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Plantronics BackBeat Go 810 Wireless Headphones Review

Tested using Methodology v1.5
Review updated Mar 05, 2019 at 10:52 am
Latest change: Test bench update Jul 22, 2021 at 03:17 pm
Plantronics BackBeat Go 810 Wireless Picture
8.0
Neutral Sound
7.1
Commute/Travel
7.2
Sports/Fitness
7.2
Office
6.0
Wireless Gaming
7.6
Wired Gaming
6.8
Phone Calls

The Plantronics BackBeat Go 810 are decent wireless over-ears for most use cases. They have great audio reproduction and are suitable for a wide variety of music genres. They offer over 20 hours of continuous playback, which is great, and their control scheme is very responsive and easy to use. Unfortunately, their noise cancelling feature is disappointing and won’t perform as well as other ANC headphones in this price range. Some users have also reported that their unit's headband cracks or breaks over time, which is disappointing. On the upside, they have an amazing wireless range and also provide 3 hours of playback for only 10 minutes of charging, which is very useful.

Our Verdict

8.0 Neutral Sound

Great for neutral listening. Their audio reproduction is great. They have an excellent, extended, and consistent bass performance, a flat and virtually flawless mid-range, and a great treble. However, some may feel like they are a bit light on bass, and their treble is slightly uneven. Some S and T sounds may feel lacking in detail while some feel a bit sharp and piercing, but this shouldn’t be too audible. You also have a bright EQ setting if you want to boost higher frequencies.

Pros
  • Good control scheme.
  • Great audio reproduction.
  • Great battery life.
Cons
  • Disappointing ANC performance.
  • Lackluster customization and companion app.
  • Very high latency.
7.1 Commute/Travel

Decent for commuting. Their noise isolation is quite poor for ANC headphones, especially in the bass range. They don’t block low-frequency noises like engine rumbles well. However, you should be able to block more noise by playing audio. Also, since they don’t leak too much, you’ll be able to raise your volume without disturbing people surrounding you. They are easy to use but might be uncomfortable for people with wider heads, since you might feel too much pressure during long bus rides or flights.

Pros
  • Good control scheme.
  • Great audio reproduction.
  • Great battery life.
Cons
  • Disappointing ANC performance.
  • Lackluster customization and companion app.
  • Very high latency.
7.2 Sports/Fitness

Decent for sports. The Plantronics BackBeat Go 810 are fairly tight and have a secure fit on the head, which is great for jogging. However, they are still a bit on the bulkier side so that they might not be ideal for most physical activities. You can also expect to sweat more than usual if you wear these headphones during a workout.

Pros
  • Good control scheme.
  • Great audio reproduction.
  • Great battery life.
Cons
  • Disappointing ANC performance.
  • Lackluster customization and companion app.
  • Very high latency.
7.2 Office

Decent for the office. The Plantronics BackBeat Go 810 isolate against a decent amount of ambient chatter and block out A/C system noise well, which is good for the office. Also, their battery life is long enough for you to listen all day long. They can also be connected to 2 devices simultaneously, which is convenient if you want to switch from your work computer to your phone, and you can also walk around quite easily without your source thanks to their great wireless range.

Pros
  • Good control scheme.
  • Great audio reproduction.
  • Great battery life.
Cons
  • Disappointing ANC performance.
  • Lackluster customization and companion app.
  • Very high latency.
6.0 Wireless Gaming

Poor for gaming. These headphones have too much latency to be used wirelessly for gaming. However, if you connect them via the audio cable, you won’t have a microphone for online games. They have great audio reproduction, so if you don’t need a microphone, these could be a decent option for gaming. However, they aren’t as customizable as most gaming headsets.

