Great ANC headphones without breaking the budget

The Plantronics BackBeat PRO 2 are one of a growing sea of over-ear wireless headphones with active noise cancellation (ANC), gunning for the same space as the Bose QuietComfort 35 .

Great value for money; Sound on a par with more expensive sets; Solid battery life

ANC can be hit-and-miss; Don't handle bass as well as competitors

The Plantronics BackBeat Pro 2 SE headphones are a great example of style, functionality and tech done right. For $249, the Pro 2s offer up to 24 hours of battery life, great active noise cancelling technology and excellent sound to boot.

Loud; warm audio; Good active noise cancelling; Intuitive smart controls; Extremely long battery life

Heavy

Better in plenty of ways.

Battery Life; Plenty of controls; Decent sound

A little confusing to use those controls; Design might not be for everyone

The fit is comfortable, even for big-heads like me. (They fit small-heads too.) Bluetooth works as advertised, from pairing to phone calls to keeping a clean connection. The sound is clear and detailed.

If you're in the market for a pair of over-ear headphones, our recommendation is definitely a pair of BackBeat Pros. The sound quality, noise cancellation, comfort, and convenience features are second to none. They're all pretty similar with slight modifications.

Sound incredible; Noise cancellation is lightweight but terrific; Open-listening mode is convenient; Sensors pause and play music when headphones are applied or removed; Fantastic range with Class 1 Bluetooth; 24 Hour battery that seems to last forever; Micro-USB charging; Easy to access controls,...

Very basic audio cable included - no controls/mic built-in; No app; Not collapsable

Plantronics scores a win with the slimmed-down, feature-packed BackBeat Pro 2.

Smaller and lighter; Good noise cancellation; Slightly improved audio quality; Excellent call quality; Solid battery life

Bass not particularly full; Only special edition gets hard-shell case

Two years ago, Plantronics, a company best-known for Bluetooth headsets, released the BackBeat Pro , a pair of full-sized, wireless, noise-cancelling headphones with a ton of options for 250 bucks.

Two years ago, Plantronics, a company best-known for Bluetooth headsets, released the BackBeat Pro , a pair of full-sized, wireless, noise-cancelling headphones with a ton of options for 250 bucks.

We never doubted that Plantronics would deliver a high-quality product at a great price, but were skeptical about whether or not the original BackBeat Pro could be improved enough to warrant a Special Edition.