Balanced Music

Sound quality on these headphones are very well balanced. It has equal parts bass, mids and trebles, in a more well balanced manner so it’s really suited for music that are not as heavy on the bass. The trebles and mids are rendered clearly, making it enjoyable for a range of music that are melody heavy or favour higher pitches. Having said that, if you are used to headphones with more bass and listen to music that are predominantly heavier on beats and bass tones, you probably won’t enjoy these headphones as much. In fact, having been used to bass heavy headphones, when I initially used these it felt as if the bass was sorely lacking. I can assure you the bass is there and clear, it just takes some adjustments to a mellower bass than what other headphones gives.

Noise Cancelling

These headphones come with passive noise cancelling, and it does it very well too. Put them on and I cannot hear anyone talking to me, earning me a few pens thrown at me from the editor when I was testing these out. However, I do find that any movements or frictions against the wire – which is a lot, considering it hangs around my neck – gives a lot of loud interference, which was rather annoying. Every time I move my head I hear a pretty loud rustling. Paired with noise isolation, that kind of disturbance can interfere with your enjoyment of the music.

Secure Fit

Contrast to the BackBeat 505, the BackBeat FIT 305 is a lot more well built. It comes with over earloops that sit inside the ear, giving a very secure and snug fit. For doing sports, these headphones definitely sits in your ear without moving much. However, if you were using it for extremely prolonged amounts of time – like while working – it might start to hurt a bit. There’s a clip to secure the wire as well, and convenient buttons on the side for volume control. The wires can also take some beating; it doesn’t tangle easily, and while it comes with the pouch, it isn’t detrimental if you decided to save some hassle. Rated IPX5, the BackBeat FIT 503 won’t flinch, if it got caught in a bit of splash from the rain.

Good Range, Decent Battery

One thing I’ve always enjoyed with BackBeats, is the really huge range for its headphones. Unlike many other bluetooth headphones I’ve tested, these are the best when I’m walking all around the office. The music doesn’t drop, there is no static and it’s still as clear, even when I move to different rooms. Pairing these headphones was also much better than the other BackBeat I tested, with much quicker detection by all the devices I’ve tested these with. Battery life is pretty good as well; I could get a solid workday’s worth of use out of these.

Verdict

For sports, these headphones are amazing, minus the lacklustre bass. For daily use, perhaps in small doses. Generally, a good pair of headphones for anybody on the go.