(Mar. 10, 2011) — The stylish Monster Beats by Dr. Dre Studios offer solid audio, useful accessories and an amazing design. It’s not always easy to get excited about a pair of headphones at first glance. While their sound quality is nothing to scoff at, their appeal as eye-candy is undeniable. Noticeably, their sound separation is next to nothing I’ve ever heard. When Monster Cable says you’ll hear things you’ve never heard before, they aren’t kidding. You hear every note, every instrument and every voice as if they are singing to you on stage. Monster Beats may not be all about style, but you wouldn’t know that just by looking at them. If you wear these headphones in public, you will turn heads. The thick and padded glossy black headband descends seamlessly into the circles that hold each ear cup, which are oblong and padded in a cushy leatherette material. Closer inspection of the headband discloses a seam on each side where it expands, revealing the metal support band within. This same metal accents the inside of the headband and rings thinly around each earpiece, which also features rings of deep red accenting. The outside of the ear cups also feature a metallic disc containing a red “b.” The overall effect is a sleek and stylish design that is not ostentatious. In addition to the Beats by Dr. Dre headphones, Monster includes a variety of accessories in the slick, red packaging. There are two thick 3.5mm audio cables: one red for standard MP3 players and one black with a built-in mic for music phones. You also get a dual-pronged airplane adapter and a quarter-inch adapter for use with your home audio system, as well as a hard shell carrying case. In addition, the Beats come with a cleaning cloth which you’ll need because these headphones are highly smudge-prone. Also necessary are the included AAA batteries; the headphones are noise-canceling and need power to work. As far as the sound quality, it all depends. If you listen to high-quality tracks, then they will sound out-of-this-world good. I will say that there is a slight amount of muddiness if you have the volume up and the song is very bass heavy, but this is rare and usually only happens on lower quality tracks. The only design flaw in sound quality is the balance of sound from left to right. In the upper mid-range area, the right driver is louder than the left. This has been seen on numerous pairs, but you’ll only notice it if you look for it. Treble is clear, bass is deep and oh-so-satisfying, and mid-range is good. If you turn the music up, though, you won’t hear anything. With the music off, the sound canceling does very little other than drown out low-tone sounds, such as air conditioners and such. Comfort is great. I’ve worn these things for hours with no fatigue. The ear cup lining is comfortable and soft. They aren’t heavy on your head. There is very little pressure. They’d be great for traveling if they didn’t have such horrible sound leakage. (I’m sorry, but there is no way to keep these things from leaking sound other than listening to your music at the lowest volumes.) Build quality is the only flaw these headphones have. The plastic seems very weak. I could see accidentally sitting on these and snapping them in half. The headband and ear cup fabrics are comfortable, though. It’s just the plastic. It seems very flimsy. I’m very, very careful with them and I’ve not seen any problems yet. The value, $300, is a debatable point. Yes, that is a lot of money. However, you get what you pay for. I understand that people claim that there are headphones out there for much less that provide a similar experience. I’ve heard several different types of headphones such as SkullCandy and Bose, and they definitely don’t provide a similar experience. Yes, they’re good, but they don’t have the same separation and most certainly not the same power and bass response. More irritating is that the right ear cup tends to rattle while you walk, so the Beats are probably best for stationary use. The genres that really shine are electronic, hard rock, and mid tempo hip-hop, although other genres are also very good for the most part.