Dr. Dre's Beats headphones keep they heads ringin' for $350

You can't put velvet in these earcups and call 'em nice headphones! As Mr. Chappelle would likely attest, there are no better headphones in which to drop the beat into than Dr. Dre's "highly anticipated" Beats. The master of chronic himself has slapped his all-but-forgotten name onto a set of cans (which we spotted originally at CES), and is now ready to introduce 'em to the world. Starting on July 25th, the crunk-inducing headphones will be available exclusively at Apple and Best Buy (both online and in-store), though the buying experience would likely be way more gangsta if checking out at BeatsByDre.com. Still, for $349.95, we'd recommend looking at more respected names in sound, but if your street cred is sitting at rock bottom, you may have no other choice. Thug life, fool.

[^ @ Jul 22nd 2008 10:10AM]

Only a fool or apple fanboy would buy that at that price, when there are better makes like sony or senhieza for less than that

[Eric @ Jul 22nd 2008 10:49AM]

Oh please, this is a typic PC fanboy reaction. The difference between Apple products at this kind piece of bling is these earphones are gangster lipstick on a corpse. Style with no substance. Branding without a decent brand.

Racist lingo aside, it would be funny if it weren't so pathetic.

[RyanTV @ Jul 22nd 2008 10:59AM]

Now to play devil's advocate here, have either of you even heard what these sound like? It's really hard to make these judgments when you *probably* have never even heard what they sound like.

Yes, it most definitely is a marketing ploy having Dre's name on a set of cans, but who knows, they might sound great (but probably not $350 great).

[Langdon Alger @ Jul 22nd 2008 11:06AM]

Did you mean "Sennheiser"? Come on dude, you weren't even trying.

Ugh, now I have the tune stuck in my head ... it's nine-deuce all over again ...

"Ring, ding, ding ... ring-ring-ring-ding-ding ... "

[Josh @ Jul 22nd 2008 11:07AM]

Who is this gangsta headphone company, "Senhieza", and why should i give them my hard earnt pimp dough?

[The1 @ Jul 22nd 2008 11:09AM]

Well, most reports are saying that these speaker just as good as BOSE and SONY in the same price range; so what's the issue. Hum, we know why.......

[CraigJ @ Jul 22nd 2008 11:12AM]

"as good as Bose"

So, not that good...

[I LOVE THE CAPS LOCK KEY @ Jul 22nd 2008 3:43PM]

Remember, this is a product we should all boycott; Beats is a product put out by the highly litigious Monster Cable who will sue anyone for trademark infringement that even says the word Monster. Beats, by Monster Cable.

[I LOVE THE CAPS LOCK KEY @ Jul 23rd 2008 1:01AM]

Video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EWYacrS9xHU

[BananaBoat @ Jul 24th 2008 1:11AM]

For $350 you can have the top of the line (last gen anyway) Sennheiser 600's, or the glorious AKG K701's, or the Beyerdynamic DT880's (very similar to the K701's, though I dumped my K701's because the DT880's are more comfortable). Then again, hopefully noone actually reading this needs to be told that paying 350 dollars for these headphones is dumb.

[Keisha Kornbread @ Jul 22nd 2008 10:11AM]

I just peed in my pants from laughing so hard!!

[Mark @ Jul 22nd 2008 1:03PM]

Please keep that to yourself...

[chickenator @ Jul 22nd 2008 1:07PM]

pee more

[hiko36 @ Jul 22nd 2008 10:12AM]

I'm not sure whats more wrong about this article: The fact that there is so much horrible colloquialisms in it or that these headphones exist at all...

[Lowest Ranked @ Jul 22nd 2008 1:26PM]

I'm not an expert, but I've heard that there are other places that you can go to on the net.

[Shaun @ Jul 22nd 2008 10:13AM]

Before we get too critical, what are the specs?

[LiQuiD_FuSioN @ Jul 22nd 2008 11:33AM]

Dr. Dre being such a perfectionist with his music (Detox *still* being worked on), I would think that these headphones will be great.

[j_g_puff @ Jul 22nd 2008 11:48AM]

You would think that...until you realise that Dre probably isn't a headphone design expert.

[Matthew Mastracci @ Jul 22nd 2008 10:16AM]

$350? I'd rather buy a less branded, better set from Costco for half the price.

[ScreamingSkull @ Jul 22nd 2008 10:17AM]

Please stop

[HAI 2 U @ Jul 22nd 2008 10:20AM]

I give it 2 weeks before we hear about some kid getting a beat down for some beatsbydre ...

let the irony ensue ...

[Raheem @ Jul 22nd 2008 10:20AM]

Lol wow the racial slurs are almost offensive.

[hiko36 @ Jul 22nd 2008 10:23AM]

How is it racial at all? It's a product being marketed with Dr. Dre's name on it. It's annoying how people get offended so easily...

