Great headphones, amazing price

I’m a working mom.  If you’re unfamiliar with the species, I won’t bore you with a detailed list of how busy that makes me, but I’ll bet you can imagine it just the same.  Peacefully immersing myself in music is a luxury.  So when I do have the chance, I want it to count.  But being a working mom also means I’m on a budget, and so have to be careful what that indulgence costs. Enter the upstart BackBeat 500.  In a word, “wow.”

The 500 is a lower-priced Bluetooth headset that rivals the quality of high-end models.  At $79.99, you won’t find wireless headphones at a better price with better sound (note:  there is an included wire to give you the option of connecting via a 3.5mm jack).

According to NPD Group, in the first half of 2016 the overall headphone category saw a 7% growth rate in year-over-year sales, while cordless headset sales grew by 42% in the same time period.  With Apple leading the way for the cell phone industry to eliminate headphone jacks, and the advances in listening technology, sales of Bluetooth headsets are going to continue to increase, in spite of the availability of improved features at lower price points.  In my book, wireless is always more comfortable and convenient – as a woman, I rarely have pockets, and if putting my phone down means a wire, that's going to seriously limit me getting my groove on.

Here’s what you get with a BackBeat 500:

Great ergonomics - with intuitive controls and big buttons that are easy to find and easy to use.  On the right ear cup, you have an on/off/pairing switch, along with a button for answering calls, re-dialing (cool double-click feature), and connecting with your phone’s digital assistant.  On the left ear cup, there is a play/pause, skip, repeat button and a volume toggle, as well as the ports for charging and wired connection.  The headband is solidly adjustable, so both someone with a  big bobble head (name withheld to protect the innocent), and myself with my puny pinhead, can wear them comfortably.

Remarkable comfort - I wear glasses, and all headphones hurt eventually, pressing the arm of my glasses against my ear.  At less than six ounces, I can comfortably wear this lightweight set far longer than any others I’ve tried. 

Sound quality – this where I feel like I’m spoiling myself.  With these headphones, I can really hear the fine nuances of the music.  I’ve read some reviews that knocked the quality of the bass, but in my own testing, I found the bass to be completely satisfying, rich and clear. Even without an active noise cancelling feature, the soft, leatherette-covered memory foam ear cups muffled surrounding sounds to the point that I was able to lose myself completely in my music.  The 500 also doesn’t include sensors that pause and resume music when you take it off and put it on.  These technologies would raise the cost of the headset, and while they are pretty nifty features, I’m comfortable trading them in for a lower price.

There are plenty of higher-end, more feature-packed devices available if you want only the best and are ready to pay for it.  But for the money, the Plantronics BackBeat 500 is an entry-level headset that delivers far beyond what you pay for it.