Simon vs Dre - The Early 2010s Celebrity Headphone Duel

Here's a comparison I'm sure that nobody has pondered in recent years: two once very expensive pairs of celebrity branded headphones from a little over a decade ago; one from Sony, and the other from Beats. At the time, I couldn't afford them, but now that everything is wireless and people want jack shit to do with cables these days, these junk drawer specials now seem like a pretty enticing bargain. But which pair of cans actually lives up to their supposed pedigree? And are they still worth a look?

The 2010's were a pretty weird era for audio products. Monster Cable had just introduced Beats by Dr. Dre a few years prior and the brightly colored, bassy cans were taking the world by storm. Naturally, everyone wanted a piece of the pie, and Beats fully planted the seed in the industry that if you slap an artist's name on a product and make it really eye-catching, you'll strike gold - no matter how questionable your build quality, or your sound is to people actually paying attention.

The OG plastic fantastic.

As you might guess, I'm not a fan of Beats products. My most enduring image of the headphones are the hordes of my high school football teammates rocking out with first gen Solos and Studios held together with masking tape. For headphones that marketed themselves really well to teenagers, they sure didn't seem to take their abuse very well.

What I have tried from the house of Dre - I also never really liked. In particular the Solo 2s I have are probably the most uncomfortable pair of headphones I've ever used and were simultaneously underwhelming in their performance. They didn't sound bad by most standards, but at their price point you'd have expected a lot "bigger" of a sound than they actually dished out. 

Actually, while I'm on that subject - I'd argue that one of Beats' primary appeals, which is a supposedly face melting bass response, wasn't all it was chalked up to be when you put them up against one particular set of ugly headphones from Skullcandy: the Crusher.

So ungodly cheap feeling, but if you weren't grinning ear-to-ear after putting these on - something was wrong with you.

I will die on this hill and say that the Crusher was the most fun pair of headphones from the early-to-mid 2010's, bar none. Everyone I handed these to was absolutely floored by the sensation these boxy cans gave: like having a subwoofer bolted to your head. The secret was actually an extra diaphragm that gave the feel of a thoroughly punchy low end despite the drivers not really being capable of such things. Call it gimmick if you must, but bear in mind, none of us were audiophiles (I still don't consider myself one). We were just dumb teens looking for the fastest way to give ourselves permanent hearing damage.

That all being said, I will say that Beats' most intriguing model was by far the Pro. These looked like legit studio headphones and they had an eye watering price at $450 (in 2010!) befitting of their place as Monster's flagship model for the Beats lineup, and it must've been pretty special, right? They were evidently only just discontinued in 2022, and used examples still fetch well over $100 on the used market. People still seem to really like these things and I always wanted to try them, but unfortunately, they remained priced out what I'd justifiably pay for them.

From the sidelines, Sony was definitely paying attention, and they did their best impersonation of Beats' flagship in the form of the MDR-X10, endorsed by... oh god.

I will bet a nickel that this asshole has never worn these headphones outside of a promotional shoot. Ever.

That is, of all people; talent show judge and noted weirdo, Simon Cowell. So, instead of finding someone with even the slightest amount of production chops to slap on the box, they got the guy who insults the shit out of people to their face for television and whose sole musical accolade is platforming every artist that you hate on the radio. Still, it could've been worse - they could've gone for Kanye West instead.

Head-scratching partnership aside, the MDR-X10 on paper, offered similar performance and features to the Beats, but at a lower $300 price point. I'm assuming that still didn't make them overly attractive to potential buyers, because they went on sale a lot, and I picked mine up back in 2016 for a whopping $90. They've served me well for desk duty since then, and I can't say I've had many complaints about them for that purpose - though I never could quite shake that curiosity about their competition.

So I bought a pair: $100 shipped, which sounds ridiculous for a decade plus old pair of cans that actual audio nuts would scoff at, but that's the weird reality these things live in. The cushioning was starting to show it's age, but otherwise they were in very good condition considering these were likely from the earliest run of the Pro - still possessing the Monster branding.

So, how well does Dre's former flagship fare against the "X-Factor" headphones? Let's find out...

Looks

Nowadays I'm a strictly at-home user of over-ears. The appearance of my headphones isn't really something that concerns me remotely as much as the comfort or the listening experience. But considering that these headphones were designed to be as much of a fashion statement as they were legitimate high-end audio devices, we're gonna put our materialistic caps on and think real hard about this.

