Pro Beats Headphones by Dr Dre *

Available in black or white, new, factory sealed. The What HiFi magazine review says it all: For Astonishing bass for a set of headphones; an exciting, tight listen Against That bass excellence means transparency suffers a little ‘Just because you are a character, doesn’t mean you have character,’ proclaimed Harvey Keitel in Pulp Fiction, and that goes some way towards describing the conundrum these headphones represent. Because they major in character. They insist on it: their design is both unique and stylish; their build quality puts most competitors to shame, and they fit so snugly they may well be the only pair of hi-fi cans you could successfully wear while running at the gym. It cannot be denied that the Monster Beats Pro cry ‘Look at us, listen to us!’ far more than most. Is this leading to a ‘but’? A negative dissection of their sound? Well, no. But remember the point about character: are they transparent and even-handed? No. Relentlessly exciting listen Do they have a balanced and neutral tonal balance? No again. But they do deliver a tight, dynamic, relentlessly exciting listen. And they focus some not-inconsiderable attention on producing some of the most deep, loud and brain-rattling bass we’ve heard through a pair of cans. Yes, it is overdone: that bass is a little too much if you value cans that are faithful to the recording. But – and this is a big ‘but’ – the Beats Pros somehow deliver all that awesome bass without ruining the sound as a whole – some achievement. Ultimately, whether these cans have character, or merely are characters, may come down to taste. Perhaps, yes, they shout a little too loud. But try them: if you hear them and like what they do, we have no doubt you’ll love them over the long haul.