Jabra Evolve2 85: The S$700 WFH headset your boss should buy for you

[@briankronberg]

I've had the Evolve2 85 headphones for a few months and use them for 8-12 hours every day. These have replaced my use of the Sony WH-1000XM3 headphones. This is what I think: - These rock. Period. - Do the firmware updates, it helps. - Use the Link 380 Bluetooth dongle, it is better than what comes in almost every PC/laptop. Plus it is a fast connect/disconnect. - The microphone boom occasionally has an issue and I have to lift it and pull it back down again for people to hear me. - Easy, easy use with Microsoft Teams. I am literally on Teams calls all day and Teams is my work phone. This has been the best set up headphones I have ever used with Teams. Since many customers also have WebEx and Zoom I can also say that the headphones works just as well with those applications. All the buttons work as expected and it just "works" which is what I love the most. - Seamless failover to my phone. But at times this can be a problem when you are trying to listen to both devices the headset will only let you hear one of them. Also, if you are in a Teams call and any call or playback is started on your phone, your Teams call is put on hold and you must resume it to hear the call again. This is a minor issue for some if you are on really long meetings and also want to look something up on your phone that has audio.

[@LorenzoSpearmanSrhelpsthepoor]

I love your review. I’ve been test driving the Evolve2 85 as my work headphones for about 2 months now and it’s made my 10 hr work shifts a lot easier. I’ve found all features are as advertised. Working from home during the pandemic is challenging with all of the household distractions. The Jabra ANC blocks out all outside noise and helps keep me better focused. Hear-through mode sounds crystal clear, like you aren’t wearing headphones at all. The busy light lets the family know that I’m on a call so do not disturb. The cups are so comfortable that I forget I’m wearing headphones. I’m excited that I’m no longer physically tethered to my computer set up thanks to the headphone’s strong Bluetooth connection. I can actually walk around my home & even outside to take out the trash and still stay connected to my work PC. The headphones stay wirelessly connect to my work PC and my personal iPad simultaneously with no problems. When I’m listening to a music on my iPad & a call comes through my work PC, the Jabra automatically switches and prioritizes my soft phone Fuze app so that I can take the incoming work call seamlessly. Call quality is excellent & battery Life is superb. The Jabra Sound-plus app allows for precise fine tuning of the headset settings. I’m totally impressed. There is a small learning curve in terms of set up but once mastered, everything is smooth sailing.

[@billycallahan3338]

Do you find they fit all the way over the ear? They advertise of being "over" the ear. Just wondering if they truly are.

[@johnnyr8737]

always use the bluetooth-dongle if you can. built-in bluetooth from pcs or laptops are not really efficient for voice-transmission, more for peripherals like mouses and keyboards. for the 2 modes - call mode will cut low and highend frequency spectrum for saving bandwith over bluetooth, since youre using your microphone for input. if you just use the audio mode (where the mic wont work) you will have full frequency bandwith. games usually detect all in- and outputs at the same time. what i dont know, if you disable the input in you console, if you can force the headset to full audio bandwith.. very good review, subscribed

[@WombatVC]

The way it swivels is for you to hear your boss shouting your name while you try to pour yourself a cup of coffee.

[@janetmcnish-counsellor3712]

Very helpful review. Thank you. I love your sense of humour. You held my attention. Every success to you. (from London UK)

[@dy2cakc1]

Once it has been refreshed with Bluetooth 5.2 and refined like the Evolve2 75, will be unbeatable.

[@SibTiger33]

Agreed - but currently the Evolve2 75 is actually a better headset than the Evolve2 85 (only ANC is better on the 85)

[@ErolYNWA]

bought the elite 85h and UC 370 Link..its a awesome combo

[@kloboucek]

Hey Zachary, I had the same issue with the headphones switching into call mode when playing games on PC... headphones were connected just via standard bluetooth wihout using the dongle. I've found a way to play in piece - disable the call audio device in sound settings when you want to play games. After that the games have started using the regular sound device and had no way to switch to the call device. My issue was even little worse, the game's sound actually went away after about 30 seconds once the headset went into the call mode - I had no sound in GTA5 which is the game I tried it on. So, try this Zachary, perhaps it will help you, too. If this is happening also to PS or XBOX users, then I don't know if there's such option to disable certain connected devices. Worth a try though... and awesome review man, you're one of a few reviewers, whose suggestion helped me with this purchase.

