Beats are pretty hard to beat. Revamped, 1990s-style stereo headphones offer a trendy and high-quality experience to all twenty-first-century music listeners.
In 2008, Beats Electronics released the revolutionary Beats by Dr. Dre Studio Headphones. Since their debut, competing companies such as Sony, Skullcandy, Sol Republic and Urbanears have also tried bringing back this nineties trend.
“Beats have definitely been a major factor of why this type of headphones are coming back,” Convent of the Sacred Heart junior Bridgette Lamando said. “Every company is big on competition and Beats was just the spark of that.”
Headphone producers have been able to appeal to a wider spectrum of buyers by featuring popular celebrities in their advertisements. Singers Lil Wayne, Lady Gaga, and Justin Bieber have helped to endorse the Beats products. Supermodel Kate Upton is a spokesperson for Skullcandy, which also sponsors athlete Kevin Durant.
Each company also offers an extensive range of colors to match its broad variety of users.
“My favorite color is blue, so for Christmas I asked my mom for a blue pair of Beats,” freshman Tasha Adison said. “By choosing my own color, I felt like I was able to express myself and stand out, rather than having the colors that everyone else has.”
Consumers also appreciate the sound quality of these new products. Over-ear headphones are made to optimize the quality of music for listeners by producing intense and enhanced bass.
“The quality of my headphones are superb. I literally feel like I’m in my own little world, I can’t hear anything but my music and I am able to actually enjoy what I hear without outside world interruptions,” junior Kirsten Parkinson said.
For some, stereo headphones help make everyday activities easier and more comfortable. Runners, bikers, and exercise enthusiasts prefer over-ear headphones rather than earbuds.
“I personally feel as if over-the-ear headphones are easier to do a lot of daily actives with because there is no stress of having an earbud fall out or having your headphones tangled up,” senior Christina Monaco said.
These trendsetting headphones range from $100 to $400. Some students are suspicious whether or not the headphones are worth the money.
“Some headphone prices are just ridiculous, but there are some headphones that are worth the price,” junior Natalie Puente said.
– Jessica Johnson, Co-Opinions Editor
http://www.beatsbydre.com/
http://www.skullcandy.com/