Plantronics last month launched two new additions to their BackBeat FIT family of Bluetooth sports headphones, the BackBeat FIT 305 and 505. I have the BackBeat FIT 305 for this review, and like the 505, these are designed to accompany athletes on their fitness journeys, and deliver Plantronics’ signature audio quality and performance.
The Plantronics BackBeat FIT 305 is an in-ear style headphones, with the two earpieces connected together by a wire that is designed to hang down, either behind your neck or on the front. The BackBeat FIT 305 is distinguished by a rubber loop that locks the earpiece into the concha of your ear, providing better security that they won’t just fall up during vigorous sporting activities.
Down the right side earpiece is a rather large plasticky housing for the inline controls. This is a typical three-button control: a “+” and “-” for volume or track control, and a multifunction centre button that does a number of things like pause/resume music, activating voice assistant, and switch on/off the BackBeat FIT 305. The buttons are large and it’s a cinch to feel them apart, a nice thing when you don’t want to have to fumble with your controls while you’re running.
There’s also a cover beside the inline controls which conceal a Micro-USB port used for charging the BackBeat FIT 305. The battery is rated for six hours, which should suffice for most people.
The wires connecting the earpieces are covered in fabric. It looks stylish and comfortable, though I’m not sure how easy it would be to keep them pristine in the long run. The bigger problem, though, is that the cable seems to produce a lot of microphonics, i.e., the rustling and thumping noises you hear in the earpieces when the cable rubs against or hits your clothing or some other thing.
Noise isolation isn’t great, but this could be a good thing for fitness activities, particularly if you need to hear ambient sounds.
Coming to audio quality, I found the Plantronics BackBeat FIT 305 quite middling in performance. This works out fine for sports and fitness activities, because it’s likely that music quality is going to be of secondary importance in such scenarios. The weak bass could be a bit of a disappointment, but fortunately the mids and highs do better.
Overall, while Plantronics designed for the BackBeat FIT 305 to “easily transition between fitness and everyday life”, I’d say just stick to fitness. On the other hand, given the price point, I suppose I shouldn’t be too critical.
The Plantronics BackBeat FIT 305 is lightweight, and I’d say comfortable to wear. There’s a clip on the wire so you can secure it to your clothing if you feel it necessary.
Accessories provided with the Plantronics BackBeat FIT 305 include three sizes of sleeves, a Micro-USB cable for charging, and a carrying pouch.
The Plantronics BackBeat FIT 305 retails at S$149, and is available from Challenger, Sprint-Cass, Newstead, Nubox, Harvey Norman, Courts, Best Denki, EpiCentre, Stereo, Mustafa Centre, iStudio, Inforcom, Parisilk, Gain City, Connect IT, Xgear, Popular, 1st Mobile, and Analogue+. There are four colour options: black/gray, dark blue/blue (reviewed here), gray/lime green and gray/coral.
Conclusion
The Plantronics BackBeat FIT 305 is a stylish and comfortable in-ear style Bluetooth headphones good for fitness activities.
Pros:
- Stylish design
- Secure fit
- Lightweight
Cons:
- Weak bass