Altec Lansing Backbeat Series In Ear Headphone
Manufacturer: Altec Lansing Part number: UHP206
- More product information:
- Editors' review
- User reviews
- Specifications
- Manufacturer info
- Bottom Line:
- Although Altec Lansing's BackBeat Plus 206 earbuds may be a slight step down from the BackBeat 326 earphones, they offer very good sound for the money.
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Where to buy
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CNET editors' review
Altec Lansing Backbeat Series In Ear Headphone price range: $22.98
- Reviewed by: David Carnoy
- Edited by: Jasmine France
- Reviewed on: 03/23/2009
The good: The Altec Lansing BackBeat Plus 206 earphones offer a comfortable fit; impressive sound for the money; and a durable, cloth-covered cord.
The bad: When the BackBeat Plus 206's cloth cord rubs against your clothing, you can sometimes hear that rubbing sound if your MP3 player is set to low volumes or during the silence between songs; no carrying case is included.
The bottom line: Although Altec Lansing's BackBeat Plus 206 earbuds may be a slight step down from the BackBeat 326 earphones, they offer very good sound for the money.
Altec Lansing is a long-standing competitor in the iPod speaker market, so it makes sense that the company now produces a variety of headphones, as well. It currently makes three sets of BackBeat earphones: the Titanium 326, Plus 206, and Classic 106. About $10 separates each, and while the BackBeat 206 earphones reviewed here list for $49.99, they can be had for a little over $30 online. Like their step-up sibling, they're a good deal at that price.
The differences between the 206 and the 326 are relatively small. The BackBeat 326 earphones have more dynamic range, with a frequency response of 10 Hz-20k Hz compared with 30 Hz-18.5 kHz for the 206. The 326 also comes with a protective carrying case and an additional set of "flange" tips for extra noise reduction. Instead of titanium drivers, the 206 earphones go with neodymium.
Aside from a reasonable price tag, the 206 earbuds have a few things going for them. With one of the three sets of included silicon tips, you'll find a snug, comfortable fit that helps block out a good amount of noise. We also liked that Altec went with cloth mesh instead of rubber/plastic to cover the 46-inch-long headphone wire. We've found that rubberized covering can end up cracking, particularly if you wear your headphones for prolonged periods outside in freezing temperatures. The one drawback to the mesh covering is that it does pick up some sound if it rubs against your clothing (you only notice it when you have the volume at a lower level or during the silence between songs). But that's a minor gripe.
We also liked that the plug is small and will fit in any recessed headphone jacks you might encounter (sorry, there's no built-in mic for making calls on you cell phone). At the same time, it's worth noting that the plug is a straight plug; we prefer the elbow variety of plug, which is more likely to hold up better over time and not short out if you accidentally bang it too many times (or drop your audio device). Again, this is a relatively small knock.
Like the step-up BackBeat 326 headphones, these earphones sound quite good, particularly for the money. They have a decent amount of bass and offer impressive detail and clarity. To hear the difference between the 206 and the 326, you'll have to have pretty good ears, but we did notice that the 326 earphones offered a touch more bass (it's harder to hear the differences in higher frequencies, especially as you get older). The bass isn't as tight as what you'd get from more expensive Shure or Etymotic earphones, but you can't expect everything for $30.
Songs like the Kings of Leon's "Sex on Fire" and "Be Somebody" from the band's "Only by Night" album didn't come across with the same clarity as a pair of $150 Shure SE210s, but there was decent oomph to the tracks and we felt that even these 206 earphones bested Bose's $99 TriPort In-ear headphones--both in terms of sound and fit.
In the final analysis, the BackBeat 206 earphones may not sound quite as good as the 326, but the difference is small, so if you're on a tight budget and want to save $10, the 206 might be your best bet. As for comparisons to Altec's Classic 106 earphones, we'd suggest paying the extra dough to get these guys. The 106 headphones are also decent for the money, but they sounded a little thin compared with either the 206 or the 326 models.
User reviews
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ditto on cords rubbing -annoying...but otherwise good
by schuelerd on February 7, 2010
Pros: Great Sound, good price point for iPhone mic and contro. Fit is good for me too.
