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Plantronics BackBeat Go 600 Wireless  Headphones Review

Reviewed May 29, 2018 at 11:56 am
Plantronics BackBeat Go 600 Wireless
6.5
Mixed Usage 
7.0
Neutral Sound 
6.3
Commute/Travel 
7.1
Sports/Fitness 
6.4
Office 
5.3
Wireless Gaming 
6.9
Wired Gaming 
6.1
Phone Call 
Tested using methodology v1.3.1 
 0
The Plantronics BackBeat Go 600 Series are average mixed usage wireless over-ears with a decent sound quality. They have a lightweight design that's a bit reminiscent of the Beoplay H9 but doesn't feel as premium or as durable. On the upside, they're easy-to-use, decently comfortable, and they have a long battery life and a great wireless range. Unfortunately, the ear cups do not seal the ears properly which makes them a poor option for loud environments and commuting.

Our Verdict

6.5
Mixed Usage 

Average for mixed usage. The Plantronics BackBeat Go 600 have a good wireless range and battery life. A lightweight design that's decently comfortable and a decent sound quality that packs a lot of bass. Unfortunately, they have a seal issue with their ear cups so they won't be the most isolating headphones to use in loud conditions. They also have a somewhat weak build quality that feels flimsy and a bit cheap.

Pros
  • Above-average sound quality.
  • Lightweight and decently comfortable.
  • Good wireless range and battery life.
Cons
  • Flimsy build quality.
  • Poor noise isolation.
  • Bass delivery varies significantly across users. Sensitive to glasses.
7.0
Neutral Sound 

Decent for neutral listening. They have a deep and extended bass that rumbles with bass-heavy music. They also have a fairly well-balanced mid-range although it is a little recessed which makes instruments and vocals sound a bit distant and slightly lacking in detail. Unfortunately, their treble range is a bit overemphasized which may sound a bit sharp on already bright tracks but thanks to the pronounced bass their overall sound profile is more excited than it is piercing. Unfortunately, like most closed-back headphones they do not have a wide and spacious soundstage which won't be ideal for some neutral listeners, but they should sound good enough for most.

Pros
None
Cons
None
6.3
Commute/Travel 

Mediocre for commuting. They have a good control scheme, they're lightweight and fairly comfortable. Unfortunately, they do not block enough noise for the loud environments involved in commuting and traveling.

Pros
None
Cons
None
7.1
Sports/Fitness 

Average for sports. They're lightweight, decently comfortable and easy to use. They're also wireless so they won't get yanked off your head because of an audio cable, but they're not the most stable headphones for more intense exercises.

Pros
None
Cons
None
6.4
Office 

Average for office use. They do not block a lot of noise so you will hear the ambient chatter in your environment. They also leak a bit at high volumes so they may be a bit distracting to the people around you.

Pros
None
Cons
None
5.3
Wireless Gaming 

Below-average for gaming. They're decently comfortable, have a good wireless range, and they're easy to use. Unfortunately, they have a mediocre mic that is not compatible with consoles, they're not as customizable as most gaming headsets, and the high latency will be a deal breaker for gaming.

6.9
Wired Gaming 

Pros
None
Cons
None
6.1
Phone Call 

Pros
None
Cons
None
  • 6.5
    Mixed Usage
  • 7.0
    Neutral Sound
  • 6.3
    Commute/Travel
  • 7.1
    Sports/Fitness
  • 6.4
    Office
  • 5.3
    Wireless Gaming
  • 6.9
    Wired Gaming
  • 6.1
    Phone Call
  • Changelog

    1.  Updated Nov 21, 2019: Converted to Test Bench 1.3.1.
    2.  Updated Nov 21, 2019: Converted to Test Bench 1.3.
    3.  Updated May 29, 2018: Review published.
    4.  Updated May 27, 2018: Our testers have started testing this product.

    Compared To Other Headphones

    Comparison picture

    The Plantronics BackBeat Go 600 is a decently affordable mixed usage headset, with an above-average sound and a decently comfortable design. They have an efficient and simple control scheme, a fairly long battery life and a great wireless range. Unfortunately, they are not as feature-packed as some of the wireless over-ears compared below. Their build quality also doesn't feel as durable or as premium for their price range, especially considering cheaper headphones that feel better built like the Bluedio T4. See our recommendations for the best over-ear headphones, the best wireless headphones, and the best noise cancelling headphones under $100.

