Chip Chick
Can’t get your Beats by Dr. Dre fix? Well if you live in NYC you are in luck, because Beats By Dr. Dre has opened up their first pop-up store that will stay open till the middle of January. that is just long enough to buy pricey headphones or an iPod dock (Beatbox) for your loved ones this holiday season. The store is located at 67 Greene Street (SoHo) and is directly across the street from the Apple store, which is currently going under renovation. I would say that is very convenient.
For any Beats By Dr. Dre fan, stepping into this pop-up shop is like entering a wonderland of audio goodness. The interior of the store accentuates the red and black colors that signify the Beats brand. There is also a video wall that plays rotations of music artists that have at one time or another, used Beats by Dr. Dre headphones in their music videos. The meat of the store is of course the rows and rows of Beats By Dr. Dre headphones. Specifically the over-ear ones. The in-ear headphones such as the Lady Gaga Heartbeats, Powerbeats or even the iBeats are curiously missing.
Partnered with the Beats by Dr. Dre headphones are HTC Flyer tablets that supply the music for customers while they demo select headphones. Just touch the tablet and you are right way brought to a playlist of songs hand selected by the Beats by Dr. Dre team.
But along with many of the headphones you have already seen at Best Buy, there are a few hidden gems. That includes a celebrity wall of fame of customized Beats headphones. Serena Williams, Kobe Bryant, Yankees, Spike Lee and others are just a few of the lucky celebs that grace the wall.
There is also a sound room were you can listen to the Beatbox. The room is completely soundproofed and makes the Beatbox sound so much more impressive than your living room can. The acoustics of the room are outstanding and take the Beatbox to a whole new level.
At the very back of the Beats store there is a VIP section were ‘important’ people can shop in private while relaxing on leather couches. Plus, if wearing Beats by Dr. Dre headphones on your head isn’t a powerful enough statement. You can now wear the brand as a t-shirt in a variety of colors.
Lastly the most exciting thing we spotted and listened to at this sexy pop-up store is the latest Beats by Dr. Dre over-ear headphone; the Beats Wireless. The Beats Wireless may be the best sounding wireless headphones I have heard to date. In fact it actually puts to shame some of the older over-ear models Beats currently sells. The Beats Wireless were comfortable, powerful, and rich in sound, and we just couldn’t get enough of them. In fact it was hard to believe they were even wireless since they sounded as good as a wired pair. One caveat however, is that the Beats Wireless are only being sold for now at the Beats pop-up store and Apple Stores.
The Beats by Dr. Dre pop-up store is a must go while making your way around New York City during the holidays. It’s a sexy store that is very inviting with Beats employees eager to help and teach you about how to experience your music appropriately. We were already told by a few sales assistants that it has become quite the tourist attraction. Which doesn’t surprise us in the least, since Beats by Dr. Dre has certainly become a force to be reckoned with worldwide.
Update 2/21/2012: Check out our Beats Wireless headphones review
We were already told by a few sales assistants that it has become quiet the tourist attraction. “quiet” the tourist attraction? Seems like an oxymoron to me.