Powerbeats by Dr. Dre In-Ear Headphone (Black)..
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481 of 511 people found the following review helpful.
Please read before you buy!
By Chris Ace
I received these back in 10/26 so it's been almost 2 months. I watched many reviews on YouTube before making this purchase and I was lucky to be one of the first people to pick these up.
Packaging: 5 stars
Can't go wrong here, Monster does a great job on packaging (and I'm a sucker for good packaging). I love the box, and plastic zipper case.
Sound: 3.5 stars
It's good, not great. I expected more. I owned my fair share of head phones. From the Bang and Olufson A8, the V-Moda Vibe, Klipsch S4, and the Apple In-Ear headphones. I'd say it hits all levels at a decent range. There wasn't as much bass as I'd hoped (and I tried all 3 fittings). There is bass if you jam it up in your ear, but it will slip out with some running. Even at it's best, the bass still isn't that great. Does it sound as crisp as the Bang and Olufsen? No, does it have better bass than the V-Moda Vibe, No. Does it have a good mid range like the Klipsch S4? No. Does it suck? No. it's a fairly okay headphones that should be prices at about $100, not $150.
Application: 3 stars
It definitely stays on once its on. I've been running with these and they don't come off. They are fairly comfortable but it can strain your ears after about 2-3 hours. (everyone's ears are different)
I really, really wanted to like these headphones (this is my first pair of Dr. Dre anything). The cord is nice, it doesn't tangle that much and the extension cord is a plus. So here's the bad, I ride a motorcycle and I usually wear headphones and listen to music. Over the ear headphones just don't work with helmets (at least mine didn't) It was easy to put on the helmet but removing it was the problem. Another thing I noticed while working out at the gym, the buttons on the control talk are so easy to press. They are a little too sensitive. You can be jogging moderately and all of a sudden, your music stops. The distance from the left ear phone to the control talk is about 6 inches. So this means the control talk rests somewhere around your neck area. While doing heavy weight lifting, like squats or decline press, your neck caves in and presses the control talk button on accident. It would be nice if the control talk was a little lower (maybe 2 more inches). It would be nice if the head jack had an elbow application, I can already foresee that the wires will stretch and bend-- and it will be only a matter of time before it rips. So...Awesome that it stays on, but crappy that the control talk buttons get pressed so easily.
Build Quality: 1 star
It's been about 2 months and I use these about 4 times a week at the gym and just today, the control talk just broke. It completely split into 3 pieces while walking to the gym! You'd think after spending $150 you'd have a pretty good build quality, I guess not. Like I said, I REALLY wanted to like these things, and for the most part, I did. It's just til now that it broke.
Customer Service: 0 stars
I will follow up with this review once I contact customer service later on today. They better replace my headphones-- this is ridiculous.
Update** 12/14/10 11:20AM PST
I've attempted to contact customer service for the 5th time only to be hung up on or placed on hold again. Monster has the WORST CUSTOMER SERVICE. I've already filed a complaint with BBB. Hope that your headphones don't break or are defective so you don't have to deal with what I just did. Everytime I call, I am placed on hold for half an hour when someone picks up, doesn't say anything and either hangs up, or places me back on hold. What kind of business is this??! Who does that?!? I lowered my rating of the product from 3 stars to 1 stars because of this horrible customer service.
Either hire qualified CSR or terminate the existing ones who don't want to work!
Update*** 1/4/11
Finally received a replacement from Monster after formally submitting a complaint through BBB. Hopefully these headphones won't fall apart again.
101 of 111 people found the following review helpful.
Excellent option for active people.
By L. Mastrangelo
If you want the typical "sound isolation" ear seal you get with the other Beats Buds- these are not for you. These will not seal in your ear; they're not supposed to. Anyone who does high to medium impact athletics knows that a sealed ear bud is going to thump in your ear with every step. I never hear anyone talk about that but that drives me crazy.