    Test Results

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    Design
    Style
    TypeOver-ear
    EnclosureClosed-Back
    WirelessYes
    TransducerDynamic

    The Plantronics Go 600 have a simple and straightforward design that will appeal to most, but feels a little cheap once in your hands. They look somewhat like the Beoplay H9 with a similar frame and ear cups design. However, they do not look as polished or premium as the B&Os. They come in a couple of different color schemes that are all matte and understated which some may prefer over the glossy design of some of the other over/on-ears like the Beats Solo2 Wireless (see our recommendations for the best over-ear headphones under $50). Overall, these headphones will look good enough for most but may disappoint a little once you feel their slightly cheap and lightweight build quality.

    7.0
    Comfort
    Weight0.4 lbs
    Clamping Force
    0.8 lbs

    The Plantronics BackBeat Go 600 are decently comfortable headphones. They're lightweight, well padded, and not too tight on the head. You can wear them for a fairly long time without feeling any fatigue, but the round ear cups do not always fit well around the ears. Unlike the Beoplay H9 which have a similar but more premium design, the Go 600's ear cups do not tilt upwards as much which creates a gap in the fit around your ears. It's not uncomfortable but can be a bit annoying since you will often have to adjust the headset to get a better seal.

    7.4
    Controls
    OS Compatibility
    Not OS specific
    Ease Of UseDecent
    FeedbackGood
    Call/Music ControlYes
    Volume ControlYes
    Microphone ControlNo
    Channel Mixing
    N/A
    Noise Cancelling ControlN/A
    Talk-Through
    N/A
    Additional ButtonsBass Effect

    The Plantronics BackBeat Go 600 have an efficient and easy-to-use control scheme. You can play, pause and answer calls, by pressing the central button on the left ear cup. Skipping tracks is done with the two arrows next to the call/music button and there is a volume rocker on the side of the ear cup that's easy to use but a little cramped. On the right ear cup you have the power switch that also doubles as the pairing button. And at the bottom of the cup, you have a bass-effect button to switch between 2 preset EQs.

    6.8
    Breathability
    Avg.Temp.Difference4.8 °C

    These headphones, like most closed back over-ears, are not the most breathable. They do not create the best seal with their ear cups so they won't make your ears as warm as some of the other closed back headphones we've tested. However, since they do obstruct a fair bit of airflow, they won't be the best choice for more strenuous exercises at the gym.

    6.3
    Portability
    L7.2"
    W6.8"
    H1.5"
    Volume75 in³
    Transmitter RequiredN/A

    The Plantronics BackBeat Go 600 are lightweight but do not fold into a more compact format, so they won't be the most portable headphones. The ear cups do lay flat which could come in handy on some occasions, and they are on the smaller side for over-ear headphones. But unfortunately, they are still a bit too cumbersome to comfortably carry around on your person, unlike in-ears and some on-ear headsets.

    5.5
    Case
    TypePouch
    LN/A
    WN/A
    HN/A
    VolumeN/A

    They come with a simple and straightforward pouch that will shield the headphones from scratches and scuffs when they're in your bag but won't protect them from impacts, drops or water damage.

    6.5
    Build Quality

    The build quality of these headphones feels a bit cheap. They have a lightweight and decently flexible design with well-padded cups and not many moving parts susceptible to wear and tear. They also won't break from a couple of accidental drops, but unfortunately, their build quality looks better than it feels. Once in your hand, the headphones feel flimsy and a bit cheap, unlike the Sony MDR-1A which are also relatively lightweight headphones.

    7.0
    Stability

    The Plantronics BackBeat Go 600 are decently stable headphones. They are lightweight, so the ear cups do not sway as much as some of the other over-ears we've tested when running. They're also wireless, so they won't get yanked off your head because the audio cable got hooked on something. However, they are not very tight, which is good for comfort but also means that they will move around during more intense exercises, especially when tilting your head. They won't be the best headphones for the gym but should be stable enough to jog with.

    Headshots 1
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    In The Box

    • Plantronics Go 600 Headphones
    • Carrying pouch
    • Audio cable
    • USB cable
    • Manual

    Sound
    Sound Profile
    See details on graph tool
    Bass Amount
    1.64 dB
    Treble Amount
    2.48 dB
    5.3
    Frequency Response Consistency
    See details on graph tool
    See details on graph tool
    Avg. Std. Deviation
    1.73 dB

    The Plantronics BackBeat Go 600 have a sub-par frequency response consistency. We measure the bass of our over/on-ear headphones on 5 human subjects, and there is a large variance in Go 600's bass delivery across different users. The maximum deviation measured is more than 20dB at 20Hz, which is quite audible. Also, the inconsistencies occur over a very wide range, which makes it even more noticeable. The treble delivery however, has good consistency across different positions.

