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First Impression: Beats by Dre

I got an email the other day from Alghanim Electronics asking me if there was anything they had I would be interested in trying out and reviewing. I thought about it for a bit and decided to ask for the Beats by Dr.Dre headphones. I’ve been thinking about getting them but really wanted to try them out first before spending the big bucks. I already have a lot of head/ear phones: Bang & Olufsen A8, Shure E2, Sennheiser PX100, AKG K81 DJ and the Ultimate Ears Super.fi 5 Pro. So I really needed a good reason to get another and I think I just found it.

THE BASS!

Damn, I was just listening to random stuff from my itunes list, Nine Inch Nails, Paul Oakenfold, Warren G, Pet Shop Boys, Chemical Brothers.. just anything I clicked on and everything was sounding really great. Then I put Touch It by Busta Rhymes and my jaw hit the floor. I am still in shock on how something so small (ok they aren’t really small but they are smaller than my full sized speakers) could put out this much bass. It just sounded incredible, makes me want to keep listening to music all day.

The headphones cost KD99 at Alghanim Electronics which surprisingly makes it cheaper than Amazon. On Amazon.com they cost KD95 (with tax) plus factor in KD5.5 for shipping and you end up paying at least KD100. Will post more about these headphones once I get to properly test them out.

Update: Amazon is currently offering a $50 discount on the Beats by Dre. Click here to check it out. [Amazon Link]

116 replies on “First Impression: Beats by Dre”

I got the Bose headphones which give me a pretty crisp sound with bass. Think I should trade them in for some Dre’s?

This is advice from a beats by dre owner:
DO NOT, I repeat: DO NOT buy these headphones. This is why: they produce good sounds and strong base, i must agree. but be aware that the build of these headphones is very bad. The arc of the headphones is made with plastic that breaks easily because it is not flexible. It is VERY easy to break the headphones. In fact, mine broke twice. Also, I had problems where the left headphone stopped working, and now I can’t do anything because they have to change the whole headset. I went to Apple the first time they broke and they gave me new ones. The second time I went with the left headphone problem, they told me you’re on ur own and that I should contact MONSTER myself!! Believe me, u wouldn’t want to get yourself into it. Also imagine the maintenance in Kuwait! It’s not worth it. Don’t end up like me with a $350 headphones that simply can’t be used now.

First time I went: https://buckeye23.blogspot.com/2008/11/apples-customer-service.html

Second Time I went: https://buckeye23.blogspot.com/2009/01/apple-customer-service-revised.html

Dude I am not a big fan of Bose because they sound like crap BUT, putting my feelings aside on Bose, the bass you are getting from the Bose headphones is NOTHING compared to this. its really hard to explain. Actually, the X-Cite store in avenues has the beats on display and i think u can test them out, pass by them with your ipod and try them.

Very good set of outer-ear headphones. Extremely comfortable. Cheap build quality. Probably one of the best sounding outer-ear headphones for the price. Much better than the Bose QC3s. However, the Sure SE530’s (in-ears) blow them away.. blindly, and they cost only KD25 more. Definitely worth considering.

I would really want to try those Shure’s out, heard a lot of good stuff about them. Problem is though I have two in-ears already the shure e2’s, and the ultimate ears. My problem with them is if I use them for more than 2 hours they start to hurt my right ear for some reason. Thats why I was actually looking at the Beats, to replace my ultimate ears as my travel headphones.

I am traveling on Sunday though so will get to try them out for traveling. So far I see 2 issues, 1) they are not very compact. 2) they leak sound. Other than that though I think these headphones can easily washout the sound of screaming babies lol

Unlike the regular earphones that come with the iPod, in-earphones actually go into your ear canal, they don’t just sit on the outside. Some people find it strange and uncomfortable having something placed inside the ear but I never had that problem.

I am one of these people you mention .. its really uncomfortable i still dont understand how people wear it !