7.6 Wired Gaming

Pros
  • Good control scheme.
  • Great audio reproduction.
  • Great battery life.
Cons
  • Disappointing ANC performance.
  • Lackluster customization and companion app.
  • Very high latency.
6.8 Phone Calls

Pros
  • Good control scheme.
  • Great audio reproduction.
  • Great battery life.
Cons
  • Disappointing ANC performance.
  • Lackluster customization and companion app.
  • Very high latency.
  • 8.0 Neutral Sound
  • 7.1 Commute/Travel
  • 7.2 Sports/Fitness
  • 7.2 Office
  • 6.0 Wireless Gaming
  • 7.6 Wired Gaming
  • 6.8 Phone Calls
  1. Updated Jul 22, 2021: Converted to Test Bench 1.5.
  2. Updated Feb 13, 2020: Converted to Test Bench 1.4.
  3. Updated Nov 21, 2019: Converted to Test Bench 1.3.1.
  4. Updated Nov 21, 2019: Converted to Test Bench 1.3.
  5. Updated Mar 05, 2019: Review published.
  6. Updated Mar 03, 2019: Our testers have started testing this product.
  7. Updated Mar 01, 2019: The product has arrived in our lab, and our testers will start evaluating it soon.
  8. Updated Feb 20, 2019: We've purchased the product and are waiting for it to arrive in our lab.

Compared To Other Headphones

The Plantronics BackBeat Go 810 are decent, mixed usage over-ear headphones that set themselves apart by their great neutral audio reproduction. However, their ANC feature is lackluster, especially when compared to other models in their price range. If you want more options for your daily commute, look at our recommendations for the best noise cancelling headphones. See also our recommendations for the best wireless headphones and the best over-ear headphones.

Plantronics BackBeat Pro 2 Wireless 2016

The Plantronics BackBeat Pro 2 and Plantronics BackBeat Go 810 are very similarly-designed headphones, but each performs better in different categories. The Pro 2 are more versatile since they have a better noise cancelling feature. They are also slightly more comfortable and feel like more high-end headphones due to their build quality. On the other hand, the Go 810 have great audio reproduction, without the overemphasized bass that the Pro 2 has. However, the Pro 2 can be used when charging and supports aptX-LL for minimal latency if you have the appropriate dongle.

Anker Soundcore Life Q30 Wireless

The AnkerSoundcore Life Q30 and the Plantronics BackBeat Go 810 Wireless have different strengths and depending on your usage, you may prefer one over the other. The Anker are more comfortable. Their active noise cancelling (ANC) feature does a significantly better job of reducing background noise around you and they have longer-lasting continuous battery life. Their companion app also offers a graphic EQ on top of presets. However, the Plantronics have a more stable fit and a neutral sound profile right out-of-the-box. They also leak less audio.

Anker SoundCore Space NC Wireless

The Plantronics BackBeat Go 810 Wireless are better headphones than the Anker SoundCore Space NC Wireless. While the Anker feels better-built and slightly more comfortable, the Plantronics have a great neutral audio reproduction that is versatile for a wide variety of music genres. The Plantronics bass is overdone and will be better suited for bass-heavy genres. The Anker have more than half the Plantronics' latency, and their ANC feature blocks out a great amount of ambient noise. The Anker also come with a nice hard case and an in-line microphone. Critical listeners should go towards the Plantronics, while fans of EDM, hip-hop, and rap who like to listen to music while commuting might feel like the Space NC is a better choice.

JBL E65BTNC Wireless

The Plantronics BackBeat Go 810 are better sounding headphones than the JBL E65BTNC. They also have better battery life and have a few customization options inside their companion app. However, they might feel a bit light on bass, which the JBLs aren’t. Also, the E65BTNC have a better noise cancelling feature which makes them more versatile for commuting and at the office. They also feel slightly more comfortable and better-built, and they also have an in-line microphone that should perform better for calls.

Sony WH-CH700N Wireless

The Plantronics BackBeat Go 810 are better mixed-usage headphones than the Sony WH-CH700N. Both headphones sound great, but the Go 810 are a bit more neutral and sound less sibilant. They also perform more consistently between different humans and reseats. While their ANC feature isn’t the best, it still outperforms the near-useless one of the CH700N. On the other, the Sony app is more customizable than the Plantronics app, and their battery life is better but takes longer to charge. The Go 810 also have a nice quick charge feature that gives you 3 hours of playback in 10 minutes, and they can connect to two devices simultaneously, which the Sonys can’t do.

