Pick of the Month: Dylan Wireless Headphones

Pick of the Month: Dylan Wireless Headphones

Tiffany White
by Tiffany White
3 min read

I am finally back to writing the Pick of the month.

This month, my pick is Dylan Quiet Space Wireless Headphones.

Between A BeatBack Pro and a Hard Place

My daily driver for the past year was the Plantronics BeatBack PRO. They are really, really great headphones. They’re heavy and don’t fit my head right 1 but the controls are on the cups and are easy to use. Twist one way or the other to adjust volume or go to next/previous track. You can also take calls by pressing the left cup’s button. You can easily feel for the buttons which is definitely an improvement over most Bluetooth over-the-head headphones.

That said, I find myself using the Dylan set more.

Comparison

       
From left to right: Plantronics BeatBack Pro, Dylan Quiet Space

As you can see, the Dylan’s have a metal band with a fantastic cushion. It fits my head better than any other headphones, wireless or wired 2.

The Plantronics BeatBack PRO is $155 while the Dylan Quiet Space is $70. The difference in price and quality is most felt in the controls and the sound, though not in the way you’d think.

Controls Comparison

  • Plantronics BeatBack PRO: Excellent controls. This is probably why the headphones are so bulky and heavy. Easy to navigate without seeing them.
  • Dylan Quiet Space S1: Controls are inset into the outside of the cups where there are notches for cosmetic purposes. It is hard to feel your way around to the controls without looking initially 3.

Winner: Plantronics BeatBack PRO

Sound

  • Plantronics BeatBack PRO: Heavy bass. Distortion when using an equalizer on your Mac like Boom 2 or Boom 3D. Sync issues with video are pretty bad.
  • Dylan Quiet Space S1: Flat sound which works well with equalizers. You can hear mids and highs quite well though not very loud. No noticeable sync issues with video.

Winner: Dylan Quiet Space S1

Fit

  • Plantronics: Heavy and tend to fall of my head. Plastic inner headband not good for fros on big heads.
  • Dylan Quiet Space: They have a metal band and fit my head so well I am surprised that they only cost $70. The cushion on the cups are amazing.

Winner: Dylan Quiet Space

Aesthetics

  • Plantronics: Good looking cans just very bulky.
  • Dylan Quiet Space: Very good looking cans though the cups are small. The metal makes them look premium when they really are cheap.

WInner: Dylan Quiet Space

Noise Cancellation

  • Plantronics: Great noise cancellation but they are open back headphones which means the sound leaks from the headphones. Not ideal if you are on a bus or train; you are liable to annoy your fellow commuters with your black metal.
  • Dylan Quiet Space: Also great at noise cancellation. Maybe a bit better than the Plantronics. I am not sure if they are closed back headphones but it is hard to hear the music even when I have my headphones off and sound playing.

Winner: Slight edge to Dylan Quiet Space

Dylan Quiet Space S1 is My Daily Driver

The Dylan’s win out for now as far as what I’m wearing on a regular basis. As soon as I start a dev job I’ll probably buy a pair of AirPods, just to see what everyone is talking about.

  1. I have a lot of hair and a big head and the plastic band inside has cracked. They’re not cheap so I don’t expect this behavior. ↩

  2. This is probably not the fault of manufacturers. But still. ↩

  3. I had to take my headphones off a couple times when I first got them to see where the controls were. Unacceptable. ↩

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