Отзывы о Jabra Evolve2 85 Link380a MS Stereo

First I want to say that out of the box this headset was great. My husband uses these for gaming and a major issue we have faced with other headsets he has tried is that they get damaged when not in use or in transport. These have a great storage/travel option and so know these are going to last him a while. Next I do want to point out that the dongle is in this weird little side pouch on the inside of the case in the fabric. Took us quite a while to find it and I honestly though they hadn't included it at first.
My husband says both the sound quality of the headset and the sound quality everyone else hears from the mic are great. He did point out that the headset keeps going into standby mode when he is like taking a minute or two and getting a snack or something else where there is no sound coming from the game. When he comes back it takes a second or two for the sound to pick up again. He pointed out when he was on a system like the PS4 where there is background sounds on even the menu screens this doesn't really happen.
I personally like that this headset expands to fit any size head. My husband has a larger that normal size head. Sometimes he even has issue with certain baseball hats fitting. However he had no issues with this headset. Overall I do think this is a good headset and he was pleased to used it for gaming.

Overall, for music/listening use, these are some great headphones. The noise cancellation is definitely their best selling point, and I found sound quality -- treble and bass in equal measure -- to be great.

The battery life is definitely not quite at the level of what it claims to be -- thirty-seven hours -- but such estimates rarely match up to reality. I think this is marketed mostly for work/student use rather than for gaming and so forth (hence the "concentration" aspect noted on the box) but it wouldn't work terribly for gaming. I put it lightly through its paces in terms of gaming, but I was not either disappointed or overly impressed with the microphone overall. It's about average on that front.

It's a good-looking set, if a bit bulky, but all in all, a good addition to a headphone arsenal. I don't think I'd get this for anything other than primary music-playback/video playback, but that's definitely where it's strongest.

Let me save you some fretting and frustration if you decide to buy this. No, the Link 380a bluetooth adapter is NOT missing from your package. I spent more time than I want to admit looking for the bluetooth adapter not finding it anywhere in the case, at one point convincing myself it must be hidden docked in a secret compartment in the headset itself. As it turns out, there is a teeny tiny pocket on the edge of the storage case with a fabric pull tab sticking up a bit...it is in that tiny pocket. The adapter itself is teeny tiny, no bigger than the USB-A plug and a tiny little plastic fin with an LED light just big enough to pinch. You plug it into any USB port you've got free, the Jabra Direct software (download it from the Jabra web site, no software is included in the box) automatically detects it and in my case offers to update the firmware, and it is already paired to the headset in the box - you really have to do absolutely nothing other than plug the adapter into your PC and then turn the headset on. We use Teams at work so I already had it running when I did all of this and Teams even automatically popped up a small tutorial about how to use the headset with Teams because it detected you had set up a Teams certified headset - that was pretty cool.

Since this is a wireless headset I'll mention range and connection stability. Using the Link 380a, I honest to goodness could not find a single spot in my whole house either in the basement, second floor, one end of the house all the way to the other where the headset lost connection, quality seemed to become lowered, broke up or stuttered even a little bit. Rock solid. No complaints with this, at all.

I'm having a love it in some ways and not in others type of experience with the boom mic on this headset. The part that I love about it is that they designed it in such a way that it tucks away almost as if it doesn't exist into the body of the right earcup. I know that this differs for everybody but I probably spend 90% of my day listening to music and/or listening to other people talk and only 10% actually using the mic on my headset so being able to just easily get it out of the way is really cool... but what isn't awesome about it is that there is very little in the way of adjusting you can do to get it in just the right position. Personally I haven't found that it seems to affect the call quality in my case, but I imagine others might not end up having it in the golden zone and compared to some other booms it *feels* a bit flimsy.

Audio quality. There is one thing that might make you hate it for music if you accidentally get a little button happy but is easy to fix. There are two modes the headset can be in, and you have to pay attention to the colour of the Link 380 adapters LED colour. For music, you want it to be glowing a Cyan colour for a proper A2DP link because if it's not the music quality will be pure trash. If the colour is Red/Green it means it's in Voice Link mode. Now, what got me is that I was playing with the buttons on the headset and pressed the big "Teams Logo" button on the right earcup which is supposed to be for answering/ending calls or opening teams notifications but even if it has none of those things to do it seems to switch the headset into voice mode and out of music mode - until I figured this out I honestly thought the headset broke on me the difference in music quality as so big. Now, if you're in the proper music link mode though the sound is actually really good for a business headset and I've been perfectly happy listening to music on it for the better part of the afternoon. Bass is deep and not too muddy, highs don't give me a headache over time... no, it's not going to replace a pair of high end headphones that are meant for music and nothing else but for a bluetooth based wireless business geared headset I was rather impressed with the versatility it shows with music.

Features wise this headset does everything I could want. Noise cancellation isn't the absolute best I've ever used but it does work extremely well in general. You won't get complete and total isolation from any ANC mode on this headset if there are very loud noise sources nearby (tested with one of my kids screaming at me) but I did completely miss our smoke alarms doing a quick automatic sound check while listening to music with these headphones on. I love the on-ear detection that will automatically mute when you take the headset off, I found it works exactly as I expected every single time and wasn't flaky at all. The teams specific integrations that I've tested all work as expected.

Overall build quality and comfort I find to be good. Ironically I think the smaller Evolve2 40 headset is actually the more comfortable headset, but I have perhaps larger ears than the average human being and find the ear cups on these to be just large enough to almost fit over my entire ear but ... not quite. The actual materials are quite cushy and comfy and even though they look like they'd make my ears sweat they haven't at all. The headset is made of, as far as I can tell, entirely plastic materials but they're all high quality plastics and it feels quite solid for the most part. The storage case it comes with is also quite nice, and it's pretty easy to fold the headset up flat and get it back into the storage case. There appear to be charging contacts on the earcup for some kind of external charging cradle but this model doesn't come with it and you need to plug it in to charge. There's a USB-C charging port on the headset itself, but it comes with a USB-A to USB-C cable. I checked and confirmed that you can use a USB-C PD charger like your phone charger to charge the headset directly, it does properly negotiate charging.

