Customer Ratings & Reviews

There’s no doubt the personal audio market is massively saturated. Nearly one-third of the reviews I’ve posted on this site have been on audio products, and the majority of those are some sort of headphone or earbud. Saturated can be a good thing if you’re a consumer, as companies who are less popular sometimes release stellar products that can give you a great experience while saving you some money…then, the big players will offer discounts to retailers to try to compete, and those retailers pass on the savings to you (if you choose the more mainstream route). People have become comfortable with less mainstream products, too. Audiophiles love names like Sennheiser and Audio Technica, even though a few years ago you’d be hard-pressed to find a selection of either brand in any electronics retailer. That landscape has changed now, as the headphone space has exploded over the last couple years and more in-person buying options have been made available to the consumer. Headphones are probably my favorite thing to write about because I absolutely LOVE listening to music. And, I have all sorts of criteria for determining whether or not a particular set of headgear is “good” or “bad” in some subjective sense, but at the end of the day, if a set of headphones helps enhance your listening experience, it’s safe to call them a winner. Even still, to help inform the buyer, I’ll use my go-to “Rule of 3” to show how I think these Plantronics BackBeat FIT 505’s fit into my collection of listening gear. To me, the 3 ideal pairs of headphones/earbuds to have are as follows: * Basic earbud with inline mic - for everyday use, generally less expensive, comfortable to the point you forget about them, and usable in most places. * Studio headphones - for musical or cinematic (or both) adventures; they are your lounging headphones for when you want to zone out in your media. * Wireless - for the gym, yard work, housework, etc. Right off the bat, basic earbuds and studio headphones are out. They’re not earbuds, and the sound quality for the 505’s is really good, but not quite good enough for “studio” use (more on that later). Wireless is interesting because you can now have some decent earbuds that are wireless with built-in microphones and cover two categories at once. It’s a matter of personal preference, what fits your ears most comfortably (in-ear, on-ear or over-ear). The 505’s are on-ear style and are extremely lightweight at 155 grams—among the lightest on-ear headphones I’ve ever used. Lightweight headphones can be a double-edged sword, as sometimes the build quality is sub-par; this is not the case with the 505’s. They are thin but durable, entirely plastic with supple cushions and a soft crown pad; in spite of their weight, they are sturdy and flexible. The design along the outside of the band is a bit more expressive/noticeable than I prefer, but they are modern looking and comfortable enough to wear for longer listening sessions. From a physical design perspective, my only complaint is the range of fit is a bit limited, although this is pretty standard for on-ear headphones in my experience (I have a big head). On the outside of the cups, you’ll find a number of controls for interacting with your music. The left cup has dedicated forward, back and play/pause buttons, a volume rocker, and both a 3.5mm headphone and micro-USB jacks. The right cup has nothing on the back, but a combo power/bluetooth pair switch, as well as a dedicated phone answer/hangup button. Side note, the mesh pouch that they come with is nice, but a hard case would have been nicer. Now is a good time to remind you that these are made by Plantronics, who is really well known for phone headsets…you may have a Plantronics headset at work. I’ve used their headsets for years, and have almost always been pleased with the performance. The 505’s didn’t disappoint, although I wouldn’t buy them because they also can serve as a headset…a boom mic will almost always outperform a set of headphones that has some built-in microphones as an added feature. Call quality on the sending and receiving side was as expected for most headphones I’ve used recently: good, not great. It gets the job done, but it’s not the reason to buy these headphones. On to battery life. Plantronics quotes 18 hours of use, and I’ve been very pleased with the performance thus far, only having to charge them once since I opened them over a week ago. The 505’s also have a “deep sleep” feature that boasts long-time charge retention of up to 6 months while powered off; you’ll have to check back in with me after 6 months to see if it holds true, provided I can put them down and ignore them for that long. They also can be fully charged in 90 minutes, which is really great. And finally, sound quality. I’ll admit, with a small frame and lightweight construction, I was expecting to be underwhelmed by their sound output, but was presently surprised as soon as I started listening. With 40mm drivers and a sound profile that leans on the low end of the mids, these can put out enough bass to help drive a workout, or loading the dishwasher, or folding the laundry. And, these are some of the loudest wireless headphones I’ve ever used, although the mids and highs start to spread a bit at higher volumes. Ah, but the price. I’ve paid (or my employer has) a pretty penny in the past for some of Plantronics’ headsets. These headphones—a hundred bucks! They’ll probably go on sale, but I think they’re a steal at only $100 for all that you get—a solid build, lightweight, really good sound quality with emphasis on the lows. The only downside, MAYBE, is the form factor, but I’ll admit that these made me rethink about my general dislike for on-ear headphones; they are one of the most comfortable pairs of headphones I own of any form factor, and they sound great. Yes, they are called the BackBeat Fit headphones, and with a sweat-resistant design you’d expect to use them in the gym, but they make excellent all-around wireless headphones (with a wired option). I read one review on these that said, “I can’t find a single fault with these headphones,” and at the price point, I’d have to agree. There were a lot of surprises for me in these headphones, but all pleasant ones.

Love it at the gym - much better sound and more comfortable than ear buds.

My wife has the BOSE version of these headphones and they cost twice as much. I don't notice any difference. If you want a great quality headphone that holds it's own with high end headphones but at a fraction of the cost buy these NOW! I bought them @ $99 and thought that was a steal but now they're on sale for $59. That's CRAZY! I think I'll buy another pair for back-up at that price just in case.

It's good for the price, and its reassuring to know these are water/sweat proof. My only downsides are that they can get uncomfortable after wearing for half an hour and they need to be raised to maximum volume to drown out surrounding noises/music at the gym.

I cant use ear buds at all. They bother my ears and NEVER stay in. I wanted something that sounded good and would stay on my ears when I workout. These exceed my expectations! Nice bass and clear. They are sweat/water proof. I has bose ear buds before I purchased these and for the price difference these are totally worth it.

They are great and comfortable and great sound lightweight easy to carry

good sound, light weight, use in the gym. ears can sweet

Battery life is great, I go about two weeks between charges working out 4 or 5 times a week for about 45 minutes. The easy to use physical power switch is part of this, you can't accidentally leave them on as easily as software buttons.

I like hearing aids are very comfortable and hearing aids clear and they are perfect

Good overall sound. Well balance highs/lows. Lightweight and comfortable.

In the two years I've had it, it turned out to be a decent workout and travel companion. Its held up, with regular use. Never had issues with connectivity. Obviously showing signs of wear, but still holding up.

These are a decent set a headphones. They’re pretty comfortable. I’m not a fan of how they sit on your ears. And they could be Louder. But a nice set that you can find at or under $100.

Bought these to use a the gym because they are sweat resistant. Surprisingly good sound.

These sound half-way decent, but I expected better for the price. They don't get as loud as I would want, and they produce very little bass at all, even with equalization. I really wanted to like them, but ultimately I returned them.

Better sound options than under Armour project rock and more comfortable

Excellent and comfort headphones. Very good quality sound

I bought these for my daughter for the gym. She didn’t want to spend the $$ for a pair of reference headphones that she’d abuse in the gym. She listened to them and was pretty impressed with the sound quality for the price!

I us them to work out. They have a great sound and the battery last a long time

Comfortable, great sound. Really useful and long battery life.

Delivers great sound and charge lasts long. Can’t wait to use for tailgating.