Design and features:These earphones have an integrated microphone and tap sensitive volume, music player function, and call connect/disconnect controls for use with paired Bluetooth devices. Additional features include the ability to connect to two Bluetooth devices at the same time, support for Apple Siri and Google Assistant digital voice assistants when used with mobile devices that have those features, and manufacturer claimed water resistance. The free Plantronics Backbeat app for Apple and Android mobile devices adds additional features such as the ability to change the function of the controls, update the earphones firmware, and help locate the earphones if they are misplaced. This model comes with a USB charging cable.
Sound quality: We found the Backbeat FIT 2100 delivers sound quality that falls in the Good range - it reproduces music and voice reasonably well despite the obvious shortcomings in its sound. The overall sound can best be summarized as somewhat soft and hazy. The bass (as in bass drums, bass guitars, stand-up bass, etc.) has decent impact, but is slightly boomy and doesn't go deep. The midrange (voices, guitars, horns, etc.) is fairly even, but somewhat soft and hazy, and a bit congested (think sonic traffic jam). The treble (cymbals, the upper range of violins, etc.) is fairly extended but a bit subdued and a touch sizzly (sounds that should have a delicate shimmer have a sound reminiscent of bacon frying). While they do a decent job of recovering the room ambience of a recording (the sense of the acoustic space in which the audio program that's being listened to was recorded), the sound has only a so-so sense of liveliness and is somewhat closed (sound-wise it's fairly obvious you have something plugging your ears).
Comfort: The Backbeat FIT 2100 is a hybrid ear insert/ear bud design - the earpieces insert into the ear canals a bit but don't form a seal like a typical ear insert model, and they are supported by the ear bowls like a ear bud model rather than the ear canals. The ear bowl support ear pieces stay in place with no problem and are very stable even with vigorous head movement, but users may have to fiddle with them a bit to find the position that provides the best sound quality. The ear hooks may increase the sense of stability for some users with medium or larger ears but may not do much for users with smaller ears. The sound of the neck band rubbing on clothing may also be heard through the earphones.
