Dear Lifehacker,
I’m in the market for a new pair of headphones, and I’ve been eyeballing the Beats By Dre Studios. I like a lot of bass in my music, but some people tell me they suck and are overpriced. Are they actually horrible, or are these people just snobby audiophiles who like to hate on popular headphones? Will I notice a difference?
Sincerely,
Bickering Over Beats
Dear Bickering,
People have been asking us this question for years, so let’s settle this once and for all.
As snobby as (some) audiophiles may seem, they’re right on this one: Beats are...not great. Not only are they not worth their price, there are a lot of headphones that will give you better sound—with lots of bass—for less. Here’s the issue surrounding these fashionable cans, and what we recommend looking at instead.
The Problem With Beats
I tried Beats years ago, before my foray into high-end headphones, and I thought they sounded awesome. Since then, I’ve tried numerous other headphones, but never really hated on Beats. I assumed that people hated Beats just because it was fashionable to do so. I figured they were decent enough quality, but overpriced due to the brand name. However, I recently tried a pair of Beats Studios again, and was shocked to find that I was wrong: they really aren’t very good at all.
Many audiophiles would have you believe Beats are bad because have too much bass. I disagree. It’s that they have too much low quality bass, with even worse mids and treble. If you want to hear what Beats sound like, pull up your equalizer and ram the midbass frequencies up. Hear that loud, boomy, awful noise? That’s what Beats sound like. There’s not nearly enough definition to make the bass sound good, and it drowns out nearly everything else in the music—which is probably okay, because the treble and mids sound like they’re coming from inside a well. The Pro and Executive lines are supposed to be somewhat better than the Studios and Solos (I haven’t tried them myself), but are still far more expensive than they should be.
Many audiophiles will tell you that you “shouldn’t” be using a headphone with such emphasized bass. In my opinion, that’s bull. Bass can be fun! Listen to whatever sounds good to you. But if Beats sound good to you now, you’ll be shocked when you hear something with high quality bass—for less money.
That’s right. We don’t have to tell you that Beats are overpriced. When you buy a pair of Beats, you’re paying for style and branding. If that’s what you want, then go for it—we have no vested interest in what you wear on your head. But if you’re looking for awesome sound, we have some headphones you might like better.
Bass-Heavy Alternatives to Beats
So what should you buy instead? If you search around the internet, you’ll find a lot of articles recommending a bunch of random high-end headphones, but we know that’s not what you want. You’re looking for something specific: bass, and lots of it. You probably listen to a lot of hip hop or electronic music, and bass-heavy cans are going to make it sound awesome. Some of these headphones may be good for rock and pop, too, but those genres usually excel with a more balanced headphone.
Here are a few recommendations for bass-heavy Beats alternatives:
Denon AH-D600 ($268 on Amazon): In my opinion, these are the ultimate Beats alternatives. They’re a little less portable and they don’t have active noise cancellation, but they have some serious, high quality bass slam. It drowns out the mids a tad, but overall the rest of the sound is much clearer and more balanced than Beats’. All that for $30 less than the Beats Studios.
V-Moda Crossfade M-100 ($299 on Amazon, shown above): These are the only headphones on the list that I’ve never heard, but word on the street is they’re the other ultimate Beats replacements—and for around the same price as the Beats Studios. They are much more portable than the Denons, so if that’s important to you, they’re worth looking at.
Audio Technica ATH-M50 ($149 on Amazon): Audio Technica’s insanely popular M50s are not quite as bassy as the others on this list, but still have a but of extra punch in the lower end. Their higher end is also a tad brighter. This would probably be a good headphone if you listen to genres other than just rap or electronic.
Shure SRH750DJ ($149 on Amazon): Not quite as popular as either the above contenders, the SRH750DJ has some really nice bass boost that doesn’t drown out the mids quite as much. Treble suffers slightly, and they aren’t the most comfortable things in the world, but they’re worthy of their small but loyal fanbase.
Ultrasone HFI-580 ($183 on Amazon): Like the M50s, most of the Ultrasone line has a nice bass boost, but the treble tends to be on the brighter side (even brighter than the M50s, in my experience). Check out the 780s ($234 on Amazon) if you’re willing to spend a bit more.
Sennheiser’s Momentum and Urbanite line ($85 and up): Since the original publication of this article, fan-favorite headphone manufacturer Sennheiser came out with two bass-oriented lines that come in different sizes and prices, just like Beats. Both are solid. The Momentums are a bit more balanced, good for bass-loving rock enthusiasts, while the Urbanite line is more of a strict Beats alternative, complete with booming bass for rap and electronic listeners.
These are far from the only bassy headphones out there, but if you’re considering Beats, these are some of the most oft-recommended replacements at a few different price points. I highly recommend you listen to a few before you run off and buy one (as my impressions and tastes will differ from yours), and you should also check out this giant thread at Head-Fi which has a ton of information on bass-heavy cans. And, of course, check out our headphone buying guide for other tips and info if you don’t have a lot of experience with headphones. If you’re looking for something on the cheaper end of the spectrum, check out our list of the best $20 headphones, too.
But whatever you do, give them a try, then go back and listen to Beats. I guarantee you won’t want headphones by Dre anymore.
Sincerely,
Lifehacker
Images by Jezper (Shutterstock), Titanas, and Joseph Thornton.