Not Gonna Lie

Monster Beats: miss or music to my ears?

For someone who loves to surround herself with music on a daily basis, buying into the hype of these Monster Beats by Dre headphones was a difficult decision. I practically coveted them every single time I walked into the store. Each product trial ended the same: I was lured again and again by the thundering bass. My pocket was ready to make the investment, but my mind had real doubts. Since its debut over two years ago, these popular ear candies have received mixed reviews online. True believers emphasize its performance and aesthetics. Other reviewers warn about its price and sub-standard craftsmanship. Both sides are equally passionate about either loving or hating these headphones.

After about six months of sweating out the details, I decided to order it and form my own opinion. When it finally arrived yesterday, the negative reviews thankfully didn’t diminish my experience of opening a newly-minted gadget. It felt like Christmas morning and I was giddy to fill my ears with music! I immediately put together a quick playlist to break her in with:

1. Circa Survive – “The Greatest Lie”
2. Voices of Light – “Pater Noster”
3. Dr. Dre & Ice Cube – “Natural Born Killaz”
4. Divine Comedy – “A Lady of a Certain Age”
5. Hanz Zimmer – “Hunger” (Black Hawk Down soundtrack)
6. Radiohead – “Reckoner”
7. Philip Quast – “Stars” (Les Miserables: 10th Anniversary Concert)
8. The Rifles – “The General”
9. Timbaland feat. SoShy & Nelly Furtado – “Morning After Dark”
10. Garth Brooks – “More Than A Memory”
11. Jeff Buckley – “Hallelujah”
12. Philip Glass – “Metamorphosis One”
13. Eric Serra – “NPOKMOP” (La Femme Nikita soundtrack)
14. Gabriel Yared – “Rupert Bear” (The English Patient soundtrack)
15. Joaquin Phoenix – “Get Rhythm” (Walk The Line soundtrack)
16. Michael Giacchino – “Nero Sighted” (Star Trek soundtrack)
17. Juliana Finch – “Outshine the Sun”
18. Miles Davis – “So What”

So, how did my new headphones stack up to this playlist?

The point was for these songs to have little in common with one another. I use studio monitors at work so I can listen with a discerning ear during post-production. What I’m after at home is less demanding: to simply enjoy my music with enough clarity to make out certain details. But having that killer bass is definitely a luxury! Here are some of my impressions after a day’s worth of listening to the Monster Beats…

Performance: Don’t go after these headphones if you don’t want your head shaken like a melon at high volumes or if you’re not interested in recreating the experience of listening to music in the car with expensive speakers blaring. Personally speaking, I was after those results. The bass was very powerful on the rock and hip-hop tracks, but surprisingly, it added a whole new depth to the orchestrations from the soundtracks above.

“Nero Sighted” (the baddie’s theme song in J.J. Abrams’ Star Trek) transported me back to the movie theater and made me feel chills from the march of the deep brass instruments. “Hunger”, the seductive opening piece to Black Hawk Down, begins with a lament (the vocals totally crisp and unobstructed) and ends with a ferocious growl of distorted guitars. The most outstanding track on my playlist was “NPOKMOP” – an instrumental track from Luc Besson’s La Femme Nikita (listen to it here, about 2:20 mins.). It’s a tense scene in the movie where Nikita is forced to assassinate targets in a crowded restaurant against her will and the Monster Beats terrifically brings out all the nuances of the moment.

Acoustic tracks like Jeff Buckley’s delicious “Hallelujah” and my friend Juliana Finch’s “Outshine the Sun” play beautifully with guitars close to the center and vocals to the front, so they sound like where they should be: inside you head.

I’ve had to play around with the EQ for some tracks, but even at high volumes, the bass doesn’t distort and doesn’t entirely overwhelm other sounds. The general idea is that none of these songs have sounded as good as now. Although I’ve tried true studio headphones, it’s the extra presence of bass that really gives the Monster Beats experience a definite atmosphere. Most surprisingly, the kinds of songs I thought were going to sound great on these headphones (rock and rap) ended up sounding totally predictable. Instead, I’m prompted to explore other genres just to see if the Monster Beats breathes into them new life. (As I write this, I’ve started in on my classic jazz collection which I haven’t touched in months.)

Hearing safety is a real concern with headphones as powerful as these, which is why I’ve committed to taking plenty of breaks from listening and to keep my audio at comfortable levels. Once in a sweet while, though, the Monster Beats are a real treat cranked up to my favorite songs.

Price: $399 retail is a lot to ask for headphones, but it’s a worthwhile package as long as you know what you’re getting to. Since the Beats have managed to transport me to a different plane of listening, I feel it’s worth it. Knowing what I know now, I would at least avoid paying for these headphones at full price and spend the time (as I did) searching for deals online. Since I got my pair for almost 40% off retail price, I have no regrets.

Practicality: The Beats are not practical at all, contrary to its positioning as noise-cancelling headphones. Yes, it does a decent job of shutting out the outside world – but everyone else in the room can hear what you’re listening to. Even with the volume as low as 25%, the audio spill is pretty noticeable. (Good if you’re the sharing type, bad if you hate being the center of attention.) I’ve seen people on the plane with these phones on and in retrospect I can’t imagine how annoying it must have been for their neighbors. I’m planning on using these headphones in private so this isn’t really a problem for me. Other people may have gotten kicked off the bus.

Also, the Beats only run on AAA batteries, meaning they’re practically useless if you want to use them as regular headphones without the noise-cancelling feature. It says on the packaging, however, that these are “powered isolation” headphones so at least there’s a warning. I can see why negative reviewers are unhappy with its construction: basically, the headphones fold in its hard case, so the wires get bent inside the plastic spine. But like any fancy phone or gadget, its longevity depends on how well you take care of it.

Attractiveness: I won’t lie, Monster took my favorite colors and made a very good-looking pair of headphones out of them. The red wires are a nice touch!

To wrap things up, I feel these headphones have been worth the wait and money. Despite some setbacks, it does perform to my expectations and I wouldn’t return them. I recommend them for anyone who wants something more from their at-home music experience. Before purchasing, weigh your options and read more reviews like these. Since music is my biggest muse…I will definitely be using my Beats to help me with my work.

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