The Plantronics BackBeat Fit is our favorite headphones to
run because of their durability, their comfort, ergonomics, simplicity of use
and audio quality. These headphones are light to wear and stable - just put
them on the head and off you go. A hook that passes around the ear and a fin
that fits inside allow keeping each earpiece in place. The over-the-ear is thin
enough that eyeglass wearers can run both with their BackBeat Fit headphones
and mount without any difficulty, and the fins are flexible enough to be
comfortable for most ears. Also you may visit this website as well to learn more about the best Bluetooth earbuds of all times.
The reflective coating of the solid rubberized hoop that
passes behind the neck enhances your safety - you'll be visible even during
your nocturnal getaways. Regarding the controls, the big button "play /
pause" and the button "call / answer" are easy to use even in
motion. The volume knob and the on / synchronize button are very small next to
the other two, but once you've put your finger on them, they're easy to use
without looking.
The BackBeat Fit is excellent in terms of resistance to
perspiration. All in all, I ran at least 600 km carrying them, under the
burning skies of Los Angeles, in rainy weather and for long endurance races
over the last two years, and they remained as effective as on the first day of
our tests. Although they are light, they are very sturdy. If you ever
experience a problem, Plantronics offers a one-year warranty in the United
States (but the warranty periods are sometimes different in other countries: it
is better to look at the mention on the packaging at the time of purchase.
Although BackBeat Fit theoretically has an 8-hour battery
life, the results may vary depending on the volume level and the number of
calls you make. You will easily know when to recharge, because an icon on your
mobile phone shows the battery level. You can also press the "on" button
of the BackBeat Fit to trigger a voice that tells you how many hours of
listening you have left. As for sound, this is one of the only open models that
our testers liked. Plantronics obviously took into account the open design to
set the sound of the BackBeat Fit. In our tests, no sound came bawling in our
ears or piercing them and the headphones even produced really audible bass, not
just harmonics. This is very rarely the case with headphones that let in the
outside noises. You will not be subjugated by very serious rhythmic notes, but
anyway, it is better to lower the volume a little so that the music does not
cover all the surrounding noises. The BackBeat Fit is perfectly designed to
allow you to listen to music, while letting the surrounding sounds pass,
allowing you to stay focused on your run safely.
Defects that is not
prohibitive
Overall, the BackBeat Fit is fantastic, but we still have
some small reserves. Sometimes the thick rubberized hoop that connects the two
headphones rubs against the T-shirt. But we never had the impression that he
was pulling backwards, or that the headphones were in danger of falling.
However, if you run with a scarf in cold weather or wear a jacket with a
stand-up collar, it may bother you more often.
On the other hand, in general, in-ear headphones that are
open tend to have a slightly lower sound quality, especially in the low
frequencies, and these headphones are no exception to the rule. While the
BackBeat Fit offers more bass than most other open headphones, none of the
models in this test group can compete with closed headphones in terms of bass
production.
The ear piece that holds each earpiece is relatively
flexible, but could be a problem for people with very large ears. None of the
testers had a problem, but if you have ears that stand out, it's better to have
it in mind before ordering.
