Our Verdict
Above-average for mixed-usage. The Plantronics BackBeat Pro 2 are versatile headphones for most use cases. They have a solid and durable design, an excellent wireless range and battery life and they sound balanced enough for most casual and even more critical listeners. However, they're a bit bulky for working out and only have an average isolation despite being noise canceling headphones.
- Sturdy, durable build quality.
- Good audio reproduction.
- Excellent wireless range and battery life.
- Noise isolation not as good as competing models.
- Bulky design.
Good for neutral listening. They have a well-balanced mid and treble range and a powerful bass that should satisfy fans of bass-heavy music. However, the bass can sometimes overshadow some of the instruments and vocals depending on the track. They also have a small soundstage due to their closed-back noise canceling design.
Good for commuting. They're easy to use, comfortable and have a great battery life. Also, although the isolation is not the best, it should be sufficient for regular commuters, especially if you play your audio at moderate-to-high volumes.
Above-average for sports. They're a bit bulky and not the most breathable headphones to take to the gym. But they have a good wireless design so there's no audio cable to hinder you during your workouts and they're also tight enough on the head to be somewhat stable when running and jogging.
Great for office use. The Plantronics BackBeat Pro 2 don't leak much, they're comfortable and easy to pair with most Bluetooth devices. They're also packed with features that make them practical to use at the office such as smart pause, audio while charging and their excellent wireless range.
Below-average for gaming. They're comfortable and have a good bass-rich sound that suitable for gaming. Unfortunately, they will not work via Bluetooth with your consoles, and they are not as customizable as most gaming headsets. They also have a bit too much latency unless you use a dongle that supports aptX-LL. On the upside, they do have a simple audio cable that will provide audio with any device that has a headphone jack like your PS4 or Xbox One controller.
Changelog
- Updated Mar 02, 2020: Converted to Test Bench 1.4.
- Updated Nov 21, 2019: Converted to Test Bench 1.3.1.
- Updated Nov 21, 2019: Converted to Test Bench 1.3.
- Updated Feb 16, 2018: Converted to Test Bench 1.2.
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Popular Headphones Comparisons
The Plantronics BackBeat Pro 2 are a well-rounded wireless headset that is more versatile than the BackBeat Go 600. They're one of the best wireless over-ear headphones and the best closed-back headphones we've tested. They're comfortable, well-built headphones with an excellent wireless range and battery life. They have an exciting sound that packs a lot of bass without drowning instruments and vocals or sounding muddy and cluttered. They don't isolate as well as some of the more recent noise-canceling headphones but make up for it with a tough, durable build quality, a simple and efficient control scheme, and multiple codecs support that makes them suitable for watching movies and gaming. They're easily one of the most versatile over-ear headsets we've tested and one of the best headphones for music.
The Plantronics BackBeat Pro 2 are much better headphones overall when compared to the original Plantronics Backbeat Pro. The Pro 2 have a better design that's slightly more comfortable and has a sleeker look and feel. The Pro 2 also have better battery life, wireless range, noise cancellation performance, and sound quality. They pack a lot of bass but sound more balanced than the Pro. On the other hand, the original Backbeat Pro have a slightly better and more tactile control scheme. They also come with a better audio cable that has mic support for consoles and PC. The original Pro are also at a better value for your money than the Pro 2.
The Plantronics BackBeat Pro 2 Wireless 2016 are a better headset overall compared to the Bose QuietComfort 25/QC25 since they can be used wired and wireless. The Plantronics have a more versatile wireless design, so they have a greater range than the Bose and are a bit more practical for day-to-day casual use. The Plantronics also have a more exciting bass-heavy sound and a better battery performance than the Bose overall. The Bose, on the other hand, have a much better noise cancelation performance that makes them a better choice to use in loud, noisy environments. They also have a slightly better sound profile that's more balanced while still packing a fair bit of bass.
The Plantronics BackBeat Pro 2 Wireless 2016 are better wireless headphones than the Denon AHGC20 Wireless. The Plantronics have a better battery life, a longer wireless range, easier to use controls and a much better bass-heavy sound that does not drown vocals and instrumentals like the Denon. On the other hand, the Denon have a more premium build quality and a slightly more comfortable over-ear design that some may prefer over the Plantronics. The Denon also have much better noise cancelling performance, so they're a bit better suited for travel and noisy commutes.
The Plantronics BackBeat Pro 2 Wireless 2016 are a more feature-packed and a slightly better headset than the Bose SoundLink 2 Wireless since they're also noise cancelling. The Plantronics have a much better battery life and a much greater wireless range, which makes them suitable for pairing to fixed sources like a TV or a PC. They're also a bit more versatile since they support multiple codecs, and their ANC makes them a good option to use for your noisy commutes. On the other hand, the Bose have a more comfortable over-ear fit and a better-balanced sound that caters well to all genres and won't be as bass-heavy as the Plantronics.
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