Mark: That’s the problem…they are very solid and rigid and not flexible. That’s why when you try to fit them over ur head, there is a huge chance they might snap. Dude, take my word for it, don’t get those headphones. Also, imagine what would happen if you got them and they snapped. It’s just a personal advice. If I were you, i would go with sony headphones. That’s what i rcmmnd.

Mark: My head is not big either, believe me, they snap easily. It’s your decision, I was just trying to give some advice because I wouldn’t want what happened to me to happen to u if u decide to buy these. I personally think sony is better…atleast they have better build quality.

Why on earth would you want to spend $350 on headphones for an iPod, a player with average sound quality at best (and I’ve owned many)? Something like the Etymotic ER6i is a more logical choice for cheap portables. Pretty good sound quality at a much more reasonable price.

kwt23: thanks for the tip

Dave: Have you heard the ER6i? I have and they lack any decent bass, my ultimate ears sound wayy better. If you want to recommend other headphones they need to be “head” phones not in-ear phones. Other headphones I was looking at were the beyerdynamic DT 990 but they cost a bit more than the Beats and need a portable amp to run which would cost me another 100-200$ on top of the $312. THats wayyy over my budget.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000F2BLTW/2406d-20

A lot of people don’t care about the sound quality of headphones and would rather stick to their white earbuds. Others like me do care about the sound quality and so we are willing to spend more on headphones than on the mp3 player.

these headphones were also supported heavily at the APPLE store in the UK.

I prefer my Bose noise cancellation 3 over it.

The idea of blocking everybody else and just focusing on your music is just beyond amazing.

@Mark,
I own a pair and the bass is good enough for an iPod. General sound quality is more than decent. And I paid $50 for them, so why compare them to headphones costing 3 times as much? They should sound better.

And as a general point, why do we only have to recommend over ears, and why spend far more on the headphones than on the source? That makes no sense to me. If you are going to spend that kind of money, then it should be for use with a hi-fi, not a portable music player with only average sound even within its own segment.

Dave: thats what i am saying, not everyone wants good enough sounding music. some of us want the best we can get out of our ipods.

Paying more for headphones than the actual ipod is perfectly fine and normal. The problem is you can find headphones for 1$ and headphones for $1000 and very few people know whats the difference or even care. Headphones are extremely important and people should spend money on them. If they don’t want to spent $300 thats perfectly fine, there are a ton of really good headphones for under $100 (grado sr60, grado sr80, Sennheiser PX100, AKG 81 etc..)

Even if you have the best mp3 player in the world, if you have crappy headphones you will get crappy sound.

I don’t think paying $350 for a pair of headphones for an iPod is normal. A reasonable balance between the source and the headphones makes the most sense if you take posing out of the equation. You are talking about portable use here – over ears are not the most practical for that (not to mention the climate in Kuwait). And exactly how good does the sound have to be if you are using them mainly when you are out and about and have all the external sounds anyway? It just strikes me like the purchase of a Nikon D700 by someone who only takes holiday snaps – completely over the top in other words.

yeah, got them as a Christmas gift and was ecstatic! After a dozen of sambuca shots, I ignored everyone in the room and listened to literally every single song on my iPod to hear the difference.

Yes, they do leak sound, heavily.

My problem though is that I forget to switch them off cause i’m not used to switching headphones off, and the battery runs low

Mark, maybe you should review the Google Android phone. I got it from Al Ghanim, and it was LOCKED. they sold it to me and did not say that it was locked. They sent me to their service center and they told me that nobody can lock it for me. I had to google it, funnily enough and I found a website that sells unlock codes for the Android. It’s a decent phone but I haven’t seen anyone else review it in Kuwait.

Dave Wrote: “It just strikes me like the purchase of a Nikon D700 by someone who only takes holiday snaps – completely over the top in other words.”

Why? If you can afford it, why not capture your holiday snaps using the best equipment available?

