Plantronics BackBeat FIT 6100 review

Workout headphones are a tough sell: They're bulkier and less comfortable than their in-ear counterparts. However, the Plantronics BackBeat FIT 6100 is a game changer; this headset is IPX5 water resistant, has excellent battery life and features a clamp force adjustment mechanism for your most rigorous workouts. For just under $100, these are some of the best over-ear headphones athletes can get.

Editor's note: This Plantronics BackBeat FIT 6100 review was updated on March 22, 2021, to include a content menu and sounding microphone.

Who should buy the Plantronics BackBeat FIT 6100?

The headphones' low-profile design makes them a versatile pair for daytime and gym listening.

Athletes

who prefer an adjustment

on the ear

will love the Plantronics BackBeat FIT 6100. These are durable and versatile workout headphones that represent excellent value for money. Battery life is great and fast charging is supported which is great if you get to the

gym

and the battery is dead.

Everyone

can use these workout headphones, as long as you don't mind the bass-rich sound signature.

Using the Plantronics BackBeat FIT 6100

Poly's Plantronics BackBeat FIT 6100 are some of my favorite workout headphones to date: they're thin, light, water-resistant, and comfortable. Not only do the headphones have all the

exercise necessities

, but it's pretty obvious that Plantronics paid attention to the little things when making this headset.

A stretchy cord can be moved from the edge of the headband to a pin above for a more secure fit.

Unlike other over-ear workout headphones that place a painful vise over your head, Plantronics Headphones use a new headband adjustment mechanism that temporarily tightens the fit when you need it. Once you are done exercising, you can release the tension cord and reattach it to its original position for a more comfortable fit.

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On the inner side of the headband is a hexagonal quilted pattern; this helps the helmet cling to the head without relying on hair-pulling rubberized material. Again, it's a minor difference, but the cushioned pattern is gentler on the skin or scalp, reducing the risk of hot spots or general discomfort.

The oval shapes of the earcups naturally hug the oblong shape of the ear, and inside are angled drivers that deliver sound directly into the ear canal for greater clarity and less resonance in the space between the speaker. speaker and the outer ear. The memory foam padding is awesome and even plays well with glasses.

How do you use the onboard commands?

Moving down to the earbuds: The right earbud is equipped with a Bluetooth/power and environment sensing mode toggle, which is a

essential

for outdoor enthusiasts. There is also a capacitive touch panel for accessible controls for playback, incoming calls and

access to the virtual assistant

. I much prefer the touch controls, assuming they're reliable, when exercising, as I often struggle to find integrated buttons halfway through. Unfortunately for this helmet, the right panel is not very precise and is far too sensitive for my taste. The music was often interrupted when I was just trying to adjust the length of the headband.

Do you need to download the Plantronics app?

Much like the Plantronics BackBeat Pro 5100, the Plantronics app isn't worth getting unless there's a firmware update.

To call the app useful, it's a stretch. Although it looks harsh, it is really not worth the space on your phone because there are few customization features provided apart from the three

EQ

presets. The company is trying to introduce fitness-focused features like a timer, stopwatch, or access to a playlist from

Spotify

Where

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, but it seems forced and redundant how you can do all this from your phone without an app.

It is however useful for firmware updates, but you can just stay tuned here as we will update this review if and when a relevant update is released.

How do you connect the Plantronics BackBeat FIT 6100?

You can connect the BackBeat FIT 6100 to two devices at the same time, and it can remember eight devices.

Powering on the headset for the first time initiates pairing mode, to establish a connection with your smartphone, enter the Bluetooth settings and select "PLT BBFIT6100." Like other products

Plantronics

, this headset supports

Multipoint Bluetooth

: You can simultaneously connect up to two devices to the BackBeat FIT 6100, and it can stay paired with eight devices for fast source switching. Plantronics provides a microUSB to 3.5mm cable for

wired listening

, if you're one of the lucky few whose phone retains the headphone jack. Whichever way you listen, the sound quality is surprisingly good, even with the emphatic bass response.

When you go wireless, you get a range of 20 meters from Bluetooth 5.0 cans.

AAFC

is the only supported high quality Bluetooth codec

, which means that we

android

users don't have the luxury of aptX streaming and instead are sent to SBC. That's good, because finding a

proper fit

is just as important, if not more so, than the supported codecs.

What is the battery life?

The angled dynamic speakers are pleasant to the touch and the oval-shaped ear cups promote a comfortable fit.

