Plantronics BackBeat FIT review: Hassle-free Bluetooth headset with some shortcomings

For anyone who runs with their phones or MP3 players tied around the arm, the cords of the earphones can be annoying to manage. There are wireless headsets, but the regular ones are not meant to tackle perspiration. We then come to a special category of headsets, the ones which come with a sweat-proof material. Plantronics, a renowned name in the Bluetooth headset segment, has come out with the BackBeat FIT. It is targeted at active usage and is meant to be used while you are performing physical activities such as running or working out in the gym.

Build and Design

BackBeat FIT comes in a dual-tone colour scheme: fluorescent blue and black (Electric Blue) or fluorescent green and black (Lime Burst). As you can see from the image above, it has a single flexible flattened stem connecting the two ear-pieces. It uses the P2i coating, a liquid-repellant coating, which helps keep issues such as sweat collection or moisture at bay. On closer observation you will notice a shiny material being used in the coating. So if you are the kinds who likes a good evening run outdoors, the shiny material on the headset ensures that it is visible in dark when direct light falls on it.

The speakers on the ear-tips have a closing membrane which tends to tunnel the sound in the ear. Unlike the in-ear earphones, the BackBeat FIT’s ear-tips do not completely plug your ears, leaving some room for ambient noise to get in. This is particularly important as while outdoors, you want to be aware of the ambient noise when you’re running or biking. The eartips have a tiny semi-circular rubber projection to provide support. Once placed in the ears, the eartips hold up the entire headset.

The neck band does not rest on the neck per se, but the ear-tips remain steady once placed in the ears irrespective of the movement of the neckband. The band around the ears which connects the neckband to the eartips is comparatively sturdier than the neckband, in the sense that it does not flex as much, but it too does not rest on your ears. Thanks to the light weight of the ear tips, you do not really feel their weight and can carry on for hours listening to your music.

Features

Considering this is a Bluetooth headset with calling functionality, it comes with a call accept button on the right hand ear piece. Just around the button you have a small projection which acts as the power button. Long-pressing the power button will activate the voice control on your smartphone. You can tap on the power button once and you will get a voice command giving you the battery level.

On the left hand side you have the play/pause button along with volume controller which is represented in the form of a tiny projection which needs to be pressed to increase the volume. On holding it continuously, you can decrease the volume level. On double tapping the play/pause button, you can skip to the next track. Similarly when you hold on to the play/pause button, you can replay the current track or go to a previous track.

Other than the buttons, there’s nothing much to talk about on the BackBeat FIT. Charging is done via a microUSB charging port which is present just under the call button. It comes with a brightly coloured arm band in which you can place your mobile device while you’re running or store the BackBeat FIT when not in use.

Performance

One of the most important things when it comes to active Bluetooth headsets, is the comfort level. While those used to the complete plugging of the ears offered by in-ear headphones will find the construction of the eartips on the BackBeat FIT a bit lacking. We feel it is needed, as you will be using the FIT when working out or outdoors while running or biking and you need to have audible ambient noise specially on the road. Once connected to the phone, there was hardly any instance when we randomly lost connection with the phone.

Having said that, we felt that plugging in and removing the headset can be quite a task at times. It will take some time getting used to the design and being able to quickly wear and remove the BackBeat FIT. We would have loved to see it come bundled with multiple ear tips as not all ears are the same size. But once plugged in, you will not feel any fatigue, despite the fact that everything rests on the ear tips and there is no other support provided by the neckband or the over-the-ear band.

Call quality on the BackBeat FIT is good and the microphone is sensitive, but this is true only while testing it in indoor environments. When outdoors, things get bad. The ambient noise overwhelms your own voice and the person at the other end is barely able to make out what is being spoken. Considering this is being targeted as an active Bluetooth headset, that is a really bad sign. This is especially true if you are an outdoor cyclist or runner using this headset to answer calls while performing your activity.

Music output is decent on the BackBeat FIT. It is the most responsive in the mid-frequency region. The bass output is not that great and when outdoors, it gets worse. Vocals are clear and there was a decent amount of sound separation when listening to Eminem, Porcupine Tree, Pink Floyd and also electronic music from the likes of Daft Punk sounded great. The volume level output differs from handset to handset. In our testing we noticed that the Backbeat FIT sounded louder when we used the higher end Sony Xperia Z2 than it did on the lower-end XOLO Q700. While traveling in the Mumbai locals, the ambient noise does tend to overshadow the Bluetooth audio at times, despite having the volume on the Backbeat FIT at maximum level. While running outdoors, we did not notice that much of an issue with ambient noise while listening to music, unless there was some honking in the traffic. On the whole, the headset performed decently well if you just want a good companion to hear your music on your morning/evening run or while working out.

The range of the BackBeat FIT is like any other Bluetooth headset. Line of sight signal is strong for around 20 - 25 feet and we were also able to hear beyond a wall at a distance of 10 feet.

Battery life when listening to music easily crosses 6-7 hours. The talk time is rated for around 6 hours. This is good enough to last you through a day, or two if you just use it while working out.  Charging it completely takes a couple of hours.

Verdict and Price in India

Plantronics BackBeat FIT offers a good feature set in a lovely looking package. For outdoor runners, cyclists and gym freaks, the BackBeat FIT could be a great companion due to the wireless component. Thanks to its light weight, you will not feel any kind of fatigue after prolonged usage. The major drawback is the poor call quality when outdoors. The microphone sensitivity is good only for indoor use and outdoors it tends to capture a lot of wind noise, traffic noise and so on.

Keeping this in mind, the Rs 7,490 price point definitely appears bloated. We were expecting better outdoor call quality as this is one product which is meant to be used outdoors. Another headset you can check out around the Rs 7,000 price point is the Jabra Rox Wireless headset , which comes with an interesting design and a choice of multiple ear tips.