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I'm not sure who calls themselves an audiophile, but would guess that most people would call me one (music industry background, more money spent on stereo equip
by buro9 13y ago
I'm not sure who calls themselves an audiophile, but would guess that most people would call me one (music industry background, more money spent on stereo equipment than computer equipment, etc).
I've used two pairs of Beats headphones and disliked both. I guess the best way to describe it is that they sounded non-neutral... they change the audio.
When I try stereo equipment I have a few pieces of music I always return to and I know well, my reference points. I, and most audiophiles, shoot for equipment that is as neutral as possible, that introduces nothing new into the recording whilst reproducing the recording as faithfully as possible.
If you're asking audiophiles what equates to good, the answer will be neutrality; not modifying the audio at all. Usually this means introducing no warmth where there was none, no harshness where there was none, emphasising nothing that wasn't originally emphasised in the recording and studio, etc. You shouldn't hear the equipment used for reproduction in the music that you're reproducing.
Beats headphones are a bit like a Mega-Bass switch on old Walkman systems. What they do to the audio isn't enjoyable if you tend to like things with acoustic sections, folk music, classical, jazz, and rock.
But... for House music, Hip Hop and other club beats the changes may actually be something you enjoy and seek as they reproduce an element of how you enjoy music (closer to the memory of the club, or a loud car stereo than a perfect recording).
They are crap, for want of a better word, because they change the music noticeably. But you've got to realise this is super-subjective stuff as some people want those changes.
They are also crap, probably the right word this time, because the material choice at this price point is pretty dire. But hey, they made plastic a luxury thing again, you could argue there's some brilliance there too. Most issues around durability come from the choice of materials.
As to whether they're crap full stop... well, no.
If you like the big beats of clubs, reverberating bass that dominates, and you rank the iconic fashion statement above durability (because fashion isn't designed to last anyway)... then Beats aren't a bad choice.
- RobinL 13y agoThe neutrality point is kind of interesting because if the sound engineers start adjusting recordings to sound best though Beats headphones (or other audio 'enhancers'), then the recording will actually sound 'worse than intended' if it's listened to through a neutral system....
- buro9 13y agoI've been with artists in the studio and in post-production... a point that most audiophiles miss is this: Who says the artists knew what the hell they were doing?
- FireBeyond 13y agoNot to mention one of my favorite quotes on audiophiles: "Regular people buy sound systems to listen to their music. Audiophiles buy music to listen to their sound system."
- mjbellantoni 13y agoWhich pieces of music are your reference points and why?
- buro9 13y agoThey should be something you know extremely well, have heard on most equipment you've owned, and reflect your listening. Ideally it will have bits that challenge the equipment. Beck - Paper Tiger (on Sea Change) about 3 minutes 15 seconds in. Because of the combination of rich and deep bass combined with delicate strings. Single speaker systems (headphones) struggle with reproducing bass at the the same as reproducing treble. Charlatans - Page One (on Between 10th and 11th) the first minute It's an example of massive over-production. It's left the sound stripped and clinical, and anything less than a faithful reproduction sounds terrible. This one track exposes compression artifacts really well, the top-end becomes washed out and blurred. Belle and Sebastian - Me and the Major (on If You're Feeling Sinister) the end of the track I've seen them live over 100 times, been in their studio and rehearsal space, worked with them. I know his voice, how it should sound, and I know that this record did not go through great post production (or much of an amateur post production either). The mouth organ bits at the end are not controlled very well and cause systems to clip the peaks, it can be uncomfortable to listen to, and is made worse by a less than great reproduction. I tend to also throw in Nirvana, Led Zep, Beethoven, Chopin, and some dodgy pop music. But what I look for there is mostly whether the equipment isn't killing the thing I love.
- Cbasedlifeform 13y agoThanks for this clear, useful, expert opinion. I've heard disparaging things about the Beats headphones and good (I suppose) to have them confirmed. I was shopping for headphones for as a gift and the store chap (who seemed quite knowledgeable) assured me that Beats were way overpriced. I got some Sennheisers at a lower price and they were amazing.
- ksec 13y agoI guess neutrality is what Jimmy meant sounded Flat during the Interview. Where Steve Jobs liked it that way. There are reference that SJ was an Audiophile, so may be that is why he prefer it that way.