Building on the award-winning BackBeat Pro, the new Plantronics BackBeat Pro 2 Bluetooth on-ear headset has been recently introduced to the public with a focus on the Active Noise Canceling (ANC) and on the long-lasting battery life.
The Santa Cruz, California-based manufacturer best known for its business-related audio products introduced the consumer-aimed Plantronics BackBeat Pro 2 together with the aptly-named BackBeat Pro 2 Special Edition, a limited edition which sports NFC and a hard case in addition to all the features of the standard one.
Bluetooth Class 1 enables the Plantronics BackBeat Pro 2 to reach Class 1-compatible devices up to 100m away; the multi-device connection on board allows the user to simultaneously connect up to two different devices (e.g. a smartphone and a Bluetooth-enabled DAP) to manage both multimedia and calls. The latter option is made possible thanks to a double microphone, whose function is to both record the user’s voice and to remove any ambient noise.
Plantronics claim the BackBeat Pro 2 is 35% smaller and 15% lighter when compared to the previous generation headphones, together with better ergonomics and ear coverage which should allow for a better listening experience in crowded and/or noisy environments. The headphone can be folded so it takes less space and can be stored in bags or drawers.
The battery is rated at 24 hours of uninterrupted use. Once the juice is out, though, one can keep listening thanks to the 3.5mm jack – provided you do not own an “innovative” jack-less iPhone 7, that is.
Plantronics BackBeat Pro 2 is aimed at the medium range and has a 249.99€/249.99$ price. The BackBeat Pro 2 Special Edition will set you back 279.99€/279.99$. The headphones should already be available for purchase, even though I found no clue of their presence in online stores at this post’s writing time; you can take a look at Plantronic’s website to look for a dealer in your region.
If Plantronics is able to match or even exceed the sound quality of the Plantronics Voyager Focus UC, which I tested last year and fell in love with, then the results will be truly impressive.
