Plantronics Backbeat Pro 2
BACKBEAT’S BACK, ALL RIGHT!
ORIGINALLY RELEASED IN 2015, the Frankenstein’s Monster that was the first BackBeat Pro set of cans has had some heavy plastic surgery and transformed from headphones that abided by the ‘function over form’ mantra into something a little easier on the eye. And all without sacrificing any of the expansive features.
Overall build-quality is still first-class, there’s luxurious soft bits on all the spots you’d want and/or expect, and the plastic bits have been cleverly textured — or wood-grain finished, as in the case of the side panels, to somewhat disguise their plastickyness. The result is that they look quite smart with the light bouncing off all the edges and grooves. While they undeniably look good, the new shrinkified housing has compromised the comfort somewhat. There’s less cabin space on the inside, meaning those with anything but the smallest ears will find them pressing against the inside of the cans. While not a big deal for short-term usage, at the end of a full day, that can definitely cause some noticeable discomfort. This is alleviated a bit with each can’s ability to rotate, but they’re on a fairly tight joint and don’t automatically adjust.
Acoustically, bass reproduction doesn’t feel quite as full in the Pro 2 as their predecessors, and we get the feeling that it’s somewhat due to the reduced size and space around the ear.
These will happily pipe out whatever genre you’re into and make it sound great, and when you’re through listening to music, they’re just as happy to help you watch YouTube cat videos on another device. Which brings us to the Pro 2’s greatest feature — true multi-device connectivity thanks to the Class 1 Bluetooth. You can stay connected to your phone and laptop at the same time without needing to dig through settings to re-sync all the time. The battery life is also first-class, boasting up to 24 hours of listening time. Then there’s the active noise-cancelling, open listening mode and auto-pause smart sensors... OK, the Pro 2s are packed with some genuinely great stuff.