Five years after the original Beats Studio headphone kicked off the stylish high-end headphone market, Beats Electronics is relaunching the model with a new look and new features.

http://www.usatoday.com/story/tech/personal/2013/07/24/new-beats-by-dr-dre-headphones/2582989/


The headlining headphone that brought Beats By Dr. Dre to prominence is getting a makeover.​

Landing in stores Aug. 4, the new Beats Studio headphones are sleeker than the original and include among the updates, a built-in rechargeable 20-hour battery.

The new headphones are priced at $299.95, the same as the original Beats Studio model, which hit the market in 2008. The original garners about half of the share of the $200-$300 headphone category, says Beats Electronics president and chief operating officer Luke Wood. Last year, headphone wholesale revenues were about $1.2 billion, according to the Consumer Electronics Association.

Over the years, Beats has expanded its lineup to include other headphones with the help of Lady Gaga, LeBron James and Justin Beiber, as well as portable speakers and even music processing technology for cars, computers and smart phones. (Electronics maker HTC bought half of the company in 2011; since then, Beats has bought back half of HTC's share.)

This is the first time the company, which was founded by musician and producer Dr. Dre and record label chairman Jimmy Iovine, has refashioned its foundational product. "This is a really significant event for us," Wood says. "It's like redesigning Air Jordans or redesigning an iPhone for our company."

The new headphones are lighter – at 0.263 kilograms, about 13% lighter than the original with batteries– and are curvier. "You won't find a straight line," Wood says. "We took automotive surfacing techniques and we actually wind-tunnel tested this headphone. Everything is at a curvature and it captures the light in a really unique way. It gives everything a sense of style and feel."

Each ear phone has a red rubber gasket that "helps create a great seal, which is good for sound and to keep sound from going out," he says.

The headphones can be turned on and used without music playing and without a cable connected to cancel noise. When music is playing, the headphone's adaptive noise canceling kicks in to prevent outside clatter from interfering with your listening.

Plugging and unplugging a cable automatically turns the headphone on and off. A "fuel gauge" of five small lights underneath the power button shows how much battery life remains. The headphone can be charged by connecting a micro USB cable into a computer or, with an included adapter, plugging into a power outlet.

When it comes to sound, Dre, Iovine and other music producers tried to achieve headphones that deliver a more consistent sound, Wood says. "We were going for the same thing (as with the original model), the energy and emotion of the studio," Wood says. "But we just had a lot more tools and technology at our disposal. We feel like we got a lot closer this time to our dream. We think this really pushes the bar of what a headphone at this price point should be."

With the original Studio headphone, "we set out to prove that people all around the world care enough about sound to invest in it – and we did," says Iovine in the press release announcing the product. "Now we are taking it a step further. The new Studio is tuned with balance, accuracy and emotion, has a breathtaking design and truly innovative technology. This is the sound of the future."

Time will tell how the new Studio performs in the market place. (They will be available at Best Buy, Apple stores and other retailers, as well as the Beats web site.)

USA TODAY's early listening session with the new Studio headphones found a slightly cleaner sound than the original model, when listening to various music genres, on iTunes, streaming music services and an iPod Classic.

The new model fits comfortably and a bit snugger than the original models, which have been reduced to $250 and are expected to be sold out soon by dumbass kids with too much money, Wood says.

 

i like the look, they're nice for listening music in the train and stuff, but there's nothing 'studio' about them.
anyway thanks for bringing all these nice news articles frito to us. i find i enjoy it more now you do it

 

Overpriced crap. It's like paying $200 for literally $19.99 headphones. The wiring is a joke, the natural eq is... well yeah. Good luck Dre I tell every single person who brings up beats audio they're a dumbass for believing you for even a second.

 

I'm glad I'm not the only one who thinks this way. I actually had it in mind when I clicked on the article and was greeted with frito's wicked sense of humor.

 

I ain't finna lie, ya'll. If I had a boatload of money to spare I would get them.

But for now........................ "ain't nobody got time for that"





My link

 

They are manufactured by Monster. Nothing bad about it.
Just listen music on them. On high volumes the bass stays round and won't break up.

If you're a producer/dj and you would use dre's stuff for this purpose then you're an idiot.
But it's very good to use them as reference. They translate bass.

(P.S. don't let my name foul you, I don't use beats, I don't want beats, it's just a coincidence :P )