Jabra Evolve2 65 Review

The Jabra Evolve2 65 has been my go-to headset for the past few weeks, and I’ve had plenty of time to really put it through its paces. Right out of the box, the sleek design and lightweight feel impressed me. I immediately noticed how comfortable the ear cushions are, even during long work sessions.

In terms of performance, the sound quality didn’t disappoint—calls were crystal clear, and the noise isolation worked surprisingly well, even in a busy environment. The 37-hour battery life lived up to the hype too; I barely had to think about recharging. But of course, no product is perfect, and there are a few things I think you should know before buying. Let’s dive into what I loved and what could be better about the Jabra Evolve2 65.

Design & Aesthetics

The Jabra Evolve2 65 headphones are designed with a focus on professional use, making them suitable for a business environment. Their on-ear style features a sleek and somewhat low-profile design, allowing them to blend seamlessly into an office setting. This minimalist aesthetic is enhanced by a monochrome color scheme, available in either black or beige, which gives them a polished and modern appearance.

One aspect of their design is the non-removable microphone, which adds a touch of functionality but can make the headphones more noticeable during casual use. While the mic is essential for calls, it may not be ideal for users who want a more understated look outside of work.

Comfort is also a key consideration in the design of the Evolve2 65. The ear cups are padded, providing a snug fit that helps with sound isolation while remaining comfortable for extended wear. The closed-back design further enhances this isolation, making it easier to focus on calls or music without distractions from the surrounding environment.

The headphones feature a decent physical control scheme that is intuitive and easy to use. Dedicated volume buttons double as playback controls, allowing users to skip tracks by holding down the buttons. This feature adds to the overall user-friendly design, making it simple to manage calls and music without fumbling around.

The Jabra Evolve2 65 headphones strike a balance between professional aesthetics and practical design. Their sleek look, comfortable fit, and user-friendly controls make them a solid choice for anyone looking for reliable on-ear headphones in a business setting.

Materials and Build Quality

The Jabra Evolve2 65 headphones are constructed with a focus on durability and resilience. They primarily feature high-grade plastic and silicone, which contribute to a solid overall feel. This choice of materials helps ensure that the headphones can withstand the rigors of daily use, making them a practical option for professionals who may be on the move.

One noteworthy aspect of the build quality is the hinges, which feel like they are made of aluminum. This metal construction adds a level of sturdiness and reliability, allowing for smooth adjustments without the fear of breakage. The combination of high-quality materials gives the headphones a robust feel, suggesting they can endure a few minor bumps and drops without sustaining significant damage.

The build quality of the Jabra Evolve2 65 reflects a thoughtful design that prioritizes longevity. While they may not be entirely indestructible, these headphones are built to handle the wear and tear of everyday life. Whether used in an office setting or during travel, they provide a reliable and durable option for users looking for headphones that can stand up to regular use.

Comfort and Fit

The Jabra Evolve2 65 headphones are designed with comfort in mind, making them suitable for extended use during daily activities. Weighing only 0.4 lbs, they are lightweight and easy to wear throughout a typical workday. The ear cups are fairly well-padded, which helps distribute pressure evenly across your ears. This thoughtful design minimizes discomfort, allowing users to wear them for hours without issue unlike the Jbl tune 770nc and Skullcandy Crusher Evo.

The clamping force is measured at 0.5 lbs, which is gentle enough to ensure a secure fit without causing discomfort. This means the headphones won't feel overly tight, making them suitable for long listening sessions at your desk or during calls.

Breathability is another important aspect of comfort. The Evolve2 65 features a decently breathable fit, which means they can trap a small amount of heat under the ear cups. While this might cause some warmth during extended use, it typically isn’t bothersome. However, it’s worth noting that these headphones are not designed for sports use. If you wear them while exercising, such as running in the park, you may experience more sweating.

In terms of stability, the on-ear design provides a secure fit during gentle movements. Users can comfortably turn their heads or nod without the headphones slipping off. However, more vigorous movements may cause them to come loose. Fortunately, their wireless design eliminates the risk of snagging an audio cable, which can yank the headphones off your head.

Overall, the Jabra Evolve2 65 headphones offer a good balance of comfort and fit. They are ideal for daily use in an office setting or during virtual meetings, allowing for prolonged wear without sacrificing comfort.