I have tried different Jabra headsets before and they were mainly focused on music. The Jabra Evolve2 85 is marketed as a headset with a focus on communication and telework.
I like the sleek and professional look of this headset. It is all black and feels heavy and smooth. The headset is expandable by pulling the headband on either side to widen it. This headset should fit any sized headframe. The headframe is padded and feels very comfy. The earcups are very comfortable and give a suction like fit to your ears. However, after some time I feel I need to remove the headset as it creates a vacuum effect in my ears and needs somewhat getting used to. The noise cancelling feature works extremely good and together with the playing audio it keeps external sound almost completely away. This helps you focus on your work without any noise interference. Sound quality is very good and it gives a nice balance of treble and bass. I needed to play around with the equalizer to get the sound to my liking. I like how even the smallest notes are very clear when listening to music.
I like the hidden boom arm located on the right earpiece. It is foldable and you wouldn’t know it’s there when its tucked away. The microphone quality is superb. This headset supports Skype and Microsoft teams and there is also a busy light feature where it lights up when you are on the phone so your colleagues know you’re on a call. The microphone also works and sounds good even when it is tucked in. The microphone quality is very crisp and precise and sounds very natural. This along with the ANC works well to have a one on one conversation without external noise.
I like the soft leather used on the earpads. They are very soft and give a comfortable feel especially for telework. Having said that, the soft material is prone to head grease (oil from your hair and skin) and I feel the leather padding will be the first to peel off over time.
There are small buttons and sliders for power, Bluetooth, track controls and volume on either side. It can get a little frustrating as I have to feel with my fingers and try to find the button for a certain action. So, controlling the headset from the computer or phone is much easier.
Battery life
The Jabra Evolve2 85 has very impressive battery life. It is advertised as having 37 hours of battery. The best feature is the 8 Hour battery boost with a 15 minute charge.
Price
I know the price is a little steep at first glance. I think those who do a lot of telework will appreciate the technology that is packed into the Jabra Evolve2 85 would find value in this.

I'm pretty much exactly the target audience for a headset like this - I like to listen to music while working and am on calls basically throughout the day so I need a good sounding professional looking headset with an excellent microphone that is comfortable.

And while this Jabra headset certainly does tick all the right boxes, it does so at a very high price that doesn't look out of place on our corporate order page (read: way overpriced) and is way out of line compared to consumer offerings.

The sound quality on these are exceptional by Jabra standards and quite respectable compared to most headphones your average person will have sitting around... though at this price point, you really can get better sound for your money in a dedicated pair. However, as for sound input, you just will not beat the clarity of the Jabra with the typical headphones people tend to compare these against (Sony/Bose) - it's quite an unfair comparison as the Jabra has a boom mic but the Jabra just sounds the most like you're actually talking in person. When you move away from comparing these against headphones and into a comparison between these and Gaming Headsets, you really can get comparable quality for less money though I don't think anyone will take their finance partner seriously when they're wearing a gaming headset with RGB lighting... so maybe the Jabra is the right choice, after all.

Noise cancellation isn't a selling point to me on big cans like these. There's a basic level of isolation from these to begin with and it's not like my home is a wind turbine of noise - any headphones work to give me quiet and these certainly do the trick as well.

Super petty.. but what makes these headphones special is really the nice big light that indicates when you're in a call. I'm working from home and we always have this awkward, "are you in a call or do you just have headphones on" mess and this really solves it. The light is super visible and is really well integrated with Teams - it's a killer feature for me.

The battery life is excellent and able to get through about a workweek of a normal person's workweek (or about 3 days for me, unfortunately) and is as good as it gets.

I think these are priced quite high but recognize that many people are in a similar position as myself with a hefty budget for outfitting their home office and simply do not care about the cost all that much. And keeping that in mind, I do think that these are the best solution for working from home at any price, largely due to the excellent Teams integration.

Short review : Stellar as a business headset (for communications), excellent as a pair of BT headphones (for music)

Pros :
- Stylish premium design
- Premium materials
- Super comfy ear cups
- Excellent battery life
- Stellar voices reproduction (what actually matters THE most for a business headset)
- Global sound reproduction is pure and neutral (no boosted high and/or low frequencies)
- Excellent for voice calling (the best headset from the seven or eight I've reviewed lately, but also the most expensive by a huge margin)
- Sensor detection : when you remove the headsets from your ears it turns off automatically.
- Kudos to the Jabra app development team! It works flawlessly not only the first time, but every single time I use it! That's extremely rare for a mobile app. Bravo!

Cons :
- I have standard size ears for a man and the cups barely fit over my ears.
- The thin delicate mic boom needs to be fold down AND rotate 90 degrees. Then rotate back and fold up for storage. The “rotate” step is annoying, but what bothers me is how long before it breaks?
- You need to learn how to store these in the traveling case. Good thing there’s a little drawing stitched inside the case that shows you how to fold the headset because it’s not intuitive at all.

I’ve been an audiophile for the last 25 years and I could listen to music for hours with these Jabra Evolve2 85. That’s how pure and neutral the sound reproduction is. If you’re an audiophile and you’re looking for Bluetooth headphones would I still recommend these Jabra Evolve2 85 headset/headphones ? Well I would say you should take the time to test these Jabra against the audiophile brands (sony, sennheiser, bose…). One thing for sure, it sounds a lot better than my bose qc25. For 600 bucks you have some pretty interesting models from audiophile brands, but do not write off the Jabra too quickly because it’s marketed as a business headset first for foremost.

If you’re a professional in need of a business headset do not hesitate one second and try these Jabra Evolve2 85 right away!

Note : I don’t work using Microsoft Team so I couldn’t test this headset in a Team environment.

The Jabra Evolve2 85 have almost every possible feature you can think of. Whomever designed these headphones went above and beyond to determine features and ergonomics that would make these over ear headphones top quality.