[@cameroncameron6800]

yes, but does the ANC work with 3.5mm jack plugged in? How could you miss this?

[@dkfi]

Regarding your opinion on the ear cups folding in the wrong direction when resting on your neck. I own a headset which does the exact opposite and I really hate it! When working from home and I don't need to use the headset I'll just take them off and put them on the stand. The only time I'd need to keep them on my neck is to be able to hear sound notifications coming in without having to wear the headset the whole time. If the ear cups face down you can't hear them! Jabra's design accomodates this use case and are just perfect in my opinion. I have to convince my boss to get them for me now! 😊. Thanks for the very exhaustive and detailed review. 👏🏻

[@hardwarezonecom]

Good one. You have a valid point of being able to hear audio with the cups facing out. Maybe I have to figure out how to make my face less oily. haha

[@dkfi]

Haha! Looks-wise it does definitely look better with the cups facing down though. Having the option would be great: a headset that could turn them in both directions would be perfect maybe... but then we'd probably have something to say about that too :D

[@curtispazarjr4985]

Great review!!!!!

[@TechOutAdam]

When you were talking about the neck issues, all I thought was man this won't be good in the summer with a glass of lemonade while you're trying to do work outside lol

[@TamasVarga-VatartPhoto]

Good review. Thanks. I am a happy user of an evolve2 65, but eyeing the 85, need to ask my boss, as you said “I need it for work”..

[@RalphNgOfficial]

Is the Evolve2 65 good enough? Not need to jump onto 85?

[@TamasVarga-VatartPhoto]

@@RalphNgOfficial Evolve2 65 is great, really, I warmly recommend it to anybody spending a lot of time in calls and want to have great microphone and background noise isolation (from the microphone). I have no experience with the Evolve2 85, personally looking forward to the Evolve2 75.

[@RalphNgOfficial]

@@TamasVarga-VatartPhoto if I'm using Macbook 2020 Pro, Zoom, Google Meet, G Suite, should I get the UC version? Or MS version?

[@TamasVarga-VatartPhoto]

@@RalphNgOfficial Jabra recommends the UC version for your case (Personally think it does not really matter which one you get, both will work just fine with your apps, the Teams version has one extra Teams button. I have the Teams version and I use it with Zoom, Google Meet etc, all works fine): www.jabra.com/business/office-headsets/jabra-evolve/jabra-evolve2-65##26599-989-998 "If you are not using Microsoft Teams as your UC client, we recommend choosing the standard UC variant, which is certified for all leading UC platforms like Cisco, Mitel, Avaya and more."

[@ernestng4781]

Say I need it for fun this time

[@bensensiz9206]

You are awesome. I love your review. Thanks a lot :)

[@Girgburg]

Thanks for the great review! One question, did Jabra ever add a toggle to the call mode so you could use these in normal mode on games?

[@KyoBoogie]

Did you ever receive an answer to this question?

[@Girgburg]

@@KyoBoogie I went ahead and bought, and after a week returned a pair of these. They in fact do not have a way to toggle the call mode, so audio is degraded in games with voice chat. Also I found the build quality of the headphones, questionable, not good considering the price. Audio quality of the headphones was good, and call quality was amazing, but considering the price and above issues, I would not consider them worth the price.

[@KyoBoogie]

@@Girgburg what a bummer. I had high hopes for this headset, as I’m looking for a do-it-all type. Oh well, I guess I’ll keep looking. Thanks for replying!

[@Girgburg]

@@KyoBoogie No problem, I ended up getting an AKG K361 paired w/Antlion modmic for use with my computer and an AKG N700NCM2 for use on the go. I've been very happy with both headphones, considering both together are still cheaper than the 85 is MSRP.

