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We've recently released our Test Bench 1.6 update for Headphones! Read the Latency R&D Article to learn more.

Beats Executive Headphones Review

Tested using Methodology v1.0
Reviewed Feb 26, 2016 at 12:00 am
Latest change: Test bench update Aug 10, 2017 at 11:33 am
Beats Executive Picture
6.4
Mixed Usage
6.8
Critical Listening
6.5
Commute/Travel
6.2
Sports/Fitness
6.2
Office
6.8
Home Theater

The Beats Executive are stylish, well-crafted but average-sounding headphones. They impress with their solid build quality but disappoint with their sub-par noise isolation performance. They're also quite bass-heavy, which might not be for everyone.

Our Verdict

6.4 Mixed Usage

The Beats Executives are mediocre everyday headphones. They leak a little too much for office use and recording and also have an uneven bass heavy sound, not ideal for critical listening. However, they're sturdily built and durable.

Pros
  • Sturdy build.
  • Great ergonomic design.
Cons
  • Poor noise isolation.
  • Bass-heavy audio reproduction.
6.8 Critical Listening

Mediocre for critical listening. They have a skewed, bass heavy sound and a poor soundstage because of their closed back design.

6.5 Commute/Travel

Average at best for commuting. They have a decent control scheme, and they're moderately comfortable if a little tight but the noise isolation is too weak for noisy commutes.

6.2 Sports/Fitness

Mediocre for sports use. They're tight and stable once on your head. However, they are a little too cumbersome for strenuous exercise.

6.2 Office

Subpar for office use. They leak quite a bit at higher volumes and don't block much ambient noise.

6.8 Home Theater
  • 6.4 Mixed Usage
  • 6.8 Critical Listening
  • 6.5 Commute/Travel
  • 6.2 Sports/Fitness
  • 6.2 Office
  • 6.8 Home Theater
  1. Updated Aug 10, 2017: Converted to Test Bench 1.0.
  2. Updated Feb 26, 2016: Review published.

Test Results

Design
Design
Style
Type Over-ear
Enclosure Closed-Back
Wireless No
Transducer Dynamic
Mic No

The Beats Executive are stylish-looking headphones. The coating on the padded ear cups and headband and the matching metal frame look great and give them a premium esthetic. The Executives are also offered in varying colors.

7.0
Design
Comfort
Weight 0.74 lbs
Clamping Force
1.23 lbs

The Beats Executive have well-padded ear cups but a stiff frame. Although the stiffness could be attributed to their solid build quality, the lack of flexibility is bothersome. Once on your head they feel somewhat comfortable but a little tight and too rigid.

7.8
Design
Controls
Ease of use Good
Feedback Great
Call/Music Control Yes
Volume Control Yes
Noise Canceling Control No
Talk-Through Yes
Additional Buttons No

Button layout on the Beats Executive is simple and well-designed. There's only one button on the right ear cup, for noise cancelling, making them easy to use. The rest of the controls are provided by the in-line controls of the thick audio cable and have good tactile feedback.

6.5
Design
Stability

The Beats Executive are moderately stable headphones. They are a little on the heavy side, and the large earcups sway a lot during physical exercise. However, they are tight enough on your head to stay in place during casual listening sessions and have a detachable audio cable that won yank the headphones of your head if it gets hooked on something.

6.3
Design
Portability
L 6.5"
W 7.09"
H 1.57"
Volume 72.54 in³
Stand required N/A

The Beats Executives are decently portable headphones. They are compact for over-ear headphones and also lay flat or fold up for easier storage and transportation. However, they are still too big to comfortably, carry around on your person, as they will not fit into most pockets and some smaller handbags.

7.5
Design
Case
Type Hard case
L 6.69"
W 8.27"
H 1.97"
Volume 108.96 in³

Comes with sturdy hard case that will protect the headphones from scratches, falls, and minor water damage. However, the case adds a bit of bulk to the headphones slightly reducing their portability.

8.0
Design
Build Quality

Build quality for the Beats Executive is top notch. The headband and joints attached to the earcups are all metal, look solid and feel durable. The padding on both the earcups and headband is luxuriously soft and designed to look premium.

6.4
Design
Breathability
Avg.Temp.Difference 5.9 °C

Design
Cable
Detachable Yes
Length 4.36 ft
Connection 1/8" TRRS

Comes with two cables; 1/8" TRS-TRS with no in-line controls and 1/8" TRRS-TRRS with call/music control and volume up/down.

Design
Front

Design
Angled

Design
Side

Design
Rear

Design
Top

Design
In The Box

  • Beats Executive Headphones
  • Carrying case
  • AAA battery (x2)
  • Audio cables (x3)
  • Airline adapter
  • 1/8" to 1/4" Adapter
  • Manual

Sound
5.9
Sound
Bass
Std. Err.
6.19 dB
Low-Frequency Extension
10 Hz
Low-Bass
-7.16 dB
Bass
4.56 dB
High-Bass
7.74 dB

7.2
Sound
Mid
Std. Err.
3.75 dB
Low-Mid
-0.01 dB
Mid
-4.62 dB
High-Mid
-1.68 dB

8.0
Sound
Treble
Std. Err.
3.37 dB
Low-Treble
2.77 dB
Treble
0.78 dB
High-Treble
0.69 dB

8.6
Sound
Frequency Response Consistency
Avg. Std. Deviation
0.28 dB

6.0
Sound
Soundstage
PRTF Error
5.9 dB
Openness
5.9
Acoustic Space Excitation
3.7
Correlated Crosstalk
0 dB

6.3
Sound
Imaging
Phase Error
49.5°
Driver Mismatch (Amplitude)
1.42 dB
Driver Mismatch (Frequency)
20.18 dB
Driver Mismatch (Phase)
41.1°

6.9
Sound
Total Harmonic Distortion
Weighted THD @ 90
2.092
Weighted THD @ 100
15.441

Isolation
6.2
Isolation
Noise Isolation
Overall Attenuation
-14.65 dB
Noise-Cancelling Yes
Bass
-5.51 dB
Mid
-12.83 dB
Treble
-27.69 dB
Self-Noise
16.24 dB

Decent passive noise-isolation, starting gently from 300Hz, reaching -30dB at around 6KHz. The active noise-cancelling performance however, is sub-par, adding only about 10dB of reduction from 100Hz to 500Hz. They are even less effective below 100Hz.

6.3
Isolation
Leakage
Overall Leakage @ 1ft
43.38 dB

Average leakage performance. The leakage is also relatively broadband, from 300Hz up to 5KHz.

Active Features
0
Active Features
Wireless
Type
N/A
Obstructed Range
N/A
Line of Sight Range
N/A
NFC
No

10
Active Features
Latency
Base Latency
0 ms
aptX Latency
N/A
aptX(LL) Latency
N/A

8.5
Active Features
Battery
Battery Type
AAA (X2)
Battery Life
71 hrs
Charge Time
N/A
Auto-off
No
Audio while charging
N/A
Passive Playback
No

The Beats Executive use two AAA batteries to deliver 71 hours of continuous play time. This makes them good headphones to use on long flights or road trips as you won't need to change the batteries as often or throughout the day. Unfortunately, they can't be used without the batteries, and do not have any battery saving features like an auto-off timer.

0
Active Features
App Support

No compatible app.