JBL Everest 710 Wireless

If the thing you care about the most is sound, then the Plantronics Backbeat Go 810 Wireless are a better option than the JBL Everest 710 Wireless. On top of having a neutral out-of-the-box sound profile, you also have access to EQ presets. However, the JBLs are better built and are noticeably more comfortable. They also have an amazing battery life and have a unique music-sharing feature. The Plantronics also have a noise cancelling feature. Although it doesn’t do a great job, it will still be better than the JBLs.

Wyze Noise-Cancelling Headphones Wireless

The Plantronics BackBeat Go 810 Wireless are slightly better than the Wyze Noise-Cancelling Headphones Wireless. The Plantronics have a more stable fit, are better-built, have a more neutral sound profile, and their mic has a better overall performance. However, the Wyze are more comfortable, better-built, and have a graphic EQ and presets so that you can customize their sound. Their ANC can reduce more ambient noise around you.

TREBLAB Z7 Pro Wireless

The TREBLAB Z7 Pro Wireless are slightly better headphones than the Plantronics BackBeat Go 810 Wireless. The TREBLAB are more comfortable, better-built, and have significantly better noise isolation. Their battery life is better too. However, the Plantronics headphones have a more neutral sound profile, which some users may prefer.

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Test Results

perceptual testing image
Design
Design
Style
Type Over-ear
Enclosure Closed-Back
Wireless Yes
Transducer Dynamic

The Plantronics BackBeat Go 810 are good looking headphones. They have a nice matte finish which has a high-end feel, and their copper headband gives them a premium look. They have decently thick ear cup padding and have a fairly similar design to that of the BackBeat Pro 2. They come in three different colors: Graphite Black, Navy Blue, and Bone White.

7.0
Design
Comfort
Weight 0.5 lbs
Clamping Force
0.8 lbs

The BackBeat Go 810 are fairly comfortable, but the cups are a bit small and shallow, which won’t be ideal for everyone. Also, they might be tight and have an unnatural fit on larger heads. The padding is decently thick and soft, and the headphones are lightweight, which is good. The headband is also decently padded, so you shouldn’t feel too much pressure on the top of your head. You can wear these for a while, but some may feel fatigue rather quickly.

7.3
Design
Controls
OS Compatibility
Not OS specific
Ease Of Use Great
Feedback Good
Call/Music Control Yes
Volume Control Yes
Microphone Control Mute/Unmute
Channel Mixing
No
Noise Cancelling Control No
Talk-Through
No
Additional Controls Bluetooth Sync + Presets

The control scheme of the BackBeat Go 810 is pretty good. The cups look like they have touch-sensitive surfaces, but the left ear cup actually has physical buttons for music management. You also get separate volume controls and have additional Bluetooth and presets buttons. The preset button lets you switch between the default/balanced and bright presets and acts as a mic-mute button when on calls. All buttons offer great tactile feedback and are easy to use.

Unfortunately, there are no noise-canceling controls directly on the headphones, but you can change this inside their companion app. Also, there’s no audio cue that lets you know which EQ preset you're on, so you also need to look at the app.

6.1
Design
Breathability
Avg.Temp.Difference 6.8 °C

The BackBeat Go 810 broke our breathability testing. They wouldn’t sit appropriately on our testing rig, and a gap would be visible at the top of the ear cups, allowing more airflow. We got fairly low temperature differences for over-ears, so we measured only one ear at a time to get results that would better reflect the user's experience. Overall, like most closed over-ears they trap a fair amount of heat under the ear cups and won’t be an ideal choice for sports as you would sweat more than usual.

6.1
Design
Portability
L 7.5" (19.1 cm)
W 6.8" (17.3 cm)
H 1.8" (4.6 cm)
Volume 92.00 in³ (1,507.60 cm³)
Transmitter Required No

Like most over-ear headphones, the Plantronics BackBeat Go 810 aren’t very portable. They aren’t as bulky as some other headphones, but they don’t fold into a more compact format. Thankfully, the cups swivel to lay flat, so it's easier to slide them inside a bag or wear them comfortably around your neck. Unfortunately, they only come with a pouch that doesn’t really protect the headphones.

