Since its release, the Plantronics BackBeat Pro 2 Special Edition Wireless Headphones Special far, have received a number of very positive reviews - improved design, long lasting battery, and improved noise cancellation performance are just some of the improvements made to the already excellent original BackBeat Pro series.
Design
First and foremost, lets talk about the design and the packaging of the Plantronics BackBeat Pro 2 Special Edition Wireless Headphones Bluetooth wireless headphones. The SE (Special Edition) comes in limited edition Graphite Grey. These headphones are noticeably slimmer and lighter than the original BackBeat Pro headphones and are an awesome upgrade, due to the fact that the originals were very bulky and kind of difficult to carry around from place to place. With this newer version, you can store your headphones in the case that comes with it. Unlike the standard edition which only comes with a storage bag, the SE version of the headphones comes with a silver hard case to fit your headphones.
The headphones are easy to carry around and you can easily just toss them into your backpack or handbag and then pull them out whenever you wish to use them. They are a reasonable size and will fit in almost any backpack and hand bag. The Plantronics BackBeat Pro 2 Special Edition Wireless Headphones are well padded with leather on all the important areas of the headphones. The ear cups and the headband are both padded with enough cushion so that the headphones sit on your head comfortably and will not make your ears and head hurt after long hours of use. I usually have the headphones on for extended hours at a time, especially if I am doing paper work, and I cannot say that I feel any discomfort at all. Ultimately, these are really great looking headphones with a really awesome looking zip up cloth carrying case, and are sure to impress any crowd.
Noise Cancellation & Sound Quality
The Plantronics BackBeat Pro 2 Special Edition Wireless Headphones do very well when it comes to cancelling out noise. The sound quality is decent, especially when you compare to some of the more expensive Bose models. The bass is well balanced with the highs and lows of the music you listen to (unless it is a bass heavy song). Podcast and phone calls are really crisp and clean with absolutely no static our outside noise interrupting the phone call or Podcast. However, you do have the option to allow the outside noise to be heard through the headphones with just a click of a button.
There is a button that controls the noise cancelling technology. You can either have it on, off, or leave it to Open Listening Mode. Simply put, what the Open Listening Mode does is it allows you the option still be able to be aware of your surroundings with the headphones still on by allowing ambient noise to flow through the headphones. We found it is actually a pretty handy feature to have in a set of headphones and we did find using the Open Listening Mode somewhat regularly during our review.
Usage
Firstly, the headphones contain a sensor that can tell whether your headphones are on your head or not; you can answer incoming phone calls by simply putting the headphones on your head and you are able to pause music by removing the headphones from your head. This is a feature that most other headphones do not have.
Secondly, the buttons are intuitive and easy to control. The left side of the headphones feature a button that controls noise cancellation, giving you the ability the toggle the noise cancellation feature on or off. Another option that the toggle offers is Open Listening Mode. This mode allows you to pick up certain sounds from the "real world" - despite the headphones being on. The right side of the headphones feature a big circular button that allows you to manually answer and end phone calls if you so desire. You will also find, the pair button (hold down this button for a few seconds in order to pair with another device) and the microphone muting button on this side of the headphones.
Connectivity
The Plantronics BackBeat Pro 2 Special Edition Wireless Headphones connects with almost any Bluetooth enabled device. In our review, it takes less than five seconds to connect to desired device and will successfully stay connected to that device until you decided to manually disconnect. The headphones will automatically connect to a Bluetooth device that the headphones have previously connected to (also in under five seconds) if that device is available.
Battery Life
The battery life of the Plantronics BackBeat Pro 2 Special Edition Wireless Headphones is excellent. They are designed to last 24 hours on a single charge, a single charge; which is a lot longer lasting battery life than most Bluetooth headphones. Prior to using the headphones, we recommend charging them for about a couple of hours. However, like I had mentioned before, the headphones will last a whole 24 hours of non stop use on (or most chargeable electronics for that matter). You also have the option of using the headphone wire that will plug into a headphone jack. This works whether the headphones are fully charged or not.
On the right side of the headphones you can find an LED battery level indicator that informs you how low or high the remaining battery levels are on the headphones. The LED battery level indicator will also inform you how much longer you have to charge the headphones and when the headphones are fully charged and ready to use. If the LED light is red, the headphones need to be charged or are in the process of charging. Once the LED light turns blue, the headphones have an acceptable amount of battery life left or the headphones are fully charged and ready to use. The fact these wireless headphones can last for a full day of use on a single charge is pretty amazing.
Overall Verdict
Our overall opinion on the Plantronics BackBeat Pro 2 Special Edition Wireless Headphones is excellent. From a value perspective, we’re giving it a of 5 out of 5. We did not run into any problems during our review. If you already own the original BackBeat Pro, this is definitely worth an upgrade. The improvements and features you get with the Plantronics BackBeat Pro 2 Special Edition is worth it. The sound quality is of these headphones are pretty decent and the noise cancelling technology gives other brands like Bose, who are well known for their noise cancelling headphones, a run for their money. In conclusion, we highly recommend Plantronics BackBeat Pro 2 Special Edition Wireless Headphones to those who are looking for a pair of great sounding, noise cancelling, wireless headphones that’s packed with features and accessories at a relatively affordable price.
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