PROS
- Comfortable over-ear design
- Easy-to-use and intuitive controls
- Automatically pauses when removed
- Good audio quality
- Good battery life
- Controllable noise-canceling
- Reasonable price
CONS
TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS:
- Battery life: 14 hours at maximum volume with noise-cancelling on
The Plantronics BlackBeat PRO 2 wireless headphones have innovative features that are still easy to control. The volume controls are built into a dial on the left earpiece, and you can turn the active noise-canceling on and off with the flick of a switch. We were impressed with the smart sensors, which automatically pause your music when you take them off, then start it again when you put them back on. These headphones use something called, "Open Listening" technology, which lets you quickly turn down your music if you need to hear your surroundings, which is great if you're walking on the street or exercising outdoors. They look stylish, but we wish they would fold down slightly smaller so you could store them. We were pleasantly surprised by the price — you'll be hard-pressed to find another feature-packed pair of active noise-canceling headphones for under $200.
Available late October.
How We Tested: Engineers in our Consumer Electronics and Engineering Lab evaluated wireless over-ear headphones based on ease of use and performance. First, we set up each pair of headphones and played a variety of music genres to test the controls and sound quality. We also measured the weight and size of the headphones to score portability, and tested the battery life when played at maximum volume. We invited consumer testers into the lab to survey comfort and controls.