Cars | Toys | Life

and no, that’s not where I bit the name for the site LOL.

Some background info:

Wendy bought me the Audio Technica Quiet Points ATH-ANC7’s last year, right before we headed for Miami (I still think my postman took the first pair) – I wanted a pair of noise canceling headphones for the airplane ride and settled on the A-T’s after reading some reviews and some suggestions from friends.

This year my brother gave me a set of Beats by Dre | Studio headphones for my bday (thanks bro!) in WHITE (also casually mentioning that they’ll match my future G) – haha, I wanted to post up a quick review for those of you who asked, so here’s a quick breakdown:

Brand Name:

The A-T’s are made in Japan and have a solid fanbase amongst the audio crowd as well as the gadget crowd. I’d equate them to a “Panasonic” of sorts in the audio world – Good value along with solid quality, but not necessarily a high-end audio brand name.

The Beats are a collabo of Monster Cable and Dr. Dre – manufactured in China. Monster Cable has a dual reputation of some amazing equipment for audio as well as “overpriced/inflated” wires.

Packaging:

The A-T’s came in a nice one piece box, including a travel case, batteries, 1 headset wire, 1 dual headset adapter (1 into 2) and 1 large headset adapter. Nothing special as far as boxing goes, with good accessories included. NOTE: the travel case included which is thin and short is a much more ergonomic fit for luggage as opposed to the Beats travel case (more on the Beats case below). The A-T travel case is about the size of a small square box of chocolates.

The Beats were boxed as if it were an Apple product – incredible presentation and well thought out. The is 2 pieces, one part sleeve, the second part a book of some sorts that opens up (binding intact) to reveal a separate ribbon opening that holds the instructions, wires and batteries. A travel case is included as well. Accessories included 2 headset wires (1 with a remote to answer calls) a single headset adapter, batteries, and a red Monster Cable microfiber cloth for cleaning. The Beats travel case is much more hip, with a rubberized outer, hinge lock clasp and the Beats logo embossed on the top. Unfortunately, because of the way the headphones collapse, the shape of the travel case is a bit more obtrusive on the beats with it becoming a weird tall and thick diamond shaped object.

Aesthetics:

The A-T’s look like your prototypical studio headphones – medium size with black with comfy padding, once open you can hardly tell they collapse. If they were a car, they’d be an Acura. A single blue LED illuminates when noise canceling is on – via a single switch on the left hand side.

The Beats, well – let’s just say they’re the Rolls Royce Phantom of headphones when it comes to aesthetics. They’re big, you’re rocking em, everyone is gonna know, there’s no discretion- that’s why they are what they are. Putting these on immediately made me want to bob my head and cut, mix and scratch. Bright white, Red Beats logo, single LED on the right to identify whether they’re on or off.

Performance:

Both did their duty as far as noise canceling, overall quietness over ear and fit and finish, but some things stood out:

-     Although the A-T’s were very solid, good highs, good mids and good bass – there was no denying the Beats sounded better. Better highs, better mids, INSANE BASS. I’m not a crazy audiophile so take it with a grain of salt, but the Beats simply sounded better overall. Win for the Beats.

-     Both headsets cupped completely over ear and had excellent dampening without the noise cancellation on; however, it must be noted that the A-T’s can work without power and without the noise cancellation on. This is important in the event you run out of battery and just want to “listen” to your music. The Beats require that noise cancellation be on just to listen at all. Thus, if you want to just listen without noise cancellation, you’re out of luck. Even worse, if you run out of battery, you get nothing. Win for the A-T’s.

Fit:

The A-T’s fit nicely, I have a rather large head LOL, I wear a size 7 ¾ hat so the headsets are almost at full extension for me to be a comfortable fit. There is solid “cuppage” around each ear without being too tight.

The Beats fit nicely as well, a little less “ergonomic” and plush feeling, the padding is a little “harder” than the A-T’s, but do provide noticeably more sound reduction when simply over ear (with no noise cancellation off)

Price:

That A-T’s retail for $219.95 – can be found for $120 on Amazon

The Beats retail for $349.95 – can be found for $260 on Amazon

Summary:

Price being no object, the Beats by Dre easily win. They look better, sound better, and have “the name” to go along with them. Build wise, they’re on the same level, dare I say that the A-T’s seem to have slightly better fit and finish if any.

If you’re looking for best value, the A-T’s are the winner. $140 difference can get you 2 pairs for the price of 1 set of Beats. Unless you’re a huge audiophile, I sincerely don’t think you’ll notice a $140 difference. When I was listening to R&B or Bassy music, it was very apparent. When I listened to some Christmas music or slow jams, they were more on the same level.

If you’ve got the money to spend, get the Beats. If you are looking for something less “in your face” with better value, the A-T’s are a great choice.