Review: Plantronics BackBeat Fit Headphones

It seems that every year I look for better headphones for running. The last 4 or 5 years, all the headphones that I’ved used have been wireless, but something either happens to the headphones or there is something that I don’t like about them. This summer was no different than past summers in that I wasn’t satisfied with the headphones I had. My previous pair were the Plantronics BackBeat Go. They performed adequately, but I was never able to keep them in my ears and spent time on my runs adjusting them. Sometimes they stayed in and required little adjustment, but most of the time, they just kept falling out. I initially liked them and was able to have them properly positioned, but that might have just been a fluke. I had bought them at Costco so that I could try them out and if I didn’t like them, they’d go back. However, they worked OK and I ended up keeping them for about a year.

Flipping through the Costco magazine recently, I saw that they were selling the Plantronics BackBeat Fit with a $20 discount. Like last year, I decided to give them a try. With Costco’s generous return policy, I had nothing to lose. (I used to hate going to Costco, but now I go on an almost weekly basis.)

Like most Bluetooth headphones these days, pairing was pretty easy; granted not as easy to pair as Apple’s AirPods, but easy enough. I paired the headphones and the sound is decent. I’m not an audiophile and when I’m running, it almost doesn’t matter as long as they play. The controls on the side are fairly easy to work, but the volume up/down button (it is 1 button) is a little small. Skipping tracks requires a double tap of the button on the left ear. I would have rather that button just require a push and hold as I skip tracks fairly often when there is music I don’t want to hear.

One of the things I’ve noticed on the headphones is that there has been a firmware update for them; this is a first for me on running headphones. The one feature I noticed with the update is that when I goto the next track by double tapping the button is that a voice says “next track”. Also, when I power them on, a voice gives estimated play time which is great instead of just high, medium, or low battery charge.

The headphones fit well over my ears and don’t move when I run. They left small marks on my ears where they rested, but I barely noticed them. They were comfortable and I didn’t feel like I spent time futzing with them while running.

Pros

• Comfortable.
• Don’t move when running.
• Voice prompt for battery usage is useful.
• Decent play time.
• Can be paired to multiple devices.

Cons

• Volume button is a little small.
• Advancing tracks requires 2 taps which is sometimes hard to do while running.

Summary

Many times when I get something new like this, I write the review during the “honeymoon phase” and have very little critical to say about it. While that is true here as well, the design of these headphones is what will keep me using them. They are similar to a pair of Motorola headphones that I had a few years ago, but those had a stiff piece of plastic connecting the sides which dug into my head. I liked the design on those as they stayed in my ears. I’m quite hopeful that these live up to the hype.

At the discounted price I got at Costco (they were on sale), buying them was a no-brainer. At regular price, I can say without a doubt that they are better than the JayBirds I had before that I couldn’t get to stay in my ears. I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend these for anyone that wants wireless headphones for use when running or working out.