Quality/Construction:

The over ear foam is soft and can be kept on your ears for hours without feeling discomfort or sweating. The head rest is comfortable and the headphones extend/close with a telescoping feature into the head rest. The plastic construction feels durable and not cheap. The headphones swivel almost 270 degrees each and fold inwards to fit nicely in the travel case. The microphone boom arm tucks away discretely into the headphone and also can be twisted to the desired direction.

Sound Quality:

The overall sound quality is darn good. You can use the Jabra MySound App to customize different presets and EQ’s. The bass boost on these headphones are great, however I feel they could have just a little more gain. Overall, the entire EQ band is clean and crisp with no distortion. The Active Noise Cancellation Reduces outside noise fairly well, although not completely. The Hear Through Feature is extremely useful in case you still need to hear what’s going on around you.

Other Features:
• One feature I especially like is when you take the headphones off the music pauses, and when you put them back on it fades in and resumes.
• There is a busy light that illuminates red when you are on a call to indicate to anyone approaching you that you are busy and on a call

Overall, these headphones look and feel professional. They can be used for gaming or in a professional capacity (Webex, Zoom, Microsoft Teams, etc). As Jabra states, these headphones are “Thoughtfully designed. Puroposely engineered. Expertly built”.

I've reviewed a ton of headphones - from $30 pieces of trash to $1400 IEM's. When I first received the Jabra Evolve2 85, I thought, "You've got to be kidding me. What a cheap feeling piece of..." BUT... they've legitimately grown on me. I've really tried to think of them as an expensive headset, not simply headphones.

•• They're comfy AF ••

When I put them on, I was like, "How can they possibly justify this price for such a LIGHT unit?" Then I wore them for a couple of hours and had an epiphany. For my head shape and ear size, they are effortlessly comfortable. I can (and have) literally worn them all day without any ear-itation. There's no clamp, and they just fit around my ears beautifully. I've actually never had a pair of headphones that I can do this with outside of my gigantic Sennheiser 598's.

Making calls? Just need a super comfy bluetooth headset? This is the Evolve2's true strength. Apart from comfort, they do everything else in a "pretty okay, I guess" fashion.

•• Sound ••

The sound quality is good, not incredible. Using the Jabra Sound App, the equalizer helps tremendously, and I've gotten them to a comfortable, balanced output. "Audiophiles" can wax and whine about sound profiles and can rant about bass, mids, and treble all the want. Matter of factly, everyone hears slightly different. Some people are missing or hearing completely different frequencies. The only way to know for sure is to try it, so... I'll say that these headphones are particularly neutral sounding. For closed-back headphones, they don't offer a particularly robust music experience... but they are clear, which is what you want for meetings and constant phone conversations.

In active noise cancelling, the profile gets muted and condensed. Not the best sounding. With ANC off, it's still not great. It's actually in "Hear through" mode where you ironically hear more that they open up, brighten, and sound at their peak for music... But it's not a practical mode to spend all of your time in unless you are in complete silence.

•• Not for music ••

This model has the latest AAC codecs available. This means it plays bare-minimum compressed music files akin to MP3. Music will sound "just fine," but this headset does not have the capacity for hi-fi, lossless music. And really, at this price point, it's a little confusing.

The desktop bluetooth link absolutely butchers the quality of music. It sounds mega-compressed and awful, so that's a hard pass.

•• Noise Cancelling ••

Frankly, the Evolve2 85's noise cancelling properties are on the lower end of the price-point. If you are after true, powerful noise cancelling... look elsewhere. These dim wind, chatter, and general noise. They'll dull the sounds of the office. They don't do much for traffic, however.

I rate my WI1000X (Sony ear buds) MUCH higher for ANC. This makes sense, however, because they are directly in the ear. For over ears I've tried, the Bower & Wilkins PX and Sony M4 both block significantly more sound than the Jabra.

Again, if noise cancelling is your main thing, this ain't the headset you're looking for. I should note that, for general noise in an office, it WILL be effective.

•• Desktop Connectivity ••

This is a big fat failure. The desktop link quality is, to put it mildly... TERRIBLE. There’s a delay, and to everyone over multiple tests, it sounds like I’m talking through a, and I quote, “windy toilet paper roll.” For a headset of this price, one would expect moderate Bluetooth functionality given that they supply you with the USB hub themselves, so it isn’t even a third-party device issue.

I held off posting this for over a month, thinking that quick firmware updates would resolve it. Jabra Direct has had TWO firmware updates since I received the headset, and neither of them have changed the sound AT ALL. Unacceptable.

•• The Desktop App - Jabra Direct ••

Is pretty dang good. You can adjust the equalizer from here, which you can also do on the SmartPhone app.

There's a lot of call-setting customization available. For example, you can turn off the mute when you lift your mic, enabling the other microphones built into the headset to function. This raises ambient noise for the person on the other end, but it's an option. Options are good. You can even adjust the decibel level for the hear-through setting, which I thought was pretty cool.

Connecting to Jabra Direct was seamless. Just plug in my Jabra link that comes with the headphones, windows auto-installed it, and the headset was detected and connected in seconds. I also like that they have built in functionality with Microsoft Teams, Zoom, and Skype.

•• Mic ••

The mic is... hit and miss. It sounds just fine and picks up audio quite nicely without irritating background noise. Great for phone calls, right? But it's inflexible. You can pull it down and slightly curve it in, but that's it. For ME, this works perfectly and sits nicely. One other reviewer said it was basically sitting in his mouth, which would make it pretty awful. So... depends on the size and shape of your face, like anything, I suppose.

A small touch is that the mic mutes when you raise it, which is nice. I'm not a big fan of the "ACTIVE CALL" lights surrounding the headset, personally. But if you're in a busy office, and your mic is down, they will let people know to run the other way. Brad's got icecubes to sell, baby.

