many people will fall in love with the detailing. In terms of alternatives to the Beats, there are lots. If you're looking for noise cancellation, you should look into the Creative Aurvana X-Fi headphones (great active cancellation, playback doesn't require batteries/cancellation) or a good pair of in-ears, like Etymotic Research's 6isolators (which has better isolation than any active-canceller out there right now). If you're looking for good audio quality at a value, you might want to look into the Sennheiser's HD 555s (over-ears) or MM 50 iPs (in-ears). For a more in-depth review, visit the Monster Beats Review at our partner HeadphoneInfo.com |
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