The Evolve2 75 is the first of the Evolve headsets to include fully adjustable ANC (All photos: Jabra)
Even during pandemic times, our home workspace is typically a bustling operation. A small wooden table is usually strewn with press releases, books and stationery, loomed over by a tower of precariously stacked coffee cups. As much as we subscribe to the eternal cliché that creativity springs from chaos, clutter becomes a problem when we need to retrieve, say, misplaced earphones. It is moments like this that a hulking headphone truly stands out rather than a pair of minuscule earbuds, which at one point on the street, slipped through my fingers and disappeared into the abyss.
The newly launched Jabra Evolve2 75 with powerful 40mm speakers and a wireless range of up to 30m is a timely reprieve to carve out a tiny bubble of solitude to attenuate the cacophony of our neighbour trying (and failing) to carry a tune or an engine rumbling on the pavement. The device’s built-in active noise cancellation (ANC) — 26% more coverage than its predecessor Evolve 75 — dims the din to ensure it does not break your focus. You can now decide how much, or how little, of your surroundings you want to hear as the Evolve2 75 is the first of the Evolve headsets to include fully adjustable ANC. Plus, one need not be completely isolated from the outside world anymore via the “HearThrough” function, which lets in just enough ambient sound for you to notice the courier guy at the door or the celebratory chants of a football goal on the TV.
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Right out of the box, this over-ear pair is more intuitive to set up than most of its competitors, thanks to an additional Bluetooth dongle that works with any computer that has a USB-A port. Putting it on is just as fuss free, as the pillowy, leatherette ear cushion design with superior ergonomic fit improves ventilation and reduces ear pressure without pinching your temples. Unlike free-floating earbuds that constantly threaten to slide out of your ears, the curvature and padding of this headband hug them snugly.
However, would these bells and whistles suffice to help you make a sound choice when picking out a perfect pair? As one may suspect, the music industry has fallen victim to its own technological successes as the ease of playing songs on spiffy smartphones has persuaded users to happily trade quality for portability. But Jabra is adamant on reacquainting audiophiles with excellent music again, first by customising its headset to match their hearing profile via the MySound feature. You can now fully appreciate Pink Floyd’s guitar screams or the technical acrobats in Paganini’s violin concertos according to your preferred audio output without serious sibilance or distortion as the AAC codecs ensures high-fidelity digital audio.
The entertaining Evolve2 75 plays hard, but works even harder when it is required to perform during long stretches of calls and Zoom chats. Donning a headphone with a boom mic jutting in your face may elicit stares for appearing like a diligent telemarketer or pro gamer, but the Evolve2 75’s boom arm (33% shorter than that of the Evolve 75) can be easily tucked away in Discreet mode. Incoming calls are automatically answered when you flip it down, which reduces unwanted background sounds from being picked up.
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Sound clarity is also bumped up with the headset’s 8-microphone technology and revolutionary triple chipset-powered algorithm to distinguish between your voice and the noise around you. To shut out interruptions completely, turn on the Busylight with 360˚ visibility so your workmates get the hint that you wish to be left alone. Jabra has also optimised the device for the leading Unified Communications platforms, with a dedicated button for Microsoft Teams too.
We are constantly looking for ways to eke out a little more performance from our overworked batteries but the Evolve2 75 goes the distance by providing a whopping 24 hours of talk time and 36 hours of playtime. The device could not have arrived at a better time than when we need to revisit our Harry Potter boxset prior to its 20th anniversary or burrow into the swooning croon of Adele, whose honest exploration of heartache and emotional bruises sounded even more haunting via the headset’s booming bass. If listening to her album 30 drains your juice (rest assured it will), recharge via the USB-C cable or the desk stand with magnetic docking.
The Evolve2 75 has dreamt up an audio cocoon you can take refuge in, so the only real reasons to look elsewhere are probably the hefty price tag and aesthetics. The device may deliver on the most important metrics, but it is not necessarily leagues better than its contenders that offer more bang for your buck. Having said that, if you are looking for a pair of noise-cancelling headphones that will help you survive the mainstream adoption of shared workspaces and remote working in cafés, this strait-laced audio heavyweight hits the right notes.
This article first appeared on Feb 7, 2022 in The Edge Malaysia.
