Plantronics rather surprised us when they released their first BackBeat Pro in 2014, giving us a package that delivered a well-rounded set of features with impressive audio quality. the company then followed up with an equally capable on-ear headset (BackBeat sense) and a flashy new set of in-ears (BackBeat Go 3), as well as a version meant for quality audio streaming from a computer source (BackBeat Pro+).
Plantronics rather surprised us when they released their first BackBeat Pro in 2014, giving us a package that delivered a well-rounded set of features with impressive audio quality. the company then followed up with an equally capable on-ear headset (BackBeat sense) and a flashy new set of in-ears (BackBeat Go 3), as well as a version meant for quality audio streaming from a computer source (BackBeat Pro+).
Fast forward to this year, and we have the BackBeat Pro 2, with a more streamlined design, but the same great assortment of features that made the original BackBeat Pro so compelling.
Listening to the unplugged version of eric clapton’s Layla, we thought the BackBeat Pro 2 reined in the bass line a little too much, making the bassist sound thin.
Moving on to a recording of Fireopal by Ottmar Liebert, we got the sense that clarity is now also slightly improved compared to the BackBeat Pro+. On this particular piece, the bass seemed to be just right, but the highs came off as a little sharp, reflecting a shift in the tuning.
On our formal test tracks, we thought the headphones did best on Hotel california by the eagles and Buckethead’s sail on soothsayer. With the former, the headphones demonstrated good detail in the trebles and mids. there’s a nice ring to the guitars on this piece, and the headphones’ slightly warmer sound suits it well.
The later was what suited the BackBeat Pro 2 the best though, as the headphones were able to reproduce good detail in the mids and highs, bringing Buckethead’s heavy distort guitar to life. the intro was nicely delivered and we do think the tightened bass response worked well with this piece.
Overall, it handled all genres of music quite well, is comfortable enough to wear for long periods, and has a great 24-hour battery life. At $319, you’d be hard pressed to find better sounding headphones that offer the same feature set. Heck, we’d even recommend this over the BackBeat Pro+.
Conclusion
Solid audio performance at a price that puts some of its competition to shame.
AT A GLANCE
Frequency response: 20-20,000 Hz
Sensitivity: 93dB
Impendance: 32ohm
Weight: 289g
Price: $319
Text: Marcus Wong / Pictures: Plantronics