5.0
Design
Case
Type Pouch
L N/A
W N/A
H N/A
Volume N/A

The BackBeat Go 810 come with a disappointing mesh pouch. It may protect the headphones against scratches, but that’s about it. It won’t do anything against water exposure and impacts. On the upside, it doesn’t add too much bulk when you want to travel with them.

7.0
Design
Build Quality

Update 03/31/2021: Some users have reported that their unit's plastic headband has cracked or broke with continuous use over the course of a few months. Although we don't test for durability over time, your unit may be prone to breakage over time. That said, the scoring of this box hasn't changed.

The Plantronics BackBeat Go 810 have a satisfactory build quality. They don’t feel as solid as the Plantronics BackBeat Pro 2, but the materials used feel similarly sturdy. The metal headband is solid and flexible, but the overall build creaks a lot, especially when you’re pulling the cups apart to position the headphones on your head. On the upside, the cups feel dense and should survive a few accidental drops without suffering too much damage.

7.5
Design
Stability

The BackBeat Go 810 are stable headphones, and you should be able to run with them without too many problems. They don’t move much from side to side and have a fairly secure fit. Some larger heads may feel like they are even more tight, which can be good for sports. However, their bulky design might not be ideal for sports activities. Their wireless design also gets rid of the risk of having a cable getting hooked on something and yanking the headphones off your head.

Design
Headshots 1
Design
Headshots 2
Design
Top
Design
In The Box

  • Plantronics BackBeat Go 810
  • 1/8" TRS audio cable
  • Micro-USB charging cable
  • Carrying pouch
  • Manuals

Sound
Sound
Sound Profile
Bass Amount
-0.54 dB
Treble Amount
-1.7 dB
8.3
Sound
Frequency Response Consistency
Avg. Std. Deviation
0.33 dB

The frequency response consistency is great. Similar to the Anker SoundCore Space NC, the BackBeat Go 810 seem to be using its noise canceling system to check for bass consistency. Therefore, in the bass range, they perform extremely consistently across our five human subjects. In the treble range, they are also quite consistent, but not as much as the bass range, showing under 3dB of deviation below 10KHz. This results in a consistent delivery of bass and treble across multiple users and re-seats.

Sound
Raw Frequency Response
8.6
Sound
Bass Accuracy
Std. Err.
2.03 dB
Low-Frequency Extension
10 Hz
Low-Bass
-2.09 dB
Mid-Bass
1.89 dB
High-Bass
2.24 dB

The bass is excellent. Low-bass, which is responsible for the thump and rumble common to EDM, hip-hop, and film scores, is well-balanced and extended down to 10Hz, which is great. Mid-bass, occupied by the body of bass guitars and the punch of kick drums, is also reproduced virtually flat, but slightly overemphasized by about 2dB over our target. However, high-bass, responsible for warmth, is within 1dB over our target, which is great. Overall, they have an excellent bass performance, but some may feel like they are bass-light.

9.3
Sound
Mid Accuracy
Std. Err.
0.96 dB
Low-Mid
0.34 dB
Mid-Mid
0.32 dB
High-Mid
0.73 dB

The BackBeat Go 810’s mid-range performance is remarkable. The response throughout the range is virtually flawless and follows our target curve almost perfectly. This will result in accurate and detailed reproduction of vocals and lead instruments.

8.4
Sound
Treble Accuracy
Std. Err.
2.48 dB
Low-Treble
-0.05 dB
Mid-Treble
0.66 dB
High-Treble
-6.94 dB

The treble performance is also excellent. The response is flat and even throughout the range, with slight deviations. The small dip around 5KHz will have a negligible effect on some sibilants (S and T sounds) and will sound detail-lacking, while those around 9KHz might sound a bit sharp and piercing for some. However, not everyone will hear it as sibilant as others.

