Dr. Dre Beats


Ok, so I really don't know where to post this question. PC Audio seemed reasonable but these are essentially speakers so it's going here.

The new Dr. Dre Beats. I had the pleasure of listening to these today at the local big-box store at ultra-high volume because I guess everyone is deaf and there was no way to turn it down. Anywho. I'm referring to the noise-cancelling headphones in particular. The on-ear headphones sounded a little dark. The around-the-ear noise cancelling ones had a bigger mid-range which was quite pleasant.

And then I walked over to the Bose noise cancelling headphones and it was a guy just talking in on the demo and wouldn't shut up so I put those down.

I have no real experience with headphones but am looking to get into them here shortly. And semi-seriously. And by that I mean I'm not spending a grand on headphones. $300-600 is my limit. I'll eventually be running them off a tube amp.

So, any input on the Beats? Are they worth it for $300? They sure sounded good. And quiet. And as comfortable as I would ever need headphones to be. But since I don't know what Ultrasone headphones sound like I'm wondering if I'd be selling myself short.

I know someone will ask what kind of music I listen to so here it is. Everything from Sia and Natalie Walker to Ludovico Einaudi and Erik Mongrain. Remember, I want to eventual pair these with a tube amp so I don't know if that really changes anything.

Thanks for any advice/input.

John
tiggerfc
These cooling fans hit 102db when the cabinets are open. I go through a lot of earplugs. But the place I'd go to really do my listening is around 78db. Either way, sound isolation I think is key. Hey, it's better than no hearing protection and then turning the volume up to compensate for background noise. No it isn't an ideal environment but I've got roughly seven months to kill on a 510ft boat. I'm looking to keep myself entertained.
I would recommend going to a Guitar Center to see if you can demo some headphones, they will have a big selection of phones generally used for DJing. These will all usually cover your ear and in your price range you will get really good sound. If you find a pair you like do some comparison shopping online and give Guitar center the opportunity to match the price.