I've always thought Beats as being over hyped designer cans with flashy looks and insincere endorsements that seek to do nothing but fool the public into believing they're worth the ridiculous price they charge. They were popularized by the Rap and R&B crowd merely for heavy bass and looks.
If you want good sound, true quality, value, and durability, go with something like Beyerdynamic.
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0032EQRR6/?tag=tec06d-20
http://www.guitarcenter.com/Beyerdy...losed-Studio-Headphones-102512019-i1126937.gc
(^Best deal I've seen, these DT 770 Pro 80 cans run $226 at Amazon. Only $150 at Guitar Center)
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0011UB9CQ/?tag=tec06d-20
There are a fair number of good sounding cans out there, but often they'll fall short on fit, comfort, features, or durability. Beyers tend to get all the above right.
Sennheisers aren't bad too, but not as good durability wise, and lately I find their mid price ones ($100-$200 range) lacking in sound quality. A bit too bright and not enough depth. You have to shell out $300 or more to get good Senns.
The most common thing for me though is the disappointment of a LOT of popular brands like AKG, Audio Technica, etc, just having a terrible fit system. That of course is a matter of personal preference and/or head and ear size.
Other than that, a lot of cans will have weak spots, usually thin plastic somewhere that cracks or breaks, which is what happened with my Senn HD555s.