Beats has gained a lot of traction over the past four years. Once linked with Monster, Beats is now a brand of its own. Beats headphones retail for around $300 per pair. But this high price tag hasn’t stopped sales. The only market that Beats hasn’t quite been able to target is the over 30 crowd. You know, the crowd that might not want to wear an attention-grabbing pair of headphones on a business trip? For that crowd, Beats has recently released the Executive Headphones.

The Executive Headphones are meant to be sleek, expensive, and quality sound producing. In other words, Beats wants to attract the business crowd. While the Executive Headphones are toned down (as far as the Beats lineup goes, at least), these headphones may not be all that Beats wants executives to believe.

Sound Quality

Those who have tested the Beats Executive headphones seem to be on the fence. On the one hand, the noise cancelling quality of these headphones is great. On the other hand, the Executive headphones don’t seem to outperform other Beats offerings. In fact, some reviewers point out that it’s hard to see the difference between the Executive version and the original Beats by Dr. Dre headphones. Reviewers also have some gripes as far as battery life is concerned.

Batteries: Not Rechargeable

Most devices today have rechargeable batteries. Why Beats decided not to include rechargeable batteries with the Executive (or any other) headphones is unclear. What is clear is that these batteries must be replaced when worn. Otherwise, that great noise-cancelling feature is null and void. When a set of batteries is fully charged, the Executive headphones can last for 25 hours – not bad for a pair of headphones.

Design and Style

Beats wanted to make a pair of headphones that business travelers can use without looking like hipsters. The Beats Executive headphones don’t come in bright colors. But, there are small “b’s” all over the headphones. Branding aside, the Beats Executive headphones are sleek enough with a titanium shell and black insides. It will still be obvious that you’re wearing Beats headphones if you buy the Executive variety, but you won’t stand out from the crowd too much.

So, why is Beats targeting the business crowd? Beats tends to target teens and twenty-somethings. Yet, other companies, like Bose, have had great success when it comes to targeting the business class. Beats might not have the same reputation that Bose does amongst the jet set, but the Executive headphones might appeal to some business travelers looking for quality sound coming from a younger brand.

Beats has told press that the new Executive headphones will be hitting store shelves towards the end of October, and these headphones will retail for around $300. As a quick recap, take note that these headphones will require separate batteries, they aren’t much different from the Beats by Dr. Dre set, and they still have plenty of brand markings. These details aside, I’m looking forward to seeing what Beats has created this time around. Will you buy a pair of Executive headphones? Let me know in the comments.