Make sure you pair it with the 24-70 f2.8 lens though 🙂

Dave: Again it depends on what you want. A lot of people don’t care about the sound quality and others do. If you do then it makes a lot of sense paying as much for headphones as you are paying for the mp3 player. Same with car sound systems, the speakers, sub and amp usually cost more than the main source.

L: Someone in the forum posted about how he purchased a locked tmobile from alghanim and then returned it. Its VERY weird they are selling locked G1’s from tmobile!

These Headphones, were not build for everyone. Just Like all Good Things In Life.

I have a Pair and i prefer them over the AKG’s or The Bose. Bass Delivery has never been this clean and Deep from a Pair of Headphones.

Besides the Headphones, have a One Year warranty, take them back to the dealer.

Check this out https://www.beatsbydre.com/#photos, pretty Cool!!

I just read somewhere that Kuwait might very likely go into a recession this year…So KD99 for a pair of headphones doesn’t seem like the wisest of choices, especially when you already have FOUR.

Just my 2 fils.

But since we’re talking about headphones, I am currently using a pair of white Skull Candy in-ear phones with orange buds. I bought them for $9.99 (half off) at FYE back in June. And let me tell you–pretty damn good sound (good enough for me, in any case).

@cajie
Because if all you take is holiday snaps, then you don’t know how to make use of a camera like the D700. You may as well use a point and shoot. Just because you can afford something doesn’t mean that you should buy it.

@Mark
We’ll have to beg to differ. it’s not an issue of some people wanting good sound and others not being bothered – most people want good sound reproduction. But the fact still remains that it is going over the top spending that kind of money on headphones for an mp3 player. If you spend 1000s of dollars on hi-fi equipment, then fine, buy an expensive pair of headphones. However, you are proposing spending two or three times more on the headphones than the source. Does that really sound like a reasonable approach?

Dave: Why should I have to pay less than the price of my ipod on headphones? There are NO headphones under $300 that I have heard that reproduce bass as good the beats. Does that mean I shouldn’t buy these headphones just because they cost $300?

My AV Receiver at home cost me KD150 while my speakers cost me KD260. Is that wrong? My car stereo cost $250, while my speakers, amp and sub combined cost over $500. Is that wrong? No it isn’t and thats why if you spend $300 on an iPod its not wrong to spend $300 on headphones. What makes the headphones less important than the ipod?

When I got the E2’s or the PX100 (both which cost me under $100) I never imagined I would want to pay over $300 for headphones but now I think $300 is very reasonable. Its because I now understand and appreciate the value of a good pair of headphones.

OMG 99kd for headphones !!!

i dont even care what kind of headphones i use.. mine are 1 kd casio headphones , they suck sometimes but i dont care , i even use 1 in 1 ear and leave the other ear free for emergencies ! 🙂

i didnt know that ppl care that much about the sound quality .

btw what kind of mp3 player u use mark ?

@Mark,
I know the value of a good pair of headphones. I also know that the sound quality produced by iPods is average at best irrespective of the headphones you purchase. Price vs return. If you’ve got the money fine, but people shouldn’t be suckered into thinking this is the way to go for an iPod. I don’t know anybody who spent $5000 on the source equipment for their hi-fi and then went out and spent $5-15k on speakers – and speakers aren’t even the same issue as headphones. You should spend money on good speakers or good headphones, but there should also be some equivalence in quality between them and the source.

Dave, I understand what you’re saying.

The thing with the Monster Beats though is that they can make the cheapest knock off MP3 (something you get for like say 10 kd) sound incredible. Very true, try it out. They really do enhance the source.

Dave wrote “Because if all you take is holiday snaps, then you don’t know how to make use of a camera like the D700. You may as well use a point and shoot. Just because you can afford something doesn’t mean that you should buy it.”

