Plantronics has easily become one of my favorite companies for damn-near all-things-audio. Their latest release which was revealed earlier today: the BackBeat Pro 2. With the original BackBeat Pros, you had tons of amazing features that started here and made its way to the Sense and now the sequel.
So, this time, around, Plantronics decided not to mess up a good thing but made sure to address some of the things that their customers wanted to improve. So more of the focus is more ergonomics but still beef up the audio quality a bit as well. After spending some time w/ it, we're ready to tell you why you need to buy it (spoiler).
Design/Comfort
When you first gaze your eyes on the Pro 2s, you see a different look - specifically around the actual cans. The cans on the original ones were comfortable and sounded great but were pretty massive. The sequel is now 35% smaller and 15% lighter in weight. They still rotate to rest comfortably around your neck.
The leather headband is still comfy as that part didn't really change much. But the earcup design went from circles to an oblong shape to better fit more ears. During my time wearing them, they were definitely comfortable for long periods of time (like 7-10 hours at a time) as well as w/ wearing glasses.
Sound
The new cans are armed w/ 40mm dynamic drivers, aptX low-latency audio codec, Active Noise Cancelling, the 100-meter range of Bluetooth 4.0 Class 1, 24-hour battery life, Open Listening to hear everything around you w/o removing the headphones, 21 days of standby, and 6 months of DeepSleep hibernation.
Plantronics have armed it w/ a pair of 40mm drivers to pump out the sound. The overall sound has vastly improved this time around. You get even more clarity w/ voices when listening to videos/podcasts. Even more bass this time around when enjoying music than previously. Giving you that thump many of you seek in headphones while retaining a great balance of mids & highs. And lastly, the dual mic setup can better handle phone calls w/ noise reduction while rocking the Pro 2s.
Battery Life
Plantronics quotes the battery life on these cans for up to 24-hours of listening on a single charge. This is all made possible thanks to their power management technologies. They're still amazing w/ handling battery management as they can easily hit the mark of 24-hours. However, they were able to beef up their DeepSleep hibernation by adding just over 2 more days of power (6 months in total) in case you leave it on. So this won't be another device you would have to worry about charging on the regular.
The new standard for Bluetooth headphones.
TG 2 Cents
Plantronics made a good thing even better, bassier, lighter, and cheaper. The Pro 2s are everything you loved about the original like the 24-hour battery life and Smart Sensors while improving on the design + sound. For $199, you getting a great deal of value - ideal for those looking to cut the cord. The BackBeat Pro 2s are the ideal Bluetooth headphones for all. In this case, the sequel is better than the original.
