Jabra, famous for designing TWS with excellent call quality without compromising on audio, has sent us the Jabra Evolve2 65, a wireless headset designed for office professionals. A successor to the Evolve 65 that was released back in 2016, the Evolve2 65 is on sale in one of two variants: Unified Communications Certified or the Microsoft Teams Certified variant.
There are also options for two types of Bluetooth adapters: USB-A and USB-C. Also available as an option is a charging headphone stand. Our sample which is Microsoft Teams certified came with the USB-C dongle option but without a charging stand. It retails for RM1,550.00.
Jabra Evolve2 65 – Specifications
What’s In The Box
Out of the box, you get the Jabra Evolve2 65 headset, a USB-C bluetooth adapter, USB-C charging cable, and a soft leather pouch.
Basically you get all the necessary components and nothing more.
Design, Build Quality And Comfort
Unlike their TWS offerings, the Jabra Evolve2 65’s design is much more subtle, reflecting its focus on the enterprise target audience (think call centres, offices, customer service etc). While most of the construction is plastic, it certainly feels premium to the touch with bits of metal and rubberized surface on the headband.
All the buttons and USB-C charging port populate the right ear cup, which includes:
- On / Off / Bluetooth Pairing Switch
- Play / Pause
- Volume Up / Down
- Last / Next Song
- Mic Mute / Voice Assistant
- Answer / End Call (Microsoft Teams)
LEDs can be found on each ear cup which lights up red when the user is engaged in a call, of which Jabra named the Busylight. The microphone position is adjustable, and folding it to the top position automatically mutes the microphone as well.
The headband and the memory foam ear cushions of the Evolve2 65 are well-padded and provide sufficient noise isolation. However, I would have preferred if the headband can be adjusted more as I have a large head and it fitted too tightly despite its largest adjustment.
Connectivity And Audio Quality
The included Jabra Link 380 bluetooth adapter has an effective range of 30 meters, and it seems to hold true as I tend to walk around the office during a call and it did not stutter or disconnect even once. The adapter is plug and play so no software is necessary, but if you like you can install Jabra Direct or Jabra Sound+ software to update firmware, tweak the sound settings, remap the button controls and more.
Call quality of the Evolve2 65 is crystal clear and the triple microphone array works flawlessly. Thanks to its Microsoft Teams certification, noise isolation is well controlled and could eliminate most of the background noise and only pick up my voice.
The audio quality is excellent as well. I have tested the Evolve2 65 with multiple genres of music and am impressed by the neutral tuning. Bass is punchy and tight without overpowering the mids, and treble is well pronounced without being harsh. Sound stage is not the widest as expected from an on-ear headset but I could hear detailed track separation while listening to rock anthems. In short, I’m impressed by what I’ve heard so far, especially considering the fact that it is mainly a business headset.
Back to the aforementioned Busylight, which lights up automatically whenever the user enters a call or a meeting. You can also turn the lights on manually. This feature is a godsend to business professionals especially call centres, where there are hundreds of employees engaged in back to back calls. If anything arises, your colleagues would know not to interrupt you until the light is turned off, helping you stay focused at your job.
Battery Life
Jabra claims that fully charging the Evolve2 65 could deliver up to 37 hours of battery life and I tend to agree. I used the headset throughout the day with lots of juice to spare. I can easily get through the work week at high audio volumes without the need to recharge.
Final Thoughts
So what is my verdict? I love it, of course. The Jabra Evolve2 65 excels at what it does and more. You get a comfortable headset with great call and audio quality. Yes, it is quite pricey but for businesses that demand the best headset for long calls and meeting sessions, this is a solid contender and should be in your shortlist.
If you want to learn more about the Jabra Evolve2 65, head over to their official website here.
