Sony MDR-1000X vs Plantronics BackBeat Pro 2

The ear cups can be folded into the headband. This reduces the headphones' size so that it can easily fit inside bags.

These have great noise isolating properties and can block out a good amount of sound even with the noise cancelling off. The ear cups are closed back, the ear pads go over the ear and seal well, and this effectively minimizes sound leakage to and from the headphones.

If you need to talk while using these, all you need to do is to cover the right ear cup with the palm of your hand. This activates Quick Attention mode which cuts off the music and amplifies voice for easy conversation. To get back to listening to music, all you need to do is to remove the palm from the ear cup.

Users can set the feature to fully on or off, or set it to Ambient Sound which then offers 2 more options. Normal Mode allows some outside noise through, while Voice Mode allows voice frequencies through the noise cancelling.

The MDR 1000x's active noise cancelling is one of the best in the market today. With the mode activated, a significant amount of outside noise is blocked, allowing you to really enjoy your music with minimal distractions.

The noise cancelling optimizer runs a series of quick tests, with beeping noises, to adapt to ambient noise.
This is handy against construction work noise in front of your window.

You can use these headphones wired using the detachable 3.5mm cable or you can go wireless with Bluetooth.

The bass is impactful and controlled and works really well with most genres that are popular today. The mids are slightly forward at just the right levels, which ensures that the vocals can be clearly heard. The highs are emphasized and sound great with a lot of clarity and detail, especially on the upper registers.

Swiping or tapping on the right ear cup's surface can pause or play track, go to the next track or go back to the previous one and can control volume levels as well.

There is a built in microphone which negates the need to remove the headphones to answer a call.

This comes with a carrying case that is made from high quality materials. It should provide extra protection to the headphones against scratches and minor impacts, which are quite common when taking these while traveling.

The internal battery can give up to 20 hours of listening to music.

With the BackBeat Pro 2, you get powerful yet clear sound that is comparable to higher end models but at a noticeably more affordable price. Wireless range and stability is quite good and the noise cancelling, while not the best, can reduce a good amount of external noise.

While the active noise canceling is not the best, it is able to reduce a good amount of noise from your surroundings. Loud engine sounds or high pitched noise may still mix in with your music though.

The BackBeat Pro 2’s mids and treble are not forward, yet sound clear and neutral. You may hear a bit of sharpness in the higher frequencies, but overall you’ll get a pleasant listening experience with great details from your music.

The low-end is quite emphasized, so you’ll get a lot of thump from bass hits. Bass lovers will likely find these headphones to be up their alley.

You won’t need to press a button on the headphones or on your source device to pause the music when you need to remove the BackBeat Pro 2. There are sensors inside the headphones that detect this motion, so the music is automatically paused, and then resumed when you put the headphones back on.

Listen to the environment via a microphone without taking off the headphones.

These headphones have Bluetooth connectivity for wireless convenience, but you can also switch to 3.5mm wired mode if the battery runs out and you cannot charge right away.

You’ll be able to hear audio even if you are around 100 feet away from your source device, provided there is a clear line of sight. Signal quality is also pretty good with minimal music cuts and drops.

These headphones can last up to 24 hours of playback from a full charge, and this with moderate volumes in wireless mode with noise cancelling activated. This is very good battery life, considering other wireless headphones at the price range only have around half the battery life on average.