Review: Jabra Evolve 80

Overview and sound quality

For anyone who works in an office, finding the perfect headset can be difficult. Sound quality, microphone clarity and general comfort are three of the most important pillars to consider when purchasing a headset, especially if you're likely to be on calls for hours at a time. Unfortunately, not many units offer all three features simultaneously.

Whether you're working at home or in a "cube farm," distraction is a real obstacle. What I do involves a lot of email and voice communication, so isolation from distractions with a headset seems like a good use of cash.

We tested the Jabra Evolve 80 ($329, £210, AU$380) headset for a few weeks to see if it does in fact boost productivity in noisy work environments. The company claims to deliver an "unmatched solution for businesses of all sizes, enabling greater concentration and focus in the open office." With modern office design trending toward fully "open" floor plans and communal Sonos playlists, sometimes getting some peace and quiet seems impossible.

Jabra is a leading manufacturer of innovative audio solutions. The Evolve's best feature is the noise-cancellation technology, aimed at enhancing productivity by providing a "concentration zone" for the user to tune out the rest of the world.

While we tested out the Jabra Evolve 80, there are five headsets in the series - 20, 30, 45, 65 and 80 - all built for the purpose of shutting out the hustle and bustle of an open office. This even includes features that signal when to just leave that person alone – think of a "Do Not Disturb" sign from your headphones, in the form of bright red rings around each of the sides of the headphones.

The box included the Jabra Evolve 80 headset, carry pouch, cable management clip, USB controller, along with the User Guide & Warranty info.

One of my favorite features about the headset was the boom microphone, which worked very clearly. In an open office where everyone can hear your conversation, I wasn't forced to yell into it or repeat myself over-and-over in order to carry on a meeting. When it wasn't in use, it wasn't clunky and obtrusive to the rest of the headset design. Instead, it tucked back up parallel to the headset when it wasn't in use.

The microphone is perfect for sales representatives meeting with clients on-line or for internal meetings. The more substantial microphone works better than the chest-level type common in earbud headphones, which often is too far away from the mouth, leading you to use one hand to hold it closer to your mouth, obstructing the view of your facial expressions and taking one hand away from typing notes. While this style of microphone seems a bit dated and isn't the "sexiest," Jabra does a good job of making it as sleek as possible.

The headset comes with a somewhat clunky USB controller, which includes an answer/end call button, volume down, volume up, mute switch and the aforementioned Busylight indicator.

The controller has a convenient rubbery grip pad on its underside, which prevents it from slipping around on your desk. This is more convenient than other headsets, which usually have the controller hanging around your chest or your knees. The desk option makes this easily accessible for switching modes or optimizing volume. You can even accept and handle multiple calls at the same time via the USB controller, which is great for jobs that have a high volume of calls throughout the day.

Active Noise Canceling and verdict

Arguably the most important feature of the headset is Active Noise Cancelling (ANC). An ANC system uses the materials the headphones are made out of to block out outside noise, but also go a step further and make their own sound waves to mimic, mirror and cancel out outside noise. Passive noise canceling headphones work to block out sound waves solely from the materials they are made out of. In the noisy workplace, ANC is king.

At first, it was a bit frustrating to have to charge the headset for at least 3 hours via USB before the ANC would even work ( this was difficult to do in transit, which I tried on a plane). But, once it did work, it was a pretty awesome feature when it came down to concentrating and blocking out background noise. Also, once charged you can get up to 24 hours on the ANC, a decent chunk of battery life and a great redeeming quality.

The headset is also compatible for mobile use, you just need to remove the USB controller and use the 3.5mm plug, although this doesn't charge the headset. This isn't a huge loss as most times you will be using the headset with your computer as the headphones are a bit too large and corporate-looking for use out-and-about, where smaller buds would likely be preferred.

Comfort-wise, I'd give the headset a 3.5 out of 5. While the speakers completely surround your ears with cushions, this tends to be less comfortable for glasses wearers. Plus, the types of headsets that sit around your head tend to cause more achiness than buds during a long workday. In general, the cushion along the top of the headset and around the ears is a nice touch and makes the comfort level pretty reasonable. Plus, the fact that the headphones sit around your ears, rather than on them, is a plus for comfort, too.

Sound quality for the headset was good, but compared to other headsets I own (i.e., Bose QuietComfort buds), I needed to turn up the sound relatively higher in order to achieve the same full audio. But, given that these headphones will likely be mainly used in-office (rather than on a noisy airplane or on commutes), this doesn't seem like it will be too much of an issue. Others who are looking for a more constant use of the set would likely disagree. The headset worked great for making calls and sitting in on meetings, but could improve for recreational use (i.e., watching movies).

We liked

Arguably the most important feature of the headset is the Active Noise Cancelling (ANC). An ANC system uses the materials the headphones are made out of to block out, mimic, mirror and cancel outside noise. ANC battery life will last for up to 24 hours, which is pretty sweet.

We disliked

The worst aspect of the headset is its size – it takes some getting used to, especially if you're accustomed to earbuds. They are difficult to transport if you are hoping to use them outside of the office, as they take up a lot of room in the backpack or purse you'd be carrying. The carrying case is a nice touch for travel, as you'll want to keep the wire from tangling or the cushions from getting too covered in dust and dirty, but it isn't very sturdy or protective.

Verdict

All in all, the Jabra is a solid corporate headset that can also be used by a small group of niche consumers. Features like the active (rather than passive) noise cancellation and the USB controller dongle make the headset versatile. While this headset is by no means a budget headset to issue to an entire fleet of office workers, this is definitely a good treat for someone who just needs a little bit of sanctuary in the workplace.

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