•• Design ••

These are chunky boys. Jabra advertises that you can just slip the microphone up, and suddenly, you've got a sexy pair of headphones... Reality says that's not true. They are big bois, unlike most of their sleeker competitors like Bose, Sony, B&W, B&O, and the list goes on. This is far from an office deal-breaker; just keep in mind they're not the BEST for seamless commuting.

•• Battery life ••

37 hours is about right. I haven't managed to get them below 40% over several days. The recharge is faster than any headphones I've used. Literally 8 hours in 15 minutes. It's crazy. I can't imagine running out of battery.

•• Bluetooth connectivity ••

Is actually immaculate. I've been 20-30 feet away from my phone without breaking a sweat. These things have literally never skipped for me, which is a HUGE feat for bluetooth headphones. A true rarity, which is a sign of Jabra's attention to detail.

•• Buttons ••

Crisp and tactile quality. They're excellent; nothing more to say.

•• Carry Case ••

A hard-shell case is always a nice addition. This case is no exception. Zero complaints.

•• Price ••

I wish these were $350. I think they'd be much easier to justify. At $450, they've got a few too many small problems like mic inflexibility, mediocre ANC, and only SOLID sound. At time of writing, these were up to $600 due to low stock, which is utterly ridiculous. There's literally no reason to pay more than $450 at worst.

•• Conclusion ••

If you have to wear a headset ALL day for calls and require minor noise cancellation, these are fantastic. I toyed with a 3 star rating, but for me, the comfort and sound are overshadowed by the poor desktop connectivity, mediocre mic quality, and astronomical price. That said, they're easily the most comfortable headset I've worn when putting in 8+ hour sessions. The price tag is dubious, yes, but the comfort and relative call quality (although not through Desktop applications) might be worthwhile for you.

Putting music first in your list of priorities is a no-go, and I find the design to be chunky and unappealing for daily, outside wear.

By far, these headphones have been such a joy to use. We all have distractions while working at home, and for someone like me that needs absolute quietness to focus, having the noise canceling option has been a blessing.

- They are light-weight and quite comfortable to wear for a prolonged period of time.
- The Noice canceling is quite impressive. I was able to immerse myself in my work without noises distracting me.
- The mic quality is average. In my opinion, I've used different headsets with better mics, but it does the job, and since I don't always have to be on the mic, this is not an issue for me.
- Battery life is pretty good. I was able to get a week's worth of work before I had to charge it.
- Sound quality is also a plus. My low-fi playlist has never sounded so good.

I can highly recommend these headphones to anyone that works from home; however, I wish the price was a bit lower, simply because, at that price range, you could get a top of the line Bose headphones.

TL;DR: unbeatable sound, good but not great active noise cancelling (ANC), maddeningly tiny buttons/switches and obtuse software. Audio frequently disconnects from in-use device and has to be powered down to reconnect, despite indicating it's still connected.

[BACKGROUND]
I've owned a wide variety of over ear and in ear headphones for both personal and professional industrial use in both open office and high-noise aviation environments. Brands have included Sony, Plantronics, David Clark, Peltor, Sennheiser, Jabra and many second-tier and white box models. With work-from-home being a thing these days, I'm on MS Teams video calls almost daily and have had a chance to put these Jabras through their paces for other a month. Bullet points for brevity.

[PROS]
• the best mic quality I've had in an office setting - callers indicate it's like being in the same room as me, with little to no background noise
• excellent listening audio quality, benefits slightly from minor EQ adjustments available via the Jabra app
• left button toggles HearThrough, ANC-ON, OFF (in that order)
• comfortable for long periods
• mic can be "half flipped up" to mute instead of using a button
• excellent battery life, in line with marketing claims
• variety of connection options (multiple BTLE device connections or wired)
• excellent integration with MSTeams - flipping the mic-up or using buttons is recognized "natively" by MSTeams

[CONS]
• infuriatingly tiny buttons and power switch that I have yet to become comfortable with after a month of daily use
• ANC does NOT rival Bose QuietComfort Series IIs
• APP issue: nice looking but the user-experience is half-baked - it often fails to save a setting in each of the modes (or requires changing multiple settings before it accepts the change)
• APP issue: "Headset Settings" in app has way too many sub-menus - "Audio Experience" versus "Call Experience" versus "Headset configuration"... there's no rhyme or reason why a setting is placed in one of these over the other
• APP issue: can delete "Moments" (modes) - you're stuck with: My Moment, Commute, Work, Relax.
• why is the button not configurable for MOMENTS instead of just sound modes?
• inconsistent operation when multiple devices are connected - focus seems divided between devices (talking on one, a "BEEP!" from a connected second one will take over audio)
• occasionally just starts doing random things, like playing a "relaxing pink noise" (note that I have attempted to disable this mode in the app - it seems to come back)
• PC requires app to be installed to take advantage of features (even if app is already installed on a connected smartphone) - this is problematic if your IT department retains tight control of your work-from-home PC...check with them to see if supported
• insane cost given the above quirks and limitations

[RECOMMENDATION]
I am torn on recommending these headphones. Call quality and comfort are excellent but holy heck those buttons and the app. In comparison, my Plantronics over-ear headset has large, bean-shaped slider and push buttons instead of the rice-grain sized ones on this Jabra. The app, while looking nice on the surface, is half-baked and buries a lot of settings several layers down in menus.

Who is this for? In short: if you want uncompromising call quality, comfort, battery life, MSTeams integration, these are great...provided you can stomach the price and live with the buttons and app quirks. 3-stars because of the price+quirks. I would recommend also looking at the Bose QuietComfort 35 (despite microUSB) for their ANC capability, or Sony's comparable over-ear for USB-C and ANC.

Received for unbiased review...

At first listening through these my initial impression was... huh, these seem really flat sounding, but then I realized that it might be intentional. Jabra recommends downloading and using their equalizer software to personalize your listening experience. Unfortunately I have an 8 year old cell phone, so I don't think the custom app will work with it. So instead I paired them the normal way and used my Galaxy Note's built in equalizer. Compared to some gaming head sets I've tested, these need far less adjusting to get good quality sound, and the responses in each of the frequency ranges when adjusting are great. I was able to set them to a really nice rich tone in each range. (Tested with Michael Buble's Christmas album and Petra's "Jekyll and Hyde" Album).

