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  1. Table of Contents
  2. Top
  3. Main Differences
  4. Design
    1. Style
    2. Comfort
    3. Controls
    4. Breathability
    5. Portability
    6. Case
    7. Build Quality
    8. Stability
    9. Headshots 1
    10. Headshots 2
    11. Top
    12. In The Box
  5. Sound
    1. Sound Profile
    2. Frequency Response Consistency
    3. Raw Frequency Response
    4. Bass Accuracy
    5. Mid Accuracy
    6. Treble Accuracy
    7. Peaks/Dips
    8. Imaging
    9. Passive Soundstage
    10. Virtual Soundstage
    11. Weighted Harmonic Distortion
    12. Test Settings
  6. Isolation
    1. Noise Isolation
    2. Leakage
  7. Microphone
    1. Microphone Style
    2. Recording Quality
    3. Noise Handling
  8. Active Features
    1. Battery
    2. App Support
  9. Connectivity
    1. Bluetooth
    2. Non-Bluetooth Wireless
    3. Wired
    4. PC / PS4 Compatibility
    5. Xbox One Compatibility
    6. Base/Dock
  10. Comments

Plantronics Backbeat Pro Wireless 2014 vs Sennheiser HD 4.50 BTNC

Side-by-Side Comparison

Products

Plantronics Backbeat Pro Wireless 2014
Sennheiser HD 4.50 BTNC

Tested using Methodology v1.3.1

Updated Aug 07, 2021 12:22 AM

SEE PRICE
Amazon.com

Tested using Methodology v1.4

Updated Oct 27, 2023 06:42 PM

SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
Plantronics Backbeat Pro Wireless 2014 Picture
Sennheiser HD 4.50 BTNC Picture

Variants

  • BackBeat PRO
  • HD 4.50

Our Verdict

Plantronics Backbeat Pro Wireless 2014

Sennheiser HD 4.50 BTNC

The Sennheiser HD 4.50 are better noise cancelling headphones overall when compared to the Plantronics Backbeat Pro. The Sennheisers have a more compact design, a tighter fit on the head for the gym, and they block a lot more noise with their ANC feature. On the other hand, the Plantronics have a better battery life, wireless range, and easier-to-use controls. They're also a bit more comfortable than the Sennheisers since they're not as tight on the head. Their sound profile also packs a lot more bass, which some may prefer.

0

Check Price

Standard
BackBeat PRO
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
Standard
HD 4.50
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
Standard
BackBeat PRO
SEE PRICE
Walmart.com
Standard
HD 4.50
SEE PRICE
Walmart.com
Standard
BackBeat PRO
B&H
Standard
HD 4.50
B&H
Standard
BackBeat PRO
BestBuy.com
Standard
HD 4.50
BestBuy.com

Notice: Two or more of the products selected have been tested with different test methodologies, so some of the results below aren't directly comparable. Learn how our test benches and scoring system work, and read more about the latest changes to our headphones test methodology.

Main Differences for

Threshold 

0.10

Mixed Usage 

7.0
6.9

Noise Isolation 
 

5.7
7.2

Treble Accuracy 
 

8.7
5.9

Full Comparison

Design

Style  

Design Picture 2  

Plantronics Backbeat Pro Wireless 2014 Design Picture 2
Sennheiser HD 4.50 BTNC Design Picture 2

Type  

Over-ear
Over-ear

Enclosure  

Closed-Back
Closed-Back

Wireless  

Yes
Yes

Transducer  

Dynamic
Dynamic

Show text

Comfort 
 

7.5
7.0

Comfort Picture  

Plantronics Backbeat Pro Wireless 2014 Comfort Picture
Sennheiser HD 4.50 BTNC Comfort Picture

Weight  

0.75 lbs
0.5 lbs

Clamping Force 
 

0.83 lbs
1.1 lbs

Show text

Controls 
 

8.2
6.4

Controls Picture  

Plantronics Backbeat Pro Wireless 2014 Controls Picture
Sennheiser HD 4.50 BTNC Controls Picture

