Plantronics 207120-21 Backbeat Pro 2 Special Edition - Wireless Noise Canceling Headphones

I have a long commute to and from work every day via car, train, bus, and walking. I was looking for a set of headphones that would allow me to focus more on the music and podcast I'd be listening to while also saving my ears from being thrashed by being forced to max out the volume on my phone to get sufficient sound. Thus, I began my search with the following criteria:-The headphones needed to be Bluetooth as I have snapped a few headphone cables during my commute.-The headphones would need some sort of active, electronic noise cancellation.-They would need to have a good battery.-Comfort would need to be sufficient enough that wearing them for a long stretch of time (2+ hours) wouldn't be too uncomfortable.-The sound quality would need to be good, but at my target price range, I'd be willing to sacrifice some sound quality for convenience.-Price in the range of $150-$250.I originally planned to get the newly announced Sennheiser HD 4.50 headphones. They looked great and, being a fan of Sennheiser's sound quality, I figured it would be a no-brainer. Amazon (and most other outlets) had a very long delay for shipping (6 weeks!), so I was forced to look for an alternative. Naturally, I considered the Bose QuietComfort series, however, the price was just a bit more for the 35's than I was willing to pay (not to mention that I didn't really "need" top-shelf sound cancelling because the office I work in and the train are both pretty reasonable when it comes to noise level).After doing some searching, I came across a review for the Plantronics BackBeat Pro 2. Every professional review I could find gave this headphone a solid rating and every one of them scored the battery life, comfort, and features to be excellent. Eventually, I opted to buy the BackBeat Pro 2 Special Edition model at $249, and here are my thoughts so far:Battery life: It is amazing. It is easy to check the battery level both visually and audibly (if you pause any media playing on your headphones, then tap the right ear cup button, a voice will tell you what level your battery is at in the form of "high, medium, or low"). A charge lasts literally all week, and that is with a minimum of 4-6 hours of use a day (2 hours on commute alone). Also, there have been times that I have left them switch ON and forgot that I did, but they must have some sort of sleep mode because, the next day, they still had a high battery level!Comfort: The ear cups are a memory-foam type of padding and VERY comfortable. I have zero complaints about wearing these for a long period of time and even my wife, who is very picky about headphones, said they were very comfortable. I also hate when headphones feel too warm on my ears and these aren't bad at all.Sound quality: I've started to explore with great interest different kinds of headphones because I want to hear music the way it should be heard. You don't really notice how much sound information you're missing out on until you put on a good pair of headphones. I own a pair of Sennheiser HD 600's, Momentum 2's, and these BackBeat Pro's. I also drive them with a Mayflower Objective 2 headphone amplifier. I can confidently say that my HD 600's and Momentums beat the sound quality of the BackBeat Pro's, but that isn't a fair comparison at this price point! HD 600's are known to be, arguably, the best sounding headphones you can buy under $800-$1000, especially if driving them with an amp. While I prefer the sound of either of my Sennheiser headphones to the BackBeat Pro's, I can just as confidently say that the sound quality is solid. Whether it is a coffee shop or a public bus, the sound has good lows and highs with average mids. These headphones do have more bass than the HD 600's or Momentums, but I actually enjoy the extra kick because it isn't the same as my other headphones. Even if these are the only headphones you will use, the bass is not going to be overbearing or make your media sound bad.Features: This is where these really shine! Features galore, from a detachable headphone cable to an audible queue telling you what battery level you are at or what devices are connected, these headphones seem to cover everything. For example, if I am in the office listening to music and a co-worker wants to speak to me, I can just take my headphones and put them around my neck and they will automatically pause my media! I haven't tried videos, but I have tried web-based podcasts, Stitcher radio podcasts, Spotify, and local files. You can get this same functionality by simply taking one ear cup and moving it to the side of your ear! They will detect this and pause. There are FULL playback controls, you can pair them with two separate devices simultaneously, and they even swap your Bluetooth-connected phone calls right to your headphones as soon as you turn them on! Or, let's say that you have your headphones on while on a call, but you want to put the call on speaker phone: simply press the speaker icon on your phone and the BackBeat's will transfer the call audio back to the phone's speaker (and vice versa). There is a mute button on the headphones which, while not used as much, is very convenient. Lastly, the open-mic mode is a great feature for if you want to hear around you without taking your headphones off (great for commuting on public transportation as people think you cannot hear them).Noise cancellation: It isn't Bose, but it is good enough! The noise cancellation + sound being played through the headphones will drown out all but very loud noises. It isn't going to make your train ride completely silent, so if you are looking for headphones that will have the BEST noise cancelling available, you'll need to spend more money, plain and simple. These headphones tend to take lower sounding loud noises and tame them down to where they aren't a big deal. I actually like this as it is helpful for when I'm walking on the sidewalk in the city or a crosswalk. I WANT to be able to hear certain things, like cars.Overall, these headphones are fantastic. If I had to name some cons, they wouldn't be fair as the price point is on par. Better mids and better noise cancellation would be it! Everything else is great! Sure, having a more metal-based construction would be nice, but the build quality of these is already very good and they feel solid. If you are looking to get some headphones that are super expensive, but do everything well, these are them. You won't be disappointed. If you have questions, feel free to ask me!

