Very good wireless headphone performance typically becomes more affordable. If you have that kind of money, there are a lot of great options, such the Marshall Mid Bluetooth. Because there are significantly fewer options below $100, the Plantronics BackBeat 500 is all the more impressive. These $79.99 headphones provide audio performance on par with choices that cost two times as much while being easy to wear. Editor’s Choice for under-$100 Bluetooth on-ear headphones, even though they don’t have the sleek design or potent sub-bass of our more expensive picks.
Plantronics BackBeat 500 review: Design
The Plantronics BackBeat Series 500 has a metal earcup fork and an all-plastic body. When compared to the muted, classic styling of the Plantronics BackBeat Pro 2 headphone, it is clear that the BackBeat Series 500’s styling is geared toward a younger audience. The loud orange accents on the white version make it quite noticeable, but the headphones are also available in more subdued light grey with silver accents and dark grey with yellow-green accents. When we questioned Plantronics about the design, they revealed that the BackBeat 500 Series was aimed at a younger demographic and drew inspiration from their selection of gaming headsets. The vivid orange accents on the white version make it extremely noticeable, but the headphones are also available in more subdued light grey with silver accents and dark grey with yellow-green accents. When we questioned Plantronics about the design, they revealed that the BackBeat 500 Series was aimed at a younger demographic and drew inspiration from their selection of gaming headphones. Playback and volume controls, a microUSB charging port, and a 3.5mm wired headphone jack are all located on the left earcup. The power and Bluetooth pairing sliders, the microphone, and the call answer/decline button are all located on the left earcup. The headphones can be folded up like the Noontec Zoro II Wireless, which would have been wonderful to make the headphones even more portable when travelling, however just the earcups can be folded flat for simple transport. However, durability shouldn’t be a problem because the headphones may twist quite a bit. The Plantronics BackBeat 500 Series are comfortable to wear on the head for brief durations, but we discovered that after prolonged listening sessions, they put a lot of pressure on our ears. In comparison to other on-ear headphones, the Noontec’s earcup padding is hard foam, which is less comfortable and less effective at blocking out noise. Check out the Klipsch Reference On-Ear II, which are available in wired and wireless models if comfort is your top priority.
Comfort
The memory foam in the earcups of the headphones, which weigh just 5.6 ounces, makes them quite comfortable to wear. In spite of the fact that they are on-ear headphones, they don’t block out as much noise as over-ear models like the BackBeat PRO 2. However, you won’t feel any weight or pinching strain after extended listening sessions. Depending on your volume settings, Plantronics claims that the BackBeat 500 can play music or take calls for up to 18 hours on a single charge. If the headphones are left outside the range of a paired device, a Deep Sleep hibernation mode will keep the battery alive for up to six months. They can also be used without any power from batteries in passive, wired mode using the supplied cable. you can read our article on Plantronics BackBeat 500 review.
Plantronics BackBeat 500 review: Connectivity
The Plantronics BackBeat 500 pairs quickly thanks to Bluetooth 4.1 and MultiConnect. Rarely are connections broken, and none have ever completely stopped while being tested. The ability to pair with many devices at once has lessened in value and increased in necessity as headphone jacks disappear from more and more gadgets. The standard Bluetooth range used by Plantronics is up to 10 metres. However, as we got closer to the seven-meter mark, drops and crackles became more common. A backup cable is provided by Plantronics in case the battery runs out. The cable connects the headphones to the source device physically but lacks a microphone and remote.
Plantronics BackBeat 500 review: Audio performance
We were pleasantly impressed when the sound began to stream through the BackBeat’s ear cups after some time spent fumbling with the strange power button and finally pairing the headphones. We weren’t expecting much from the speakers because of their unappealing aesthetic or the overly complicated power/Bluetooth management, but it might have been either. We were therefore taken aback when the balancing, if slightly bassy, tones of the La La Land score eventually came through. There has been a slight bass boost here, but not as much as with the Beats Solo Wireless 3. When listening to Justin Hurwitz’s big band jazz score, the sound seemed to be well-balanced. Hip-hop, however, lacked treble tones when we shifted to it. Mids, which were less noticeable when listening to jazz, also seemed to be an issue for the duo. There was a noticeable lack of higher-frequency prowess on Kendrick Lamar’s most recent album, which isn’t a huge problem and could be fixed with some software EQing. We chose one of this year’s most expertly blended releases, Jonwayne’s “Rap Album 2,” to test the BackBeats because we were perplexed by the apparent inconsistency between genres. Rap Album 2 by engineer Kevin “Daddy Kev” Marques Moo, a master of mixing, is the ideal album to test the BackBeats’ bass-heavy hip-hop production powers. Unfortunately, the headphones had trouble reproducing the album’s finer details, and the BackBeat’s shortcomings became immediately apparent as soon as the first breakbeat began to play. Nevertheless, we felt that the BackBeat 500s can produce a surprisingly lively sound in general. The game you’re playing will determine everything. Although we’d be tempted to spend a little more money to get a clearer treble response and a more dependable overall audio signature, the audio is adequate for the price. Here, the £130 Marshall MID Bluetooth or even Plantronic’s own BackBeat PROs come to mind.
Plantronics BackBeat 500 review: Call performance
The BackBeat 500’s operating range, according to Plantronics, is 33 feet. Before the signal started to fade, we were able to go 42 feet away from the source. Given that Plantronics is most known for manufacturing communication-related headphones and headsets, you would anticipate that the BackBeat 500 would perform particularly well during phone calls. And you are correct. These headphones more than meet those demands. The BackBeat 500 is excellent for talking on the phone because of the excellent sound quality on both ends of a call.
Plantronics BackBeat 500 review: Battery and charging
The BackBeat 500 must have some incredible batteries because it claims to have a talk and listening time of 18 hours. We conducted the battery test with the headphones always placed 2 feet away from the source and the level set to 50%. Before the headphones’ battery ran out, we were able to use them for 18 hours and 41 minutes. Naturally, depending on the intensity and distance from the source, your results may differ. Plantronics’ DeepSleep hibernation technology is also included in the BackBeat 500. When the headphones are turned on or left off and out of range, this is said to help keep battery charge for up to six months. Given that we’ve only had the headphones for a short while, we didn’t test this.
Price and availability
Conclusion
Of course, the Plantronics BackBeat 500 has flaws. For us? We don’t anticipate changing our opinion on aesthetics anytime soon from criticism to admiration. But these are a great option at a reasonable price for customers who only need a set of Bluetooth headphones for brief periods, like a quick train ride. Having said that, keep looking if you want to watch movies with these. For about the same price, we’d suggest the Audio Technica ATH-M40X or the Photive BTH3 ANC headphones.
