It’s been nearly two years since we last featured Plantronics on the site, but they recently got in touch and sent over a number of their newer products for us to try out. The first being the BackBeat GO 810 Wireless Noise Cancelling Headphones. With a retail price of £139.99 and positive first impressions from their website, I’m looking forward to trying them out.

Look & Feel

The headphones come in a fairly standard, sturdy cardboard box and includes the headphones, a 3.5mm cable, a USB cable & a canvas like carry bag. The headphones are available in three different finishes, Graphite Black, Navy Blue & Bone White. We got sent a pair with a Bone White finish and although it wouldn’t be my first choice, they do look exceptionally smart.

These are over the ear headphones, with thick cushioned, memory foam pads covering your ears, a padded headband and plenty of adjustment to get a comfy fit. They are constructed mostly from plastic, with a plastic & metal headband. The headband is adjustable, and via the metal sections connecting the ear cups to the band, which adds to the premium feel. There is subtle detailing and branding throughout, but it’s well placed and is sympathetic to the overall design. There are several buttons & inputs between the two earcups and they include 3.5mm in, micro USB port, power on/off, play/pause/forward/rewind and ANC on/off.

Overall, I’m very impressed with the build quality & look of the headphones.

backbeat_go_810_3

Features

  • 40mm drivers / 50-20,000 Hz / 92 dBPL / 30ohms
  • Active noise cancellation
  • Up to 22 hours with ANC, Up to 28 hours without ANC
  • Dual ANC mode & Dual EQ mode
  • Firmware updates & settings via BackBeat app
  • Fast charge – 10 minutes charges give 3hrs of playback
  • Built in microphone

Set Up

Set up can be either via a wired or Bluetooth connection, and I went for the later, as Apple got rid of iPhone ports a long time again. Still a bit salty about that. Anyway, connecting the headphones to your smart device via Bluetooth is as per any other Bluetooth device. Once connected, you can begin to play music or pair with the app.

The BackBeat app is available on iOS & Android, it’s free and it’s worth checking out, but not a requirement. Within the app, you can adjust the ANC to high, low or off, and selected between Bright or Balanced EQ. You can also update the headphones firmware via the app.

Performance

Hugely impressed with the sound produced from these headphones, considering there affordable price. They offer a very rich and vibrant sound, with enough low end to get me excited. There are two built in EQ’s available, balanced and bright, and there is a subtle difference between the two. For me, I stuck with balanced for the duration of testing. You can easily swap between the presets via the button at the bottom of the right cup. I listened to everything from rock, through to something from the local London grime scene and in all instances, the headphones kept on delivering.

The ANC works very well, although I was unable to tell much of a difference between high & low options. It states high is best used on an aeroplane etc, with low more for street sounds etc. I walked around the busy streets of London, drove in cars, and was more than able to get away from it all & into the music. Turning the ANC off altogether, there was a huge bass boost that became apparant. It was actually quite nice, perhaps too much and I would have liked some of that extra bass utilised in the ANC modes.

The headphones are incredibly comfortable to wear, one of the most comfortable I’ve worn in a long time. The colour scheme is also growing on me. The buttons are responsive and easy to use, although you need to remember which ones which, as at first I did get confused. There are various voice prompts during set up, controls etc which is a nice touch. You can also hard wire the headphones in, if at any point the battery runs out. Fully charged, I’m probably 10 hours in using them and appear to have just under 50% juice left.

Oh, there is a built-in microphone for voice calls and controlling Siri or similar, if that’s your thing.

Verdict

As a whole, very impressed with the GO 810 headphones. Plantronics have managed to produce a premium product, for a not so premium price. From the build quality to the sound, I can hardly fault it. If I was being really picky, some of the controls could be easier, like turning the ANC on/off by pressing both volume buttons for 2 seconds, it’s a little fiddly. A hard carry case would also have been nice.

For more information & to purchase, visit the official Plantronics website.