Cons: DUH ... The rubbing cords that transmit sound to the ear pieces. Come on guys..who let that pass?
Summary: Great phones...good price...terrible cords that transmit sound to earphones.
Summary: Great phones...good price...terrible cords that transmit sound to earphones.
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Great sound quality at good price.
by halocog on December 16, 2009
Pros: Great sound that's engineered by Ultimate Ears.
Confortable fit.
Braided cloth/mesh cordCons: When the cord rubs against clothes at low volume, you can hear it.
if you keep these in your pocket, lint will get in and around the silicone tips.Summary: great headphones at a good price, huge improvement over skullcandy's in the same price range.
Summary: great headphones at a good price, huge improvement over skullcandy's in the same price range.
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better than standard headphones
by denewbgp on March 25, 2009
Pros: good full sound
3 included ear tips
not tangle proneCons: the plastic in the earpieces is too large and can cause some discomfort
the cloth wire does rub against clothing an creates audible sound at low to medium volumes
lacking on base -
I'd rather use the Headphones that came with my ipod
by scrippsic on May 19, 2009
Pros: The only good thing about these headphones is that the headphone jack fits into an EDGE IPhone without an adapater.
Cons: Muddled base, undefined highs and unimpressive mids hiding underneath all of that...
Summary: I bought these earbuds last night to hold me over until Eytomtic could replace my Ety ER4's under warranty. I know that Ety ER4's are in a completely ...
Summary: I bought these earbuds last night to hold me over until Eytomtic could replace my Ety ER4's under warranty. I know that Ety ER4's are in a completely different class, but for $50 I expected headphones that were halfway decent.
Besides the sound quality the thing that really scared me was that my ears were fatigued in less than 30 minutes after putting these earbuds in. I've used my ety earbuds and my Sennheiser headphones for the last few years and I can't remember the last time my ears got fatigued from listening to music, but my ears began to ache and i started to get a headache after just half an hour of using these Altec Lansing earbuds.
One other thing that was dissapointing was the "sound isolation" quality. I was expecting ear buds that fully went into the ear canal and made a tight seal, but it seems like these headphones merely fit more sungly into the ear than most ear buds because of their soft silicone tips. Because the tips didn't go fully in the ear canal the sound isolation was minimal. I ride BART from San Francisco everday and the transbay tunnel creates a high pitched whine as the train heads to my office in the east bay. In order to avoid being bothered by the tunnel noise I need my earbuds to have a good seal in the ear canal. Unfortunately, this morning i had the unpleasent experience of listening to this high pitched whine along with my music all the way through the transbay tunnel.
I don't know that you can do any better for $40-$50, but I know that I don't think that these are worth the money and I would rather spend $150 on a pair of quality Shure or Ety's than waste more money on cheap Altec Lansing headphones. These headphones are going back to best buy tonight!!!0 out of 1 users found this user opinion helpful.
Specifications
- Manufacturer: Altec Lansing
- Part number: UHP206
- Description: The BackBeat Plus noise-isolating earphones with enhanced bass deliver powerful deep bass and stunning audio free from distortion and the distraction of outside noises.
General
- Product Type Headphones
- Weight 0.9 oz
- Recommended Use Portable audio system
- Additional Features Gold plated connectors
Headphones
- Headphones Type Headphones - Binaural
- Headphones Form Factor In-ear ear-bud
- Connectivity Technology Wired
- Sound Output Mode Stereo
- Response Bandwidth 30 - 18500 Hz
- Signal-To-Noise Ratio 16 dB
- Sensitivity 106 dB/mW
- Impedance 16 Ohm
- Diaphragm 0.4 in
- Magnet Material Neodymium
Connections
- Connector Type 1 x Headphones ( Mini-phone stereo 3.5 mm )
Miscellaneous
- Cables Included Headphones cable - Integrated - 4 ft
- Included Accessories 6 ear tips
Power
- Power Device None
Manufacturer info
- Manufacturer profile
- Browse Altec Lansing products on Shopper.com
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- Manufacturer:Altec Lansing
- Address:
535 Route 6 & 209, Milford, PA 18337-0277 - Phone: 1-866-570-5702
- Fax: 1-570-296-6887
