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

Plantronics may have a big name in the world of hands-free Bluetooth equipment, but it's not widely regarded as a premium headphone company. Our time with the BackBeat Pro 2 has taught us that it's a definitely a company worth considering if you're looking for a feature-rich set of headphones that...

Comfortable; lightweight; great battery life and noise cancellation features

Plastic design; fake wood trim is puzzling

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 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.

Plantronics is not a name you'd habitually associate with music headphones and consumer audio; this is a firm better known for its conference-call headsets, call-centre hardware and the like.

Beautiful design; Mind blowing bass; Good ANC capabilities

A little uncomfortable; Might be too bass-heavy for some

The Plantronics BackBeat Pro 2 wireless noise-cancelling headphones are a very good pair of headphones, that lasts ages between charges, have good controls, solid active noise cancelling and a sound profile that will please many.

very long battery life; comfortable; good noise cancelling; good bass; good controls; good value

sound profile won't suit everyone; don't fold up particularly well for travel; passive noise isolation could be better

Plantronics claims that the wireless range is up to 100 meters. It is absolutely not true. Such a big wireless range was one of the reason I bought this headphone. I paired it with me phone and left the phone in one room. The rooms around are quite thin and they were made of plasterboard.

They do get a little uncomfortable during long listening session, but they're undeniably good value for money

Beautiful design; Mind blowing bass; Good ANC capabilities;

A little uncomfortable; Might be too bass-heavy for some;

The BackBeat Pro 2 is an excellent full-size wireless noise-cancelling headphone that costs nearly half as much as comparable models from Bose, Sony or Sennheiser.

The Plantronics BackBeat Pro 2 sounds very good for a Bluetooth headphone, is comfortable to wear and offers decent noise cancellation and strong battery life; It performs very well as headset for making cell phone calls, includes a carrying pouch, and is an overall excellent value.

While the design has been improved, the headphone is still a little heavy and its aesthetics may not appeal to everyone; noise-canceling isn't quite as effective as Bose's.

In the realm of headphones, noise-canceling models -- those battery-powered ones that filter out unwanted external sounds like traffic din or jet-engine noise -- represent the cream of the crop. And the best wireless noise-cancelling headphones from Bose, Sony, Sennheiser, Parrot and others tend to cost at least $350 (about £290 or AU$460). But not everybody wants to pay that much for a headphone, which is where Plantronics' BackBeat Pro 2 ($199 at Amazon) comes in.

The BackBeat Pro 2 is an excellent full-size wireless noise-cancelling headphone that costs nearly half as much as comparable models from Bose, Sony or Sennheiser.

The Plantronics BackBeat Pro 2 sounds very good for a Bluetooth headphone, is comfortable to wear and offers decent noise cancellation and strong battery life; It performs very well as headset for making cell phone calls, includes a carrying pouch, and is an overall excellent value.

While the design has been improved, the headphone is still a little heavy and its aesthetics may not appeal to everyone; noise-canceling isn't quite as effective as Bose's.