Uh, when was ever something fancy about Beats? V-Shape tuning with tons of bass and just some random chunks of metal to make it more weighty and with that pReMiUm feeling for ridiculous prices. That was my perception of the brand since its inception long before Apple aquired it. Since then i probably take it more seriously? Not enough to ever buy anything from them. But still.
To frame it differently: Beats always felt like a fashion brand. So i dont really know why Apple ever had a bad influence on the brand?