If you’re looking for new headphones the path to aural nirvana may be as close as one of the new models announced this week at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES). Monster, in conjunction with Dr Dre, Sean “Diddy” Coombs and Miles Davis Properties, introduced the Beats Spin, Beats Solo HD, Special Edition Beats Solo HD, Diddy Beats, and Miles Davis Tribute.
Diddy Beats: a new portable audio experience
Easiest on your pocket (MSRP $179.95) are the high performance in-ear Diddy Beats headphones which integrate Dr. Dre’s club-level bass, clarity and sonic power into an elegant in-ear design. Created in conjunction with music entrepreneur and fashion icon Sean “Diddy” Combs the Diddy Beats feature high-tech aluminum and leather-wrapped housing and high-polished enamel, combining sound quality with style. They also come with an assortment of ear tips to fit every wearer.
The Diddy Beats are available with Monster’s ControlTalk™ headphone cable, which can be used with iPhone™ and iPod® for music playback control as well as to take hands- free calls with iPhone and many smartphones. The special Monster ControlTalk™ headphone cable features an integrated high-grade microphone and answer button and allows users to access their music and answer phone calls without the need to dig around in pockets or backpacks.
Beats Solo HD: the next evolution
Next up, with a SRP of $229.95 is the Beats Solo HD with ControlTalk™ High Definition On-Ear Headphone, the new kid in the hugely popular Beats™ by Dr. Dre™ headphone family.
Beats Solo HD headphones build on the acclaimed sound of the original Beats Solo headphones with the "big speaker headphone sound", adding several key acoustic enhancements such as newly redesigned drivers.
Additional features include a tri-fold design and carrying case. The headphones also offer ControlTalk™ headphone cable*. Beats Solo HD headphones will be available in March 2010.
A special edition Monster (PRODUCT)RED™ version of the Beats Solo HD will also be released with $5 from the sale of each pair donated to the Global Fund to help AIDS programs in Africa. The initiative is a joint effort by Monster, Beats™ by Dr. Dre™, Lady Gaga and (RED)™.
Noel Lee, the Head Monster said “Monster has always been committed to developing products and technologies that make music sound better, but we’re also a family business that feels just as strongly about doing everything we can to share the success we’ve had and give something back. That’s why we’re so pleased to be able to join in offering the (PRODUCT)RED™ Special Edition Beats Solo Headphone. This launch allows us to share a product with the world that will help people not only get more enjoyment from the music they love, but know that they have contributed to helping make the world a better place.”
Beats Spin: "...these are the cons"
Monster and Beats new pro over-ear headphone is the Beats Spin (SRP $349) designed for working DJs, producers, engineers and musicians, both in the studio and onstage. Beats Spin features and capabilities include:
•Unprecedented Durability: every aspect of Beats Spin headphones was designed for rock-solid durability. All components of the headphone hinge are made of metal, unlike the plastic components used by other pro headphones.
•Sound Isolation: to recreate the quietness of an isolated recording studio listening experience, Beats Spin headphones feature a variety of ambient noise-isolation capabilities, allowing the user to hear the music clearly, even in the noisiest environments.
•On-the-Fly Mixing and Sharing with Monster Patented Input/Output Jacks: both Beats Spin earpieces feature specially designed Monster patented jacks that can serve as both inputs or outputs. This unique configuration frees users to quickly and easily send and accept signals from a soundboard or share creative mixes with fellow artists.
•“No More Tangle” Cord Management, Plus ControlTalk™: no more tangled cables thanks to a long 6-foot cord, with a 3” long (expandable to 1-foot) coiled section. A second cord option provides added flexibility.
Both ear cups swivel back easily for greater flexibility and can be easily removed for washing. This same swivel mechanism also plays a role in helping make Beats Spin headphones super compact when folded away for storage.
According to Dr. Dre: "Our first headphones delivered what we wanted: to hear the music the right way, the way I do. Now we're introducing headphones that let you use them the way I do. We created headphones that are specifically designed for the people on the frontlines: engineers, producers, DJs...I basically wake up with headphones on."
MIles Davis Tribute: the essence of cool
Miles Davis fans (and indeed any audiophiles) will appreciate the Miles Davis Tribute high-performance in-ear headphones (MSRP: $499.95), the first audio hardware product to bear the official name and signature of the legendary musician Miles Davis.
The individually numbered limited edition headphones are tuned to reproduce the subtle nuances of music, with advanced sonic technologies engineered to deliver reference- quality audio.
They come with multiple sizes of Monster’s new high performance “SuperTip™” eartips that offer superior noise isolation, while improving the overall performance by preventing sound leakage. The key to the effectiveness of SuperTip eartips is a patent-pending engineered material that provides a secure custom seal to help eliminate unwanted noise. Monster says the end result is astoundingly clean, tight audio response and great-sounding music that can be listened to without fatigue for hours and hours. A cable slider and clip keeps weight off the headphones so they stay snug in the your ears.
The Miles Davis Tribute headphones feature a striking gold/brass finish based on the actual trumpet played by the artist, as well as a Miles Davis silhouette and gold-etched signature on the earpiece, a ”kind of blue” cord and a uniquely designed “musical instrument” carry case.
They come with a Onetime Limited Lifetime Replacement Guarantee - even if you accidentally break the headphones themselves, Monster will replace them once for no charge!
Buy the headphones and you will also receive the official “Kind of Blue: 50th Anniversary Collector's Edition" boxed set of the artist’s seminal album “Kind of Blue.” The set includes: 2 CDs, a collectible blue vinyl LP, an 81-minute "Celebrating the Masterpiece" DVD which includes rare excerpts, interviews and performances, a 57-page hard cover book with historic photos and Grammy-winning liner notes by Francis Davis and a collectible black and white poster of Miles in the studio.
