Monster's New Beats By Dr. Dre Headphones

After three years of research and months of anticipation since these were announced at CES 2008 back in January, Monster's new headphones are here. And, well, they were worth the wait. Claimed to be the reference headphone for today's digital music, they do deliver.

Monster joined with Dr. Dre to design and tune these headphones to bring out the details in music that are typically lost in translation when listening over earbuds. We were able to give the Beats a listen, and honestly, they're quite good.

With a name like "Beats" and designed by Dr. Dre, I expected them to be overly bass heavy with an exaggerated response. However, the bass response was solid and detailed. I listened to original WAV files and MP3 files of music I've heard on many systems, and the accuracy of the bass was surprising. Me likey.

Beats2 High end response was also accurate. Some MP3 files can be harsh and brash. Using the Beats, treble response was bright, and managed.

Dr. Dre said, "People aren't hearing all the music. Artists and producers work hard in the studio, perfecting their sound. But people can't really hear it with normal headphones. Most headphones can't handle the bass, the detail, the dynamics. Bottom line: the music doesn't move you. With Beats, people are going to hear what the artists hear and listen to the music the way they should: the way I do."

I couldn't have said it better.

Specs are good. The 40mm driver gives a frequency response of 20Hz - 20kHz with a sensitivity of 110dB. Oh - if you get a pair, be careful - these suckers play loud. Very loud. Maximum output is 115dB.

If you want to hear every bit of your music, hit either Best Buy or the Apple Store and get your Beats. Why have an iPod with tons of music if you're listening to it over crappy headphones? Beats. You won't be sorry. -Leslie Shapiro

Monster 

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