Another year means another set of cans from Plantronics. I don't mean that in a sarcastic way either but in a good way. Last year, they gave us what I called the best $80 Bluetooth headphones w/ the BackBeat 505s. They offer great sound, battery life, & comfort in the form of on-ear cups. Plantronics wanted to step things up a bit w/ some new tricks for the cups they came out w/ this year.
Meet the BackBeat Go 600s: you can consider these the sequel to their amazing $80 headphones form last year w/ more features and a slightly different design to offer more. We've been using these for a little over a month and ready talk about its strengths, weaknesses, and should you pick these up? As well as do these beat the BackBeat 505s from last year?
The look of the BackBeat Go 600s is similar to that of 505s. The cups are obviously bigger going from on-ear to over-ear. These are equipped w/ memory foam earcups w/ sound isolation along w/ a memory foam headband. You still have the Play/Pause, Skip, Rewind buttons on the left earcup w/ access to virtual assistants like Google Assistant & Siri.
The over-the-ear cups on the Go 600s provide a form of noise isolation the way it completely covers your ears. After wearing for 8 hours or more, my ears can feel some fatigue when taking them off. But, I don't have the smallest ears around so it could be not made for someone w/ my ears. So be mindful that your level of comfort may vary.
Plantronics made sure to give the Go 600s the usual specs in regards to sound quality. It is armed w/ a pair of 40mm drivers w/ bass tube to cover standard levels & levels w/ the bass turned up. That is thanks to 2 EQ profiles of balanced & Bass Boost that you can switch at the press of a button. All of this w/ a 33ft Bluetooth range.
The EQ button gives the BackBeat Go 600s versatility many headphones don't offer or you would have to dig into the EQ of your music player to achieve.
The overall sound quality is well-balanced w/ superb clarity, good mids, and an ideal kick. Good enough to cover everything from podcasts to music to YouTube videos. When you hit the button for the Bass Boost, you get that thump you want for deeper bass lines and harder kicks w/ the tunes you enjoy. Covering everything you would want in sound quality.
And just like the 505s, the Go 600 gives you up to 18-hours on a single charge. And after using it for several weeks, that number doesn't reduce at all. It takes about 90 minutes to fully charge from being dead. However, you still have the 6 months Deep Sleep hibernation. I would love to see them introduce some quick charging moving forward for the next pair of cans.
Although they fit the most comfortable for myself for long periods of time, these are sublime & versatile headphones for a great price.
TG 2 Cents
So the BackBeat Go 600s has more strengths than weaknesses overall. Although I do prefer the fit of the 505s over these, I don't have the smallest of ears. The rounder over the ear cups doesn't work as great as their on-ear over an extended amount of time.
I think these are the perfect headphones for the price point of $100. At the current time, you can find them under $80 on Amazon. The offer great sound and all-day battery life in a nice portable package. For those of you who prefer an extra kick of bass, they got you covered w/ the Bass Boost option to hold you down.