The auto pause option when you take off your headphones is a great option, but for some reason it stopped working the second time I used the headphones (I don't really know why - I will have to download the manual). No manual is included in the box, only a safety booklet. I did find the audio cable a bit disappointing, it was thin and short, unlike the nice nylon sheathed cables the gaming headsets are coming with. The headphones only support audio through the cable (no wired mic support) You are also not provided with a 6.35mm adapter to hook into your big stereo system. An airline stereo adapter is included.

The noise cancelation option is very much improved over the Jabra C820s of many years ago (my favorite lower priced headphones of yesteryear). The faint hiss is almost inaudible (this hiss is normal for noise cancelling electronics, but this set it is almost not noticeable and while audio or music is playing you absolutely can not hear it.)

There is another small disappointment that I have, and that is that they used plastic on the head brace joints. I had a horrible experience with the C820s's plastic disintegrating 6 months after I bought them (they are now held together by zip ties - an I mean disintegrating... touch them and pieces break off type of disintegrating), and I hope Jabra has improved their plastics since. But on closer inspection, it looks as though the plastic is just for covering metal hinges this time. And metal hinges are very welcome. Hopefully this will give them excellent longevity.

Now for the mic... oh dear, what on earth were they thinking. It may sound OK for voice calls on a phone, but the mic is terrible - period. It is like talking into a tin can. Not something you would want to record a YouTube video with.

I am reducing one star because of the audio cable length and thickness (but keep in mind, some people want a short cable for wearable devices), and the lack of a 6.35mm adapter, also the lack of volume up and down and pause indication on the buttons. I'm reducing another star for the mic, there is just no excuse for that.

UPDATE: After using the headphones for a while, I noticed that I started getting a static interference sound in the left ear. It starts off intermittent and then gets more frequent until it becomes steady and popping. This even occurs on a full charge. Sometimes the sound becomes like howling wind. It is only in the left channel. Frustrating and annoying.

I like the styling and the battery life of these headphones. If the 37-hour battery claim is anywhere near true, it's way more than the average user needs. I find myself plugging in my peripherals much earlier than they run low on battery but that's Just me. One thing that I noticed is that one night, I accidentally forgot to switch the headphones off and they had low battery the next day. When I eventually looked through the settings of the Android app, I saw the default sleep timer is 8 hours. I think that’s very excessive for a sleep timer. 30 minutes to an hour makes more sense for me.

Unfortunately, it does not come with a magnetic snap on charger which I would expect at this price since the headphones do come with the pads for it. Those pads are used only if you purchase the additional charging stand that does not come with the base headphones package. If you want to charge these headphones using the magnetic pads and the stand, you'll have to pay an extra $80 CAD (at the time of this review) to purchase it on a third-party website. I find this a strange exclusion at this price point. Ports are a common point of failure and it's interesting they chose to go this route.

I took a few phone calls after having paired my Samsung Galaxy Note 9 to these headphones and I brought the boom microphone down to the extended position. I was expecting the listener to tell me right away how my voice quality had improved. Unfortunately, I heard the opposite. The person on the other side of the call said that the speaker phone microphone which I usually use for talking has better quality than the Jabra boom microphone over Bluetooth. She claimed my voice was too quiet, even though I was speaking at a moderately loud volume in a quiet enclosed space. Later on, I gave the mic another chance and called somebody else. I got the exact same feedback – my voice is too quiet and distant. I think this can probably be fixed in a firmware update in the future but for the time being, it doesn’t work well. I’m not quite sure how the other reviewers were able to get excellent voice quality. I did a little research and saw that quiet voice through the boom mic is a common issue. I saw at least 3 threads about it on Reddit.

When you raise the boom mic up, by default it mutes the call and will not unmute it, even if you press the mute button on the boom mic itself. You can go into the settings of the app and change this behavior to have it use the built-in mic instead of muting when the boom mic is up. I tested this and although the volume higher, it did not sound crisp due to its location. My recorded voice sounded muffled.

It also pauses your music when you take the headphones off but does not resume when you put them back on. It says it will resume in the Jabra app but I could not get this to work for me.

It can also connect to two devices at the same time – for example both to your phone and your computer through the included Bluetooth adapter ( It’s tiny and easy to miss, it’s tucked in a little pocket in the headphone case). Having said that, it can only play audio from one source at a time.

The active noise cancellation is alright. It was 3 modes: ANC, off, and pass-through. It automatically turns off ANC when you’re on a call. There’s again a setting for this in the app. I think it allows you to partially hear your own voice so it’s easier to talk.

The sound quality is alright. I'm not an audiophile so I can't speak to that in depth. they sound very good to my ears.

Comfort is not the best. I wore them for 1.5 hours and the area around my ears where the pads make contact got sore.

Overall, it's well made, and I really like how well the app works on Android and how quickly it was able to detect the paired headphones. I really hope my experience on the phone will be fixed in a firmware update (speaking of, you can update the firmware wirelessly through the app once it’s available). I would avoid buying these headphones if you intend on using the boom mic until the low volume voice issue is resolved through a firmware update.

I was expecting something with quality coming from a product sold by Jabra and this wireless headphone did not disappoint! The quality and marksmanship is present inside and out:

Pros:
-Long lasting batteries: I always use my Jaybird earbuds while biking, and I feel like I constantly have to charge them. This headphones has a massive battery charge, which is truly impressive. Not sure if it is 36 hours, but it certainly feels like it.
-Great connectivity: I wear them almost everywhere (super introverted guy). I never lost my Bluetooth connection once, even while taking the metro.
-Noise cancellation is great!: I like wearing headphones while mowing the lawn and working on some home improvements. This headphone makes me forget about the annoying noise of city living and loud gas lawn mower.
-Minimalist look: No big lights flashing from the headphone. Matte/black, looks great with no unnecessary flash
-Easy to connect on my phone/laptop
-The carrying case is an added bonus
-The sound is top notch!: Its an addicting drug to your ears. Even Insane Clown Posse sounds good with these headphones on.

