Travel Product I Love: Beats by Dr. Dre Wireless Headphones

I’m not someone who really invests in high-quality electronics often, but when I do, I make sure they last a long time, like in the cases of my Canon T1i Rebel DSLR camera and my MacBook Pro.  So when I was offered a pair of Beats by Dr. Dre headphones to test out, I was curious to see what all the hype was about.

And yes, the hype is pretty crazy. It’s easy to get captivated by the sleek style and color choices, not to mention celebrity endorsements from David Guetta and Lady Gaga, just to name a few. But how about the quality? Are they worth the price?

As a writer, I find that having a good pair of headphones is beneficial to keeping me focused and on task. My pair of Beats by Dr. Dre On Ear Wireless Headphones are ideal because I don’t have to stay plugged in when I’m walking around my room looking for a book to reference.

They fold up small for travel and can be plugged into your device if the battery has been drained from the wireless connection.

Speaking of wireless, the headphones run on Bluetooth, so you can connect it to your laptop, iPod, iPhone or even your Kindle, as I recently discovered. All you have to do is turn on the Bluetooth in your device and hold down the “on” button on the headphones until they recognize your device.

I was able to run on the treadmill listening to an episode of Doctor Who on my Kindle the other day without tangling myself in cords. The sound quality is definitely better than the cheap earbuds I’d been using previously. The Beats are able to block the sound, despite not being noise-canceling. You can use the on-ear controls to skip to the next song or control volume.

But there are a few cons to these fantastic headphones. Firstly, the price isn’t cheap, particularly for a writer’s budget. But as I’ve said before, you have to pay more for quality items and experiences. They retail for around $200, but that’s the same range you can expect to pay for any noise-canceling or travel friendly headphones.

It also has a battery that has to be charged in order to be wireless. This isn’t a problem most of the time, but if you’re constantly traveling, it can get tedious to be in regular need of electrical outlets. And you may not want to use Beats for exercise, despite the fact that I have seen a handful of people do so, as the on-ear style makes your ears very sweaty.

I do think that the Beats by Dr. Dre Wireless On Ear headphones are worth the price, especially if you aren’t willing to invest over $300 for headphones. They fold down for travel and make your listening experience even better. If you’re considering a pair of Beats, I highly recommend the wireless variety over any other.

Staples sent me a pair of Beats by Dr. Dre headphones to review and another pair to give away, but all opinions are my own.