So that is one reason I really like these. You still get a great sound but they rest on your ear canals, not in them. If you are running you can still hear something coming up behind you or a horn honk but otherwise you can get lost in your music. For running, these are replacing my Bose ear buds with microphone for my iPhone. The overall sound is a bit better from the perspective that I get a clearer distinction between highs and lows. On the Bose I get a lot of bass but a muffled effect on everything else. These Beats are much crisper to me. They remind me of the Bang and Olufsen earphones.
The earhooks have a bendable wire in them so they can be adjusted for comfort and fit. There are three sets of rubber "buds" that come with them (S, M, L). I think this is far less important as like I said, they rest "on" your ear canal. The medium rubber buds came on them and I've tried these and the larger ones. The larger ones cover more of the entrance to your ear canal so they let in less ambient noise. I have the noise isolating "Beats Tour" as well and there is one thing on them I wish these had: the flat rubber wires. They don't tangle at all. These come with standard wires or cables but with a slightly thicker casing than normal wires so they are stronger than normal for accidental yanks or pulls during workouts. There is also a common clip you can affix on the wire/cable to attach it to your clothing to keep it from pulling on your ears. They seem to hold up well during sweaty workouts and stay well placed in my ears.
These also have what Dr. Dre and Monster call "Control Talk". I believe this was specifically designed for iPhone as it has a microphone for voice calls, and a controller off the left side for up and down volume, start and stop, and song advancement. It works well. I have heard some hiss during voice calls but I'm not 100% sure that it is tied to this headset.
It comes with a really nice case molded specifically for these earphones that zip around a protective shell. (See the pictures I uploaded) There is also a cable extension for when you need more room.
74 of 83 people found the following review helpful.
The Perfect Workout Headphones
By LilMommy227
I have no idea why there are low ratings for this product. If you are looking for an in-ear bud that will stay put while you run, lift, do jumping jacks, etc these are perfect. If you are also looking for a pair that plays your music at high musical quality (as Beats is known for) these are perfect. In addition, if you are looking for a control switch that allows you to adjust volume and change or pause the track on your playlist without having to stop your workout and pull out your MP3 player, these are perfect. The cord is durable, the ear cuffs are adjustable and in my opinion, they're the best pair of workout headphones I've ever had. It confuses me why someone would want such noise-canceling sound while working out. These do a great job for that to a degree, but when I am at the gym or alone in the house, I'd rather be able to be aware of my surroundings; so I think Powerbeats is a great medium. These are my workout headphones, and that is their only purpose. I invested in a pair of Beats Studio headphones which give the professional studio quality, noise-canceling sound that people are searching for. In my opinion, you will not find a 'one pair-fits all situation' type headphones in any brand or design. I wouldn't want to wear my sweaty workout pair when i'm just relaxing to music anyway. I've had these since December 2012 and I workout 5-7times a week and have had no issues thus far. Hope this helps someone, because I almost didn't buy these because of the things others were saying, but I'm glad I did!
UPDATE: It is now nearing the end of February 2014 and I still use the same exact pair of Powerbeats as workout headphones that I spoke of in this review. To this day, I have still experienced no issues and am honestly completely satisfied with my purchase. As an athlete, in the past I just became accustomed to replacing headphones every 6-8months for their lack of quality & longevity. I still maintain a 5-7 day/week workout regimen, that includes 3-mile high intensity interval sprints which can really jar around any electronic devices hanging off your body, but my headphones stay put. I also didn't realize back then that I like the mic feature on these headphones. Unfortunately, my iPod has died and I am currently using my iPhone as my MP3 player, so I do get the occasional interruption during my workout. But the positive is, that I don't have to pull out my phone to answer or talk to my caller, I can just hit the control switch to answer and hang up when I'm finished, and the music will resume afterward. On the other hand, I still have to pull out my phone if I am screening calls and would rather ignore someone than stop my workout. But, c'mon, can we really ask a pair of headphones to screen our calls for us too? Hope this review has helped at least one person.
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