I don’t understand your reasoning. I know cameras, and I know that a point & shoot has many limitations compared to a great camera like the D700.

a) P&S suffer from shutter lag, which means you can miss the “moment” that you want to capture. Imagine that my kid is jumping in front of the Eiffel tower and I want to capture that. With a P&S, this will be a hit-and-miss, which will cause frustration for me.

b) Very low dynamic range. Color reproduction is not as good. When I stand in front of the Grand Canyon, I want to capture it’s color and majesty and not some crappy low-dynamic range photo.

c) Noisy at high ISO. What if I want to take a picture of myself inside the Louvre looking at the Mona Lisa? (or perhaps even take a picture of Mona Lisa). Why should I settle for a noisy/grainy picture when the ISO 3200 of the D700 will ensure I get a fanstastic image?

So even if I just want to take holiday pictures, I want to make sure they are great holiday pictures; hence I would be willing to spend the money.

And so would many people who value quality.

@Cajie
I feel like I’m arguing with everyone today, but your points are irrelevant. Of course a D700 offers a lot more than a point and shoot, but a person who just takes holiday snaps isn’t a serious photographer and no doubt cares little about the plethora of manual controls available on a D700 nor knows how best to utilize them. If they did, their interest would be more than holiday snaps. They just want memories, and they can get very good quality ones from many, many point and shoot cameras. The image quality is often excellent. The D700 is a very serious amateur/semi-pro/pro camera. It isn’t designed for people who just take holiday snaps. You are talking about a camera that costs $2500 for the body alone and then many 1000s of dollars for appropriate quality glass. That isn’t holiday snap gear.

Oh and Cajie, the quality of your images isn’t determined by how much you’ve spent on camera gear, it’s determined by how good a photographer you are. A person as interested in photography as you are should know that.

hey Mark i guess amazon very expansive then ebay check ebay.com they sell cheap then amazon, i know they only payment is paypal but is more secure about dr.dre beats , they are best heahphone earphone for mp3 check cnet.com they review by video and rating by pro ppl =)

late to the show

but let me add my 2 fils..

first of all ipods can produce good sound. put in higher quality mp3s or better still the lossless types that it supports & u can get very good sound out of it.

secondly there are various kinds of portability factors. these headphones definitely wont cut it for the gym or jogging. however they can be good company in a flight. or a long journey of any type.

@mark
i recently got a denon ah-d5000 from panasonic for 135KD. now if u want lets compare the bass. this is an excellent bass reproducing headphone. however as u pointed out somewhere that it shows its true potential with a headphone amp. but still it can be driven well enough by an ipod or other mp3 players.

i went to this one from sennheiser hd580s, which are also good, but do not come anywhere near on the bass.

these are used in the offc mostly, paired with a headphone amp. you can keep listening to them throughout the day without any fatigue. that is the actual benefit of a headphone amp.

another excellent piece is the new sennheiser hd800, getting rave reviews. however it would be priced way high as of now.

and as to the price factor. it is a matter of value for money for the individual. people spend on expensive shoes, wallets, food, wine, games…..anything on earth. so why do we need to question why someone wants to spend $$$ on item abc. it is his wish. if u can come up with something of equal quality at a better price do suggest it. otherwise leave it to the individual whether he wants to take a holiday snap with a p&s or a nikon d700 or for that matter lugs a hassleblad around.

@Dave
to keep the argument alive..

i like to listen to music and i am interested in electronics. i also have a friend who is a tennis coach here in one of the local clubs.

now that guy understands the value/price of a tennis racket.to me all the rackets seem to be the same. i am totally at a loss when he recommends these cheap rackets for some & the super duper expensive ones for others.

he on the other hand got shocked on learning the price of my magnepan 1.6 qr speakers. so we had a frank discussion & we actually understood each others viewpoints. but keep in mind this discussion & agreement was alchohol fueled.

it is totally upto an individual’s capability & like & dislikes ( which no one else can understand / or should question) that decides the question of value for money.