Plantronics lists a battery life of 24 hours for the BackBeat FIT 6100; our

testing

delivered excellent results: 26 hours, 49 minutes of battery life on a single charge. When the headphones are empty, you can plug them in using the included microUSB cable for 15 minutes if you only need six hours of playtime. Otherwise, it takes two hours to complete a full charge. Oh, yes, you read that right: Plantronics still uses microUSB for its headsets, even though

budget headphones

can afford USB-C while keeping costs low. His presence is awkward but easily forgiven.

How does the Plantronics BackBeat FIT 6100 sound?

The bass notes are about twice as loud as the mids and highs, which is preferred by many for practice.

Each earbud houses a 40mm dynamic driver to pump out those beloved bass notes. If you're an audio purist, jump straight to our list of

best studio headphones

, because you will have no joy with the BackBeat FIT 6100

. Low notes are twice as loud as middle and high notes, resulting in a

auditory masking

. While I wouldn't recommend these headphones for analytical listening, I fully appreciate the sound signature when riding a stationary bike.

Low-frequency isolation may be non-existent, but high-frequency sounds are easily nullified. p>

isolation

it's good. The headphones do a good job of filtering out mid to high-pitched noise, but fall short of low-frequency sounds like your washing machine, dryer, or vacuum cleaner. If you want something more efficient while staying within the Plantronics brand, consider the

BackBeat Go 810

.

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Lows, mids and highs

In Allen Stone's song

Satisfaction

, clarity is clearly lacking . Stone's raspy, soulful vocals are masked by the louder, lower-pitched guitar effects and drum hits. This is immediately apparent during the first chorus; skip to 0:40 when Stone throws in the line, “So what’s it gonna take? How many hearts are you going to break before you find satisfaction?” Stone's vocals are made difficult to perceive due to all the simultaneous noise emitted by the backing instruments, especially the electric guitar during the first line of the chorus.

As you might expect, instrumental separation isn't usually great in a blues song like

Satisfaction

. During the bridge (2:02), the drummer's cymbal strikes are hard to discern against the bass drum and even Stone's melodic whistle. All that to say, the headphones aren't great for listeners looking for neutral reproduction of their favorite songs. If, however, you like bass-heavy music or simply like more punch at the expense of clarity, the BackBeat FIT 6100 cans will sound great to your ears.

Can you use the Plantronics BackBeat FIT 6100 for phone calls?

The microphone strongly attenuates the low frequencies of the voice frequency range.

The extreme attenuation between 20 and 170Hz makes almost everyone sound "

off

” or remote during calls. Plus, the microphone array doesn't amplify voices when recording, so if you're in a particularly loud environment, the person on the other end of the line may have trouble hearing you. Regardless, the quality is good enough for casual calls and should be fine for most users for brief calls as well.

business calls

.

Plantronics BackBeat FIT 6100 Microphone Demo:

https://www.soundguys.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/Plantronics-BackBeat-Fit-6100-voice-demo.m4a

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Plantronics BackBeat FIT 6100 vs JBL UA Sport Wireless Train

Despite the over-ear design, the headphones become rather compact once the ear cups are folded down.

They are two completely different beasts: the Plantronics headset has an over-the-ear fit while the

JBL UA Sport Wireless Train

has an over-the-ear fit, which is more comfortable on the head. JBL's headphones may be less comfortable due to the pressure on the ears, but that's fine considering how they're billed strictly as workout headphones. JBL's cans are sweatproof and have a less impressive 16-hour battery life, compared to Plantronics' measured 26-hour battery life.

Much like the BackBeat FIT 6100, you can amplify external noise through the headphones if you need to talk to a gym buddy or hear your surroundings outside. In addition, both headphones support fast charging: the JBL UA headphones offer an hour of playback after just five minutes of charging.

Amazon

The UA Sport Wireless Train on-ear headphones are more compact and feature more breathable ear cushions than the Plantronics BackBeat FIT 6100.

If you prefer touch controls, you might want to use the JBL Headphones on Plantronics, as the controls are huge and easy to reach, even with sweaty palms. Additionally, the earpad material is more breathable than that used on the BackBeat FIT 6100. However, the over-ear headphones have some drawbacks, such as outdated Bluetooth 4.1 firmware and lack of multipoint support. They're also more expensive than the Plantronics headset, so if you want to save $30, go with the earbuds.

Should you buy the Plantronics BackBeat FIT 6100?

The Plantronics BackBeat FIT 6100 is a diamond in the rough. Of course, occasional static noise when used with a Macbook Pro is annoying and even alarming at times, but this may very well be a quality control issue rather than a systemic issue. You'll be hard pressed to find a comparably priced pair of workout headphones that offer this level of comfort and functionality, especially at the new affordable price. If you're an athlete who has an aversion to headphones, the Plantronics BackBeat FIT 6100 headphones are for you.

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