Cons:
-At that price they should have included touch control to change song, volume, answering calls...
-The volume/tracks button are a bit small. A bit out of the way when trying to quickly change an annoying track
-The carrying case is nice, but a bit annoying the way you need to puzzle the headphone into it. No wonder they added a permanent picture of how to fold properly inside the case.

My husband games every so often with his buddies and he loves these headphones! He had a fairly expensive set before but apparently there is no comparison.
They fit well over his ears, and he loves how easily he is able to adjust the volume - easy volume adjustment was something he was really hoping for...Great noise cancellation features too.
His counterparts say they hear him speaking crystal clear - that is a nice change, other headsets made him sound muffled and this mic is sensitive and carries sound perfectly, the guys on the other end are saying they hear him like he was sitting right next to them.
The battery lasts super long which is nice too.
The range is really impressive too, he doesn't have to be close to the device he is using to hear and to be heard well.

I was a little skeptical about these headphones. I needed a pair of headphones for my daily Microsoft Teams meeting and listening to music the rest of the time.
The ANC is very good on these headphones. I would say they are comparable to Sony ANC.
The mic is very good, my colleagues are able to hear my clearly even when outdoors with wind.
The sound quality is very good. I'm very impressed with it! Very good lows, midrange and highs.
The comfort is just OK. I find these a little heavy for hours of use. The headband is easy to adjust.
The battery life is VERY good. It can last me a week before having to recharge again.
Highly recommended.

This is a really nice pair of headphones, albeit very pricey. I did have connection issues at one point but that's probably due to the very cheap USB Bluetooth dongle I'm using. Once connected though, things worked well. The audio quality in both microphone input and headphone output are really good. The microphone design is really nice how it hides away easily. The noise cancellation works well. It also has a feature that detects if you pull the headphone away from your ear, it mutes the microphone.

Good sound quality, great mic and good comfort make these headphones a delight to wear. I found the battery life good. Connecting was a breeze and my ears didn’t get hot like they do in some nois-cancelling headphones. Overall, I think these are my new favourites!

I got the Jabra Evolve2 85 headphones to use while I work. I need a high quality headset with top-notch audio so that I can be heard clearly on work meetings, and when meetings are done, I want to be able to listen to music or whatever else and have it sound great. Some background that is relevant: I am a headphone junkie, and also an "office headset" junkie, and I have had the opportunity to own or use many high end headphones/headsets that would be competitors to these. Some wireless headphones I own: Sony WH-1000MX2 and the Drop x THX Panda Wireless Headphones, and some wireless headsets I own are the Jabra Evolve2 65, and Plantronics Voyager Focus UC.

The Jabra Evolve2 85 headphones are packed in a nice looking retail box without too many frills. The box includes a hard-shell zippered carrying case that feels leather. Inside the case are the headphones, a 3.5mm headphone cord (for the times you can't use bluetooth), a headphone adapter for a plane, and a small USB bluetooth adapter so you can connect these to a computer.

The aesthetic of these headphones is very similar to the Sony's. They are all black and gray, they look sleek and professional. Very impressive.

They have big, soft ear cups that go over the ear. The headband is also cushioned nicely. Overall they fit nice and are comfortable to wear. I have worn them for hours at a time and don't really find them to be fatiguing.

I paired these with my phone easily and have been very pleased and surprised with the sound quality. They're every bit as good as the Sony's for music. The noise canceling is on-par with the best out there as well. There's a button on the side of the left ear-cup that you can use to toggle between noise canceling being on, off, or "HearThrough" mode.

There are a lot of nice little touches with these, like for instance if you're listening to music and you take the headphones off, they automatically pause the music.

One thing I was worried about with these was the microphone. It folds up into the right ear-cup. You can just pull it down to use it. It is not adjustable very much (you can't extend the mic to be longer, for instance), but fortunately for me I don't have a need to adjust it. I was worried about the mic, but it works just fine. This is where the Jabra has a massive advantage over headphones like the Sony - those headphones suck for calls. The Jabra ones are fantastic.

I would encourage anyone who gets these headphones to get the Jabra Sound+ app on their mobile device. It's actually a surprisingly nice app, and gives you a lot of control over how the headphones work. You can access an equalizer, music presets (options like bass boost, speech, etc). You can also update your headphones wirelessly through this app.

If you want a great quality pair of headphones for music, while also being top-notch for audio quality on calls, these are a great option. I no longer feel the need to have a pair of music headphones and another headset for calls when I'm working.

Pros:
- Comfortable
- Sound great for music
- Battery life is incredible
- Mic is great quality for calls
- They look professional but also not like they only belong in an office
- Integrates with MS Teams - you can have the headphones display a "busy" light when you're in a Teams meeting or reflect your status. Pretty cool! Control how this works in the Jabra Sound+ app.

Cons:
- Mic works for me but isn't as adjustable as some other dedicated office headsets

I think if you are strictly going for music sound quality there are some better options like the Drop x THX Panda headphones. If you're strictly going to use it for phone calls and not music, there are also better options (Plantronics Voyager Focus UC). But in terms of a total package that is great for both music and calls, without any significant compromises, these headphones from Jabra are tough to beat.

The Evolve2 85 are claimed to be the top-of-the-line noise cancelling headphones for business and personal use. I was excited to give them a go since I have been working from home 90% of the time as most people nowadays. I do a lot of web conferencing and make calls all day using diverse software, including Cisco, Zendesk, Zoom, and MS Teams, which this headset is especially designed for.