I had the old Backbeat Pro headphones for a long time and have finally worn them out - I replaced the ear cushions 3 times and the headband cushion is taped up. They were durable, sounded great, and had EXCELLENT Bluetooth range, especially when paired with the BT600 USB adapter on my computer. Unfortunately, they finally stopped working reliably as they would, at random times, reboot or the master "wear" sensor tripped causing dropped calls and paused media. With the flat-out excellent experience I had with the original, I figured the Backbeat Pro 2 would be a worthy successor. I'm not exactly displeased with them but they don't really feel like they've improved a whole lot and, in some ways, may have taken a step or two backwards.This review will be primarily focused on comparing the original with this newer design.First, the good... The packaging was stunning - definitely felt like a luxury product. The box is sturdy and hinges open in a way that makes it feel like a proper presentation. Then there's the included hard case - a bonus I was going to look at getting 3rd party but wound up being included. I prefer the look of the grey Special Edition over the brown/tan of the non-SE unit. The battery life in the original already ran all day and, if what Plantronics claims is true, will be better in the new model. I haven't ever run them all the way down in the course of a single day (but I do charge them back up to 100% overnight). Lastly, they'll pair to any Bluetooth capable office headset adapter system - I still have my old Voyager Pro base and both the Backbeat Pro and Pro 2 paired perfectly.The neutral... The overall construction hasn't been improved as far as I can tell. It's almost all plastic but seems similar to the original design that has seen over 7 years of my admittedly harsh use. I'm expecting the fabric over the headband cushion to deteriorate in a similar way a few years into ownership, as well - it's a nice-feeling soft-touch coating on what is probably an inexpensive vinyl sheet. The controls have been shifted a bit and I don't think it's really an improvement over the original design, either. It's just... different. The noise cancelling isn't the best in the segment but is adequate for most office-use cases. They're not going to eliminate screaming kids or the sound of a jet engine. But, while music is playing, those exterior sounds are dulled to the point you likely won't notice them.The downsides... The ear cups on the new unit are a vertical oval shape while the original had full circular ear cups that provide more room for bigger ears and less overall contact with the ear. They formed a seal on the head around the ear. I'm worried the new model will cause physical fatigue earlier than the old model. After almost an entire day wearing them, my ears felt slightly "pinched" with the old model. I haven't had a chance to run the new model more than a half day so far but I'm already feeling a bit more pressure. It could be the old model "softened" over the years and I'm just feeling the contrast with a factory-fresh unit, overall. But the narrower ear cups certainly don't ease my mind. We'll see... And the sound has been tweaked a little. While the original model was a tad bass-heavy, the new model is moreso. Also, the highs are rolled off a bit sooner on the new model, as well.So the Backbeat Pro 2 is barely an iteration of the original design. It's not really better in any particular way. The original design wasn't perfect and neither is this successor. But they're solid and work great with the Plantonics ecosystem as well as any standard Bluetooth device.