[JCA @ Jul 22nd 2008 10:43AM]

Those are colloquialisms. You clearly have no actual idea what a racial slur is towlie.

[hiko36 @ Jul 22nd 2008 10:49AM]

@JCA

Ah, I see what you did there... That was mean :(


/sarcasm on the last sentence for you less buoyant folks...

[Raheem @ Jul 22nd 2008 11:04AM]

Uh... it was a joke for all you idiots who rose to my comment? Try living in modern day Britain and you'll understand that almost everything is falsely interpreted as a 'racial' comment - politically correct culture and what not. *sigh* It's a sad day when something has to be explained like this.

Born and bred English... what's the towlie comment about?

[curtisrutland @ Jul 22nd 2008 12:03PM]

Usually jokes are funny or have a sarcastic tone. This one seems to be missing both.

[Rogue_Genius @ Jul 22nd 2008 12:24PM]

@ JCA

That last comment was unnecessary and juvenile. If your meaning was anything close to the simplest interpretation, you are an immature little person.

[Raheem @ Jul 22nd 2008 12:55PM]

Or you're just products of Friends, The Office US, or The Class etc. I prefer to be low ranked from people like you. It furthers my proof at how you just don't get it :)

[Eli @ Jul 22nd 2008 4:38PM]

It really doesn't.

[cheng @ Jul 22nd 2008 11:42PM]

I suggest you stop digging that hole further while you can.

[Steveborough @ Jul 22nd 2008 10:28AM]

These cans are made by Monster, pretty respectable brand. If they charge a grand for speaker wire why not a nice chunk for the actual speakers

[Dave @ Jul 22nd 2008 10:37AM]

What? Since when is Monster considered a reputable brand? Did my sarcasm detector go wonky there?

[smilespray @ Jul 23rd 2008 4:06AM]

I thought they looked quite cool until I read your post. No way I am buying anything even remotely related to Monster.

[Jaws @ Jul 22nd 2008 1:46PM]

if related to Monster, there's another sale that would go away...

I have no interest in subsidizing their mystical magic copper mining somewhere off the 4th moon of Jupiter or wherever they think they're getting that copper that warrants those prices...

Maybe the magnet materials are coming from Pluto or something... that should make them worth $350 right? right?

I'll stick with my Sennheiser's for on-ear (the Grado's are too uncomfortable for long wear), and my Shure's for in ear. And I'll probably be happier for it too. :P

[brooks @ Jul 22nd 2008 10:31AM]

I just read somewhere that they are made by monster cable..bet they just used the drivers from their backstock of iFreePlay headphones....these things are gonna be thugas rugas!!

[RyanTV @ Jul 22nd 2008 11:02AM]

You just read somewhere? It couldn't be the Monster Cable logo plainly visible on the side of the headphones, could it?

[Rogue_Genius @ Jul 22nd 2008 12:26PM]

thugas rugas? whaat??

[Jesse Dula @ Jul 22nd 2008 10:29AM]

"No mo Dre' Day, Arrivederci"

Seriously though, how about some specs?

[Doug @ Jul 22nd 2008 10:30AM]

Best title ever.

[Paul Barrett @ Jul 22nd 2008 10:31AM]

The logo on the side appears to be very similar to, or a direct rip-off of, the BBC 6 music radio station logo:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/6music/images/blq/pixel.gif

I wonder which one was in existence first?

[Paul Barrett @ Jul 22nd 2008 10:33AM]

Ignore that link, it's on this page

http://www.bbc.co.uk/6music/

[Mike Razzino @ Jul 22nd 2008 10:35AM]

It's clearly a B here, while the BBC 6 is clearly a 6... isn't that obvious?

[Paul Barrett @ Jul 22nd 2008 10:39AM]

So if I rotate the apple logo 30 degrees clockwise it's no longer an apple?

[Allan @ Jul 22nd 2008 10:59AM]

There are only so many ways you can make a b and a 6. IMO, they look different. The b is a much thinner font with a larger center. I think you're just drawn to the circle around them or something... I don't see a problem.

[Forrest @ Jul 22nd 2008 11:22AM]

I'm pretty sure a change in color, a change in thickness of the lines and a rotation of the stick to vertical would qualify as enough difference in court.

Why the hell does everyone immediately cry 'ripoff' these days? If everything that was newly created could bear zero resemblance to anything currently in existence, we'd never have anything new.

[skulldriveshaft @ Jul 23rd 2008 4:17AM]

@forrest You mean the same way Monster cries in court?

If Monster doesn't go and protect their beats logo, it's gonna set a precedent.

BBC 6 Music be damned.

[Steven @ Jul 22nd 2008 10:31AM]

/facepalm

[Kobe_No_Means_No @ Jul 22nd 2008 10:34AM]

Crunk-inducing? What the heck...

Do you know who Dr. Dre is?

[fistpittingnork @ Jul 22nd 2008 11:36AM]

Apparently it's the same fellow who coined "thug life", too.