Wireless headphones are the new wave. Not really new, but mainstream. In this review we’re talking about the Plantronics BackBeat Pro 2 headphones. Two years ago Plantronics came into to the game with their first pair of over-ear wireless headphones the BackBeat Pro.
Design and Build
If you recall the original Pro headphones, they were large with perfectly round ear-cups. The BackBeat Pro 2 have a more oval shape to better fit your ear. The headset itself is overall smaller. They have more a sophisticated design. You see a lot of wood accents on black / brown pattern.
They changed up the buttons a bit. Inside the ear-cups you have clear labeling of the Right and Left sides. On the back of the right ear-cup you have on the pair/ on/ off toggle switch. The main (large button) on the ear-cup itself is to answer/end calls. You also have the microUSB charging port. Right next to charging port you have the 3.5mm headphone jack.
The left ear-cup has the music controls. The center has a flushed small flushed play/pause button. The back of the left ear cup has the open-listening / regular / noise cancelling toggle button. The outer part of the button is for back and forth playback control. The patterned dial around the button is to control the volume.
Experience
Comfort
They BackBeat Pro 2 are lighter than the originals as well. The materials of the earcups and headband are breathable. The padded leather on the earcups feel nice and hug you ears without pressure. You can wear the Pro 2 comfortably for hours. When not wearing them, the earcups swivel out to place comfortably around your neck. You can even wear these with glasses on comfortably.
Just like other Plantronics headphones you get a nice carrying bag for them. It has an outer pocket for auxiliary and charging cables. I suggest you take it with you since the BackBeat Pro 2 don’t fold up. You want to keep them nice and clean in the bag.
Sound
The BackBeat Pro 2 look to improve what is good sound on the original headphones. The originals were lacking a bit in the lows and bass power, especially for over-ear headphones. The Pro 2 make up with great attention to the lows. They don’t override vocals or mids either. I’m no audiofile by any means, but you get a good overall balanced sound that is more than satisfying in loud environments.
Features
Noise canceling
The Pro 2 do come with a noise canceling feature. If you push the button located behind the left earcup all the way down it turns on noise canceling. It does a decent job at it’s not the most powerful noise canceling earphones out there. Music quality doesn’t suffer too much when the noise canceling is on.
Smart Sensors: My favorite feature is present in the BackBeat Pro 2. They don’t have a name, but basically it’s the smart sensors in the headphones. If you move the headphones off your ears, the music stops. When you put them back on the music continues. When it does continue it starts at a low volume then goes back up to the volume you were listening to the music on. This helps preserve battery life. This is great for me, because I constantly take off my headphones and forget to power them off.
Open-Listening: Formerly known as Open Mic, Open-Listening is on the BackBeat Pro 2 as well. Useful when you don’t want to take your headphones off for a conversation or just want to be nosy when you hear interesting conversations.
Also you can walk pretty far from your devices and still be connected which is pretty dope too. Works well in my small apartment
Battery Life
If there is something Plantronics can brag about it’s the battery life on their headphones. The BackBeat Pro 2 are no exception. I use them for about an hour and a half to up to 3 hours daily and I charge them weekly (they charge via microUSB). If you let the battery die you can use the cable for regular wired listening. (Don’t forget your dongles, Moto Z and iPhone 7 users).
Pricing and Availability
The Plantronics BackBeat PRO 2 are $199.99. That’s a great price for wireless noise-canceling over-ear headphones. Definitely not breaking the bank for all the features.
Overall
I am a fan of the Plantronics brand overall. The BackBeat Pro 2 check off all the features needed in over-ear wireless headphones without putting a huge dent in your pockets. If you find the BackBeat Pro 2 too big for your taste, you might enjoy the Plantronics BackBeat Sense on-ear headphones. A much smaller footprint with many of the great features.
