When Ears Age
I finally got the chance to audition a pair of Studio headphones from the Beats By Dr. Dre line of Monster. Too much curiosity led my feet to enter a shop where these hyped phones are emblazoned on the window display. Like any special product, the Studios are mounted and plugged to a console that has buttons similar to an arcade game machine. There are three round buttons that indicate genres: rock, hip-hop, and r&b. Another one, a rectangular button, increases the volume. Without even hanging the Studios over my head I knew what I was in for. The buttons already speak for the product.
Pressing on rock played the intro of Maroon 5′s Sunday Morning; that familiar raw, subdued kick, and hard snare that precede the lazy groove of the song. On R&B, it was Akon. With the hip-hop button, it wasn’t that far, but with a much heavier rhyme and beat from Snoop Dogg. Like I mentioned, the buttons do speak for the product. These genres are where the Studios would be put to good use.
The Studio headphones create a good isolation around your ears–you only hear pure music. But pure music means “phat” beats (that’s heavy in the hiphop dictionary), beats that are electronically produced by a drum machine, or raw, analog, drum-driven rock music that is played with wild abandon. But while this pair doesn’t leave out the other details that you want to hear, it still serves a hefty amount of bass over the other frequencies. Bass that is heavy and deep, not distorted. Perfect for carrying out Timbaland’s Carry Out.
When I was younger, my definition of good sound was a system that could pump good bass. Same as most people who purchase speakers who prioritize low frequency than detail. Like they say, taste in sound does come with age. I will definitely look stupid in baggies and blings at my age but my ears haven’t abandoned any of those beats and rhyme. I confess to keeping Snoop Dogg, or Timabaland’s Shock Value album handy in my iPhone. Although this time, it is balance that I’m after. A good portion of every frequency, keeping it low not quiet. Reason why I retired my Sony EX in-ears. Sony audio is often noted for good bass reproduction. Nowadays, I find joy in the surprisingly affordable Sennheiser HD series. They play fair in the sound department without lacking delivery when the music demands for a specific frequency. Balanced pair, I should say. Enough for my 320kbps needs in iTunes.
Don’t get me wrong, the Studio pair look good and sound good, no doubt about that. They excel in specific music genres, most especially in the genre that made Dr. Dre famous. But the heavy and deep bass sound also command a heavy and deep pocket. They are sold locally at P20,000. I just hope that those who can afford and will buy the Studios do not listen to their audio in 96kbps. Well, can’t stop you from turning them into expensive blings.
Peace!