    Raw Frequency Response
    See details on graph tool
    See details on graph tool
    8.5
    Bass Accuracy
    See details on graph tool
    Std. Err.
    2.12 dB
    Low-Frequency Extension
    14.77 Hz
    Low-Bass
    1.13 dB
    Mid-Bass
    2.67 dB
    High-Bass
    2.21 dB

    The Plantronics BackBeat Go 600 have a great bass. LFE (low-frequency extension) is at 15Hz, which is great. Also, low-bass, which is responsible for the thump and rumble common to bass-heavy music, is within 1dB of our target. However, mid-bass, responsible for body and punch, and high-bass, responsible for warmth, are overemphasized by more than 2dB. This makes the overall bass of the BackBeat Go slightly heavy and boomy.

    7.4
    Mid Accuracy
    See details on graph tool
    Std. Err.
    3.49 dB
    Low-Mid
    -2.8 dB
    Mid-Mid
    -3.57 dB
    High-Mid
    -2.51 dB

    The Plantronics BackBeat Go 600 have an above-average mid-range. The overall response is relatively even and flat throughout the range but consistently underemphasized by about 3dB. This weakens the mid-range and nudges vocals and lead instruments towards the back of the mix, which gives more emphasis to the bass frequencies.

    7.1
    Treble Accuracy
    See details on graph tool
    Std. Err.
    4.27 dB
    Low-Treble
    -2.42 dB
    Mid-Treble
    3.04 dB
    High-Treble
    2.27 dB

    The treble performance is decent. Low-treble is under our neutral target by more than 2dB, which negatively affects the detail and articulation of vocals and lead instruments. Mid-treble, however, is quite overemphasized above 6KHz, which brings excess emphasis to sharp sounds like S and Ts. This could result in a sharp and piercing sound, which will be mostly noticeable on vocals and cymbals.

    6.8
    Peaks/Dips
    See details on graph tool
    Peaks
    2.15 dB
    Dips
    1.47 dB
    7.4
    Imaging
    See details on graph tool
    See details on graph tool
    Weighted Group Delay
    0.34
    Weighted Amplitude Mismatch
    1.38
    Weighted Frequency Mismatch
    1.91
    Weighted Phase Mismatch
    17.57

    The imaging is above-average. Weighted group delay is at 0.34, which is within good limits. The GD graph also shows that the group delay response barely crosses the audibility threshold. This suggests a tight bass and transparent treble reproduction. Additionally, the L/R drivers of our test unit were very well-match in frequency and amplitude, but showed a significant mismatch in phase. This means that the placement and localization of objects (voices, instruments, video game effects) will be accurate in the stereo field, but the stereo field itself may have inconsistencies in terms of width and cohesion.

    6.4
    Soundstage
    See details on graph tool
    PRTF Accuracy (Std. Dev.)
    3.51 dB
    PRTF Size (Avg.)
    2.56 dB
    PRTF Distance
    15.44 dB
    Openness
    6.7
    Acoustic Space Excitation
    4.4

    The soundstage is about average. The PRTF graph shows an average amount of pinna interaction. The accuracy of the pinna interaction is also about average. This and the closed-back design of the headphones means that their soundstage will be perceived as relatively small, and located inside the listener's head.

    7.6
    Weighted Harmonic Distortion
    See details on graph tool
    WHD @ 90
    0.216
    WHD @ 100
    0.183
    Isolation
    3.4
    Noise Isolation
    See details on graph tool
    Isolation Audio
    Overall Attenuation
    -9.08 dB
    Noise CancellingNo
    Bass
    0.54 dB
    Mid
    -2.3 dB
    Treble
    -25.42 dB

    The Plantronics BackBeat Go 600 provide an inadequate isolation. In the bass range, where the rumble of airplane and bus engines sits, they don't provide any isolation. In the mid-range, important for blocking out speech, they achieve less than 3dB of isolation, which is poor. In the treble range, occupied by sharp sounds like S and Ts, they reduce outside noise by more than 25dB, which is above-average.

    6.5
    Leakage
    See details on graph tool
    Leakage Audio
    Overall Leakage @ 1ft
    42.55 dB

    The leakage performance is about average. The significant portion of the leakage is between 500Hz and 5KHz, which is a relatively broad range. This means that their leakage will sound fuller compared to that of in-ears and earbuds. However, the overall level of leakage is not very loud. With the music at 100dB SPL, the leakage at 1 foot away averages at 43dB SPL and peaks at 54dB SPL, which is just above the noise floor of most offices.

