Beats Executive... Another disappointment
Oct 21, 2012 at 2:15 PM Post #16 of 167
biggrin.gif
 ^^^
 
Oct 21, 2012 at 6:50 PM Post #17 of 167
But nobody here starts a thread saying they hate any other headphone they just demoed; why should Beats be the exception?

And Monster doesn't get their bass wrong. I learned that with the Turbine Pro series. But the people that buy Beats typically don't care about bass decay, so Monster didn't bother. Not that that's relevant to the topic anyway because Monster didn't make these.


I you read the first post, I never at all said I hated the beats, I simply stated as the title says, "Disappointed."

The Turbines are awesome yes, but I feel I have the right to express some disappointment towards the beats line. The Diamond Tears on the other hand.. Wow
 
Oct 24, 2012 at 3:48 PM Post #19 of 167
So what do you recommend for air travel???
 
I've been on a quest to find the ultimate air travel headphones for the past 5 years (over 3MM miles flown during these years), serially buying up and discarding  (giving away to my sons) noise cancelling cans as fast as Lance Armstrong and his teammates chewed up their competitiors (our addicitons are slightly different).  So far, tossed cans include:
 
Sony MDR NC 500:  rechargable and battery flexibility is nice, but sound was weak, not dynamic enough, volume too low
Bose QC 15: Most comfortable for long trips & noise canceling is one of the best, but the sound is so-so, construction not as nice as some others
Klipsch Mode M40: Best sound of the bunch, but very uncomfortable after 90 minutes, funky brown & copper color
AKG K 495 C: Best design in this bunch, sound is ok but not great, the diaphram in the left can goes haywire, comfortable
Sennheiser PXC 450: Very Comfortable, sound OK, but died after 4 months
Monster Beats Studio: I don't mind the exagerated bass, but the NC is mediocre, constuction is terrible (they break at the headband) and cranked these leak too much sound
 
None of these has spectacular sound.  it's easy to conclude that expectations for NC phones should not be as high as regular quality cans.  There is absolutely no comparison to any of my home-based cans: Grado 325, Senn HD595, AKG K1000 w/dedicated preamp, very old Shure Electrostats, and I'm sure that's true for most forum members.  
 
At the end of the day, sound (as good as possible recognizing they will not be as good as regular phones), NC, portability, decent construction and comfort are what I am looking for when I travel.  On my way to Mexico this morning I picked up a pair of the Beats Execs at the Miami Ariport after doing a quick direct comparison to the Klipsch Mode M40's I brought along for this relatively short trip.  The Execs outclassed the M40's on every count, and are better than most of the others above as follows:
 
1. Sound: A clearer, more forward sound than the Klipsch side by side.  And I thought the Klipsh sounded better than many of the others...
2. NC:  Very high marks on this count after one 2 hour flight, and playing them in my hotel.
3. Portability: The Exec's case is, hands down, the most portable of the whole bunch, slightly more compact than the Bose.  And its nicely designed to boot.
4. Construction: The Execs blow away the Beats Studios in terms of construction...no plastic, nice aluminum alloy and leather.  I think they are among the classiest in the bunch above and should be more durable that many.
5. Comfort:  I find these to be very comfortable..weight is not an issue, there is no undue pressure on my ears nor head, an the leather wrapped earpads are comfortable too.
 
These will likely become my go-to cans for travel until something better comes along.  If anyone can recommend a better headphone for air travel I'd love to know what those would be (no earplugs please--I like them on the ground and for workouts but they seal my ear canal, wreaking havoc with changes in altitude on planes).
 
Oct 24, 2012 at 5:38 PM Post #20 of 167
So what do you recommend for air travel???

