Plantronics BackBeat Fit vs Phiaton BT 100 NC

Connectivity with source devices is via Bluetooth, so in place of a full headphone cable is a flexible, soft and short cord made of rubber material that keeps the earpieces connected. You won't have to deal with a long and dangling cable.

The highs are not the most detailed, but they are clear and do give an airy feel to the music. The mids are full and forward so vocals will definitely sound great.

Bass is hit or miss though, depending on how well these headphones seal in your ear. If there is a good seal then bass is punchy and tight though not very powerful. Otherwise, it is likely that the bass will sound a bit on the thin side.

The case can be converted into an armband by reversing it inside out. This is very useful as you can use the arm band to store your smartphone while on a run, along with some essentials like your keys or some cash.

The ear tips are made out of a soft and flexible material that is comfortable and supports the weight of the earpieces quite well. This is enhanced by the wing tips that further help to keep the headphones in place.

The design does not create a thorough seal in your ears, which can be a good thing as this will allow you to maintain awareness of what's around you.

The BackBeat Fit can last up to 8 hours of playback from a full charge.

A sweat resistant coating is applied to the interior parts, so splashes of liquid aren't likely to cause damage.

Each of the earpieces have a single button. Different combinations of presses will allow you to pause/play tracks, answer/end calls, adjust volume and do other functions which can be convenient.

The audio from the microphone is not amazing, but it is quite clear with no distortion so it should be good for most conversations.

You get a lot of useful features from the BT 100 NC which includes decent noise cancelling, Bluetooth as well splash resistance, which makes these earphones great for casual or active use. Sound reproduction has great clarity as well as full mids and okay bass, and should work well with many music genres.

Bass is not emphasized yet is full and has good punch so the sound does not sound lean. The mids are warm and full, so guitars, vocals and drums sound great. The highs are slightly emphasized, which brings out a lot of detail from the music, but can also make cymbal and “s” sounds quite harsh.

You’ll be able to control the various earphone functions using the buttons and switches on the BT 100 NC’s collar. It houses the earphones’ battery and noise cancelling circuitry along with the buttons for answering and ending calls, play/pause/skip/previous tracks, volume adjust and the noise cancelling switch. Aside from being easy to reach, the collar also takes as much weight off of the earpieces as possible, so they stay inside the ears well.

You’ll get a good amount of wireless listening time off of these earphones. Battery life with noise cancelling and wireless activated is around 8 hours, while you can get 12 hours of noise cancelling when these are used in wired mode.

While not the best, the noise-cancelling is decent and can reduce noise that may mix in with your music. You’ll still be able to hear some low pitched noise like the sound of engines though.

You can bring these earphones on the go without the earpieces flopping all over the place when they are not in use. There is a space in each end of the collar where you can dock the earpieces for easier transport.