Altec Lansing BackBeat Pro UHP606

The BackBeat Pros offer a comfortable fit, high-quality sound, and a durable elbow-shaped plug with a cloth-covered cord. A carrying case is included.
Altec Lansing currently makes four sets of BackBeat earphones: the Classic 106, Plus 206, Titanium 326, and the latest addition to the line, the Pro UHP606. All are designed to offer good bang for the buck and the Pros tout "musician-grade reference-quality sound" for far less than more expensive earphones from the likes of Etymotic, Monster, and Shure that promise the same thing. While they don't quite deliver in that area, the BackBeat Pro earphones are a good value overall.

The Pros are a little bit different than their Backbeat siblings. For starters, they have thinner cables and, while the wires appear to be cloth-covered, they're also insulated with a layer of translucent plastic tubing. That's worth noting because one of our gripes with the mesh-only covering of the other BackBeat earphones is that the cloth picks up some sound if it rubs against your clothing. The Pros' cable design alleviates that problem, but in the long run, that plastic covering can end up cracking, particularly if you wear your headphones for prolonged periods outside in freezing temperatures. Still, the combo of plastic and cloth on the wires seems to be a step up in terms of durability--always a plus. altec lansing backbeat proo