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Designer headphones 名牌耳机 FOR decades the market for expensive headphones was mainly limited to hi-fi buffs. But nowthat the boxy stereo system in the corner of the bedroom is largely a thing of the past, andyoung music fans listen mostly on portable devices, headphones have become as much of afashion statement as the music player itself. Among the first to spot the potential of thismarket was Dr Dre, an American rapper-cum-tycoon. In 2008 he and Jimmy Iovine, a recordproducer, launched their Beats range of headphones, to great success. They have all butcreated a new product category: premium-priced cans whose sound quality isgood enough, but which mainly sell on their brand image. 几十年以来，高端耳机市场都局限在高保真行家圈里。但是现在箱式音响系统已经过时了，年轻的音乐爱好者基本都用便携式设备听音乐，耳机跟音乐播放器一样成了一种时尚。Dr Dre就是最先发现这个市场潜力的人之一，他是一个著名的美国说唱歌手。2008年，其与音乐制作人Jimmy Iovine一起推出了他们的Beats系列耳机，大为成功。他们创造了一种全新种类的耳机品类：高价耳机，，音质足够好，销售主要靠品牌形象。 Beats Electronics and its founders have proved adept at using celebrity endorsements andproduct placement to plug their headphones. In America the company now has almost halfthe market for premium-priced cans, compared with 21% for Bose, a longer-establishedmaker. Beats headphones are bassy: thats what hip-hop fans want, but might not suit operalovers. Overall, though, they are a lot better than the earbuds that come free with mostportable devices. | 
