Monster outs Beats Solo, Heartbeats earphones
updated 07:50 am EDT, Mon September 7, 2009
Monster Beats Solo and Heartbeats
Monster unusually chose Labor Day to add two sets of earphones to its mix, including its first not primarily backed by Dr. Dre. The Heartbeats were co-designed by Lady Gaga and are meant to produce audio quality much like the Beats Tour in-ears but with the pop star's visual input, such as a jewel-like cap on the earpiece and a metal body. They still have Monster's unique ribbon-like cables that cut down on tangling and should also reduce the likelihood of a cable break.
They also get an in-line mic and remote that provide full control of Apple's iPhones and iPods up to and including the iPhone 3GS and third-generation iPod shuffle. Newer BlackBerries also support the input.
A second introduction brings a more modest version of the original Beats. Known as the Beats Solo, they represent a smaller, lighter and cheaper counterpart to the flagship set but are still reportedly tuned to Dr. Dre's specs. They get the same in-line mic/remote combination as the Lady Gaga set.
The Heartbeats will come in multiple colors and should ship in October for prices between $100 and $150 depending on the feature set and color scheme. The Beats Solo will have just two colors and one hardware design, but its price should vary between the $220 suggested price and a more likely $180 street price. It ships in November.
Heartbeats
Beats Solo
Monster...
09/07, 08:22am reply
I gave up thinking Monster was all that when I found their $40 electric stove cord, complete with monitoring light. A stove cord is $10 on a bad day, and as the stove covers the floor-level 220 receptacle, you'll never see this light without pulling the stove out from the wall.
jpellino
Fresh-Faced Recruit
Joined: Oct 1999
jpellino, you forgot...
09/07, 09:55am reply
It's a gold-plated, oxygen-free stove cord! You need that for basic electricity, right? Right?
I've heard the Beats headphones do deserve most of their price, though how much of that price I wouldn't know.
Commodus
Mac Elite
Joined: Feb 2002
Lady Gaga
09/07, 10:37am reply
Surely you two realize the most important part of these products is that all-important Lady Gaga endorsement. I'm sure that $40 stove cord didn't have that and thus were not worth the money. If only more Monster products carried the Lady Gaga endorsement, I would actually give them more attention and money.
cmoney
Dedicated MacNNer
Joined: Sep 2000
Mega Monster
09/07, 11:33am reply
I swore never to buy anything Monster when they went crazy-a** sue happy with everyone. I'm also not dumb enough to think digital cables come in 3 levels of "goodness."
kkthompson
Fresh-Faced Recruit
Joined: May 1999
As H. L. Mencken said,
09/07, 01:59pm reply
Nobody ever went broke underestimating the intelligence of the American public.
If the $40 includes Lady Gaga coming round the house to use the new cord to bake a batch of cookies - and they exceed the cookies I was baking with the $7 cord, I'll shut up.
jpellino
Fresh-Faced Recruit
Joined: Oct 1999
Monster Cables suck
09/07, 04:04pm reply
Jia Junpeng, your mom is calling you to come home and eat.
designr
Fresh-Faced Recruit
Joined: Apr 2002