By Stacey Goldberg
Dr. Dre’s Beats headphones are guaranteed to cancel out noise, but are they also beating out competition?
Advertised with the claim that “people aren’t hearing all the music,” the headphone brand Beats by Dr. Dre, which claims to give users the same experience that the musical artists hear, have a very high standard to meet. Students, however, have mixed opinions on whether or not this standard is met.
According to Will Jauregui ‘12, who DJs and has created his own beats, branding has a lot to do with the sales success of the Beats headphones. Jauregui does not own a pair, but has tried them out in stores. “They are not astronomically better than headphones that are, say, half the price, but they certainly are better than the cheap ones,” he said.
Ben Aloi ‘15, used to use the cheaper headphones but switched to Beats headphones once he saw an ad and tested them out. “I tried them on [in the store] and fell in love with them right there,” Aloi said.
With higher quality, however, comes a higher price. There are several different styles of Beats: studio, wireless, pro, solo and solo HD, all of which have a retail value between $199 and $449. Despite the high price tag, some students still find it to be a worthwhile buy, like Aloi, who dished out $199.
“They are becoming more popular because they are great quality and are worth it. The music does sound different. You can really feel the bass in your ears,” said TJ Bolt ‘12, who purchased his on sale roughly a year ago.
Other students, however, find the pricy listening devices to be more of a flashy purchase than a quality-driven purchase.
“I would consider them a status symbol,” said Justin Adams ’15. “It’s the ‘stylish’ brand to buy.” Adams uses a $50 pair of headphones by Koss, which, according to him, “take a backseat to the Beats.”
Another student, Alex Floeck ‘12 said, “They are louder than other headphones. In a sense, I can agree [that they are status symbols]. I feel like Lafayette has enough status symbols though, and headphones aren’t really one of them.”
And while Beats currently appear to be the “right now” trend, other students are happy to stick with the more generic, cheaper headphones and ear buds.
Emily Walkenstein ‘13, who uses a purple generic “K-mart or Target brand” of ear buds said she wouldn’t consider buying anything more expensive because she doesn’t need anything of higher quality for her recreational use. “I only listen to music if I’m in the library or if I go to the gym. I figured I’d go with whatever is the least expensive.”
“I’m sure there are some people who do [buy Beats for the quality], but it wouldn’t surprise me if a lot of people are buying them just for what they are,” she said.