lows and highs. To help me understand the difference, he gave me the pair of V-Moda Crossfade M-100 that you saw in a
few of the photos above, and that's when I noticed it. By themselves, the Pro+ sound really good, but their sound profile is a
lot more dull compared to the M-100. The best way I could describe it is that music through the Pro+ sounded like it was
coming out of a nearby speaker, but through the M-100 it felt like the guitar and drums were playing live next to me: richer
and more vibrant. But take the V-Moda away for a few minutes and I go back to being impressed by the Pro+. The lesson
here is that if you are not picky about sound, you won't likely find any fault with this headset.
Active Noise Cancelation works well and both me and the audiophile friend appreciated it. It doesn't completely remove all
sounds, but it drowns them considerably, especially when there's music playing. Some Amazon reviewers are citing hissing
with ANC on, but neither of us noticed it. In terms of day to day use, I like staying slightly aware of my surroundings, so I
didn't use ANC extensively. But on a couple of occasions when I was trying to focus, I turned it on and completely forgot
everything around me. It did its job.
Verdict
I love the versatility of the Plantronics BackBeat Pro+. I can use them via Bluetooth or wired, pair them with NFC or with the
USB dongle, connect them to a computer and a phone simultaneously, turn on or off Active Noise Canceling, use the
OpenMic to listen to my surroundings without removing them, or rely on the smart sensor to pause and resume my music
when I take them off. Some of these options might sound like gimmicks to you, but they turn out to be very convenient in
daily use and they open up the Pro+ to more use scenarios.
The big question mark though is sound, and whether they're worth the admission price of $277 (MSRP $300). Let's look at it
from a couple of different angles.
If you're an audiophile, or if you can tell the difference between good and average sound without direct comparisons, walk
away slowly and silently. You won't find something to wow you here. You're better off with the V-Moda Crossfade Wireless at
$300.
If you're mostly interested in Active Noise Canceling, then it'll depend on whether or not you're willing to compromise on the
Bluetooth aspect. If you are, you might be better off with the wired Bose QuietComfort 25 for $299. They're also more
compact and come with an airline adapter which can be handy if you plan on frequently traveling with them. The BackBeat
Pro+, by comparison, are huge to truck around and are a little less efficient at noise canceling.
If you're not in either of these demographics and you're really swayed by all the features of the BackBeat Pro+, then you
won't be disappointed by them. Whether you want this headset to listen to music at work and drown out the office noise, or
to play endless hours of games without being disturbed, or to listen to music from your computer while also staying
connected to your phone, or for casual use around the home or office or while commuting, the Pro+ fills its end of the
promise well, and you'll love the sound if you're just an average listener like me.
But don't click on that Buy button just yet. See, like I said, the BackBeat Pro+ costs around $277 on Amazon, but the regular
BackBeat Pro is just $140 now (MSRP $250). The only notable difference is the Bluetooth USB adapter. You get the same
design (though completely black), smart sensor, NFC, battery life, ANC, multipoint technology, and so on, but you don't get
the small USB dongle. Is that worth almost doubling the price? No. Sure, it's more convenient and more reliable when
connecting to computers, but I'd rather pay half the price and get all of the rest of the features without it.
For $140, the BackBeat Pro is a lot more value for the money and this is where my recommendation lands today. If the
difference though becomes around $40-50, then I'd say go for the Pro+ because the dongle will take a lot of guesswork and
trouble out of connecting to any computer.
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