I have expensive hi-fi gear in the UK and many 1000s of cds and vinyl. I know the value of good gear. I also own a Nikon D300 and consider photography a pretty serious hobby. I don’t have a problem with people buying what they want, I am just raising the issue of relative value on these things. I have a pair of Sennheiser HD650s in the UK.These are excellent headphones, but then I have a very good system to use them on. I wouldn’t consider that kind of (priced) gear for an iPod. I like iPods because I am a Mac user and have been for a very long time, but there are plenty of much better sounding players around, so if audio reproduction was the be all and end all, then that’s where I’d begin. Also of course as you said, using a good lossless codec at a good bit rate makes a difference.
Apparently it’s just me, but I do find it strange that someone would pay say $150 for an iPod nano and then spend $350 on headphones.
Anyway, it’s all by-the-by, everyone is free to decide what they spend their money on, and I’m still free to think that anyone who buys a D700 to only take holiday snapshots is a complete dumbass.

Dave: I can EASILY EASILY tell the difference in sound quality when comparing my PX100 to the Beats. It doesn’t take a genius to understand why my PX100 cost $50 and why the Beats cost 300. And the iPod is a perfectly fine source of music… unless you are some super audiophile freak guy.

15 posts just for Mark!
you got to be very found in this item!

did you check for all the negative feedback on amazon ?

Actually most of the negative feedback on Amazon was price related. If you want to read negative feedback on the headphones you need to check with the audiophiles which you can by going to headfi.org forums. They mostly think the Beats are too exaggerated. There are “fun” sounding headphones and there are “accurate” headphones. Beats are fun sounding which audiophiles hate!

Mark, go for it.. it is a brilliant headphone & I plan to get one for myself.
Besides, I’ve been using Sony V700DJ which I use for recording and it is a very good headphone, and it does the job! For personal listening & on deck, I use Pioneer HDJ1000, since I love BASS. I recommend that you get yourself a pair of Pioneers as well and you totally gonna love it for the BASS.

I need to try them out for traveling before i decide to buy them. currently i am worried i am going to have a hard time fitting them in my messenger bag! Will find out next week i guess

Dave wrote “Oh and Cajie, the quality of your images isn’t determined by how much you’ve spent on camera gear, it’s determined by how good a photographer you are. A person as interested in photography as you are should know that.”

Actually, that’s a fallacy – especially when we talk about modern digital cameras that have more in common to a computer than a photo-capturing device of old.

The sophisticated auto-focus mechanism, 3-d matrix metering, auto-ISO etc. means that a person only needs a basic understanding of composition to take pictures that would have otherwise required a vast experience in photography.

So, the more you spend in camera gear (especially the body) means that your results will get exponentially better.

@Cajie
A fallacy? Are you mad? It doesn’t matter how good your gear is if you don’t know how to use it and don’t have a good eye for composition etc. etc. The most expensive dslr is just a glorified p&s unless you have the skills to make use of it.
Cameras like the Canon SD880 can produce excellent results – especially for holiday type snaps. If you need a fast camera for sport etc., then fair enough a p&s won’t suffice. However, the difference between average, good, and fantastic photos has always been the person behind the viewfinder and always will be and is even truer nowadays seeing as technology allows many users to set their camera on auto and click away to produce holiday snaps that are perfectly acceptable to many with little or no photo knowledge.

Oh and Cajie, your final sentence gives you away for the bluffer you are.

“So, the more you spend in camera gear (especially the body) means that your results will get exponentially better.”

There isn’t a single person serious about photography who would agree with that comment. It is the glass not the body that makes the real difference.

The bass sounds loud because the headphone is amplified. It’s like a headphone with a powered subwoofer. It needs two AAA batteries to operate.

It sounds funky, but, I’m doing just fine with my Sennheisers, thank you very much.

Dave: Its funny how you think its normal to spend more on the lens then on the camera itself yet you still find it odd to spend an “equal” amount on headphones as you would do on the mp3 player. Like your “its the glass not the body that makes the real difference” quote, its the headphones not the mp3 player that makes the real difference.