OS Compatibility 
 

Not OS specific
Not OS specific

Ease Of Use  

Excellent
Mediocre

Feedback  

Good
Subpar

Call/Music Control  

Yes
Yes

Volume Control  

Yes
Yes

Microphone Control  

No
No

Channel Mixing 
 

N/A
No

Noise Cancelling Control  

Yes
On/Off

Talk-Through 
 

Yes
No

Additional Controls  

No
Multi function

Show text

Breathability 
 

6.5
6.5

Breathability After Picture  

Plantronics Backbeat Pro Wireless 2014 Breathability After Picture
Sennheiser HD 4.50 BTNC Breathability After Picture

Avg.Temp.Difference  

5.6 °C
5.8 °C

Show text

Portability 
 

5.5
6.2

Portability Picture  

Plantronics Backbeat Pro Wireless 2014 Portability Picture
Sennheiser HD 4.50 BTNC Portability Picture

 

7.09"
4.5"

 

7.28"
6"

 

3.54"
3.2"

Volume  

182.9 in³
86 in³

Transmitter Required  

N/A
No

Show text

Case 
 

6.5
6.5

Case Picture  

Plantronics Backbeat Pro Wireless 2014 Case Picture
Sennheiser HD 4.50 BTNC Case Picture

Type  

Pouch
Soft case

 

N/A
4.8"

 

N/A
7"

 

N/A
3.5"

Volume  

N/A
118 in³

Show text

Build Quality 
 

7.5
7.0

Build Quality Picture  

Plantronics Backbeat Pro Wireless 2014 Build Quality Picture
Sennheiser HD 4.50 BTNC Build Quality Picture

Show text

Stability 
 

6.5
7.5

Stability Picture  

Plantronics Backbeat Pro Wireless 2014 Stability Picture
Sennheiser HD 4.50 BTNC Stability Picture

Show text

Headshots 1  

Angled Picture  

Plantronics Backbeat Pro Wireless 2014 Angled Picture
Sennheiser HD 4.50 BTNC Angled Picture

Side Picture  

Plantronics Backbeat Pro Wireless 2014 Side Picture
Sennheiser HD 4.50 BTNC Side Picture

Headshots 2  

Front Picture  

Plantronics Backbeat Pro Wireless 2014 Front Picture
Sennheiser HD 4.50 BTNC Front Picture

Rear Picture  

Plantronics Backbeat Pro Wireless 2014 Rear Picture
Sennheiser HD 4.50 BTNC Rear Picture

Top  

Top Picture  

Plantronics Backbeat Pro Wireless 2014 Top Picture
Sennheiser HD 4.50 BTNC Top Picture

In The Box  

In The Box Picture  

Plantronics Backbeat Pro Wireless 2014 In The Box Picture
Sennheiser HD 4.50 BTNC In The Box Picture

Show text

Sound

Sound Profile 
 

Frequency Response  

See details on graph tool

Frequency Response  

See details on graph tool

Bass Amount 
 

4.3 dB
-0.71 dB

Treble Amount 
 

2.82 dB
-2.85 dB

Show text

Frequency Response Consistency 
 

7.8
7.4

Consistency L  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

Consistency R  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

Avg. Std. Deviation 
 

0.43 dB
0.52 dB

Show text

Raw Frequency Response 
 

Raw FR L  

See details on graph tool

Raw FR L  

See details on graph tool

Raw FR R  

See details on graph tool

Raw FR R  

See details on graph tool

Bass Accuracy 
 

6.3
8.8

Bass  

See details on graph tool

Bass  

See details on graph tool

Std. Err. 
 

5.24 dB
1.79 dB

Low-Frequency Extension 
 

10 Hz
13.16 Hz

Low-Bass 
 

8.87 dB
1.93 dB

Mid-Bass 
 

-1.1 dB
1.99 dB

High-Bass 
 

-4.61 dB
1.71 dB

Show text

Mid Accuracy 
 

7.4
7.5

Mid  

See details on graph tool

Mid  

See details on graph tool

Std. Err. 
 

