So this is my unscientific review of Beats audio on the HTC One X. I am not an audiophile or musician so these are my thoughts and you might come to a much different conclusion.
So what is Beats Audio? Does it matter? To answer these questions for myself I did research on the web and then conducted my own test using a pair of Dr.Dre White UR Beats earbuds and a standard set of Apple earbuds, the One X and 3rd gen IPad.
How I tested. I listened to three songs, rap (Jay Z, 99 Problems), top 40 (Adele, Rolling in the deep), and rock (Motley Crue, Kick start my heart). I played all three songs one at a time first on the One X with the Beats earbuds, followed by the Apple buds. Repeat on the IPad. Then repeated with the next song. At times I would toggle off Beats to see what it sounded like with both earbuds.
Beats Audio can best be summoned up as a EQ setting that you can enable when listening to music on the One X. Toggling back and forth listening to music you can tell the difference. Without Beats enabled sound was generic in sound and lower all most muffled. When Beats is enabled the sound became louder and clearer with a heavier emphasis on the low and high ends. Yes you can tell the difference between settings and earbuds on the One X. You won't be listening to music on the One X with beats off unless you like monotone sound. But, how does the IPad compare in sound quality against the One X and Beats?
Very well, the IPad has a more consistent sound across the board with nothing really out doing the other (low end vs. high end). You get the felling that the EQ is set to be equal across the board on the IPad. Where the One X would look different with the EQ cranked on the high and low ends. Personally I liked listening to music on both, but like the One X better overall. The One X felt like I was in a concert and the IPad like I was sitting on my porch with a Scotch in hand playing my tunes.
The earbuds also made a big difference in the sound quality and music experience. The Dr.Dre beats earbuds kicked the poop out of the Apple earbuds simple as that. Which is not surprising. What I found interesting between earbuds and devices was the better the headset the better Beats sounded. The IPad sounded better with the Beats earbuds without a doubt, but it sounded less bad with the Apple buds compared to the Apple buds with beats enabled. What I am trying to say is that Beats audio rewards the better earbuds and seems to punish the cheaper earbuds. The sound doesn't seem to come through as clear and crisp with the Apple earbuds. Where as the IPad didn't seem to really reward the Dr.Dre beats earbuds as much. Again probably this is due to the fact of how the EQ is set for both devices.
In conclusion I think Beats audio does improve your music on the One X, but to get the most of Beats you need to pair it with a high end headset. Once you do you will be rocking out like a kid at a rock concert.
So what is Beats Audio? Does it matter? To answer these questions for myself I did research on the web and then conducted my own test using a pair of Dr.Dre White UR Beats earbuds and a standard set of Apple earbuds, the One X and 3rd gen IPad.
How I tested. I listened to three songs, rap (Jay Z, 99 Problems), top 40 (Adele, Rolling in the deep), and rock (Motley Crue, Kick start my heart). I played all three songs one at a time first on the One X with the Beats earbuds, followed by the Apple buds. Repeat on the IPad. Then repeated with the next song. At times I would toggle off Beats to see what it sounded like with both earbuds.
Beats Audio can best be summoned up as a EQ setting that you can enable when listening to music on the One X. Toggling back and forth listening to music you can tell the difference. Without Beats enabled sound was generic in sound and lower all most muffled. When Beats is enabled the sound became louder and clearer with a heavier emphasis on the low and high ends. Yes you can tell the difference between settings and earbuds on the One X. You won't be listening to music on the One X with beats off unless you like monotone sound. But, how does the IPad compare in sound quality against the One X and Beats?
Very well, the IPad has a more consistent sound across the board with nothing really out doing the other (low end vs. high end). You get the felling that the EQ is set to be equal across the board on the IPad. Where the One X would look different with the EQ cranked on the high and low ends. Personally I liked listening to music on both, but like the One X better overall. The One X felt like I was in a concert and the IPad like I was sitting on my porch with a Scotch in hand playing my tunes.
The earbuds also made a big difference in the sound quality and music experience. The Dr.Dre beats earbuds kicked the poop out of the Apple earbuds simple as that. Which is not surprising. What I found interesting between earbuds and devices was the better the headset the better Beats sounded. The IPad sounded better with the Beats earbuds without a doubt, but it sounded less bad with the Apple buds compared to the Apple buds with beats enabled. What I am trying to say is that Beats audio rewards the better earbuds and seems to punish the cheaper earbuds. The sound doesn't seem to come through as clear and crisp with the Apple earbuds. Where as the IPad didn't seem to really reward the Dr.Dre beats earbuds as much. Again probably this is due to the fact of how the EQ is set for both devices.
In conclusion I think Beats audio does improve your music on the One X, but to get the most of Beats you need to pair it with a high end headset. Once you do you will be rocking out like a kid at a rock concert.