@ Mark
Not at all. I didn’t say spend $6000 on one piece of glass if you spend $3000 on a body, did I? I said that the real difference in producing good photos comes from the person not the gear, but if you are talking about the gear, then the lenses are more important than the body. I’m not sure too many people would buy a D90 body for a $1000 and then go out and spend $2000 on a single prime or zoom.

Dave: Well the last time I bought an iPod it cost me like 400$. I just checked amazon and it costs like 200 now which is pretty cool. Probably should buy a new one and leave my current one connected to the car.

My current iPod I’ve had since 2006, was a gift from Dent Xpress.
https://248am.com/mark/kuwait/yippee/
Since then I’ve also won two other ipods, a nano and shuffle lol

Thats not true. Bass needs a lot of amplification to produce those deep low frequencies. Bass is essentially pushing a lot of air. The smallest powered home sub has to have 500 watt RMS feed minimum to produce any meaningful bass. In short, bass requires power and your headphone uses two AAA batteries to achieve the result.

Here’s a test. Listen to them without the batteries and see what happens.

I don’t know why you are comparing headphones to subwoofers. All I said was just because a headphone is amped doesn’t mean it magically produces good bass. The two are not related. You can have an unpowered headphone produce more bass than a powered headphone.

Where haven’t I been forthcoming? You stated that a powered headphone means more bass which is an incorrect fact which I corrected for you and you still don’t believe me. Thats not my fault or me not being forthcoming.

Mark, I’m not arguing about the improvement in sound, I’m just giving my opinion that I find the balance of expenditure rather strange, and in that respect, the glass/camera point isn’t equivalent. Not in price or in impact. The impact of good headphones is far greater than good glass, which supports your point to a degree, but still doesn’t prevent me raising an eyebrow about the expense of those headphones for a cheap mp3 player. The camera point comes from Cajie’s comment that you’ll get exponential improvement in your images the more you spend. Utter nonsense. Photography is almost entirely down to the person taking the images. You can have $10000 worth of gear and take hopeless photos, whereas someone with a real eye can take wonderful pictures with a cellphone.

@Mark
Simple fact is that a camera like a D700 doesn’t help someone take better pictures – that is the fallacy. It is one of the the last cameras that someone new to photography should be buying. You don’t get into an F1 when you are just learning to drive.

Think of it this way. You have a guy that barely knows how to use a camera. You give him two cameras, both on auto mode. A D700 and a P&S. Which camera would most probably give him better results?

You are missing the point Mark. You are talking about the better quality of image in terms of the lab test results for X, Y and Z. Of course they are better on the more expensive camera, but that really has nothing to do with producing good images – and I mean in terms of being striking rather than having slightly better colour rendition or some such. And as it has nothing to do with producing good images, why should someone spend $3000+ on a camera for holiday snaps when they will end up with pretty much the same ‘quality’ of pictures with a $150 camera. Good photography is about seeing what’s around you, thinking about what would make a good image – considering the composition, thinking about the light etc. etc. All this takes time to learn, and even then, some people just have a far greater talent for it than others – hence the art aspect of photography. To me, it’s very much about how you perceive things around you. That is why I like your blog – because you seem to have a kind of child-like interest in things that is often lost in adults. You ‘see’ more than many people do.

Well the D700 has much much much better low light abilities, better focusing system, better colors, better quality shots etc… all these mean that if the guy took the same shot of times square at night with both cameras standing in the same location, there is a greater chance the shot he took with the D700 would come out better. Thats what I think Cajie was trying to say.

