Famous rapper and music maven Dr. Dre, Interscope Chairman Jimmy Iovine and high-tech cable and audio accessories producer Monster Cable have united to create one of the hippest headphones in the market: Beats by Dr. Dre. These high-end headphones – with a price tag of $400– have been boasted to revolutionize the world of music upon their release this coming spring. That’s quite a boast coming from a company which has never before produced headphones. Even so, I dare say there is some truth to that prediction – and perhaps much more than just “some.”

A Glimpse At Beats

First off, what exactly is the Beats by Dr. Dre? Well, besides being one of the snazziest-looking headphones in the industry and coming with a niftily convenient carrying case and renowned Monster headphones cable, the headphones – according to Dr. Dre himself – simply sound better. The professional rapper’s vision was to create a pair of headphones which would allow consumers to hear on CD or MP3 what the Dre-maestro hears himself when his music is being recorded in the comfy, top-notch sound studio. Quite the goal. So what’s behind these snazzy, sleek, sexy sonic skullcaps?

The Beats headphone comes installed with a newly engineered driver technology, delivering quite the sonic punch. The close fitting earmuffs surround the listener with the flawlessly natural musical vibe, while at the same time keeping sounds from the real world out. And the bass…well…it was endorsed by the Doctor himself – what do you think? Deep, rich, powerfully impressive – that’s the way Dr. Dre likes it. For two long and productive years Monster and Doc Dre collaborated on the joint-creation which probably will change the headphones market for quite a while. But will it really leave its mark?

Monster History

Let’s take a look at the company behind the creation: Monster Cable Products, Inc. Founded by drummer and audiophile Noel Lee in 1979, Monster Cable swiftly worked its way from new-kid-on-the-block status to a company which singlehandedly revolutionized the audio and music industry with superior stereo cables. Before long Monster became a household name and a word synonymous with superb sounding music. The Monster revolution had begun.

Over the years, Monster produced numerous accessories which flooded the audiophiles’ market – items much more complicated and involved than the comparatively simple gold-plated connectors and superior-quality cables. Jumping into a new market is no new trick for Monster Cable – it’s been doing it since its inception. And delving into an industry solidly controlled by others is nothing difficult for the all-powerful Monster Cable either (that’s why Lee called the company Monster – because of the powerful-soundingness of the word “Monster”).

Believe me. Monster Cable has broken into industries before. Take the car audio market in the early 1990’s. Monster Cable came in guns blazing like John Wayne and successfully left its mark in a market previously dominated by heavyweight companies such as Pioneer, Kenwood and Audiovox. Soon after, Monster launched its first speaker product – Persona One. Monster’s first speaker could be plugged into a Walkman, PC or TV. And its sound quality was noticeably superior among audiophiles, although the price complemented its superiority. Again its mark was not unnoticed.

And this spring, yes, Monster Cable is about to enter the headphone industry. And if history has told us anything, it is that Monster is more than capable of bursting into new markets without an embarrassing flop. On the contrary, it has been rather successful at revolutionizing those very same markets it has entered.

About To Make A Splash Into The Headphone Market

What about the competition? What does Monster’s Beats by Dr. Dre headphones forebode for the high-end headphones industry? As it stands today, the upper-echelon headphones market is fairly one-dimensional. Koss Corporation – a company name practically synonymous with quality headphones – has been king of the headphone jungle since the middle of the 20^th century. Koss has provided both serious audiophiles and occasional music listeners with their respective listening devices – i.e. stereophones – for decades. And Koss has its own new-fangled headphones on the rise. For example, there is the new Tugo, a handy-dandy MP3 stereophone.

Koss Corporation is definitely entrenched in the headphone industry. I wouldn’t expect Monster’s Beats headphone to change all that overnight. For one, Beats by Dr. Dre is $400. Not everyone has that kind of cash sitting around. Also, only serious audiophiles, music enthusiasts and Dr. Dre fans are going to rush to snatch up the new-kid-in-town headphones this spring.

But I do believe that the bandwagon will get more crowded in time. And I don’t expect Monster’s entrance into the headphones arena to be a one-hit-wonder. That’s just not Monster. They’re here to stay. Why? Noel Lee is a very methodical audiophile. He does his homework before entering markets. And he doesn’t enter until he has created a product that he believes is superior in sound quality to anything else in the market. And Lee – being a serious audiophile and musician himself – coupled with one of the most successful rappers of our time, Dr. Dre, are a pretty stringent duo with a high standard for quality sound. Monster aims high – high-quality that is. And that gets sales.

Believe me. Monster’s Beats by Dr. Dre is going to make a splash into the headphone business. And – beyond that – I believe Monster is about to revolutionize the headphone industry. After all, it’s what the Doctor ordered, and the Monster created.