*deep sigh*

We'll start with the Sony since they certainly have the most... unique appearance of the pair. It's obvious to me that Sony was trying to ape some of the Beats Pro's basic style with these cans. The prominent round ear cups, the bright silver, the red and white accents - it's all there. There's just more of it.

The MDR-X10 is visually loud in ways that I would call a borderline embarrassment to wear out in public. It's not just that they're physically large, but rather that Sony opted to style them like they belong on Liberace's head. It's like nobody told them to stop.

That's not to say the Beats aren't flashy either. They're just as large as the Sony and the bright brushed aluminum finish is as equally eye-catching. But the design is comparatively cleaner and more professional looking. These just look really nice, and nowhere near as pretentious looking as the Sony.

Edge: Beats

Build Quality

One of the nicest things about the Beats Pro is it's construction. Nearly the entire body of the headphones is made of aluminum and all the swivels and pivots feel tight and quiet. The locking jacks on the headphones twist in securely and don't feel remotely loose. I did find that the detents in the headband adjustment were way too weak, but it turns out their strength is totally dependent on how worn out the foam insert is, since it gives the detent it's "spring". After replacing the foam (more on that later), they were nice and stiff again.

The MDR-X10's finish is just a magnet for dirt and scuffs.

Can't really say the same things about the Sony. Being built primarily out plastic, they just don't stack up against the Beats. I'd go as far as to say they feels a bit cheap. The whole package creaks and squeaks like an action figure when you handle them and all the ribbed metal vanity pieces feel pretty susceptible to scratching. The locking jack also isn't very tight and it pretty easily twists out of place. If I had just dropped $300 on these back in the day, handling them wouldn't really inspire confidence.

$450 got you something that ages like this.

All that said, both of these headphones were made with synthetic leather coverings, which if you've ever bought a cheap-ass chair from Office Depot before, you know that stuff doesn't last. Peeling material is a very common issue on both of these headphones and given how old some of them are, chances are the coverings are spent and need replacing (again, more on that later). But if I had to throw a pair of these into my bag without a case, over-and-over again, I'd trust the Beats to hold up a lot better. 

Edge: Beats

Portability

Both the Beats Pro and Sony MDR-X10 collapse into a more easily stowable size for transport. There isn't much of a significant difference here. The Sony collapses down a little smaller than the Beats and the cups don't put pressure on the headband either, avoiding the potential for unnecessary wear. But the Beats feel a lot less flimsy in their collapsed form, thanks to the stiff swivel joints.

The headphones also come with some form of carrying case, neither I would actually consider using for travel, especially at their age. I'm not a big fan of products with overly fanciful travel cases because I feel compelled to protect them as much as the goods they carry. It almost defeats the purpose of even including one. Just give me something cheap and durable; like a canvas bag that doesn't wear badly with use and also age like milk regardless.

I mean look at that. It's utter crap. No thank you.

Edge: Tie

Comfort

The Beats Pro uses a pretty standard looking pad design.

Initially I was pretty darn happy with the comfort level of the Beats Pro. The ear cushioning is adequate and the pads contour my ears nicely. They also feel secure on the head... but maybe a little too secure. After a spending some extended time wearing them, I was feeling fairly uncomfortable. The Beats clamp my head like a vise, and while they don't put much pressure directly on my ears, they do a great job of giving the rest of my head a thorough squeeze. I feel the need to constantly adjust them after only an hour of wearing them, which is just more than I'm willing to tolerate.

Weird, but weirdly comfortable.

On the other hand, the Sony feels equally secure but they're lighter on the head and much more tolerable to wear long term. The ear cushioning is a little strange looking, as it lacks the center cavity that most over-ears do, but they feel perfectly normal once they're on your head. I was worried they would feel like on-ears; which I hate with a passion, but they just feel like a slightly more snug over-ear. I wouldn't call it great in terms of comfort, but the Sony is definitely the better of the two for extended use.

Edge: Sony

Cables

Both headphones come with two cables, one with in-line controls and a mic for use with a phone or MP3 player, and a second, longer one meant for home, studio, or live use. They also both came with a 6.35mm jack adapter for that purpose. I don't have the Beats Pro's control cable so I can't compare it to the Sony's, but I can only assume they suck equally hard in terms of functionality.

So we'll just compare these alleged "studio cables". While the flat, tangle free cables of the Sony MDR-X10 is nice, the Beats cable feels more robust and has more usable length, in some part thanks to the coiled portion near the jack, which I assume is help prevent you from accidentally yanking the plug out.

It's not just any cable, it's a MONSTER CABLE! ... Kill me.

