Beats By Dre Executive Review | 93 Data compared

The Beats Executive headphones offer extreme comfort and deep bass, but their high price and major design flaws make them hard to recommend. On the positive side, the reviewer highlights the unparalleled comfort of the ear cushions and notes that the sound quality is lovely with bumping bass, especially when the volume is turned up past 80%. The premium packaging and specialized tuning for hip-hop music also initialed great enthusiasm for a listener looking for superior, bass-heavy melodies. However, the downsides heavily outweigh the perks, starting with a constant, prominent background hiss caused by the active noise-cancelling (ANC) system. This distracting sibilant sound becomes highly noticeable and ruins the music experience during quiet tracks or song pauses. Compounding this issue is the fact that the ANC cannot be turned off, forcing users to constantly drain the two AAA batteries required to play any audio at all. The reviewer went through three sets of batteries in just two weeks, leading to the final verdict that the steep $329.95 retail price is ludicrous compared to cheaper market alternatives without these flaws.

The Trusted Reviews assessment of the Beats Executive highlights a professional, stylish design with a rich, controlled sound profile that avoids excessive, booming bass. However, the review severely criticizes the headphones for being overpriced and identifies a critical structural flaw that causes audio driver deformation, potentially leading to permanent hardware damage.

The Beats by Dr. Dre Executive headphones offer a flawless, premium design crafted from stainless steel and aluminium alloy, featuring highly comfortable leather ear-cups and a practical magnetic battery-compartment cover. Perfect for travellers, they feature a foldable design, an inline microphone, and a handy mute button built into the ear-cup logo. Performance-wise, these headphones deliver a natural, pleasing midrange and a sweet treble, though cranking up the volume can make the higher frequencies sound rather harsh and brittle. However, the review outlines several notable drawbacks that prevent a recommendation. The active noise-cancelling technology introduces an annoying, constant hissing sound and fails to isolate ambient noise as effectively as rivals like Bose. Furthermore, the headphones lack dynamic flair, agility, and punch, offering an overly easygoing, flat performance. The bass is also heavily prioritised but a bit too tubby and untight, and because the headphones do not work passively, the music cuts out completely once the batteries run dry.

The Beats by Dr. Dre Executive headphones ($299.95 direct) pivot away from flashy plastic aesthetics toward a refined, brushed metallic and black leather design tailored for traveling business professionals. Testing reveals a highly comfortable circumaural fit with plush earpads that offer good passive noise isolation. In terms of audio performance, they deliver a signature heavy, thumping low-end and crisp, sculpted highs well-suited for modern pop, hip-hop, and rock mixes. Additionally, the package includes premium accessories such as a sturdy flat-folding carrying case, an airplane adapter, and two detachable audio cables, one of which features an inline remote and microphone. However, the headphones suffer from notable performance and design drawbacks. At maximum volumes, the audio suffers from distinct fuzziness and distortion on deep sub-bass tracks. The active noise cancellation, while decent at blocking out engine hum, introduces an audible, low-grade hiss when activated. Furthermore, the headphones cannot be used in passive mode, meaning they will not produce any audio if the power switch is turned off or if the two AAA batteries run out. Because of these flaws and the lack...

The Beats Executive headphones provide a major design upgrade over the original Beats Studio line, targeting a more premium market by replacing the shiny plastic construction with high-quality metal components. This over-ear, foldable model features a broader headband and thicker, flatter ear cups that offer a highly comfortable and natural fit without putting excessive pressure on the user's skull. It features an inline Apple remote built into its sturdy red cable for tracking control, a battery cover on the left cup, and a convenient mute feature activated by holding a hand against the right ear cup. In terms of performance, the headphones deliver a loud and detailed sound profile with plenty of bass that avoids being overly smothering, making them excellent for pop, rock, and movie audio. However, the review points out several notable drawbacks despite rewarding the product a "T3 Recommends" status. On the positive side (pros), the headphones offer exceptional comfort, "epic silence" via brilliant active noise cancellation, and a highly durable, rugged design that includes a slimline protective travel case. On the negative side (cons), they are...

The Telegraph's review praises the Beats Executive headphones for their superior construction, appealing design, and effective active noise cancellation, highlighting them as a top-tier travel companion. Sonically, they offer a more balanced, less overwhelming sound than traditional Beats models, complemented by a reliable 25-hour battery life. While offering a premium experience, the review notes the high price tag and points out that the in-line remote feels cheap, failing to match the luxury aesthetic of the headset itself.

The Beats by Dre "Executive" headphones are a $299.95 pair of over-ear, noise-cancelling headphones styled in silver and targeted directly at frequent business travellers. Visually, the model is highly praised for its premium, gorgeous, and lightweight design. Its biggest selling point is extreme comfort, with the reviewer noting they are the most comfortable over-ear headphones they have ever worn without causing ear soreness. Performance-wise, the active noise cancellation works effectively, and the audio quality remains crisp and consistent across multiple tested devices. However, the headphones suffer from notable audio and functional flaws. Audiophiles will likely be disappointed by the sound profile, which noticeably misses extreme high and low frequencies, lacking a deep bass response. A major usability issue is the power system; the headphones require two AA batteries, and the on/off switch fails to automatically shut down when the headphones are folded up, leading to rapid battery drain if forgotten. Furthermore, while a separate microphone cable is included, the lacks of an integrated, built-in mic creates minor inconvenience during incoming phone calls. Ultimately, the steep price tag makes them hard...

The Beats by Dr. Dre Executive headphones ($300) are the company's first full-size headphones featuring active noise cancellation, targeting professional travelers and business users. On the positive side, they offer a sleek, premium design that is significantly sturdier than previous plastic Beats models, utilizing metal components, a comfortably padded headband, and flat-folding earcups for portability. They deliver good sound quality with a flatter, more balanced, and less over-accentuated bass response than traditional Beats, making them highly versatile for various musical genres. Additional pros include a convenient magnetic battery door and a detachable cable equipped with an Apple-friendly inline remote and microphone for seamless call handling. Despite these features, the Executive headphones ultimately fail to outperform their primary rival, the Bose QuietComfort 15. Major cons include a faint but audible hiss generated by the active noise-canceling circuitry during quiet audio moments, and the strict requirement that noise cancellation must be powered on to pass any audio—meaning the headphones become completely useless if the two AAA batteries die. Furthermore, reviewers noted that the headphones are somewhat heavy, the inline remote functionality is...

The Beats Executive over-ear headphones feature a durable, well-crafted metal design with a stylish aesthetic suitable for traveling. However, they suffer from significant performance flaws, including a heavily bass-skewed sound profile and poor noise isolation. Due to high audio leakage and inadequate noise cancellation for, the headphones are deemed an average choice, failing to perform well in noisy environments.