No, he was stating that buying a better BODY would make your pictures exponentially better. I’m stating categorically that they would not. And the argument was based on it being reasonable (to Cajie) for some absolute novice to hike around one of the most expensive pieces of camera equipment just to take holiday snaps. Daft overkill, which isn’t disproved by the obvious fact that the camera works better in low light conditions – it still doesn’t mean the person will take a better photograph than someone with a decent p&s. The person has to learn about photography before buying the best gear. Expensive gear isn’t going to make a good photographer. That is my point.

lol..
This is a discussion on headphones, and I see more references to a high-end digital camera than the headphones!!!
Dave, I never said a better camera body makes a better photographer. I said the quality of the image will keep increasing as the photographer upgrades to a better body. Imagine someone shooting an indoor scene. He gets crappy/grainy results with a P&S. He then upgrades to a low-end dSLR and he immediately sees the advantage of a bigger sensor. He then upgrades to a D3/D700 or something similar and the results are mindblowing.
Whether the image has artistic value (highly subjective) is a different story. But the same image captured by 3 different cameras has totally different results ranging from
CRAPPY->PRETTY GOOD->AMAZING
While you may not appreciate it’s composition/subject matter, and whether it’s an overkill to carry a heavy camera or not…..
it’s not YOUR FREAKING DECISION!!!!

Nobu, go away and play LEGO!!

What you are saying, seems to be a case of Sour Grapes!!

” Its like saying, his ferrari is only faster, cause the engines bigger, but nobu believe his fiat is the fastest car on the planet”

I agree with Mark!! Eveyone’s entitled to an opnion, Nobu not Included. Atleast on topics you have no experience on.

Mark, is there anyway you can arrange for our friend Nobu to have the opportunity to listen to the Doc’s Creations.

Cheers! Live and Let Listed!! 🙂 ( Words of Wisdom from a Music Lover)

The beats have a display at x-cite in the avenues that you can use to try out the beats. last time i tried it though (i think last weekend) the stand wasn’t working. maybe they fixed it now.

@ Cajie,
No, you said (amongst other things) “So even if I just want to take holiday pictures, I want to make sure they are great holiday pictures; hence I would be willing to spend the money.” Like I said, that has nothing to do with how much money you’ve spent on camera gear. And why not give the overblown language a rest. Do you actually have a good p&s and decent dslr to compare (and I’m not talking comparing the very worst with the very best)? I have, and I can tell you the difference in quality is not remotely as great as you are trying to imply except in very specific situations such as low light and action settings – and to get the benefits of the dslr, you still need to know how to use it properly, which isn’t usually a major interest of people who simply want to take holiday snaps. To use another analogy, sure you are free to buy a Bugatti Veyron just to pick up your groceries at the cornershop, but that would make you a complete dumbass, just as buying a D700 to take holiday snaps would. As Ansel Adams said, “The single most important component of a camera is the twelve inches behind it.”

Dave wrote: “@ Cajie, No, you said (amongst other things) “So even if I just want to take holiday pictures, I want to make sure they are great holiday pictures; hence I would be willing to spend the money.””

How does that contradict with…

“Dave, I never said a better camera body makes a better photographer. I said the quality of the image will keep increasing as the photographer upgrades to a better body.”

You seem hell bent on forcing mediocracy on travelling folks 🙂

And believe me, if I could afford to own a Bugatti Veyron, I would make it a point to drive it everywhere – including driving it across the road to the bakala to pick up groceries.

@ Cajie,
If you don’t see the difference, then what can I say? You are jumping back and forth between saying that good gear will allow you to produce great pictures, and that good gear enables good reproduction from a technical standpoint. The two are not remotely the same.

And try reading my comment about the Bugatti again.

wow ….letskeep it moving…
98 and still counting
head phones….& cameras doing it great

i still tend to agree with cajie …a better camera has a better chance of giving u a better snap than a p&s

the difference b/w the price of an ok p&s & a top end dslr is huge. the difference in quality does not match the price difference.

however the difference in price between a decent p&s and an entry level dslr is not that much….whereas the quality difference is pretty startling. now it should be upto the individual to decide which one he wants to use.

similarly had mark wanted to buy the flagship akg or bayer dynamic or for that matter even the senn hd800, just for his ipod, that might have been an overkill because the ipod does not have that kind of resolution which can be brought to the fore by a top end model.

however an ipod would definitely benefit from a mid range headphone like the ‘beats’ or a senn hd580.

