lows and highs. To help me underst and the difference, he gave me the pair of V-Moda Crossfade M-100 that you saw in a
few of the photos above, and that's when I noticed it. By themselves, t he Pro+ sound really good, but t heir sound profile is a
lot more dull compared to the M-100. The best way I could describe it is that music t hrough the Pro+ sounded like it was
coming out of a nearby speaker, but through the M-100 it felt like the guitar and drums were playing live next to me: richer
and more vibrant. But t ake the V-Moda away for a few minut es and I go back to being impressed by t he Pro+. The lesson
here is that if you are not picky about sound, you won't likely find any fault wit h this headset .
Act ive Noise Cancelation works well and bot h me and t he audiophile friend appreciated it. It doesn't completely remove all
sounds, but it drowns them considerably, especially when there's music playing. Some Amazon reviewers are cit ing hissing
with ANC on, but neit her of us noticed it. In terms of day to day use, I like st aying slightly aware of my surroundings, so I
didn't use ANC extensively. But on a couple of occasions when I was trying t o focus, I turned it on and completely forgot
everything around me. It did it s job.
Verdict
I love the versatility of t he Plantronics BackBeat Pro+. I can use them via Bluetoot h or wired, pair t hem with NFC or with t he
USB dongle, connect them to a comput er and a phone simult aneously, turn on or off Act ive Noise Canceling, use the
OpenMic t o listen to my surroundings without removing them, or rely on the smart sensor to pause and resume my music
when I t ake them off. Some of these options might sound like gimmicks to you, but they t urn out to be very convenient in
daily use and t hey open up the Pro+ to more use scenarios.
The big quest ion mark though is sound, and whether they're worth the admission price of $277 (MSRP $300). Let 's look at it
from a couple of different angles.
If you're an audiophile, or if you can tell the difference bet ween good and average sound wit hout direct comparisons, walk
away slowly and silently. You won't find somet hing to wow you here. You're bet ter off with the V-Moda Crossfade Wireless at
$300.
If you're mostly int erested in Act ive Noise Canceling, t hen it 'll depend on whet her or not you're willing to compromise on the
Bluet ooth aspect. If you are, you might be better off with the wired Bose QuietComfort 25 for $299. They're also more
compact and come wit h an airline adapt er which can be handy if you plan on frequently t raveling with them. The BackBeat
Pro+, by comparison, are huge to truck around and are a lit t le less efficient at noise canceling.
If you're not in either of these demographics and you're really swayed by all the features of the BackBeat Pro+, then you
won't be disappoint ed by t hem. Whether you want this headset to list en to music at work and drown out t he office noise, or
to play endless hours of games without being disturbed, or to listen to music from your comput er while also st aying
connect ed to your phone, or for casual use around the home or office or while commut ing, t he Pro+ fills its end of the
promise well, and you'll love the sound if you're just an average list ener like me.
But don't click on that Buy but ton just yet . See, like I said, the BackBeat Pro+ cost s around $277 on Amazon, but the regular
BackBeat Pro is just $140 now (MSRP $250). The only notable difference is the Bluetoot h USB adapter. You get the same
design (though completely black), smart sensor, NFC, batt ery life, ANC, mult ipoint technology, and so on, but you don't get
the small USB dongle. Is that worth almost doubling the price? No. Sure, it 's more convenient and more reliable when
connect ing t o comput ers, but I'd rather pay half the price and get all of the rest of the feat ures without it .
For $140, the BackBeat Pro is a lot more value for the money and this is where my recommendation lands today. If the
difference though becomes around $40-50, then I'd say go for t he Pro+ because the dongle will take a lot of guesswork and
trouble out of connecting to any comput er.
Language:
English
Source URL: https://newsroom.poly.com/news/consumer/plantronics-backbeat-pro-review-do-it-all-bluetooth-headset-falls-just-
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