I've been on a quest to find the ultimate air travel headphones for the past 5 years (over 3MM miles flown during these years), serially buying up and discarding  (giving away to my sons) noise cancelling cans as fast as Lance Armstrong and his teammates chewed up their competitiors (our addicitons are slightly different).  So far, tossed cans include:

Sony MDR NC 500:  rechargable and battery flexibility is nice, but sound was weak, not dynamic enough, volume too low
Bose QC 15: Most comfortable for long trips & noise canceling is one of the best, but the sound is so-so, construction not as nice as some others
Klipsch Mode M40: Best sound of the bunch, but very uncomfortable after 90 minutes, funky brown & copper color
AKG K 495 C: Best design in this bunch, sound is ok but not great, the diaphram in the left can goes haywire, comfortable
Sennheiser PXC 450: Very Comfortable, sound OK, but died after 4 months
Monster Beats Studio: I don't mind the exagerated bass, but the NC is mediocre, constuction is terrible (they break at the headband) and cranked these leak too much sound

None of these has spectacular sound.  it's easy to conclude that expectations for NC phones should not be as high as regular quality cans.  There is absolutely no comparison to any of my home-based cans: Grado 325, Senn HD595, AKG K1000 w/dedicated preamp, very old Shure Electrostats, and I'm sure that's true for most forum members.  

At the end of the day, sound (as good as possible recognizing they will not be as good as regular phones), NC, portability, decent construction and comfort are what I am looking for when I travel.  On my way to Mexico this morning I picked up a pair of the Beats Execs at the Miami Ariport after doing a quick direct comparison to the Klipsch Mode M40's I brought along for this relatively short trip.  The Execs outclassed the M40's on every count, and are better than most of the others above as follows:

1. Sound: A clearer, more forward sound than the Klipsch side by side.  And I thought the Klipsh sounded better than many of the others...
2. NC:  Very high marks on this count after one 2 hour flight, and playing them in my hotel.
3. Portability: The Exec's case is, hands down, the most portable of the whole bunch, slightly more compact than the Bose.  And its nicely designed to boot.
4. Construction: The Execs blow away the Beats Studios in terms of construction...no plastic, nice aluminum alloy and leather.  I think they are among the classiest in the bunch above and should be more durable that many.
5. Comfort:  I find these to be very comfortable..weight is not an issue, there is no undue pressure on my ears nor head, an the leather wrapped earpads are comfortable too.

These will likely become my go-to cans for travel until something better comes along.  If anyone can recommend a better headphone for air travel I'd love to know what those would be (no earplugs please--I like them on the ground and for workouts but they seal my ear canal, wreaking havoc with changes in altitude on planes).



I side by sided them (the Execs and SRH-940) today, the sound quality is good for a pair of BASS EMPHASIZED cans, but they still have those muddled up mids. The isolation is about par with the Bose Q15, but I found the Bose to have better sound quality (Gasp).

IMO they are not worth the 300$ price tag, but that's my opinion
 
Oct 24, 2012 at 7:57 PM Post #21 of 167
The Monster DNA on-ears are actually really good.  Significantly better than any of the on-ear Beats (Monster or otherwise branded).  Quite an improvement after the split as far as I'm concerned. Not nearly the same overwhelming bass or muddiness.  Monster proved they could make some decent/great iems with the Turbine series, so it's a good thing that they are starting to do it with their headphones as well.  They've got it in 'em!
 
Oct 24, 2012 at 11:56 PM Post #22 of 167
A real shame when you think of it. I was a former Beats Studios owner and was sorely disappointed as well. You can't deny that these things  look pretty darn good; That sleek silver design and all. If they would just get rid of that silly active-noise-cancellation, actually focus on high-fidelity sound/components, and drop the price $50-100, they'd have a great set of cans on their hands. And with their popularity, Dre could start getting the majority of people into decent to upper level cans....

...Too bad there's a slim chance that'll ever happen :frowning2:  
 
Oct 25, 2012 at 9:11 AM Post #23 of 167
Quote:
So what do you recommend for air travel???
 
