Plantronics Fit 2100 Review

7.9
7.9 score
[Editors rating (7.9)] = (WalkJogRun) score (7.9)/10


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There are headphones on the market for runners and for walkers. For the gym goers, the soccer moms, and the gamers. There are also headsets for workplaces so employees can optimize comfort for long term use. No matter what you need the headphones for, everyone can ultimately agree about the desired characteristics.

Active people prefer a headset that stays in place, no matter how much they move. One that will deliver quality audio right off the bat and continue to deliver. They want them to fit comfortably on the ear. And they don't want a pesky cord hanging down and catching on everything.

The Backbeat Fit 2100 headphones from Plantronics offer up all of the above. On just a single charge, this headset can give you as many as seven hours of service. It also has an IP-57 rating for durability and protection. So you know they can take some pretty intense use.

The headset has a reflective finish on it so that passersby will be more likely able to see you. The ear tips are “Always Aware” because they let in surrounding sounds. This allows you to maintain awareness of your surroundings while you listen to your music. The Fit 2100 is waterproof and sweatproof. It also has a strong Bluetooth connection and Plantronics' signature audio. And, in addition, comes with a free downloadable app for compatible devices.

Editor's Pros & Cons
Pros

Waterproof

Wireless

Surroundings are audible

Convenient buttons

Stay in place

Cons

Some experience hissing sounds

Problems with charging

Brand

The two brands, Plantronics and Polycom, joined to become ‘Poly’. Together, they form a communications company that is wholeheartedly dedicated to keeping real human connection and conversation alive. Not a day goes by that we (as people) aren’t watching verbal cues and body language to try to understand what someone is trying to say to us.

Poly is continually looking for creative new ways to incorporate these social cues in consumers’ video and audio communication tools so that they can, as closely as possible, replicate a face-to-face interaction. The company is passionate about their technology because they care about building relationships, breaking down walls, crossing oceans, and nurturing the beauty of human interaction.

They also care about issues around the world like diseases, hunger, lack of healthcare, work, education, and discrimination for any reason. There are many people whose priority is to come up with ideas for solutions for these issues. Poly helps provide resources like volunteers, mentors, and donations that help people gain access to the things they need and deserve.

Poly is passionate about being kind to not only the people on our planet but the planet itself. The planet which provides everything we need to survive. The company does their part in helping the planet, the people who inhabit it, and the future generations, stay healthy.

Sound

A lot of people wonder, how do we end up with the sound in our headphones, thus in our ears? The answer is a simple word. Driver. The driver is the element located inside of the headphone. Its job is to convert electrical signals into audible sounds. It’s like miniature speakers.

The parts in a driver include a diaphragm, magnet, and voice coils. Drivers are measured by their diameter in units called millimeters. The driver size is useful when you’re deciding how the headset measures up to the quality of sound it produces.

The drivers on the Fit 2100 are thirteen and a half millimeters. Big enough to fit in your ear, but not so big that they block outside noise. Typical earbud drivers range from thirteen and a half millimeters to fifteen and a half millimeters. Some believe that bigger means better, but that’s not always the case.

Quality means more than size. Bigger drivers may mean a bigger sound, but that doesn’t mean better sound. This headset is equipped with Plantronics’ signature audio, which provides crisp high notes, natural sounding mid-tones, minimally distorted low notes, and bass that is deep and powerful.

There have been some cases where customers have experienced a hissing sound that is consistently heard when the headphones are turned on. In this case, please reach out for repair, replacement, or refund. If you're somebody who prefers to have outside noised completely blocked out, these will not work for you. You will always be able to hear at least some outer noise. In this case, it's done on purpose as a safety measure.

Stability

Whether you’re a die-hard athlete, gym rat, runner, or not, having a headset that will stay in place while you’re enjoying music, movies, or phone calls is important to anyone. Plantronics is well aware of this, and so they pay close attention to this issue in the design process.

For the Fit 2100, they designed ear tips that are extra secure because they were created to wrap around the back of the ear and then sit in place inside of your ear. There is also a neckband that is lightweight and will stay where it belongs.

You can enjoy your video games, movies, music, lunch breaks, workouts, etc knowing that you’re not going to have to constantly be fidgeting with your headset trying to keep it on your body or make it more comfortable along the way. There are, of course, people who do not prefer the fit of this headset. Some people don’t like feeling it wrapped around their ear.

Waterproof

There aren’t many things that are more frustrating than ruining something because you drop it in water, get stuck in the rain, or sweat on it too much. Sweat on it too much? Yes, there are items that can get your sweat on them, like a pair of earphones. And sometimes that can mean the end of their life.

A huge win for any electronic product (or any product really) is to be waterproof. Who doesn’t want something that is waterproof? You never know when you’re going to run into a rainstorm, fall in a puddle, have someone pour liquid on your head, or sweat like crazy during a workout.

