Photos: Monster Beats by Dr. Dre headphones

The headphones fold down for easy storage, and feature metal accents the inside of the headband and in thin rings around each earpiece. Flashes of deep red peak out in several places as well.

On the downside, a few songs sounded harsh during testing, and the right earcup tends to rattle while you walk, meaning the Beats are probably best for stationary use. Still, these headphones are winners when it comes to electronic, hard rock, and midtempo hip-hop music.

In addition to the Beats by Dr. Dre headphones, Monster includes a variety of accessories in the slick, red packaging. There are two, thick 3.5mm audio cables--one red for standard MP3 players and one black with a built-in mic for music phones--each measuring 4 feet long. You also get a dual-pronged airplane adapter and a quarter-inch adapter for use with your home audio system, as well as a hardshell carrying case with a carabiner attached.

The Monster Beats offered an exceptionally--one might say shockingly--crisp response. Maybe we're pigeonholing here, but we expected Dr. Dre's headphones to be excessively heavy on the low-end. That's not to say there's no bass--it does thump--but these 'phones are nicely warm and balanced in the mids and truly impressive in their delivery of high-end detail.

The Monster Beats may not be all about style, but you wouldn't know that just by looking at them. If you wear these headphones in public, you will turn heads.

The Monster Beats by Dr. Dre headphones are a sweet-looking set that will relieve you of $350. And while their sound quality is nothing to scoff at, their appeal as eye-candy is undeniable.

The thick and padded glossy black headband descends seemingly seamlessly into the circles that hold each earcup, which are oblong and padded in a cushy leatherette material. A metallic disc emblazoned with a red lowercase "b" graces each cup; press the one on the right and music is muted.