Sound Quality

The Jabra Evolve2 65 headphones deliver a fairly well-balanced sound profile, though it leans slightly towards a boomy bass like the Jabra Elite 45h headphones. With a bass amount of 0.81 dB, there’s an emphasis on lower frequencies that adds a nice thump and kick to your music. However, this can also result in some mixes sounding a bit muddy, especially in bass-heavy tracks.

The mids and treble performance is impressive. Vocals and instruments are clear and well-defined, making for a satisfying listening experience. When used for phone calls, voices come through warm and detailed, which enhances communication quality. If the default sound isn’t to your liking, you can easily adjust it using the five-band graphic EQ in the companion app.

It's important to note that when using these headphones for meetings or calls, you may experience a drop in audio quality. This occurs when the microphone is activated or when using the 'push to talk' feature. In this mode, the audio switches from stereo to mono, which can disrupt the overall listening experience. However, disabling the mic will revert the sound back to its full stereo quality.

The bass accuracy is generally satisfactory, with a low-frequency extension down to 11.55 Hz. The bass response does vary based on how the headphones fit and position on your head. There’s a noticeable bump in the mid to high-bass ranges, which can contribute to a boominess in certain tracks.

Mids are represented well, with a slight bump in the low-mids that adds some fullness without being overly cluttered. This ensures that speech, vocals, and lead instruments remain clear and present.

Treble accuracy is also commendable, with detailed and bright sounds. The low treble shows a slight bump, which helps with clarity, while some dips in the low to mid-treble can dull finer details in specific mixes.

Stereo imaging performance is notable, allowing for accurate localization of sounds within the stereo field. The headphones have tight bass and transparent treble, making the listening experience more immersive. Overall, the Jabra Evolve2 65 delivers solid sound quality, though individual experiences may vary depending on fit and positioning.

Battery Life

The Jabra Evolve2 65 headphones excel in battery performance, making them ideal for extended use. They are equipped with a rechargeable battery that boasts an impressive continuous battery life of around 60.8 hours. This far exceeds the advertised 37 hours of playback time, allowing users to enjoy long listening sessions without the need for frequent recharging. In testing, the headphones lasted more than 60 hours on a single charge when used with the included Bluetooth dongle. If you need more backup so you must try the Beats Studio Pro or Beats Solo3 Wireless on-ear Headphones both have 40 hours backup.

However, it’s important to note that listening at high volumes and enabling the busy light feature can significantly impact battery life. These factors may lead to a decrease in overall playtime, so users should be mindful of their settings for optimal battery usage.

To help preserve battery life when not in use, the Jabra Evolve2 65 features a standby mode. This function ensures that the headphones don’t drain their battery unnecessarily when left idle.

Charging the headphones is relatively quick, taking about 1.4 hours to reach full battery. For those who can't wait that long, the option to use the headphones while they are recharging is a convenient feature. This flexibility allows users to continue working or listening to audio without interruption.

The headphones use a USB-C charging port, which is a standard connection that makes recharging easy and efficient. Overall, the battery life of the Jabra Evolve2 65 is outstanding, providing ample usage for long days in the office or extended calls, making them a reliable choice for professionals.

Connectivity and Usability

The Jabra Evolve2 65 headphones offer impressive Bluetooth connectivity, featuring Bluetooth 5.0 technology. This allows them to pair with two Bluetooth devices simultaneously, making it easy to switch between your phone and computer. However, it’s important to note that you cannot play audio from a console and a Bluetooth device at the same time using the included dongle. When connected in this manner, the headphones will only receive audio from one device.

These headphones do not support NFC pairing, which may limit quick connection options for some users. The line-of-sight range is approximately 335.00 ft (102.11 m), allowing for considerable freedom of movement without losing connectivity. However, the latency can be a concern, especially for PC users, with a latency of 233 ms when using the SBC codec. This level of latency is not ideal for watching movies or playing games, as it can result in noticeable audio lag.

On mobile devices, the latency is significantly lower, measuring 100 ms for iOS and 124 ms for Android. However, it's worth noting that different apps may compensate for audio delay differently, so individual experiences can vary.

The Jabra Evolve2 65 comes with a USB-A dongle, allowing for a quick and easy connection to your computer. While this dongle enables wireless functionality, users might experience higher latency compared to traditional Bluetooth connections. There is also a variant available with a USB-C dongle, which provides compatibility with modern USB-C ports, but this version wasn't included in our review.

For wired connectivity, these headphones support USB audio with a length of 3.90 ft (1.19 m) using a USB Type A connection. While they can function with audio and microphone compatibility over USB, there may be a drop in audio quality compared to Bluetooth. Jabra recommends using the provided USB dongle for the best audio and mic quality.

