5 ms·
Why would anyone make headphones, of all things, heavier to make them feel high-quality? Comfort (wearing them for hours) is one of my highest priorities and ev
by Kenji 11y ago
Why would anyone make headphones, of all things, heavier to make them feel high-quality? Comfort (wearing them for hours) is one of my highest priorities and every gram shaved off the headphones adds to comfort. The fact that they estimate the material cost of a 199$ product to 17$ is the icing on the cake, haha. Now I will look down on people who wear these even more.
- hung 11y agoMaybe because when a product "seems" too light, people actually complain about it. Beats is all about perceived value vs actual quality anyway. Remember when the iPhone 5 was deemed too light? http://gizmodo.com/5945662/the-weirdest-thing-people-hate-about-the-iphone-5 http://gizmodo.com/5945662/the-weirdest-thing-people-hate-ab...
- MCRed 11y agoHow much does the BOM cost for your headphones? May well be yours (in the $100-$200 price range) cost the same to make.
- thoughtsimple 11y agoI was taught that 5.5x was the standard BOM to retail price ratio. If the revised article is correct and the BOM is $20.19 then there is a fairly large markup to $199.
- deleted 11y ago[deleted]
- Udo_Schmitz 11y agoThey don’t. To quote Marco Arment: "Those metal parts are the hinges, subject to the most wear, that need to be most durable." See also: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r-CkZ71iz68 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r-CkZ71iz68
- thoughtsimple 11y agoAnd one the main differences between the original teardown with the counterfeit headphones was that the hinges were zinc alloy and with the real Beats headphones, the hinges were made with higher quality stainless steel.
- whoopdedo 11y agoThat would be reasonable if the entire hinge were metal, but only the visible portion is metal where internally it is mounted in plastic. It's only as strong as the weakest link and that bit of plastic holding the metal half of the hinge looks very weak to me. The zinc alloy in the knock-offs is weaker than stainless steel. But still much more durable than the plastic its hooked to. In either one the upper part of the hinge will break before the lower. I don't think the metal is there to add weight, however. Seems to me to be so it looks shiny and has the appearance of being more substantial than it is. (Thus stainless steel which doesn't tarnish readily.) I think it does make a difference having metal on the shell of the ear cups because that's where your fingers touch. Over time painted plastic will fade and show smudges. The metal covering can be wiped clean and maintain its appearance longer. But everything else is plastic and will fade so a pyrrhic victory.
- MisterBastahrd 11y agoI have some Sony PS4 headphones where there's a metal rod going through plastic hinges. I would gladly pay an extra 100 bucks for a headset where any part of the device which is prone to wear would be made of metal, aluminum or otherwise. My larger than average head means that most headsets shatter after about a year of use.
- dsr_ 11y ago