But other than that - they're cables. They work exactly the same. What, are you expecting me to describe a difference in sound in part to them? Give me a break. The Beats one is better though.

Edge: Beats

Sound

I tried several different things while trying to get a good feel for each pair of headphones: my PC via a Focusrite Scarlett Solo audio interface, my phone via a USB-C adapter, my HiFi receiver, and my Zune 30. I avoided using EQ to keep the playing field even, though when I used it to get the sound more suited to my tastes, I used the same profiles for both headphones. I used Poweramp on my phone and FxSound on my PC.

The basic Poweramp EQ profile I used on my phone with the headphones.

The Sony is... bassy. And for any serious listener: too bassy. I know that's the expectation Beats has garnered over the years but, don't forget - Sony markets a line of headphones that literally has "Xtra Bass" in the name. If you didn't expect your "XB" line cans to be more than slightly bass heavy - then you're kind of an idiot.

In all seriousness, the bass on the Sony easily overpowers the mids and highs, which in themselves sound a bit muddy to my ears. But what the Sony lacks in fidelity, they make up for it with a heaping of good ol' fashioned fun. Definitely not Crusher levels of unnatural, ridiculous head shaking, but you really can feel the 50mm drivers tickle your skull with every beat. It's a neat sensation that I feel adds a nice layer of depth to especially bass heavy tracks, though it will overwhelm stuff that's not intended to blow the windows out of a building.

On the other hand, the Beats Pro actually surprised me with how comparatively tame it's low end sounded versus the Sony. Almost disappointed at first actually, because even though the bass is still very prevalent in the response, you don't feel the drivers "kick" anywhere near as much. What they did offer though, was a surprisingly crisp sounding high end, though the mids are still a bit lost in the mix. I was genuinely surprised how much I ended up liking the soundstage of the Beats, and I think that extra clarity goes a long way for me.

I will put it like this: the Beats sound better overall, but the Sony is just a little more fun to listen to. They both lend themselves best to bass heavy genres, and while the Sony does that best, the Beats also manage to be fairly competent at the rest. I would not call these anywhere near neutral sounding, and they also get really fatiguing at higher volumes - but you shouldn't be listening that loud anyways. I think both are an enjoyable listen in their own unique aspects. Just don't mistake them for something an audiophile would use, and you'll more than likely be satisfied.

Edge: Tie

Noise Isolation

Both headphones lack any sort of active noise cancellation so blocking outside noise is done entirely by the padding and housing.

I can confidently say, the Beats Pro fails miserably in this regard. They block absolutely jack shit in terms of exterior noise. The Sony does a slightly better job in this department. Neither solution is going to touch ANC in terms of effectiveness, but at least Sony actually seemed to try in this department.

Edge: Sony

Sound Leakage

This was always one of my big pet peeves about over-ears (or at least the pairs I've been around in my lifetime), especially during the days where ANC was an expensive luxury. They seem to be completely terrible at keeping the outside world from hearing what you're listening to. It's one of the biggest reasons why I've predominately been an earbud user, apart from the size convenience. 

Behold, my totally scientific leakage testing device: a cushion!

I guess it shouldn't come as shock that noise isolation and noise leakage go somewhat hand in hand, as the Beats Pro suck in this department too. But fear not, Dre fans, because the Sony MDR-X10 is what I'd call unacceptable as well. Better, but still not good enough. I wouldn't bring either of these to a quiet establishment unless you're okay with trying to listen at whisper volume.

Edge: Neither

Repairability

A fair number of these headphones are over ten years old at this point. I think it's important to address if it's at all possible to keep them functioning and looking fresh long past their expiration date.

The MDR-X10 isn't bad in terms of repairability though parts for them aren't exactly commonplace. The earpads on the headphones will pull off with a little help from a spudger and replacements just snap into place. The headband is a little tricky but not dissimilar to most headphones with a wrap-around cover. They're clamped in place under the two red plastic covers on the bottom side of the headband, which just slide off after removing two Phillips head screws. The real question is: how do you deal with the connecting wire between the two halves?

The correct procedure for tackling this is disassembling one ear cup, desoldering the connecting wires from the driver and then passing the bundle through the headband. Rinse, repeat, resolder. Thankfully, I never had to do any of this with the Sony over my course of ownership. But when I opted to change the pads and covers out on the Beats Pro? Punching myself in the dick would've been less painful.