[@LorenzoSpearmanSrhelpsthepoor]

Working from home still test driving Evolve2 85 380c. I’m impressed with the many advertised features so far however the red busy-light doesn’t work on my Dell PC windows 64 bit w/ Teams and Fuze. It works on my iPhone calls but not on my PC. 🤷🏾‍♂️

[@micaeldeprez3091]

Best review on these

[@shahidyt]

Agreed, it swivels the wrong way. I would be worried that I spill my drink in to the cup or catching my food

[@mohammedfauzeemohammedkami6807]

Hi, is there any update on the headphone when you play games? is it still not able to toggle the "call mode". i am still looking for the do-it-all headphones.

[@ruhamaf]

Question- Are these over ear headphones comfortable for people who wear glasses? You said in a previous review that on ear headphones are better for people who wear glasses. Is this true for these as well?

[@hardwarezonecom]

I generally fine Over-ear headphones better for glasses. On-ear presses your outer ear against your hear with your frame in-between, can be painful over time. Over-ear depends on the cushioning and clamp strength, but it shouldn't directly impact glasses.

[@brunocorrea4164]

Very cool and informative video .. congratulation dude!!

[@hardwarezonecom]

Glad you liked it and thanks for watching!

[@FrancoCastro]

I have the elite 85h and evolve 75. One for pc usage and the other for work related tasks. I found that I can't use the 85h for too much time since my ears get too warm. My biggest concern is that they don't have replaceable batteries. That means that as a heavy user the battery will get unusable after a couple years with no chance to change it.

[@RalphNgOfficial]

If I'm using Macbook Pro 2020, which version of Jabra Evolve 2 65 should I buy, UC or MS? Thanks in advanced

[@Shipwrckdntweetin]

Makes total sense

[@landons2k907]

What would you recommend for ear buds? For everyday use

[@hardwarezonecom]

Check out my Jabra Elite Active 75t video kzbin.info/www/bejne/r6maqpiFYttsnJY or our other written reviews at hardwarezone.com. But earbuds are very personal because they must fit your ear first, else all the fancy tech won't mean anything. For example, I personally cannot wear AirPods. I just cannot get a good fit. Huawei's FreeBuds Pro also have impressive tech for the price, but again, they just fall out of my ears :(

[@AO-qz8qy]

will these work for PS4?

[@Isaacniitetteytetteh]

May I please the watch you have on. thanks

[@bler43]

Hi does this support multi pairing? meaning I paired with usb dongle on my pc then bluetooth on my phone? would it automatically switch between devices?

[@hardwarezonecom]

Had to dig the headset back out of storage, but Yes. It pairs to multiple devices. When you turn it on, it will say "2 devices connected" for example. I had it paired to my notebook and phone. With audio playing on the notebook, if a phone call came in and I picked it up, it will automatically switch. But if I'm just playing audio. I have to stop the audio on one device, and start the audio on another device manually for it to switch (it takes a few seconds)

[@larrylim3572]

Thank you for the detailed review. I have a question. My office laptop is not bluetooth enabled and does not allow software to be installed. Can i still use this headset with my office laptop using the bluetooth dongle?

[@davekelly6348]

It can. The included usb dongle auto pairs to the headset. We sell to businesses with restrictions similar to yours and have success. Also, wireless range can be increased with the Global Teck Worldwide Blue Beacon Bluetooth Extender. Life saver!

[@mljh11]

Should've revealed the price up top......

[@hardwarezonecom]

Hmm, Good idea. Will add it to the title.

[@mljh11]

Yup that'd be good. I was considering buying a pair of headphones for work (boss has no budget so will pay from my own pocket) and this video was doing a good job convincing me until the last minue 😂

[@hardwarezonecom]

@@mljh11 Lol. Thanks for watching till the end though. 👍👍👍

[@floriansander5308]

Nice Video...and so i aks my boss...and he said..."OK"...