When That Beat Bling

That Can Only Mean One Thing

I’ve never done an equipment review for The Fuss, but naturally, I jumped at the opportunity to trial a pair of the gold-plated Beats by Dre headphones that Amstel is giving away as part of their Amstel Amplified campaign. Firstly, I’d never personally experienced the much-hyped Beats by Dre brand. Secondly, 24-carat gold!

Not to be confused with the standard ‘Gold Edition’ Beats Solo 2’s available on the market, these limited edition Beats are plated with 24-carat gold. As with any authentic piece of jewellery, the Beats came packaged with an individually numbered Certificate of Authenticity from Crystal Rocked which validates the usage of the highest grade Swarovski Elements gold and crystals.

Considering the started-from-the-bottom-now-we’re-here essence of the headphones I thought it perfect to assess the quality of sound with my first listen of Drake’s Views album. After all, Beats by Dre are primarily tuned for hip-hop and fronted by the wealthiest rapper in the world. The first thing which caught my ear was the bass. The headphones produced more bass than any headphones I had used before. With Beats biggest criticism being the sound quality, I was pleasantly surprised by the warmth and clarity of the sound range. Although the bass is prominent, it did not overpower the mid and high ranges and I could clearly discern the “Mary’s Joint” sample on “Weston Road Flows” even when the beat kicked. To my untrained ear the criticisms sounded unwarranted or Beats has just improved the quality of sound on earlier versions.

I listened to Views off my cellphone with the Beats connected wirelessly via Bluetooth. With Views filled mostly with slow-burners, I jumped at the opportunity to express myself in dab when I heard the hard-hitting Throne-less “Pop Style” (I do prefer the song without the Jay Z and Kanye Wests contributions). The Beats were sturdy on my head and stayed snug to my ears even as I gave Desiigner a run for his money for the most animated dab ever while Drake fired subliminals at Meek Mill.

“Pop Style” is definitely a favourite on Views and there is arguably no better way to pop style than with 24-carat gold headphones. The Beats By Dre product is headphones, but what the brand sells is an image and 24-carat gold plating only amplifies the aesthetic.

I would mention something about the battery life, but it doesn’t matter because at a value of no less than R 17 000 I’d only ever wear the headphones as a chain around my neck. In reality, I probably have a better chance of performing alongside AKA than ever affording a pair of these. Fortunately, Amstel is giving away 20 of these limited edition gold-plated Beats Solo 2’s. Visit their website here to find out more about the competition and the Amstel Amplified campaign.

7.0 Overall