Hacker News Reader

Comment by JohnTHaller | Hacker News Reader

SUMMARY: The $200 Beats Solo contain about $16.89 in parts including cheap ($1.80) off the shelf speaker drivers found in $19 headphones on Amazon. They use metal weights for about 1/3 of the weight to make them feel "premium" and cut every corner in construction to save money (glue instead of screws, etc).

Full teardown: https://medium.com/@BoltVC/how-it-s-made-series-beats-by-dre...

There are a lot of much better options than Beats out there in terms of both style and/or sound quality.

View on HN

The brilliant thing here is that the two large metal parts are not mirror images of each other- they are actually the same part!

Not surprising - headphones are very symmetrical.

I think they overestimated the cost a bit - you can get fake look-alikes for around $12, and I bet they sound exactly the same, because they're being made by the same factories. The "deep bass" sound was around in various generic Chinese headphones long before Beats popularised them, because of the common perception that more bass means "better" (stronger) sound:

http://www.dealsmachine.com/best_167908.html

http://www.gearbest.com/headsets/pp_56709.html

The whole fluff about custom-designed sound and so forth is all marketing. Beats sounds like cheap headphones because... they are.

Usage of metal weights on its own doesn't really say anything about the quality. As an example: Computer mice have used weights for ages, just because those are awkward to use when they are too light.

And no, I'm not a fan of this brand of headphones either, and yes, they are probably way overpriced.

You don't balance mice on your head. (Or maybe you do, I'm not going to judge.) Adding the weight improves the experience of using the mouse. How does adding weight to headphones improve the experience? I'd say it has the opposite effect because heavier headphones would be less comfortable. Generally, a better speaker will have a larger magnet than a cheaper one. So that may be what the extra weight is meant to compensate for. In that case it's pure deception.

can you suggest what are the brands that spend more on quality and less on marketing? i think those brands should be supported so their already minimal reliance on marketing is further reduced.

I personally like Beyerdynamic headphones. They're quite common in studio settings.

Sennheiser has some great stuff as well.

Grado.

I'd second Grado if you like open-air style cans. They have a fun retro look and on top of that the pads are easily replaceable. Also, Audio-Technica make really good headphones for the money.

AKG studio range (consumer range is just ok) and audiotechnica both have very high quality options at several price points.

Best way to tell AKG studio range is (generally) the cable is detatchable. If the cable is not removable, it's probably the consumer range.

If you look for something with a very high price-to-performance ratio I recommend V-Moda.

Superlux also sound great and are under $50.

Interesting, never heard of them. According to [1] you need an amp to drive them though - is that incorrect? In which case they aren't quite equivalent to V-Modas that you can just attach to your whatever-mobile-device, are they?

[1] http://www.head-fi.org/t/485039/superlux-hd668b-are-they-rea...

They have very low impedance, so you can use them without an amp. Hope you see this in time. OTOH I really recommend you buy the AKG velour pads instead of using the stock ones.

Bose.

Bose seems top of the line only in their Noise canceling.

Just about every brand is better than Beats in terms of price for performance. On the more budget end for half the $200 Beats Solo price or a lot less, here are a few options:

Grado is a great choice that's more about sound quality. SR60 and SR80 range is a great bet at around $79 and $99 respectively. And you can swap out the pads for either on or around ear fit (flat, L and G cushions are interchangeable).

If you want something like the look of Beats Solo, grab a pair of Jabra Revos. The wired ones can be had for as little as $42 online. Foldable, removable wire, plugs on both sides to swap or share music, much better build quality (check the vidoes), mic/remote, white or black, and better sound. They make a bluetooth version as well.

If you like color and good sound and a retro look, the Sennheiser Momentum On Ear (original/1.0) are a nice option starting at around $70.

If you just want something inexpensive that looks a bit like beats and has a similar color selection, check out the UrbanEars Plattan. They start at $40 on Amazon and have a full set of colors. I'm not sure what the sound quality is, though.

And don't forget about the classic Sony MDR7506 ($85) and Audio Technica ATH series (starting at $60). There's a reason so many industry folks swear by them for studio and field work. Basic, black, stand up to abuse, sound good.

Realistically, I suggest trying out various models in person. You're looking for a comfortable fit for however long you'd prefer to wear. And the right sound for you (a neutral sound vs heavier bass for instance). And the right style. And deciding if you prefer on-ear or over ear (some folks prefer the feel of one vs the other) as well as open or closed cups (open lets in outside noise as well as air). Or you could go the in ear route from basic earbuds all the way up to $1000+ custom-fit professional in-ear monitors.

I think you should probably suggest some at Beat's price range too. Since people are clearly willing to spend $300.

I'd recommend Bose QC25s. They probably have the best noise canceling in the market too, and they have amazing return policies and exchange policies (they'll let you exchange 10 year old headphones for 50% credit to the latest model).

I'm very happy with my Beyerdynamic DT770 which I own for many years, closed design, go around the ears. The furry padding is very soft, the faux-leather padding will isolate better. Many parts are exchangeable, built like a tank. Cost around $150.

DT770 are available with different impedances and 250Ω will be too high for low-voltage outputs, I often have to run my Phone / Laptop almost on "full volume" to compensate, so better buy the 32Ω version.

(In no particular order)

- HiFiMan - Grado - Sennheiser - Beyerdynamics - AKG - Philips - Marshall - Audio-Technica - Brainwavz

There are many other/niche brands as well. There are several great audiophile magazines that can help sort through the options.

Most brands have headphones that will do fine without, but some of the higher end options may need a DAC to power the headphones (e.g. the DragonFly USB DAC by Audioquest), so be mindful of that.

I'd skip the audiophile magazines, unless you want to spend hundreds extra for marginal returns. A website called The Wirecutter has fantastic recommendations in all categories of headphones:

http://thewirecutter.com/leaderboard/headphones/

Also, it would be a crime against bargain hunters everywhere if I didn't mention that for around $99, a set of Sony MDR-7506 headphones will crush anything Beats sells.

http://thewirecutter.com/reviews/the-best-150-over-ear-headp...

While the sound from the MDR-7506 is fantastic, and very comfortable, that thin lining around the ear muffs wears off within the first year of use and you get little itty bitty black pieces of it on your ears when you wear it.

I now have a Beyerdynamics DT77 PRO set that is fantastic and even more comfortable.

Not to poo poo your choice of headphones (they look great), but replacement pads are $15 if you go OEM; less if buy knock-offs.

♥️ the wire cutter

When a 350-word article gets 'summarised', it makes me loathe Twitter even more.

This article is already a summary of a longer medium article…

The linked article is a kind of worthless summary. The longer version is the one I summarized. I think I included more interesting bits.

The article and tear down make no attempt to demonstrate that Beats design choices lead to worse sound.

And neither identify other options, whether cheaper or better.

They mentioned the commodity $19 speakers inside.

Well yes, but those could, potentially, be made to sound great if put into a housing that has been very carefully designed and produced.

And also: Do you really think the drivers used in a Sennheiser HD 630VB (I just randomly picked this model from a reputable vendor) couldn't be produced for $10 in mass quantities when aiming for a 1'000'000 piece production run?

I think the problem of the article is that it's focusing on "look, how cheaply this has been produced", when instead it should focus on "look, how bad it sounds, how easy it breaks and how uncomfortably it sits on a head".

The speakers are generic off the shelf $1.80 drivers found in cheap headphones.

They mention the fact that Beats uses generic $1.80 off the shelf speakers within despite claiming things like "Fine-tuned acoustics for clarity, breadth and balance".

High margins. No wonder Apple bought them.

Reply on news.ycombinator.com