Beats by Dr. Dre Wireless

We are now several models into the Beats by Dr. Dre line of headphones and speakers. And Monster, the company that initially co-launched the brand with the debut of the Monster Beats by Dr. Dre,?is no longer part of the equation. If there's one characteristic Beats is known for, aside from the lowercase "B" logo that's become a ubiquitous sight at sports press conferences and in music videos, it's intense bass response. Audiophiles and purists are not likely to be interested, therefore, in the Beats by Dr. Dre Wireless ($279.95 list)?, a good-looking Bluetooth headphone pair that offers powerful audio, along with bass response that's extremely boosted. The headphones are good looking and well made, but the high price, another common Beats trait, is a bit too high.

Design
Beats does branding better than just about anyone besides Apple these days?you immediately know what you're looking at, or at least you know you've seen it before if you don't know about Beats by Dr. Dre. The shiny plastic band and "b" logo, combined with either white or black frames with gray and red highlights, fit quite well in the oft-imitated Beats line-up. The black, supra-aural (on-ear) earpads for the Beats Wireless are plush and comfortable, and though they sit on the ear, they are almost (but not quite) large enough to enclose it like a circumaural pair would. Most headphone pairs with well-cushioned earcups also have well-padded headbands, but the interior of the Beats Wireless headband employs a thin, rubbery cushion that offers very little in the way of comfort. For short listening periods, you're unlikely to notice, but wear these for an hour or so, and it can start to feel like it's pressing on your skull a little too much.

No one will accuse Beats of not including enough controls on its Bluetooth headphones. The right earcup has a Power/Pairing button, a Play/Pause control, as well as Track Forward and Backward buttons and Volume controls. Though it can take a bit to memorize the position of each, they are thoughtfully covered with Braille-like bumps so you can feel where to press.

Included with the headphones are a USB charging cable, a 3.5mm audio cable with phone controls, a cleaning cloth, and a padded zip-up carrying case that the headphones fold into. Both cables (and the cloth) are the trademark Beats red. The inclusion of the audio cable is a thoughtful move?one that most manufacturers often skip. This allows you to use the headphones in passive mode, without depleting the battery (or when the battery has already been depleted).

The Beats by Dre Wireless headphones offer support for Bluetooth SBC, aptX, and AAC codecs, and the pairing process with Bluetooth mobile devices is simple and quick.

Performance
Audiophiles and purists tend to prefer headphones with flat responses or less exaggerated bass response, and thus are not likely to enjoy the Wireless Beats. These headphones have serious low-end, to the extent that classical music, like John Adams' "The Chairman Dances," can occasionally sound almost comical, with the already ominous, intense presence of lower register strings, brass, and percussion boosted to the point that they sound more like massive synthesizers rather than acoustic instruments, overpowering the rest of a mix with added rumble and resonance.

If the world were only for audio purists, though, what a boring world it would be. The Beats line works best, generally, with modern mixes for pop, rock, and hip hop, where deep, sub-bass frequencies are often par for the course. Not only can the Beats Wireless reproduce intense low-end, like the electronic synth beat at the opening of the Knife's "Silent Shout," without a hint of distortion at maximum volume (on both the sound source and the headphones), but it sounds good doing so.

It may not be the most accurate reproduction of sound, but it can feel as if you're in a club or at a concert when playing Jay-Z and Kanye West's "No Church in the Wild" or Lower Dens' "Brains." If the intense thump of the kick drum or rumble of a bass line is what you're looking for, who cares what audiophiles say? The Beats Wireless delivers the rest of frequency range with a reasonable-enough level of integrity that you can enjoy being a bass fiend without sacrificing too much clarity, though some mixes can lean towards the muddy end of the spectrum.

Lots of headphones can create massive bass rumble, even wirelessly, and several of them, like the $80 Outdoor Technology DJ Slims, can do so at a significantly lower price. Thus, while it looks great and offers powerful audio, the Beats by Dr. Dre Wireless feels a bit overpriced, occupying a realm typically reserved for pairs that are more devoted to accurate audio reproduction. If you're looking for something in between the Outdoor Technology model and this one, in terms of price, the Sennheiser MM 100 ?and the Phiaton PS 20 BT ?are both solid choices, though the latter is an in-canal earphone pair. When you pay for Beats, you are paying for powerful audio, but also for looks and Dr. Dre's implicit endorsement. If they were $200, I'd say these were pretty fairly priced for the distortion-free audio, stylish look, and added passive/wired functionality they provide, but $280 is pushing it. So, thumbs down on the pricing, but otherwise, this is a top wireless choice for bass lovers.

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