7.8
Sound
Peaks/Dips
Peaks
1.53 dB
Dips
0.81 dB
8.0
Sound
Imaging
Weighted Group Delay
1.16
Weighted Phase Mismatch
5.77
Weighted Amplitude Mismatch
0.21
Weighted Frequency Mismatch
1.25

The imaging performance is good. Unfortunately, the Plantronics BackBeat Go 810 show audible amounts of group delay in the bass range which results in slightly soft and loose basses and kicks. On the upside, the L/R drivers of our test unit were well-matched in amplitude, frequency, and phase response, which is important for the accurate placement and localization of objects (voices, instruments, video game effects) in the stereo image. However, these results are only valid for our unit, and yours may perform differently.

4.9
Sound
Passive Soundstage
PRTF Accuracy (Std. Dev.)
2.31 dB
PRTF Size (Avg.)
4.57 dB
PRTF Distance
6.37 dB
Openness
3.9
Acoustic Space Excitation
2.6

The soundstage performance of the BackBeat Go 810 is sub-par. While the PRTF graph shows a decent amount of pinna interaction and good accuracy, there is no 10KHz present. This results in a relatively large soundstage but may feel unnatural and perceived to be inside the listener’s head rather than in front. Also, because of the closed-back design, the soundstage of the headphones may be perceived to be less open-sounding than that of open-back headphones.

0
Sound
Virtual Soundstage
Head Modeling
No
Speaker Modeling
No
Room Ambience
No
Head Tracking
No
Virtual Surround
No
7.4
Sound
Weighted Harmonic Distortion
WHD @ 90
0.321
WHD @ 100
0.179
Sound
Test Settings
Firmware
Unknown
Power
On
Connection
Unknown
Codec
SBC, 16-bit, 48kHz
EQ
Default
ANC
Maximum
Tip/Pad
Default
Microphone
Integrated
Isolation
6.1
Isolation
Noise Isolation
Isolation Audio
Overall Attenuation
-17.45 dB
Noise Cancelling Yes
Bass
-7.46 dB
Mid
-11.43 dB
Treble
-33.56 dB

The noise isolation performance is alright. With their ANC enabled, the Plantronics BackBeat Go 810 do a poor job of reducing the rumble of airplane and bus engines, especially when compared headphones with a more powerful ANC like the Anker Soundcore Life Q30 Wireless. They do a bit better in the mid-range though, which is where ambient chatter is found, and perform best when cutting down sharp sounds like S and Ts and fan noises.

7.7
Isolation
Leakage
Leakage Audio
Overall Leakage @ 1ft
35.43 dB

The leakage performance is good. The significant portion of the leakage is between 500Hz and 7KHz, so the leakage will sound quite thin. The overall level of the leakage is not loud either. With the music at 100dB SPL, the leakage at 1 foot away, averages at about 35dB SPL and peaks at 45dB SPL, which is below the noise floor of most offices.

Microphone
Microphone
Microphone Style
Integrated
Yes
In-Line
No
Boom
No
Detachable Boom
No
Mic Yes
6.5
Microphone
Recording Quality
Recorded Speech
LFE
261.43 Hz
FR Std. Dev.
3.03 dB
HFE
3,517.32 Hz
Weighted THD
4.281
Gain
7.97 dB

The microphone's recording quality is okay. The LFE (low-frequency extension) is at 261Hz, suggesting speech transmitted/recorded to be noticeably thin. The HFE (high-frequency extension) of 3.5KHz results in speech that is muffled and lacks detail. However, most Bluetooth headphones perform like this, and these results are limited by the Bluetooth protocol.

6.9
Microphone
Noise Handling
SpNR
11.57 dB
Noise Gate
No
Speech + Pink Noise Handling
7.5
Speech + Pink Noise Audio Sample
Speech + Subway Noise Handling
6.0
Speech + Subway Noise Audio Sample

The integrated microphone is mediocre at noise handling. In our SpNR test, they achieved a speech-to-noise ratio of about 12dB, indicating that the microphone performs best in quiet environments and may struggle in moderate and loud environments.

