Jabra Evolve2 55 - Become Your Own Receptionist

It seems like every second device I review lately is aimed towards hybrid workers. This is hardly surprising as more and more of us move towards working from an office in our home as much rather than one miles away in a CBD we'd rather not pay to travel to or park in.

As we spend an increasing amount of time in our relatively new WFH environments, it's only natural for us to look to upgrade and refine the tech we're using. There's definitely been a growing emphasis on audio/visual accessories specifically designed to enhance our online meeting experience. Not only do we want professional sound and video performance but we also need comfort, reliability and perhaps the versatility to use these devices for more domestic, non-business related tasks as well. We are still at home, after all.

The challenge for manufacturers now? Professional performance to fit personal preferences.

Jabra certainly seems to have nailed the brief with the Evolve2 55 - a headset Jabra claims is, "Fit for every purpose."

The first feature to really stand out is how lightweight and compact the Evolve2 55 is. Like any other Jabra product I've ever encountered, the build quality is first-rate and thanks to Jabra's unique Air Comfort technology, the padding on both the headband and earcups is especially light, breathable and comfy. This is achieved using layers of "ultra-soft perforated foam" and it's definitely one of the few headsets I've tried that I basically forget I'm wearing after a while. 

Working in radio, I'm used to wearing headphones for long periods and I often choose to leave one ear on and slide one off so I can monitor my audio and have conversations at the same time. The Evolve2 55 is balanced enough to wear this way too - important because its Active Noise Cancellation works very well - especially given this is an on-ear rather than over-ear form factor. (It's also available in a mono version, with just a single earcup)

The soft, felt carry pouch is a nice touch too - plenty of room for the headset, charging cable and the foldable desktop charging stand, which we'll come to shortly. There's even a tiny pocket for the bluetooth dongle, should you require it if you're not connecting directly from your device's own bluetooth menu. The dongle is a good way to go as no pairing is necessary and you're guaranteed an almost lag-free connection - a strong connection too; you can wander up to 30 metres away from your desk without breaking up.

Other than pairing the Evolve2 55, you can tweak quite a list of additional features and settings via the Jabra Direct desktop app or the Jabra Sound+ mobile app. These include things like the level of sidetone (your own voice) you hear when on a call, whether lowering or raising the boom answers calls or mutes the mic and activation (or deactivation) of the 360º busy light to show other people in the room when you're on a call or just don't want to be disturbed.

As you would expect, the Evolve2 55 has been certified for all major online meeting platforms, including Microsoft Teams, Zoom and Google Meet, with the Teams-specific variant sporting its own dedicated button to join meetings with a single tap.

The other controls are just as useful and easily located by touch in quite separate locations around the edge of the righthand earcup; adjusting volume, playing, pausing, answering and turning ANC on and off are all at your fingertips.

Not only is the ANC performance impressive but so is the mic quality and there's no doubt you'll be heard loud and clear in any situation. Thanks to a very whizzy chip and a clever noise-cancelling algorithm, the ClearVoice microphone will pick up your voice and very little background noise. This means you really have the flexibility to attend online meetings from any location - which is why the portability of the Evolve2 55 is just so damn handy. 

As I mentioned, even the charging stand folds down flat so you can just pop it in the carry pouch along with the headset and then set up office again wherever you end up next.

I've yet to use a Jabra product that didn't produce first-rate audio quality and the Evolve2 55 certainly follows suit. While the default EQ lacks a little bass punch for my tastes, the Jabra apps offer an adjustable EQ setting so I can wind up the low end as much as I like. I'm listening to "This is for Real" by Marry a Stranger as I write this. It's a fairly low-fi track but there's a contrasting tumble of tom-toms driving things along and I can enjoy all this quite clearly reproduced while I work.

And this is the true genius of the Evolve2 55 - Jabra has crafted a device uniquely suited to both work and play; it'll serve just as effectively as a gaming headset as it will if you're taking calls non-stop for an 8-hour shift as a work-from-home call-centre professional. It has great battery life, supreme comfort and sounds brilliant - from both ends of the call.

    

Click here for more information on the Jabra Evolve2 55.