JABRA EVOLVE 2 55 AND 2 65 FLEX HEADSETS

Jabra Evolve 2 55

Active Noise Cancellation (ANC)	Yes
Speaker size	28 mm
Speaker max input power	30 mW
Speaker frequency range	20 Hz – 20 000 Hz
Speaker bandwidth (music mode)	20 Hz – 20 000 Hz
Speaker bandwidth (speak mode)	150 Hz – 6 800 Hz
Audio codecs supported	AAC, SBC
Microphone type	2x Analogue MEMS / 2x Digital MEMS (Stereo). 1x Analogue MEMS / 2x Digital MEMS (Mono).
Microphone frequency range	Analogue 20 Hz – 10 000 Hz / Digital 100 Hz – 6 300 Hz

 

PRICE R5 240,00

 

Evolve 2 65 Flex

Active Noise Cancellation (ANC)	Hybrid ANC
HearThrough	Yes
Speaker size	28 mm
Speaker max input power	30 mW
Speaker frequency range	20 Hz – 20 000 Hz
Speaker bandwidth (music mode)	20 Hz – 20 000 Hz
Speaker bandwidth (speak mode)	150 Hz – 6 800 Hz
Microphone type	2x Analogue MEMS / 4x Digital MEMS (stereo)
Microphone frequency range	Analogue 20 Hz – 10 000 Hz / Digital 20 Hz – 10 000 Hz
Audio codecs supported	SBC

 

PRICE R6 841,76

SUPPLIED BY Planetworld 0860 65 64 63

WEBSITE www.planetworld.co.za / info@planetworld.co.za

 

So, this was a new one for me, and I admit that I was initially uncertain how to approach the reviews, because Jabra is more for high quality office environment communication, than the usual AV culprits we review that have only one purpose: to give you the best possible music-listening experience.

So please bear with me on this one!

Founded in 1983, Jabra is a Danish brand specialising in audio equipment and videoconferencing systems. It engineers, manufactures, and markets wireless, true wireless, and corded headphones for consumers and business customers.

Its product list is pretty extensive, including the likes of headsets, speakerphones, video conferencing, personal cameras, and even hearing aids.

The headsets I took a look at were the Evolve 2 65 Flex and the Evolve 2 55.

Being used to the kind of Whoa! packaging that the Hi-Fi products generally come in, I have to say that I was initially a tad underwhelmed by the plain brown packaging.

But there’s a reason for this: Jabra is committed to the health of the planet, so wherever possible, the company uses recyclable material. And it’s also only the cover – the headsets themselves come in a very nice protective covering.

The ‘carry cases’ are small, since the headsets are designed to collapse in on themselves for convenient portability.

Going back to the product box – another clever thing that Jabra has done, is to use the inside of it as the product manual. So, you have printed diagrams that show you which button does what, and where it is situated.

However, if you need more information, they’re all available for download online.

Pairing the headsets is as simple as turning your Smartphone’s Bluetooth on, and ditto the headset’s Bluetooth, and then connecting. My experience was a tad different, but then I have an apparently well-deserved reputation for experiencing glitches in The Matrix.

Also included is a USB-Type C Bluetooth adapter for use with things like laptops, in particular. The headsets are already paired to the adapter, so connection is instantaneous.

How did the testing go?

Well, let’s put it this way. My treasured SONOS Ace headphones have two buttons and a slider switch. And I still managed to muck up the commands and sequences, cutting people off, declining calls when I actually wanted to take them.

I seem to be that uncoordinated person who is, as they say, “All thumbs”. Luckily for me, the moveable microphone arms proved far easier for me to get used to and use properly.

Both microphones performed well indoors, but the Evolve 55 was a bit more prone to picking up wind interference. That said, I have to be fair and place my comment in the context of that where we live, you can see from the way the local trees have grown at an angle, as testament to how strongly our winds blow.

We’re a local weather anomaly that makes Port Elizabeth look like an amateur.

Comfort levels are superb with an extremely soft, padded headband, and I got the impression that the same material was used in the earpieces as well, since they are hugely gentle on your ears. However, while the fabric would be perfect for airconditioned environments, I suspect that it would be uncomfortable in warmer, more humid situations.

Conversations over calls via my Smartphone were crisp and clear, and any clarity issues were down to bad 4G and WhatsApp signals in our area. I didn’t get a chance to test them in any group calls, but I suspect – based on my standard call quality – that they’ll perform perfectly.

So, what you have here, are two high quality headsets, jam-packed packed with features (once you get used to all the options they provide!) that will make working in an office environment so much easier (even more so with the ANC to block out all the background noise).

As with all devices these days, there’s an App – in this case the Jabra Sound+, which allows you to tweak and personalise your product, as well as facilitating updates where applicable.

But what about their musicality?

I had my reservations. Firstly, everything in the marketing showed that they were premium ‘office communication’ products. And the overwhelming majority of the features and capabilities of these Jabras are focussed on that field.

Also, the headsets are on-ears, which regular readers will know is not my favourite type of headphones – as with in-ears, I find the music too immediate with no space for it to breathe, as it can with over-ears. On the positive side, it means I keep the listening volume down, which can only be beneficial to my hearing!

So, I was completely caught off-guard by the opening seconds of Mike Oldfield’s Man in the Rain – the guitar was astoundingly clear, not at all what I had expected to hear.

These opening seconds resulted in a pretty lengthy listening session with Spotify and TIDAL tracks, including the likes of Martin Page (In the House of Stone and Light), Skylar Grey (You Wear Me Out), Ed Sheeran (All of the Stars), and many more. Another stand-out track was Missy Higgins’ Where I Stood, where the vocals were presented perfectly and with all the raw emotion of the lyrics in place.

Of course, there are limitations. The speaker sizes are (compared to audio-specific headphones) quite small, so you need to be realistic in your expectations as to how much of the musical spectrum they can reproduce. So, you’re not going to get, in particular, the low frequency details as strongly.

But then this is not what Jabra is aiming for here. These are headsets that are designed primarily for high quality office communication, and in that, they excel on all fronts. The fact that they can also provide such really impressive musical delivery, is simply the proverbial “Cherry on top”.

Andrew Rowland