I've been on a quest to find the ultimate air travel headphones for the past 5 years (over 3MM miles flown during these years), serially buying up and discarding  (giving away to my sons) noise cancelling cans as fast as Lance Armstrong and his teammates chewed up their competitiors (our addicitons are slightly different).  So far, tossed cans include:
 
Sony MDR NC 500:  rechargable and battery flexibility is nice, but sound was weak, not dynamic enough, volume too low
Bose QC 15: Most comfortable for long trips & noise canceling is one of the best, but the sound is so-so, construction not as nice as some others
Klipsch Mode M40: Best sound of the bunch, but very uncomfortable after 90 minutes, funky brown & copper color
AKG K 495 C: Best design in this bunch, sound is ok but not great, the diaphram in the left can goes haywire, comfortable
Sennheiser PXC 450: Very Comfortable, sound OK, but died after 4 months
Monster Beats Studio: I don't mind the exagerated bass, but the NC is mediocre, constuction is terrible (they break at the headband) and cranked these leak too much sound
 
None of these has spectacular sound.  it's easy to conclude that expectations for NC phones should not be as high as regular quality cans.  There is absolutely no comparison to any of my home-based cans: Grado 325, Senn HD595, AKG K1000 w/dedicated preamp, very old Shure Electrostats, and I'm sure that's true for most forum members.  
 
At the end of the day, sound (as good as possible recognizing they will not be as good as regular phones), NC, portability, decent construction and comfort are what I am looking for when I travel.  On my way to Mexico this morning I picked up a pair of the Beats Execs at the Miami Ariport after doing a quick direct comparison to the Klipsch Mode M40's I brought along for this relatively short trip.  The Execs outclassed the M40's on every count, and are better than most of the others above as follows:
 
1. Sound: A clearer, more forward sound than the Klipsch side by side.  And I thought the Klipsh sounded better than many of the others...
2. NC:  Very high marks on this count after one 2 hour flight, and playing them in my hotel.
3. Portability: The Exec's case is, hands down, the most portable of the whole bunch, slightly more compact than the Bose.  And its nicely designed to boot.
4. Construction: The Execs blow away the Beats Studios in terms of construction...no plastic, nice aluminum alloy and leather.  I think they are among the classiest in the bunch above and should be more durable that many.
5. Comfort:  I find these to be very comfortable..weight is not an issue, there is no undue pressure on my ears nor head, an the leather wrapped earpads are comfortable too.
 
These will likely become my go-to cans for travel until something better comes along.  If anyone can recommend a better headphone for air travel I'd love to know what those would be (no earplugs please--I like them on the ground and for workouts but they seal my ear canal, wreaking havoc with changes in altitude on planes).

 
I agree with you 100% on your take on the Beats Executive.  When I heard these for the first time a couple of days ago, I couldn't believe my ears.  It really made me lose a lot of respect for some on this board.  The Execs are actually, in my opinion, a really good headphone.  These do not follow the typical Beats sound signature (Heavy Mid Bass, Severely recessed mids).  The bass has been toned down slightly and the mids brought forward.  It still has that in your face Beats sound, but with more detail.
 
I was a long time owner of the Bose QC15s and compared the two side by side.  In short, they're equal in comfort, the noise cancelling aspect is close to equal with the exception that the Execs have a hiss when no music is playing, Execs win in sound quality in my opinion, and the Execs feel more durable.
 
Now am I saying the Execs have the greatest sound ever?  No.  What I am saying is that the Execs in my opinion offer the best value of all Beats headphones.  They sound better than the Studios, they're more detail, portable, nice looking, well built, and have minimal sound leakage when compared to most of the other Beats Headphones.  Anyone that listens to these and say they have the same muddy sound as the other Beats Headphones are just extreme Beats haters.  And many user reviews on youtube would challenge that.  If this headphone is any indication of what's to come now that Beats is no longer joined with Monster, then I will be paying attention.
 
Oct 25, 2012 at 3:59 PM Post #30 of 167
Quote:
I thought Monster and Dr Dre parted ways????

I don't know the real deal on that but that is certainly what they want you to believe. 
 

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