Plantronics BackBeat Go Review - Almost the Perfect Bluetooth Earbuds
by Brian Klug on August 27, 2012 6:00 PM EST- Posted in
- Smartphones
- Mobile
- Bluetooth
- plantronics
Five years ago I bought a pair of A2DP headsets, oddly enough alongside the purchase of a Dell XPS M1730. They were Dell BH200 stereo headests, essentially a rebrand of some Logitech models that were modern at the time. I used that in conjunction with a Dell Axim Pocket PC and later an HTC Apache to listen to streaming music while studying. Times have changed considerably since then, and both Moore’s law and further component miniaturization has made it possible to cram what used to require a bulky on-ear form factor into a pair of earbuds, and A2DP is likewise commonplace in any smartphone or PMP. I've long fantasized about a pair of earbuds with as little cable as possible, and right now the form factor of the BackBeat Go is basically as close as you can get to that reality.
The Plantronics BackBeat Go earbuds are good enough for casual listening, though discerning ears used to listening to higher end IEMs will detect a notably smaller sound stage and compressed dynamic range thanks to A2DP. On the whole however, the combo really is good enough to be passable when you have a good ear canal seal. The BackBeat Gos run around $76 at Amazon, which honestly isn’t bad for what you get. Since playing with this pair, I’ve become aware of a number of other players with the same form factor, for example Novero’s Rockaway or the Jaybird Freedom, all of which sit between $75 and $99.
My issue with the Dell BH200 headsets a long time ago was that wearing them was fatiguing and uncomfortable after a few hours. The BackBeat Go form factor is all around better, but unfortunately isn’t perfect, with the earbuds sometimes sliding out of my ear canals due to their large size and the lack of stiffer rubber. In addition, lack of multi-host pairing makes hopping between the notebook and smartphone as an A2DP source somewhat annoying.
The BackBeat Gos are tantalizingly close to being the sort of ideal Bluetooth earbud stereo platform that I’ve been dreaming of all these years, but aren’t quite there yet. That doesn’t mean they’re not enjoyable, but could benefit from maybe one more iteration.
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OCedHrt - Tuesday, August 28, 2012 - link
http://store.sony.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/Pr...That price is crazy though, but I think Sony is just gouging. I bought mine in Taiwan and it was about $60 retail (2000 TWD) with a hard case. I then lost it going through airport security and found myself another one online (with a soft pouch) for about the same price. I'm partially convinced the one I got online is a fake though, because I remember my original one having multi-point but the new one does not support it. I have to re-discover/connect every time I switch devices.
Here it is for 1750 TWD (http://tw.page.bid.yahoo.com/tw/auction/b80318099;... yet they sell it for $100+ on Amazon.
ScottSoapbox - Monday, August 27, 2012 - link
Sony made these a few years ago (HBH-IS800). They were great until recently when their play time dropped to ~2 hrs from usage. Replaced them with the JF3 Freedom which I love even more for 3 reasons. 1) The JF3's are surprisingly light and comfortable. 2) Twice the play time. 3) Physical buttons on the earpiece are so much easier to use than ones dangling on the cord.Impulses - Monday, August 27, 2012 - link
I enjoy these kinds of off beat reviews at AT, even if it isn't their core subject matter, AT editors like Brian still put more effort intro this kinda short review than most tech sites could ever dream of.cc2096 - Monday, August 27, 2012 - link
I own these as well as a pair of Sennheiser MM400's. The Senn's have a much better audio quality, better battery life and are Multi-point compatible. But they are over the ear style phones and as such are big and bulky. I like the BackBeat Go's for just bumming around the house or working out. They are the perfect size and weight for that type of activity. If I really want good BT audio then it's the Senn's, but the BB GO are extremely good at what they do, even if it is a one pony show. Pro tip: Change out the stock tps for some Comply T/TS/TX-200's and you'll hear these in a whole new way.vexingv - Tuesday, August 28, 2012 - link
I have a pair of these BackBeat go earbuds and their formfactor is perfect. I bought both these and Jaybird Freedom earbuds to try out mainly for using at the gym while I exercise. The Jaybird Freedom buds are bulkier and they also use a proprietary charging port/cable while the BackBeat Go uses a regular microusb charger and are sleek. The BackBeat Go also fit me quite well. I promptly returned the Jaybird buds. However, as I am writing this post, I'm also getting ready to pack the BackBeat GO and return them as they have stopped working. The buds no longer power on and I suspect that the sweat from gym use may have effected the wiring/circuitry. I may go back to a bluetooth 3.5mm adapter (my previous one also stopped working) or look at the Novero model.TechnoButt - Tuesday, August 28, 2012 - link
Has anyone tried replacing the foam to something that might seal better? I got a pair of Shure SL4C on the $80 deal a few years back, and have since ordered replacement 'large' memory foam ear pieces after one of mine 'broke' (ie, the foam separated from the harder cylinder in the center).Since I got 10 of them in the package, I've gone to putting these on compatible headphones and it's amazing what a simple change of the ear pieces has accomplished for various cheaper headsets, especially for sound clarity and low end response.
My Shure set lives on my PC with a quality USB/DAC for gaming, since they are the best I have. But daily I use a set of Klipsch Promedia In-Ear (with the foam pieces purchased for my Shure set), and it takes a really good source to tell the difference (for me):
http://www.klipsch.com/promedia-in-ear
I'd love to know how these sound with similar pieces for a great seal (and also if they'd stay in place better with such a good tight seal).
CrAkD - Saturday, September 8, 2012 - link
How loud do these get? I like my music loud I got a pair of Novero Rockaways and like them other then the fact they just arent loud enough so now they are collecting dust. Ive been looking at the gos but I need to make sure they get loud enough before I drop more $.devildoc10 - Saturday, April 20, 2013 - link
I am very disappointed in the earbuds. Iv only had these buds for only three months and they have already crapped out on me. I can't seem to recharge the battery even thiugh the light indicator is on. The on/off tone sound to simular so when I want to use the earbuds the battery has already been drained. I want to point out that the volume is not very loud for the the price I paid. I highly reccomend not to waste your mney on this brand of earbuds. This brand is not worth the money you will pay.Sign
Verry dissapointed
Glerm - Monday, June 10, 2013 - link
I know theese can only pair with one device at a time. Problem for me is when i did a factory reset on my phone i can no longer pair with the headset and i havent found anyway to reset the pairing so i can reconnect them to another device! Ive been reading the manual and looked around here on the internet for hours with no luck! Anyone here that have figured out hot to a pairing reset on them?abhishekpurbey - Monday, August 5, 2013 - link
Hi ,I just bought plantronics backbeat go . I am not able to add my headset with my laptop. I tried unpair
the headset with mobile but still my laptop bluetooth is not able to find it but at the same time I am able to add this device to other mobile and other headset to my laptop.
Please help in how to add the headset in windows 7 .
Thanks in advance!!