3.41 dB
3.38 dB

Low-Mid 
 

-4.04 dB
-0.02 dB

Mid-Mid 
 

-3.26 dB
2.18 dB

High-Mid 
 

-2.46 dB
5.26 dB

Show text

Treble Accuracy 
 

8.7
5.9

Treble  

See details on graph tool

Treble  

See details on graph tool

Std. Err. 
 

2.59 dB
5.47 dB

Low-Treble 
 

-0.13 dB
-1.31 dB

Mid-Treble 
 

-0.53 dB
-1.69 dB

High-Treble 
 

2.15 dB
-8 dB

Show text

Peaks/Dips 
 

7.4
6.7

Peaks/Dips Graph  

See details on graph tool

Peaks/Dips Graph  

See details on graph tool

Peaks 
 

1.56 dB
2 dB

Dips 
 

1.48 dB
2.19 dB

Show text

Imaging 
 

7.1
8.9

Group Delay  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

Phase Response  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

Weighted Group Delay 
 

0.62
0.26

Weighted Amplitude Mismatch 
 

2.12
0.3

Weighted Frequency Mismatch 
 

2.69
1.5

Weighted Phase Mismatch 
 

8.95
3.72

Show text

Passive Soundstage 
 

6.3
4.3

PRTF  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

PRTF Accuracy (Std. Dev.) 
 

2.81 dB
3.99 dB

PRTF Size (Avg.) 
 

6.86 dB
3.54 dB

PRTF Distance 
 

16.89 dB
10.78 dB

Openness 
 

4.1
2.8

Acoustic Space Excitation 
 

2.5
1.8

Show text

Virtual Soundstage 
 

0.0

Virtual Soundstage  

Sennheiser HD 4.50 BTNC Virtual Soundstage

Head Modeling 
 

No

Speaker Modeling 
 

No

Room Ambience 
 

No

Head Tracking 
 

No

Virtual Surround 
 

No App

Show text

Weighted Harmonic Distortion 
 

7.1
7.3

Weighted Harmonic Distortion  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

WHD @ 90 
 

0.254
0.250

WHD @ 100 
 

0.472
0.313

Show text

Test Settings 
 

Firmware 
 

Unknown

Power 
 

On

Connection 
 

Bluetooth 4.0

Codec 
 

aptX, 16-bit, 48kHz

EQ 
 

Default

ANC 
 

On

Tip/Pad 
 

Default

Microphone 
 

Integrated

Show text

Isolation

Noise Isolation 
 

5.7
7.2

Noise Isolation  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

Isolation Audio 
 

Overall Attenuation 
 

-14.81 dB
-19.38 dB

Noise Cancelling  

Yes
Yes

Bass 
 

-2.32 dB
-9.11 dB

Mid 
 

-11.4 dB
-15.78 dB

Treble 
 

-31.43 dB
-33.72 dB

Show text

Leakage 
 

8.0
8.5

Leakage  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

Leakage Audio 
 

Overall Leakage @ 1ft 
 

33.44 dB
30.71 dB

Show text

Microphone

Microphone Style 
 

Integrated 
 

Yes
Yes

In-Line 
 

Yes
No

Boom 
 

No
No

Detachable Boom 
 

N/A
No

Mic  

Yes
Yes

Show text

Recording Quality 
 

6.3
6.0

Microphone Frequency Response  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

Recorded Speech 
 

LFE 
 

289.23 Hz
329.38 Hz

FR Std. Dev. 
 