Just because you need a thirst quencher mid-run, doesn’t mean your headset does. But, if it happens, your Fit 2100 will be safe so long as it is not immersed in liquid for more than one minute. Any longer than that could be harmful or fatal for your headphones. It isn't recommended that you test these limits just for fun.

Battery Life

In earphones that are the style of the Fit 2100 (in-ear), the battery life is not as long as that in the on-ear/over-ear styles. However, it is still an acceptable life for a wireless product. The battery life of the Fit 2100 is seven hours. On average, in-ear earbuds have a battery life ranging from six to eight hours.

Now, you can choose to enjoy those seven hours all at once to power you through a long day or video game. Or, you can use one hour per day for your workouts and not have to charge them until the end of the week. Some consumers have reported issues with charging connections. If this happens to you, please contact customer service.

If you want to use the earbuds all day but need them to last more than seven hours, you can always take the charger with you and power it up throughout the day to keep it, and you, going. Just like you need your energy boost in the afternoon, your headset does too. It works hard so that you can work hard.

BackBeat App

There is an application that you can download on your phone (or other compatible devices) called BackBeat. This app comes in handy in so many ways, but especially because you don’t have to have your phone (or other devices) in your hand in order to use it. You can connect it to your earbuds and use the buttons on it to control the app/headset.

With the feature called ‘My Tap’, you can customize the commands to give you the best-customized experience. When you tap on your earbud, you can change playlists, set timers, and use a stopwatch, all without interrupting what you’re doing.

The app also allows you to decide how much of the outside noise you want to cancel out. This is convenient when you go from areas of high-noise to areas of low-noise. With the app, you can also switch between the two preset equalizer modes for the sound you like best. The app will also keep your headphones up to date on features and firmware.

Pairing

The pairing process can be intimidating, but it’s not so bad if you know what to do before you try it. The very first time that you turn on your product, it will begin looking for Bluetooth devices to connect to. Turn on your product by clicking and holding the right side earbud. You will hear ‘paring’ along with seeing white and red LEDs flashing.

Once you have turned them on, you’ll want to open the settings in your phone (or other compatible devices) and turn on your Bluetooth. Scan for devices, and choose ‘PLT BBFIT 2100 Series’. In some cases, it will prompt you for a passcode. If this happens, simply type four zeros.

Once the connection has been established, you will hear ‘pairing successful’ and the light will stop flashing. In order to take advantage of your headset announcing the name of your caller, you must allow the app access to your contacts. You can connect up to two devices to this headset.

IP Rating

You will often see the IP rating of products such as this one. If you’re anything like most people, you have no idea what that means. IP is an abbreviation for Ingress Protection. The numbers in the rating indicate the ability of a product to resist solids, particles, and liquids.

The IP rating of the Fit 2100 is IP-57. The first number can be anywhere between zero and six. The second can be anywhere from zero to eight. Most smart products that are advertised to be “rugged” have a rating of fifty-seven, fifty-eight, sixty-seven, or sixty-eight.

The ‘five’ in the Fit 2100’s rating means that it is protected from dust to the extent that not enough will be able to ingress in order to interfere with the operation performance. The ‘seven’ in the rating means that the item is protected from ingression of water as long as the product is not immersed in liquid for longer than a minute. It is not recommended that you test the limits just for fun.

Warranty

An important quality to look for when you’re purchasing any product is whether or not it has a warranty. Plantronics (Poly) covers their products with a limited warranty, so long as the items were purchased in their original packaging from Plantronics, its authorized sellers, or its subsidiaries.

The speed at which the warranty service team can get to, and complete, your product service request will vary due to peak business time and availability of parts. If they need to send out for parts, it will take longer to complete your service.

When you send your item in with a warranty claim, you are expected to handle the cost of insurance, shipping charges, and any other expenses related to transporting the item to Plantronics.

The warranty is effective beginning the day that you purchase your item. Your receipt from the purchase shows the date that you bought the item. Generally, the warranty periods offered range from one to three years. Consult your packaging for the specific warranty your product comes with.

Under this warranty, Plantronics reserves the right to repair (or replace) consumers’ products with new or nearly new parts, components, or products that are equivalent in reliability and performance, products that have been refurbished with new components, or with a product that is equivalent to the product originally purchased if it was discontinued.

Bottom Line

Compared to similar products on the market, the Fit 2100 come at a reasonable price. With all they have to offer, it’s not a bad price at all. Not only will they stay on your head, provide you with a beautiful sound, and be comfortable, but they will also keep you safe out on the streets by making you more visible.

You’ll also be safer because they do not seal out all external noise. This way you will be able to hear traffic and someone shouting if there’s an emergency or you’re about to be hit. You can even adjust the noise-cancellation via the BackBeat app.

The way that it is designed to loop around the back of your ear and sit inside of your ear provides you with great comfort as well as stability. It’ll be harder for these to fall off from the jiggle of a jog. The Fit 2100 is available in Grey, Black, Blue, and Lava Black (Red/Black).