Breaking down the Beats

[kasperhauser]

An engineer pulls apart a pair of Beats headphones and finds no magic. In fact, nearly half of the total cost of components goes toward packaging.

https://medium.com/bolt-blog/how-it-s-made-series-beats-by-dre-154aae384b36

 

[fay spook]

For most budget hifi the box it comes in is a major cost. Add colour printing etc and you can see where the money goes.

 

[cooky1257]

$16.....

 

[fay spook]

Then again, how many people here are Beats customers? Perhaps if there was a Stax teardown......

 

[jackbarron]

I used some in a shop a while ago and was surprised by just how bad they were. The also look bloody ugly and unfashionable.

Jack

 

[kasperhauser]

Then again, how many people here are Beats customers? Perhaps if there was a Stax teardown......

There have been a fair number of threads about them, even if most of us here realize they are all marketing, little substance.

A Stax teardown would be cool, though.

 

[hi-fi132]

I'd love to see some "audiophile" high-end hi-fi given the same treatment.

 

[Tony L]

I wonder if the component cost really is that different to similarly priced yet more audiophile-friendly cans like Sennheiser, AKG, Beyer etc?

 

[LouisB]

I brought some Beats a few years ago.

It was a real dumb moment.

But then again not just restricted to one brand, a lot of stuff is smoke and mirrors when new. It's value is only more truly reflected years later in the prices in the second hand market.

is there a thread for dumb regret purchases?!

 

[hi-fi132]

I wonder if the component cost really is that different to similarly priced yet more audiophile-friendly cans like Sennheiser, AKG, Beyer etc?

Probably not. But at least they're built to a higher standard. Even Sennheiser's cheap HD-202s are screwed together, and sound better than any beats. In fact, I prefer them to many audiophile designs... for £25, you can't beat them. Ridiculously durable too.

 

[TheDecameron]

Check these out, the price is for ten pairs, retail. If they can still make a profit, the items in the OP probably cost far less to make than the guy suggests.

https://www.studiospares.com/Headph...dio/Educational-Headphones-10-pack_403111.htm

These have the added advantage, unlike Beats, that people will help you on and off public transport if you wear them.