The Plantronics BackBeat 500 headphones provide excellent wireless audio performance for a very low price. They are also easy to wear and have a sleek design, making them the perfect choice for anyone looking for an affordable Bluetooth headphone.

Plantronics BackBeat 500 review: Design

The Plantronics BackBeat Series 500 headphones are designed with a younger audience in mind. The bright orange accents on the white version make them quite noticeable, but the headphones are also available in more subdued light grey with silver accents and dark grey with yellow-green accents. When we questioned Plantronics about the design, they revealed that the BackBeat 500 Series was aimed at a younger demographic and drew inspiration from their selection of gaming headsets. ..

The BackBeat 500 Series headphones are designed for a younger demographic and draw inspiration from their selection of gaming headphones. The power and Bluetooth pairing sliders, the microphone, and the call answer/decline button are all located on the left earcup. Playback and volume controls, a microUSB charging port, and a 3.5mm wired headphone jack are all located on the left earcup.

The Plantronics BackBeat 500 Series are comfortable to wear on the head for brief durations, but we discovered that after prolonged listening sessions, they put a lot of pressure on our ears. In comparison to other on-ear headphones, the Noontec’s earcup padding is hard foam, which is less comfortable and less effective at blocking out noise. ..

Comfort

The BackBeat 500 earphones are comfortable to wear and have a long battery life. They can play music or take calls for up to 18 hours on a single charge.

Plantronics BackBeat 500 review: Connectivity

The Plantronics BackBeat 500 is a Bluetooth headphone that pairs quickly and rarely has connections broken. The ability to pair with many devices at once has lessened in value and increased in necessity as headphone jacks disappear from more and more gadgets. The standard Bluetooth range used by Plantronics is up to 10 metres. However, as we got closer to the seven-meter mark, drops and crackles became more common. A backup cable is provided by Plantronics in case the battery runs out. ..

Plantronics BackBeat 500 review: Audio performance

We were pleasantly impressed when the sound began to stream through the BackBeat’s ear cups after some time spent fumbling with the strange power button and finally pairing the headphones. We weren’t expecting much from the speakers because of their unappealing aesthetic or the overly complicated power/Bluetooth management, but it might have been either. We were therefore taken aback when the balancing, if slightly bassy, tones of the La La Land score eventually came through.

The Beats Solo 3 has a slightly louder bass than the Beats Solo Wireless, but it’s not as pronounced as with the Beats Solo2. When listening to Justin Hurwitz’s big band jazz score, the sound seemed well-balanced. Hip-hop, however, lacked treble tones when we shifted to it. Mids, which were less noticeable when listening to jazz, also seemed to be an issue for the duo. There was a noticeable lack of higher-frequency prowess on Kendrick Lamar’s most recent album, which isn’t a huge problem and could be fixed with some software EQing. ..

The BackBeat is a great headphone for people who like to produce hip-hop music, but it’s not the best for reproducing rap albums.

Despite this, we felt that the BackBeat 500s can produce a surprisingly lively sound in general. The game you’re playing will determine everything. Although we’d be tempted to spend a little more money to get a clearer treble response and a more dependable overall audio signature, the audio is adequate for the price. Here, the £130 Marshall MID Bluetooth or even Plantronic’s own BackBeat PROs come to mind. ..

Plantronics BackBeat 500 review: Call performance

The BackBeat 500’s operating range is 33 feet. Before the signal started to fade, we were able to go 42 feet away from the source. Given that Plantronics is most known for manufacturing communication-related headphones and headsets, you would anticipate that the BackBeat 500 would perform particularly well during phone calls. And you are correct. These headphones more than meet those demands. The BackBeat 500 is excellent for talking on the phone because of its excellent sound quality on both ends of a call.

Plantronics BackBeat 500 review: Battery and charging

The BackBeat 500 headphones claim to have a talk and listening time of 18 hours. We conducted the battery test with the headphones always placed 2 feet away from the source and the level set to 50%. The test showed that even with the headphones placed 2 feet away from the source, they were still able to last for 18 hours and 41 minutes.

We tested the Plantronics BackBeat 500 headphones to see if they would help keep your battery charge for up to six months.

Price and availability

Conclusion

The Plantronics BackBeat 500 has flaws, but they’re not worth changing your opinion on. These headphones are a great option for customers who only need Bluetooth headphones for brief periods, like a quick train ride. However, keep looking if you want to watch movies with these. For about the same price, we’d suggest the Audio Technica ATH-M40X or the Photive BTH3 ANC headphones.