Excellent headphones when good quality sound with low latency wireless are required
I bought the Plantronics BackBeat Pro 2 Bluetooth headphones for practicing piano.
I use the piano as a MIDI keyboard, mapping the keys with high-quality Grand piano sound samples.
For this use, the BackBeat Pro 2 headphones are an excellent solution.
They provide a very low latency, thanks to the Aptx LL codec. Their latency is about 40ms, while other codecs like the standard SBC or aptX HD are in the 200ms range. At 200ms the music is out of synchro with the fingers, it seems echoed.
Futhermore the BackBeat Pro 2 sound is of very good quality, with enough resolution (crispness) and dynamic. This was not the case with headphones I tested using another low latency codec, the FS (Fast Stream).
I was also looking for a neutral sound, with no "color". A common feature of headphones is the extra/deep/boosted bass. When playing music a flat response is preferable. I have tried headphones which are very good for watching TV, but their boosted bass and quite loud treble make the piano sounds like if it was in a tin can. On the contrary the Backbeat Pro response is as flat as expected, without sacrificing the piano bass.
Speaking of comfort they are light and are a good fit for a large head (7 1/4 hat).
The battery management is convenient. A voice advises us of the remaining power when switching on, the charging progress can be followed with 5 leds.
About the voice, language can be customized.
There are some caveats, though.
When turning on, the headphones don't reconnect automatically with the transmitters I tried, I always have to pair them again. It's fast but annoying.
AptX LL support seems inexistent on PC and smartphones. It has to be provided by an external transmitter, including some USB dongles.
Also Bluetooth interferes with other 2.4 Ghz devices in the household, like wifi, microwave ovens and RF wireless devices, including other headphones. Some crackling can be hard to avoid. These headphones are no exception, even if crackling is scarce.
At last I cannot comment on an important feature, the noise cancelling one, which I don't use enough.
In conclusion I decidedly recommend the BackBeat Pro 2 when a low latency response in wireless mode is required, like practicing music and watching TV. Gaming also requires low latency, but not being myself a gamer, I cannot be so affirmative to recommend their use for this.
Verified purchase: YesCondition: Pre-owned