Etymotic ER4 (2016) vs Plantronics BackBeat FIT (2014)

The Etymotic ER4XR is a relatively good Earphone for people that are willing to spend around $250. The Plantronics BackBeat FIT (2014), by contrast, is quite unremarkable and doesn't stand out in any meaningful way from other products at this price point.

In both cases, however, we recommend that you take look at some other options at the $250 and $95 budget ranges; in all likelihood you'll find some better alternatives.

If you're still interested in learning more about the Etymotic ER4XR and Plantronics BackBeat FIT (2014), however, we wrote a summary of what we know about them:

The Etymotic ER4XR was loved by reviewers at PCmag, a highly trusted source that performs reliable in-depth testing. It did great in its "The Best Wired Headphones for 2021" roundup where it was named its "Best for Sound Professionals", which, in itself, makes it a product worth considering.

As for the Plantronics BackBeat FIT (2014) - it impressed reviewers at Android Authority, a trustworthy source that conducts solid hands-on testing. It did great in its "Best Workout Earbuds of 2017" roundup - in fact, it earned its "Best Waterproof" title, which, on its own, indicates a certain level of quality.

When we thoroughly analyzed their review scores, we learned that all of the sources that tested both Earphones, including PCmag and Rtings, preferred the Etymotic ER4XR over the Plantronics BackBeat FIT (2014).

We also took a look at which sources they managed to impress the most. The Etymotic ER4XR was liked best by PCmag, which gave it a score of 10, while the Plantronics BackBeat FIT (2014) got its highest, 10, score from Expert Reviews.

Lastly, we averaged out all of their review ratings and observed that the Etymotic ER4XR, with its 8.5 average, performed considerably better than most Earphones - the mean score for the product category being 7.3 out of 10 - while the Plantronics BackBeat FIT (2014) managed an average of 7.3.

There's one caveat here - it might not be entirely justifiable to do a direct Etymotic ER4XR vs. Plantronics BackBeat FIT (2014) review average comparison since they aren't priced the same and more expensive products tend to get higher review scores from some sources.