Plantronics BackBeat Go 810 hands-on: The mid-ranger with ANC
Typically speaking, the inclusion of active noise-cancellation in over-the-ear styled wireless headphones meant being in the upper echelon of the spectrum. However, that’s certainly far from the case with Plantronics’ latest offering with the BackBeat Go 810, which offers many of the rich features in headphones in the high-end space, but costing a fraction of the price!
The standout feature here with the Plantronics BackBeat Go 810 is its dual-mode active noise cancellation, which can be accessed by pressing on the button on the headphones or through the accompanying BackBeat app. While ANC isn’t a new feature in Plantronics’ stable, something that’s usually reserved for its premium BackBeat Pro offerings, they’re able to include it here with the BackBeat Go 810 – classified as a mid-range offering. We wouldn’t say it’s the best at cancelling out ambient noise, but it still manages to do a decent job.
If there’s one area where compromises were required, it’s found with its design – one that adopts a mostly plastic construction. Sure, it does make its construction questionable, often feeling somewhat brittle around the headband, but at least its comfort isn’t adversely affected. In fact, the supple cushioning around the ear cups makes them extremely comfortable to wear over long periods of time – despite feeling a bit tighter. There’s no collapsible design here, but at least the ear cups can swivel to sit comfortably around our neck.
With the left ear cup, it features physical controls for pause/play, track forward, track reverse, and volume adjustment. Meanwhile, the right earcup houses the power switch, equalizer button, microUSB port for charging, and an auxiliary port that converts them into a wired pair of headphones. The audio quality is fairly pleasant, sounding decent with the lows and mids mostly. Then again, being able to switch between the equalizer modes is useful, seeing that the “bright” option does offer more of a balanced performance. Even better, the Plantronics BackBeat Go 810 is rated to deliver 22 hours of battery with ANC on!
Slapped with an MSRP of $149.99, the Plantronics BackBeat Go 810 is priced reasonably in the company’s portfolio – finding itself below the more premium BackBeat Pro line. Indeed, we’re not as thrilled with the plastic construction, but the addition of ANC is no doubt an asset that we traditionally don’t find in many mid-range offerings.
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