Active Features
8.3
Active Features
Battery
Battery Type
Rechargable
Continuous Battery Life
24.5 hrs
Additional Charges
0.0
Total Battery Life
24.5 hrs
Charge Time
2 hrs
Power-Saving Feature
Standby mode
Audio While Charging
No
Passive Playback
Yes
Charging Port micro-USB

The Plantronics BackBeat Go 810 have a great 24-hour battery life that will last you more than a workday, and it won’t need daily charging, which is nice. According to Plantronics’ spec sheet, you can also get 3 hours of continuous playback thanks to a very short 10-minute charge, which is great. They enter a standby mode when being idle for a few minutes and can last for up to 10 days, but we obviously couldn’t test this. You can also use the headphones passively with the included audio cable, even if the battery is dead. We couldn't accurately measure their charging time since the LED wouldn't turn off or change color when fully charged. The specs sheet advertises a 2-hour charging time.

6.5
Active Features
App Support
App Name Backbeat App
iOS Yes
Android Yes
macOS No
Windows No
Equalizer
Presets
ANC Control
Adjustable
Mic Control No
Room Effects
No
Playback Control
No
Button Mapping No
Surround Support
No

The Plantronics BackBeat App is pretty lackluster. You can only switch between the balanced and bright EQ presets and it doesn’t offer a real equalizer. On the upside, you can control the amount of ANC you want and switch between High, Low, and Off. Unfortunately, you must use the app to change this setting since there's no physical ANC button on the headphones. The app also gives you access to other features like Find My Headset, battery life status, and a Dark Theme.

Connectivity
8.3
Connectivity
Bluetooth
Bluetooth Version
5.0
Multi-Device Pairing
2 Devices
NFC Pairing
No
Line Of Sight Range
299.00 ft (91.14 m)
PC Latency (SBC)
303 ms
PC Latency (aptX)
N/A
PC Latency (aptX HD)
N/A
PC Latency (aptX-LL)
N/A
iOS Latency
168 ms
Android Latency
199 ms

The BackBeat Go 810 are Bluetooth compatible and can connect to two devices, which is useful if you want to often switch between your cellphone and work computer. Also, you might even get better overall performance if your source supports Bluetooth 5.0. Our current test bench only supports Bluetooth 4.2, but we do plan on upgrading this in a future test bench update.

Their latency is too high for watching video content and gaming. The Plantronics BackBeat Go 810 have more latency issues than the average Bluetooth headphones. You’ll notice a delay between the video content and audio and this will get frustrating. However, some devices and apps seem to offer some sort of compensation, so you might not notice the delay as much, but it will still be there. You can use them wired to get rid of this delay.

0
Connectivity
Non-Bluetooth Wireless
Non-BT Line Of Sight Range
N/A
Non-BT Latency
N/A
9.5
Connectivity
Wired
Analog Audio
Yes
USB Audio
No
Detachable Yes
Length 4.90 ft (1.49 m)
Connection
1/8" TRS
Analog/USB Audio Latency
0 ms

You can use the Plantronics BackBeat Go 810 passively with the included 1/8” TRS cable. Unfortunately, it doesn’t have an in-line microphone, so you won’t be able to take calls or communicate in online games. However, we were able to use a third-party cable that has an in-line microphone. The headphones support it, but simply don't come with one.

Connectivity
PC Compatibility
Analog
Audio Only
Wired USB
No
Non-BT Wireless
No
Connectivity
PlayStation Compatibility
PS4 Analog
Audio Only
PS4 Wired USB
No
PS4 Non-BT Wireless
No
PS5 Analog
Audio Only
PS5 Wired USB
No
PS5 Non-BT Wireless
No
Connectivity
Xbox Compatibility
Xbox One Analog
Audio Only
Xbox One Wired USB
No
Xbox One Non-BT Wireless
No
Xbox Series X|S Analog
Audio Only
Xbox Series X|S Wired USB
No
Xbox Series X|S Non-BT Wireless
No
0
Connectivity
Base/Dock
Type
No Base/Dock
USB Input
No
Line In
No
Line Out
No
Optical Input
No
RCA Input
No
Dock Charging
No
Power Supply
No Base/Dock

The BackBeat Go 810 don’t have a base or dock. If you're looking for headphones with a dock for customization options, look at the Arctis Pro Wireless. If you want a charging dock, look at the Astro A50, and if you're looking for wireless headphones for watching TV, look at the Sennheiser RS 185.