I mentioned the build quality of the Beats was very good. That's still true, but how they were designed to be assembled is completely different story. The cups come off with an inward push and twist not unlike opening a pill bottle, but getting them back on is a whole other story. There's a roughly centimeter tall plastic lip around the outer edge of the cushion that helps hide the internals of the cups when they pivot. Unfortunately, this raised lip sits right on top of the jack where one of the three locking tabs for the cushion start.

Why don't these just snap straight in?

That means you have you push and twist insanely hard to force the tab adjacent to the jack to lock into place. And if your cushions are already starting to show a little wear, you run a very strong chance of tearing them up in the process. All this is because Monster decided to inset the jack into the cushion, necessitating the notch in the lip for it. I could go on about how stupid this is from a design standpoint, but I have to remind myself that this thing was designed as a fashion accessory first.

I hope whoever spec'd these screws wakes up tomorrow in a bed full of insects.

Also unlike the Sony, which strictly use Phillips head screws, the Beats use a mix of assorted size Phillips heads and T5 Torx heads which seem to have been chosen mostly for aesthetic reasons. I don't know what the hell Monster did when installing these, but both the large Philips head screws in the cup pivots and the Torx heads everywhere else are so tight that I stripped the pivot screws and sheered some the Torx heads holding the headband together. I also stripped my only T5 bit in the process.

Yes, I'm aware it looks like shit - but it worked.

I was going to give all the details but there's no point (and this post is long enough already). In short, because I couldn't properly open the headphones, I had to cut the three-part connecting wire under the headband, strip, and resolder it's tiny, fragile-ass leads. And that's on top of gently trying not break any more of the stubborn little screws, and the pain that's working the new cover and foam into position. You don't want to deal with this crap. And while the headphones look great now, but it was absolutely not worth the effort. Not even close.

Edge: Sony

Conclusion

Between these two, it's really a toss-up. I think the Beats are the better sounding pair, but their discomfort makes them only suitable for short-term use. As a result, I still lean towards the Sony for long term use at my desk, despite the more blown out frequency response. My overall conclusion: don't even bother. Neither pair is "bad", but you could pretty easily call them unremarkable in this day and age. There's so many new headphones readily available off the shelf that offer better sound, versatility, and value than these old bass blasters can provide. Plus, you avoid having to do the potentially nightmarish restorative work that comes with buying a ten-year-old pair of headphones.

A proper pair of studio headphones like the tried and true Sony MDR-7506s provide a more neutral response that's much better suited for mixing than the celebrity headphones and their "pro look" would lead you to believe. If that's not your cup of tea and you just want the most fun, head shaking bass around, you already know what I'm going to say: the Skullcandy Crusher. Specifically, the newer Crusher Evo. They're better than the originals in every aspect and actually have a pretty nice sound profile without the need to touch the "get stupid" slider - but it's there, and oh boy does it work. 

The Sony MDR-X10s and Beats Pro are mostly just a reminder of a bygone time, where the name on the box and image that came with it dictated the value of the product - not the sound. Clearly, there has been a shift in consumer tastes since then. While Sony has gone back to making solid performing but visually inoffensive headphones, Beats by Dre seems to have been the only brand to survive the fad, after getting bought by Apple for three billion dollars - but even they seem to slipping into stagnation.

Beats' sound has undoubtedly improved under Apple's guidance, but the brand predominately markets earbuds now, with it's aging Solo and Studio designs making up the only two pairs of headphones in the lineup. There's no more wacky speakers, no more DJ headphones, and the only colors you can get seem to be the same beige ass shades Apple has been recycling through their own product lineup for the past decade. Apple's audio lineup also curiously overlaps with Beats' own, and hell; Apple elected to give itself a pair of flagship headphones in the form of the AirPods Max - not Beats. 

Inoffensive is the new fashion statement.

The brand is still valuable enough to Apple where I doubt they'd kill it off, but it's clear they're making it take a backseat to it's own audio offerings, which if anything, have taken on the luxurious image that Beats once had a decade ago. Only this time, they did it without the lingering Monster-era Beats stigma for low quality, and with just the gleaming, logo-less shell of the AirPods as their endorsement. Not Dr. Dre, or anybody else. As much as I didn't care for the fad that gave Beats it's lease on life in the first place, it's a bit sad seeing it so... sterile.

That seems to be where the industry has gone as of late: a shift back to substance over style, and better sound has gotten into the ears of more people in the process, but I'll definitely remember the unapologetic lack of seriousness that brought everyone's ears to this point. Maybe not always fondly, but what people listened to their music with did seem a little more colorful in those days.