- Table of Contents
- Intro
- Updates
- Comparison
- Best Headphones
- Conclusion
- Discussions
We've currently reviewed 5 Plantronics headphones. They're a brand well known for their business headsets, but they also make feature-packed Bluetooth headphones for casual use as well. Their consumer-level headphones tend to be fairly reasonably-priced and generally provide good value overall. Here are the best Plantronics headsets we've tested.
Updates
- 05/21/2020 Plantronics Voyager Legend reviewed
- 05/15/2020 Plantronics Voyager 5200 reviewed
- 03/05/2019 Plantronics Backbeat Go 810 reviewed
- 06/21/2018 Plantronics BackBeat Fit reviewed
- 05/29/2018 Plantronics BackBeat Go 600 reviewed
Best Plantronics Headphones
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Best Plantronics Bluetooth Headset
Type Over-earEnclosure Closed-BackWireless YesNoise Cancelling YesMic YesTransducer DynamicThe best Plantronics Bluetooth headset we've tested so far is the Plantronics BackBeat Pro 2. These wireless over-ear headphones have a sturdy yet comfortable design that's impressively easy-to-use thanks to their intuitive physical controls. They have a very well-balanced sound profile that brings a touch of extra thump and rumble to your favorite hip-hop or EDM tracks without drowning out the vocals and lead instruments of pop or rock music. Their 30-hour battery life is also excellent, and they have a few power-saving features to help them last even longer. They can connect to two Bluetooth devices at the same time and even support aptX-LL to reduce wireless latency if you have the right transmitter. If you go for the SE, you also get not only a nicer carrying case but NFC compatibility too. Unfortunately, their active noise cancelling system isn't as effective as that of competing models, and their bulky design isn't the most stylish. The Plantronics BackBeat Go 810 Wireless have a much sleeker design, but they're less comfortable and their noise cancelling still isn't great. The BackBeat Pro 2 deliver better value for the price, especially if you can find the even more feature-packed SE model on sale.
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Best Plantronics Headset For Gaming
Type Over-earEnclosure Closed-BackWireless YesNoise Cancelling NoMic YesTransducer DynamicThe best Plantronics wireless headset for gaming we've tested so far is the Plantronics RIG 800LX. These wireless gaming headphones have a unique modular design so you can replace or customize many of their individual parts to better suit your needs. Thanks to their lightweight build, comfortable design, and great battery life, they're suitable for long gaming sessions. They're among the rare wireless headsets that are available in an Xbox One-compatible variant (the 800LX), or you can get them for PS4 (800HS). They sound quite well-balanced overall, but might be a bit too bright for some, especially if you play a lot of games with sharp, piercing sounds like gunshots. Their modular design, while unique, also unfortunately looks pretty cheap. They won't be for everyone but they're still a good choice for gaming overall.
Compared to other brands
- Lots of features. The Plantronics headphones we've reviewed so far have some of the best combinations of active features. Their best models typically have noise cancelling, a great battery life with lots of different power-saving features, multi-device pairing, and even sometimes support for low-latency Bluetooth codecs, NFC for easier pairing and talk-through modes.
- Good audio reproduction. Most Plantronics headphones have good audio reproduction, that's either very neutral or with a bit more thump and rumble while still-sounding well-balanced.
- Great controls. One of the most noticeable features of the Plantronics lineup are the controls. They're unique and often unorthodox compared to other brands, but they're efficient and ergonomically placed on the ear cups, making them easy to use.
- Mediocre noise cancelling. Although Plantronics headphones are packed with features, noise cancellation is not their biggest strength. They isolate well enough for certain environments but they have a lot of self-noise and do not block ambient noise as well as other noise cancelling headphones from competing brands.
- Bulky designs. While most Plantronics headphones feel durable and comfortable, many have a rather bulky design that doesn't look as sleek as stylish as competing models.
- Limited budget options. While Plantronics headphones usually aren't that expensive, they don't have very many options in the budget range, unlike other brands that cover greater price ranges.
Overall, Plantronics makes versatile headphones that tend to be quite reasonably priced, especially considering how feature-packed they are. Their headphones have some of the best control schemes we've tested so far, and tend to have lots of great features like active noise cancelling, power-saving options and even low latency Bluetooth codecs. Their noise cancelling doesn't usually perform as well as competing models, and they don't have the most elegant designs, but the brand still makes some of the best wireless headphones we've seen so far.
Conclusion
Plantronics don't have a ton of products geared towards more casual users, but they still make a few feature-packed, versatile headsets. We have yet to test their full lineup, but models from both their Pro and Go series offer easy-to-use controls and well-balanced sound. Unfortunately their headphones tend to struggle with noise cancelling, and don't always have the sleekest designs. However, they provide excellent battery performance and generally feel well-built overall.
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