This Jabra Evolve2 headphones provide versatile connectivity options. They support both Bluetooth and wired connections, making them suitable for various devices and use cases. Whether for professional calls or casual listening, these headphones offer flexibility and usability for everyday needs.

Mic Performance and Call Quality

The Jabra Evolve2 65 features a flippable boom microphone that significantly enhances its call quality. This boom mic is designed to provide clear and natural voice recording, making your speech sound full-bodied and easy to understand. With a low-frequency extension (LFE) of 142.54 Hz and a high-frequency extension (HFE) of 6,267.15 Hz, the mic captures a wide range of vocal tones.

However, it’s important to note that when the microphone is in use, the headphones switch to mono mode. This change can be frustrating if you're trying to concentrate on your call, as it may affect the audio experience. Despite this switch, the recording quality of the microphone remains unaffected. Once the mic is disabled, the headphones revert to their normal stereo mode, restoring the full sound profile.

The noise handling capability of the microphone is quite good. With a noise gate that is always on, the mic effectively filters out background sounds, ensuring that your voice is heard clearly even in loud or crowded environments. Whether you’re calling from a busy street or a noisy office, people on the other end should have no trouble understanding you.

However, it’s worth mentioning that if you find yourself in a particularly loud setting, the volume of your voice may drop. This can happen if there are sudden, loud noises in the background, which might affect communication clarity temporarily.

Overall, the mic performance of the Jabra Evolve2 65 is impressive for both professional and casual use. Its design ensures that your voice comes through clearly and accurately, making it a great choice for conference calls or everyday conversations.

Durability and Portability

The Jabra Evolve2 65 headphones offer decent durability and portability, making them a suitable choice for professional use. They are designed with practicality in mind, but there are some limitations to consider.

Durability

The build quality of the Evolve2 65 is commendable, featuring sturdy materials that can withstand daily wear and tear. The headphones come with a soft case made from faux leather, which provides protection against scratches and minor water exposure. While this case is effective for everyday use, it may not fully protect against significant drops or impacts. Users should be cautious when storing them, especially since the boom microphone is not detachable. If thrown into a bag without protection, the mic could snag on objects, potentially causing damage.

Portability

In terms of portability, the Jabra Evolve2 65 offers a passable experience. While the ear cups can swivel flat, the headband does not fold down to reduce the overall footprint. This design means they take up more space in a bag compared to other models that have more compact folding mechanisms.

The dimensions of the headphones are L 7.8" (19.8 cm), W 6.0" (15.2 cm), and H 1.7" (4.3 cm), with a total volume of 80.00 in³ (1,310.96 cm³). While they are relatively compact, their non-folding design can make them less convenient for travel.

Weight is an essential factor for comfort, especially when wearing headphones for extended periods. The Evolve2 65 weighs 6.22 ounces, which is less than a petite sirloin steak but about average for an over-the-head headset. Despite this, they feel lighter than expected when worn, making them suitable for all-day use without causing significant fatigue. Unlike some heavier models, the Evolve2 65 is comfortable enough that you won’t find yourself reaching for pain relief at the end of the day.

Overall, the Jabra Evolve2 65 headphones strike a balance between durability and portability. While they may not be the most compact option on the market, their sturdy build and comfortable design make them a reliable choice for professionals who need to stay connected throughout the day.

Final Verdict

The Jabra Evolve2 65 headset is an impressive choice for both professional and casual users. With its aesthetically pleasing design, it fits seamlessly into any office environment while also looking stylish for everyday use. Lightweight and comfortable, these headphones can be worn for long periods without causing discomfort, making them ideal for extended calls or meetings.

One of the standout features is the microphone performance. The boom mic delivers clear audio and effectively removes unwanted background noise, ensuring crisp communication. An audible notification alerts you when the mic is muted by raising it, and the USB dongle changes from green to red, providing a helpful visual cue during calls.

Additionally, the Evolve2 65 comes with a leather travel case, enhancing portability and protection against scratches or minor damage. This thoughtful inclusion makes it easier to carry the headset safely, whether commuting or traveling.

In summary, I wholeheartedly recommend the Jabra Evolve2 65 headset. It checks nearly every box a user could want in a wireless headset, offering great design, comfort, and sound quality. There’s little to complain about, making it an excellent investment for anyone seeking reliable, high-quality audio gear.