@Dave,
We seem to be the only 2 left arguing in this thread. Nowhere in my comments have I said good gear will produce great pictures.

My comment explicitly states “great holiday pictures” as opposed to mediocre or “perfectly acceptable pictures” as proposed by you.

And regarding the Bugatti (or the D700 for travel photos for that matter), please don’t have such a high opinion of yourself and assume that the owner actually cares what you think.

Hmmmmm Beyerdynamic. The only reason I haven’t picked up the DT990 yet is because they’re 250 ohm! It means I need to have a portable amp and who wants to walk around with a wire going from an ipod into a portable amp and then another long wire going into the headphone. Plus I would have ended up paying like $500 for the amp and headphone. But they’re so hot!

https://www.amazon.com/beyerdynamic-DT-990-Premium-Headphones/dp/B000F2BLTW/

by the way there are different kinds of headphone amps

some are pretty small and still good enough

i have one from decware….the ZEN Head….it is sold factory direct only. excellent piece. larger than an ipod. but not that large. say 5″ by 2.5″ by 1″ price with shipping around 105 KD. runs on 9v batteries.

obviously a hindrance if u want to carry it for jogging…etc….however can be an ideal travel mate for flights or long travels

there are other smaller alternatives too.

Well, for that price u can blindly get it and give it a try.

However since the ‘beats’ is already having a built in amp…i dont see why u would need an amp in case u decide to get ‘beats’. such amps can be excellent choice in case u get passive headphones….particularly the mid fi & higher models.

yeah already read the review. its wayy out of my budget (if dave reads about you 100kd portable amp to power 90kd headphones he will go ballistic). I should probably just order the cmoy from ebay.
But i cant decide on which tin can to go with!
Do i go with this
https://cgi.ebay.com/Micro-Cmoy-headphone-amp-Opamp-2227-Amplifier_W0QQitemZ250372315419QQcmdZViewItemQQptZLH_DefaultDomain_0?hash=item250372315419&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14&_trkparms=72%3A1234|66%3A2|65%3A12|39%3A1|240%3A1318|301%3A0|293%3A1|294%3A50
or this
https://cgi.ebay.com/Micro-Cmoy-headphone-amp-Opamp2227-Altoids-tin_W0QQitemZ250372314183QQcmdZViewItemQQptZLH_DefaultDomain_0?hash=item250372314183&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14&_trkparms=72%3A1234|66%3A2|65%3A12|39%3A1|240%3A1318|301%3A0|293%3A1|294%3A50

well it is the same thing….looks are different only. so it is something upto u to decide which one appeals to u more. but keep in mind one thing..for really good headphones…these amps will not cut it. these are very basic designs, and might give u a headache over extended listening times.

before u put your money down u r most welcome to take my amp for a spin.

well dave does have a point…but maybe all of it got lost in the heat of the arguments…

I think their way overpriced. Putting Mark’s agressive marketing and x-cite support asside, the Beats are a great pair of headphones. However, they cater a certain lifestyle. What i’m trying to say is, if you get to travel on a regular basis and and have no speakers at home or in your car, then by all means these head-phones were made for you because you wont be using them anywhere else! On the other hand, if you are like me, and lead an active and healthy lifestyle that includes running and working out on a daily basis, and you have speakers in your car, and at your home, then dont bother buying the Beats because its a waste of money.

I highly recommend everybody rush out and buy these glorified Skullcandy headphones that take batteries so they can add more unneeded noise to your music. Enjoy!

Where can I take my beats headset if the screw attaching the right earphone and the headband broke? Its fully functional its just that the screw threw somwhere I dont know in the airport… huhuhu…

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