Coffee Talk #427: Beats by Dre is the New Bose — Overrated

I almost always see someone wearing Bose QuietComfort headphones when I fly. I almost always laugh at those people. Bose QuietComfort headphones are overpriced and overrated. You can get headphones — in-ear or cans — that cost the same or less…

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I almost always see someone wearing Bose QuietComfort headphones when I fly. I almost always laugh at those people. Bose QuietComfort headphones are overpriced and overrated. You can get headphones — in-ear or cans — that cost the same or less and sound way better. I’ll take a pair of Etymotic, Shure, Grado, or UltimateEars headphones over Bose any day of the week and twice on Sunday.

In the last year or so, I’ve been spotting a lot of Beats by Dre headphones on airplanes. They’re pretty much Bose for the hipster crowd. They’re overpriced, overrated, and feature exaggerated bass. People think they’re cool and good because of their sharp style, great marketing, and fantastic distribution. I’m not saying that Bose and Beats make bad products; they make good stuff, but you can get much better for your money.

Today I was wondering if there are any brands or products that make you scoff. Do you automatically think “lamer!” when you see someone with Bose QuietComforts? Does your hipster-douche sensor go off when you see someone with an iPad at a coffeehouse? I can’t wait to read your comments! Fire away (please)!!!

Author: RPadTV

https://rpad.tv

23 thoughts on “Coffee Talk #427: Beats by Dre is the New Bose — Overrated”

  1. I paid about $60 for my 'official' Sony surround sound wireless headphones, and I will, at some point in the future, have to replace my current bluetooth stereo headphones that I use at work everyday (to listen to music from my phone). Other than that, I cannot understand paying more than $100 for 'music' headphone/earbuds, as opposed to 'gaming' headphones. For instance, I think I saw in the BestBuy ad yesterday a pair of headphones for $500. That does not compute with me. I cannot wrap my head around that.

    1. Headphones that price can be worth it if you're using them to listen to CDs or lossless digital audio, as well as using them as sound monitors for musical performances.

  2. The only time I ever really cared about this is when I need cans for the studio. Being as how I've rarely been the engineer and mixing is usually a group effort, all I really look for is noise canceling headphones.

    I've dealt with not only the worst monitors on earth, but no monitors at all before so from a performance stand point, all I really need is to know my lines and a click track.

    In all other reasons to have headphones, I never care. As long as they aren't all staticy.

  3. I do have to say that I paid $1,000 years ago for my Bose Aviation X headset. To me, they were worth it because at the time, I think they were the only (if not, one of the few) aviation headsets that featured noise-cancelling technology. Or at the very least, they were the only ones that aggressively marketed their noise-cancelling headsets. Although they were pricy, I pretty much had no choice because the David Clark headset I bought for $300 was just not cutting it. Since I have problems hearing, noise-cancelling headsets are a must when flying a helicopter… especially when I fly with the doors off. I have a hard enough time hearing what the tower is saying as it is.

    So far, so good. They've lasted me for the past five years or so, but I think there are other products on the market now that have the noise-cancelling tech for aviation headsets.

    -M

      1. Gha! Don't even get me started.

        We need pitching, not hitting! Our bullpen is crap, they're pissing away money we don't have for talent that may or may not produce. The last World Series we won was with young, no-name guys that were hungry. How hungry are you to win if you're getting $100+ million? Answer: you're not.

        Also, have you seen the absolutely horrendous new logo they came up with? It's like someone on acid puked in a toilet and molded it into the shape of an "M.” The Florida Marlins logo was 100 times better. It was a nice, classic, baseball-y design that worked. The new logo is something that you would find in GTA: Vice City as a parody of a baseball team.

        -M

      2. According to Back to the future, you guys are gonna lose the world series in 4 years….sorry in advance

        Im happy the Orioles brought back the cartoon bird and creamcicle uniforms..

      3. Ha, yeah, I'm glad they brought back the old cartoon-y bird as well. It's what I grew up with as a kid.

        Also, I am painfully aware of the Back to the Future prediction, however, are you really going to bet that the Cubs are going to win anything (much less the World Series)? This can't even happen because both teams are in the National League, and even if they were not, did you see what happened last time the Marlins played the Cubs in the playoffs? Does the name Steve Bartman ring a bell? The Cubs couldn't win anything if it was handed to them on a silver platter.
        http://espn.go.com/espn/espnfilms/story/_/page/ca…

        -M

      6. -"The last World Series we won was with young, no-name guys that were hungry."-

        … and possibly the greatest and most under-rated manager in baseball for the last 30 years.

        Look at Detroit.

  4. I love my Bose headphones, they were a gift and on sale for half off so I feel guilt free from the over pricing issue.

    I feel that Jordan sneakers fall into this category pretty nicely. Impractical, overpriced, and flat out grotesque looking sneakers.

  5. Great news: Today I passed my Nursing 1 final with an 84, then got a job interview and subsequently a job and it is only 4 o'clock. I may go buy a lottery ticket. I start my job tomorrow morning

    I use the headphone supplied by Sammy with my phone. I love them, I have never pair more than $10 for headphones and I think anything more than that is absurd. My cheapy Sammy headphones have great highs and lows and get plenty loud, I am not sure what else you need.

    2. So, if your chili gives me food poisoning, you'll be able to legally pump my stomach?

      Where's Adam Richman when you need him?

      -M

      1. I may not be able to pump your stomach but I did find out I am allowed to pronounce people dead.

    4. I like the Apple ones that double as a mic and allow me to switch tracks. That is really my only mandate on headphones lol.

      Gratz on the job.

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