- Table of Contents
- Intro
- Updates
- Comparison
- Best Headphones
- Conclusion
- Discussions
We've currently tested 9 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
- 10/14/2020 Plantronics Voyager 3200 reviewed
- 08/17/2020 Plantronics RIG 800LX updated
- 05/21/2020 Plantronics Voyager Legend reviewed
- 05/15/2020 Plantronics Voyager 5200 reviewed
- 03/05/2019 Plantronics Backbeat Go 810 reviewed
Best Plantronics Headphones
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Best Plantronics Bluetooth Headset
Type Mono EarbudEnclosure Closed-BackWireless YesNoise Cancelling NoMic YesTransducer DynamicThe best Plantronics Bluetooth headset that we've tested is the Plantronics Voyager 5200 Bluetooth Headset. This mono headset is designed for taking phone calls on-the-go, and it has a comfortable, stable fit that lets its boom microphone stay in place. It isn't designed for listening to music, but it reproduces voices clearly and accurately. It's well-built, and its microphone performs well in noisy settings like crowded train stations. Using the Plantronics Hub app, you can even reconfigure the sensors in the headset to automatically answer or reject phone calls.
Unfortunately, this headset has a sub-par recording quality, so your voice may sound a bit dark and muffled to whoever's on the other end of the line. Also, while its mono design lets you hear yourself while you talk, it doesn't block out a lot of background noise, which may be distracting if you're trying to focus on a call. However, if you're looking for a mono headset so you can take phone calls on-the-go, this headset is a solid choice.
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Best Plantronics Headphones
Type Over-earEnclosure Closed-BackWireless YesNoise Cancelling YesMic YesTransducer DynamicThe best Plantronics headphones we've tested are 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. We tested the SE model which gives you NFC compatibility and a nicer carrying case, though we expect the regular model to perform identically.
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 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. They're suitable for extended gaming sessions thanks to their lightweight build, comfortable design, and great battery life. They're among the rare wireless headsets that are available in an Xbox One-compatible variant (the 800LX) as well as a variant for PS4 (800HS), and their boom microphone produces clear and easy-to-hear voices.
Unfortunately, while they sound quite well-balanced overall, but might be a bit too bright for some, and some frequencies sound sharp and piercing. They also don't have dedicated companion software, which is a shame for gaming headphones at this price point, and they look and feel quite a bit cheaper than most similarly-priced options.
Compared to other brands
- Lots of features. The Plantronics headphones we've tested 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 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 tested.
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.
Discover our recommendations for the best over-ear headphones.
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