The Evolve2 85s are nicely designed -certainly business casual. They are matte black with some graphite metal accents on the cups’ arms and swivels. The earcups are large, featuring 40mm speakers. The flexible headband features soft padding, but I wish it would have been a bit plusher. The earpads are made of memory foam covered by an exceptionally soft material. On the left earcup, you will find the power/pairing slider, USB-C port, 3.5mm jack, and the ANC on/off button. There is also some pogo power dots just in case you get the charging station. On the right side, you have the volume controls, mute/activate button, retractable boom mic as well as a big button on the side specifically made for MS Teams call features. Basically, you can control everything directly from the headset itself, which is handy.

Being that this are supposed to cover all the bases, there are several ways to connect them to your device(s). You can use Bluetooth 5.0, USB-A dongle, USB-C to USB-A cord, and with a 3.5mm analog. I ended up using the Bluetooth connection the most on my work PC. I did not experience any lag, drops, or connectivity issues -and I used them exclusively for a least a full work week, 8 hours a day. I had no complaints from anyone during conferencing or calls. That is the least I can expect from such a premium headset.

Since I wore them for hours at a time, I felt that they were very comfortable for the most part. I did have to adjust the headband a few times as it did cause some fatigue and slight discomfort on the top of my head after a while. The earpads were cool and did not make my ears hot or sweaty. This is a big plus.

The sound quality is decent out of the box. I would not go as far as saying it is audiophile quality, but pleasant. There is a slight emphasis on bass without getting too muddy. The mids are slightly pushed forward (to emphasize voice quality?) and the highs were clear without being piercing. There was good separation and OK soundstage. I would describe it as warm and comfortable. However, the sound can be customized further with the Jabra Sound+ app’s presets and full equalizer. The Evolve2 85s also feature an auto pause feature that if you take even one earcup off, the music will pause. When you put them back on, the music will continue.

Speaking of the Sound+ app, it provides the ability to tailor the ANC with presets called “Moments” as well as updating, and relaxation noises such as “ocean waves”, or “waterfall”. Nice when you just want to relax for a bit when writing those emails.

But what about call quality? Jabra claims that the 10 mics and boom mic are the best in the business. Well, I am happy to report that these headphones did not disappoint. I never had an issue where people could not hear or understand me. My voice came in full, especially when using the boom mic. Some said it was actually better than when using my USB-C dedicated microphone. I also tested the MS Teams features and they worked OK. I did experience some issues with the muting button and the dedicated button with recognizing some settings on the Jabra Direct PC app. By the way, that program is not as helpful as the mobile version, but it did not negatively affect my work experience. There is also a red light that comes on when you are on a call, which is nice for when I go back to my office. So far, while there were some ANC on/off weird issues, I am pleased with the functionality and consistency.

One great feature is the battery life. It is supposed to last for at least 37 hours. Once fully charged, I did not have to charge them again in a full work week. I even had 28% left for the weekend! Great Job Jabra.

The Evolve2 85s are certainly a premium headset, but are they worth the premium price tag? That depends. If you are looking for casual noise cancelling headphones with decent sound, good call quality, and some features, these are not for you. You can get the same or better listening experience with much less expensive headsets. However, if you are a professional that appreciates robust features and options, good sound, depends on web conferencing, multi-connectivity, call quality and reliability, and want to always stay connected and available -even when traveling, these may just be worth it.

I ordered the Jabra Evolve2 85 MS Wireless Headphones with Link380a, Stereo, Black – Wireless Bluetooth Headset to use for both work and recreation, and this headset does not disappoint. It delivers all around functionality for both calls/meetings, as well as just listening to music and enjoying movies and audio books on my own time. I think that this is a pricey headset, and for a reason. I don't need any other headphones or earbuds now that I've got this one (except for one small set of earbuds for working out.) It covers all my bases. Here are some of my thoughts after using this for some time:

Pros:
- incredibly comfortable to wear for long periods of time, even when I have my glasses on
- I love that the mic can be stowed away for when I just want to use this headset as headphones to listen to music
- crystal clear sound & communication on calls and amazing full audio spectrum for music
- fantastic noise cancellation, with the option to push a button to switch between noise cancellation (great focus and concentration blocking out background noises) and hear through, which is great for when I don't want to take off the headset but want more awareness of my surroundings
- red busy lights on exterior light up to indicate I'm in a meeting, which lets me spouse know not to interrupt or walk around behind my home “meeting” space
- good battery life (I have not tested it beyond 9 hours straight of use, but it is more than enough for the average work day)
- Microsoft Teams variant offers plug & play functionality with MS teams- dedicated MS teams button & no additional features set up required
- with multi-device support & included bluetooth dongle, I can connect to 2 devices at once: phone & pc. I work from home, work for myself, and ALSO have another at-home job that involves accepting phone calls from my phone, and also typed chat calls from my laptop on the same interface (one or the other at a time) and now I can walk around my house and do other things without carrying my devices all over the place for fear of missing an incoming call, as long as I'm wearing the headset in range of my devices- note for clarity: while the headset does connect to 2 devices at a time to receive calls, you cannot be listening to two simultaneous devices at once. So... you can only have the audio from one device at a time. One will be prioritized over the other
- great accessories kit including an in-flight travel adapter, and everything fits into the headphones protective carrying case

Cons:
- although I’ve not had any issues with anyone understanding me on the other end of calls, I don’t think that the sound quality coming from my mic is the best it could be considering the price of this headset and considering how close the microphone is to my mouth when in use, compared to with other headsets and earbuds. I have recorded my voice to the computer using the mic extended, and I don’t know what I was expecting… it was fine, but it didn’t blow me away or make the recorded audio sound like anything special beyond what I’d been using previously
- a bit bulky and not the most attractive headset as far as style goes, if you care about that

Overall, I’m extremely happy with this headset. It’s comfortable and the noise cancellation is fantastic. The battery lasts me all day, and I can put it on, forget about it, and just get my work done. I can also use this headset to enjoy music and media on my own time, and it’s perfect for travelling and airline use. The exterior busy lights are a plus, and I like that I can extend or stow the microphone as needed. Although this is a pricey headset, I think it’s worth it when I think about how much easier and more productive my days are compared to before I had this. It paid for itself very quickly with the work I was able to get done for clients, and the extra paid calls I no longer miss.

