Better Phone Audio with Beats Electronics

HTC has announced a strategic investment and partnership with Beats Electronics, with the goal of bringing high-quality sound to HTC phones.

HTC did not disclose the amount of the investment, which AllThingsD pegged at $300 million. HTC had previously announced an "major news announcement" for Friday, scheduled for 8:30 AM in Los Angeles.

In a separate statement, however, HTC said that a "line of HTC devices integrated with Beats sound innovations would be launched this fall". Beats Electronics is most known for its "Beats by Dr. Dre" brand, with a partnership with the iconic rapper and producer.

"Beats has found a unique way to harness popular culture in a manner that is unlike any other brand today," said Peter Chou, chief executive of HTC Corp., in a statement. "It's an exciting brand that has been monster beats built around providing something very special, and we believe our strategic partnership will provide customers with unbeatable sound on HTC phones. We obsess over every detail of a consumer's mobile experience, and audio is a critical part of that experience."

Beats said in a statement that Beats will continue to run the business autonomously, maintaining its headphones beats partnerships with Monster, Hewlett-Packard, and Chrysler Group. Products include the HP Envy 14 Beats Edition, as well as the Beats Pro and other headphones. PCMag analyst Tim Gideon described the Beats Pro's sound as "excellent—there's plenty of bass, but the high frequencies are accurately reproduced, as well."

For its part, Beats described its evolution as a "headphone company to a cultural movement that is redefining the way sound is heard".

"The HTC and Beats by Dr. Dre partnership is an opportunity for two world-class companies to redefine the smartphone industry and define the future," said Jimmy Iovine, chairman of Beats by Dr. Dre and chairman headphones dr dre and chief executive of Interscope Geffen A&M Records, which is a division of Universal Music Group and a stakeholder in Beats. "For Beats by Dr. Dre, this represents a critical step in our continued mission to clean up the destruction of audio caused by the digital revolution and reengineer how sound is delivered, so the consumer feels the music the way that the artist intended."

beats dre pursue the best sound quality

Product placement and branding abound at the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival, but if we had to pick the best of the blatantly marketed products on the field it'd have to be those by headliner Dr. Dre. The rap producer is behind the successful Beats by Dr. Dre headphone line, and in a tiny tent tucked away next to the festival’s mobile charging station you could experience (if only for a few delicious minutes) what it's like to be someone who can actually afford $399 headphones.

All that was needed was a valid driver's license to rent a pair of Dre’s high-end signature headphones to catch all the action on the mainstage, courtesy of one of four high-definition televisions inside the tent.

The red glow that emanates from most of Dre's products filled the room as festival-goers stood at listening docks bobbing their heads. I opted for the full 4D experience, which included a pair of 3D glasses that offered a crystal-clear dre beats view of a real-time stream of Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds mainstage set.

Just when you longed for the thumping reverb of a booming sound system that only comes from being near a stage dre dre beats in the flesh, a worker instructed me to plug into the circular multi-level seating area in the middle of the tent. The area was programmed to vibrate to every riff that was happening across the field without having to stand in a sea of bodies.

Dre and co-founder Jimmy Iovine partnered with the company to release their line of headphones in 2009. Together they have put out a host of hot-selling headphones, and have even teamed with other artists beats by dre dre such as Justin Beiber, Lady Gaga and Sean "Diddy" Combs for their own branded lines.

Beats accounted for 53% of 2011's $1-billion headphone market according to market research company NPD Group, surprising given the explosion of celeb-fronted headphones from Quincy Jones, RZA, Snoop Dogg, Jay-Z and now 50 Cent. Earlier this year Dre and Iovine announced they had severed ties with longtime distributor Monster Cable Products.