4.13 dB
5.02 dB

HFE 
 

3,517.32 Hz
3,368.2 Hz

Weighted THD 
 

14.216
8.924

Gain 
 

39.55 dB
38.48 dB

Show text

Noise Handling 
 

7.0
7.1

SpNR  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

Speech + Pink Noise  

Speech + Subway Noise  

SpNR 
 

20.74 dB
21.02 dB

Show text

Active Features

Battery 
 

8.5
7.5

Battery Type 
 

Rechargable
Rechargable

Continuous Battery Life 
 

21.2 hrs
22.3 hrs

Additional Charges 
 

0
0.0

Total Battery Life 
 

21.2 hrs
22.3 hrs

Charge Time 
 

2.23 hrs
2.2 hrs

Power-Saving Feature 
 

Yes
No

Audio While Charging 
 

Yes
No

Passive Playback 
 

No
Yes

Charging Port  

micro-USB
micro-USB

Show text

App Support 
 

6.0
0.0

App Picture  

Plantronics Backbeat Pro Wireless 2014 App Picture
Sennheiser HD 4.50 BTNC App Picture

App Name  

Plantronics Hub
No App

iOS  

Yes
No

Android  

Yes
No

macOS  

N/A
No

Windows  

N/A
No

Equalizer 
 

No
No

ANC Control 
 

No
No

Mic Control  

N/A
No

Room Effects 
 

No
No

Playback Control 
 

No
No

Button Mapping  

N/A
No

Surround Sound  

N/A

Surround Support 
 

No

Show text

Connectivity

Bluetooth 
 

8.9
8.6

Bluetooth Version 
 

4.0
4.0

Multi-Device Pairing 
 

2 Devices
2 Devices

NFC Pairing 
 

Yes
Yes

Line Of Sight Range 
 

237 ft
120 ft

PC Latency (SBC) 
 

195 ms
161 ms

PC Latency (aptX) 
 

169 ms
140 ms

PC Latency (aptX HD) 
 

N/A

PC Latency (aptX-LL) 
 

32 ms
N/A

iOS Latency 
 

137 ms

Android Latency 
 

61 ms

Show text

Non-Bluetooth Wireless 
 

0.0
0.0

Non-BT Line Of Sight Range 
 

N/A
N/A

Non-BT Latency 
 

N/A
N/A

Show text

Wired 
 

9.5
9.5

Cable Picture  

Plantronics Backbeat Pro Wireless 2014 Cable Picture
Sennheiser HD 4.50 BTNC Cable Picture

Analog Audio 
 

Yes
Yes

USB Audio 
 

No
No

Detachable  

Yes
Yes

Length  

4.92 ft
4.5 ft

Connection  

1/8" TRRS
1/8" TRS

Wired Latency 
 

0 ms

Analog/USB Audio Latency 
 

0 ms

Show text

PC / PS4 Compatibility 
 

PC/PS4 Analog 
 

Audio + Microphone
Audio Only

PC/PS4 Wired USB 
 

No
No

PC/PS4 Non-BT Wireless 
 

No
No

Show text

Xbox One Compatibility 
 

Xbox One Analog 
 

Audio + Microphone
Audio Only

Xbox One Wired USB 
 

No
No

Xbox One Non-BT Wireless 
 

No
No

Show text

Base/Dock 
 

0.0
0.0

Type 
 

N/A
No Base/Dock

USB Input 
 

N/A
No

Line In 
 

N/A
No

Line Out 
 

N/A
No

Optical Input 
 

N/A
No

RCA Input 
 

N/A
No

Dock Charging 
 

N/A
No

Power Supply 
 

N/A
No Base/Dock

Show text

Check Price

Standard
BackBeat PRO
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
Standard
HD 4.50
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
Standard
BackBeat PRO
SEE PRICE
Walmart.com
Standard
HD 4.50
SEE PRICE
Walmart.com
Standard
BackBeat PRO
B&H
Standard
HD 4.50
B&H
Standard
BackBeat PRO
BestBuy.com
Standard
HD 4.50
BestBuy.com

Plantronics Backbeat Pro Wireless 2014

Sennheiser HD 4.50 BTNC

Comments

  1. Comparison

Plantronics Backbeat Pro Wireless 2014 vs Sennheiser HD 4.50 BTNC: Main Discussion

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