    Microphone
    Microphone Style
    Integrated
    Yes
    In-line
    No
    Boom
    No
    Detachable Boom
    N/A
    MicYes

    The integrated microphone of the Plantronics BackBeat Go 600 is mediocre. In quiet environments, speech recorded or transmitted with this mic will sound relatively thin and noticeably muffled and lacking detail. However, it'll still be decently intelligible. In noisy situations, it will struggle to fully separate speech from background noise even in moderately loud places, like a busy street.

    6.5
    Recording Quality
    See details on graph tool
    Recorded Speech
    LFE
    257.68 Hz
    FR Std. Dev.
    3.76 dB
    HFE
    3,466.89 Hz
    Weighted THD
    2.751
    Gain
    29.89 dB

    The integrated microphone of the Plantronics BackBeat Go 600 has an average recording quality. The LFE (low-frequency extension) is at 258Hz, which results in the recorded or transmitted speech to sound relatively thin. The HFE (high-frequency extension) of 3.5KHz, suggests a speech that lacks detail and brightness. However, it'll still be decently comprehensible, since speech intelligibility is mostly dependent on the 500Hz-4KHz range.

    6.0
    Noise Handling
    See details on graph tool
    Speech + Pink Noise
    Speech + Subway Noise
    SpNR
    11.1 dB

    The noise handling of the integrated microphone is mediocre. In our SpNR test, the Plantronics BackBeat Go 600 achieved a speech-to-noise ratio of 11dB, indicating they are best suited for quiet environments, since they will struggle to fully separate speech from ambient noise in loud or even moderately loud situations.

    Active Features
    8.0
    Battery
    Battery Type
    Rechargable
    Continuous Battery Life
    17.2 hrs
    Additional Charges
    0
    Total Battery Life
    17.2 hrs
    Charge Time
    1.5 hrs
    Power Saving Feature
    Standby mode
    Audio While Charging
    No
    Passive Playback
    Yes
    Charging Portmicro-USB

    The Plantronics BackBeat GO 600 Series have a good battery life. The battery lasts for about 17 hours, which is good enough for a typical work day, and they have a fast charge time of only 90 minutes. Charging is done with the included micro-USB cable. In standby mode the battery lasts 20 days. They cannot be used while charging, but they do support passive playback when connected with the included 1/8" TRS cable.

    0.0
    App Support
    App Name
    iOSN/A
    AndroidN/A
    macOSN/A
    WindowsN/A
    Equalizer
    N/A
    ANC Control
    N/A
    Mic ControlN/A
    Room effects
    N/A
    Playback Control
    N/A
    Button MappingN/A
    Surround SoundN/A

    There is no companion app available, but there are two EQ options directly on the headset - Bass Boost or Balanced.

    Connectivity
    8.5
    Bluetooth
    Bluetooth Version
    4.1
    Multi-Device Pairing
    2 Devices
    NFC Pairing
    No
    Line of Sight Range
    185 ft
    Default Latency
    159 ms
    aptX Latency
    N/A
    aptX(LL) Latency
    N/A

    The Plantronics BackBeat Go 600 have decent Bluetooth compatibility. They and can pair simultaneously with two devices so you can switch quickly between a PC and cell phone, but there is no NFC support so they have to be paired manually. Like most Bluetooth headsets, they cannot be used wirelessly with gaming consoles.

    Latency is better than most Bluetooth headsets but still too high for watching movies or for gaming.

    0.0
    Non-Bluetooth Wireless
    Non-BT Line of Sight Range
    N/A
    Non-BT Latency
    N/A
    9.5
    Wired
    Analog Audio
    Yes
    USB Audio
    No
    DetachableYes
    Length4.8 ft
    Connection1/8" TRS
    Wired Latency
    0 ms

    These headphones can be used wired with the included 1/8" TRS cable. They don't have a built-in remote and there is no mic.

    PC / PS4 Compatibility
    PC / PS4 Analog
    Audio Only
    PC / PS4 Wired USB
    No
    PC / PS4 Non-BT Wireless
    No
    Xbox One Compatibility
    Xbox One Analog
    Audio Only
    Xbox One Wired USB
    No
    Xbox One Wireless
    No
    0.0
    Base/Dock
    Type
    N/A
    USB Input
    N/A
    Line In
    N/A
    Line Out
    N/A
    Optical Input
    N/A
    RCA Input
    N/A
    Dock Charging
    N/A
    Power Supply
    N/A

    There is no dock or base for these headphones. If you are looking for good wireless headphones with a base, check out the SteelSeries Arctis 7.

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