FAST FACTS:
PROS: Great audio quality, excellent voice pick-up, comfortable, great battery life, nicely made.
CONS: Less than premium materials.

DETAILED REVIEW:
Jabra's Evolve2 85 headphones are very nicely made and feel robust and high quality. The headband is densely padded as are the ear cups. The overall feel is premium... except for the plastics used at the hinge of the ear cups. That plastic feels a bit brittle and cheap. The included hard shell case is a nice touch and the headphones fold down compactly inside.

Connecting the headphones to your devices is straightforward. For my iMac I connected it using the included USB-A dongle and for my iPhone I used Bluetooth. Using the dongle on your computer instead of a direct Bluetooth connection allows you to download the companion software to your computer to tailor the headset. The software is easy to use and offers high customization levels. I am able to have the Jabra connect to both my iPhone and iMac simultaneously and switch between the two seamlessly. That way I can listen to my music and take personal call on my iPhone and take business calls and meetings on my iMac. Since I've been working from home, this has been great.

Speaking of working from home, the Jabra's active noise reduction is also excellent and allows me to effectively drown out the sounds of my toddler playing and the television, so I can concentrate. It also does a great job removing sounds like fans and refrigerators.

Sound quality is excellent, especially for a brand not necessarily associated with audio. I listened to a wide variety of musical genres, from pop, to classical, to country, to jazz, and all of them sounded great. Bass was strong, but not overwhelming. Vocals were warm and pleasant. Instruments were nicely isolated and the sound stage was wide. They don't sound quite as nice as my Dali headphones, but they give the Sony and Shure headphones a run for their money. I also use them to listen to podcasts and they work great for that as well.

Call quality is great. I can hear the caller clearly as can they me, even in less than ideal environments. They headphones also work well when using computer based call / meeting software such as GoToConnect. I love the fact that you can answer calls and mute yourself by raising and lowering the boom mic.

They are very comfortable. I can wear them for hours with little fatigue or pressure on my head. They do not interfere with my glasses and the ear cups rest on top of the glass's frames nicely.

Battery life is excellent and I only charge them every week or so despite using them for hours a day for five days a week. They charge quickly via USB-C.

All in all... you can't go wrong.

I've got a couple of Jabra products, and they impress me with their quality and attention to detail.

It starts at packaging. They come nicely packaged, but not excessively so. Packaging is recycled, and walks you through unboxing and functionality. There is a nice zippered case that the headphones fold up into. The button layout isn't bad, but could use just a bit more labeling on things like the volume buttons. They aren't entirely intuitive, with a column of three buttons, the top and bottoms being volume, while the middle is used for something else.

The headphones are a little smaller and lighter than I expected, but are still made of very nice materials. They have the feeling of a luxury item. Pairing was easy, and if you install the app, it will update firmware for you, walk you through all the functionality and allow you to set button and behavior options.

I keep expecting active noise cancellation in a modern, high end product like this to really silence the background. I'd say it does if you are already listening to something with a little volume, but it doesn't really 100% silence the background if you just want to silence the world and have some quiet. That said, it takes things down about 10 notches, which is enough to stop auditory overload if, like me, you are sensitive to having multiple streams of auditory input coming at you at once. After trying about five different noise canceling products in the last six months trying to find the best one, this definitely wins on the noise canceling front.

These headphones are optimized toward things like answering calls, but are very good for other uses as well. That said, I have a pair of Jabra's ANC earbuds, and I actually prefer them to these for near everything. They're smaller, less obtrusive, sound nearly as good, and are actually more comfortable.

“Jabra Evolve2 85 MS Wireless Headphones with Link380a” is a good headphone but not super excellent in terms of audio quality.

After charing the headphones, I updated the firmware. It took about 15 minutes. The following review is based on the current firmware as of December 12, 2020.

What I liked:
- The accompanying smartphone app is one of the best I have seen. It has equalizer that changes headphones’ responses to different frequencies. Because the equalizer setting is stored in headphones themselves, you can use any music player and still have that effect. Not to mention, you can also adjust the strength of active noise cancellation, etc. This app has so many features, and they actually work.
- It has physical buttons for volume up/down and play/pause.
- Like Bose Quiet Comfort, it can connect to two devices at the same time.
- Long battery life and quick charging.
- Overall build quality and materials are good.
- The case is small thanks to cleaver folding mechanism.
- It comes with a dedicated Bluetooth adapter to take full advantage of call features.

What I didn’t like:
- Mid range can be clearer.
- Overall sound feels a bit coarse. This becomes noticeable when you turn up the volume. The sound starts to hurt ears instead of becoming more immersive.
- Noise cancellation is not as strong as Airpods Pro or Bose Quietcomfort. But it’s on par with other brands. It reduces noise levels relatively equally across all frequencies.

I'm not a pro, and I don't know that much about headphones. It's going to take me awhile to figure out all the features. For now, I have them linked to just one device. What I like is that these Jabra Evolve2 85 MS Wireless Headphones with Link380a, Stereo were quick to set up and they are comfortable to wear. The noise cancellation is terrific. I've tried a lot of headphones and earphones (I don't like the tiny earbuds), but none of them feel right. So far, these feel fine. I've been able to wear them for hours without discomfort. That's enough right there. If I never use them to answer calls or do anything more, I'll already be happy.

I did struggle to locate the little USB connector. That small pocket holding it was a safe place for it, but I didn't notice it for a while. I also ordered the wrong one, so it's good that I have a USB-C to USB-A plug. I usually catch that, since it's prevented me from ordering so many other things. I already had a couple of the adapters in the house, knowing the need would arise at some point.

So, I'll keep playing with these and learn how to use more features. I am not someone who wears headphones non-stop, so I'm less worried about the battery life. I use them when other family members are trying to do work nearby. Two of them are working from home while I'm busy with my own activities. For now, I'm very happy with these headphones. They're the first really nice ones that I've ever had.