Physical Address
304 North Cardinal St.
Dorchester Center, MA 02124
Pros
-
Lightweight and slim design without microphone
-
Comfortable fit with breathable fabric-covered earpads
-
Excellent microphone performance and background noise reduction
-
Good sound insulation, even in noisy environments
-
Sound quality suitable for listening to music
-
USB dongle for reliable wireless connection to computers
-
Ear pads and batteries are replaceable
-
USB-C and wireless charging
cons
-
beloved
-
For the price, it could sound a little better for listening to music
-
The wireless charging pad is not included with some types of headphones
For many years, Jabra has marketed its products Headphones are evolving More towards businesses rather than consumers. But as more people shift to hybrid or work-from-home environments, the dynamics of the professional headphone market have shifted to the point where the Danish brand made a major design decision for its new Evolve3 85 ($487) and Evolve 3 75 ($388) Headphones: They ditched the booming microphone and designed the new models to sound like typical premium ones Above the ear and On the ear Headphones.
Although there’s no flexible microphone to bring the microphone closer to your mouth, I was impressed with how well the new models clearly picked up your voice while greatly reducing background noise; They’ve toned it down even more than their predecessors in the Evolve2 series. What also sets this headphone/headphone hybrid apart is its lightweight design (220 grams or 7.7 ounces) and slim profile. The earcups are flatter than typical over-ear headphones, and its carrying case is remarkably slim for over-ear headphones (it fits in the side pocket of a laptop bag).
A dedicated mute button lets you turn the headset’s microphone on and off, and there’s a sensor that pauses the music when you lift the headset off your ears and resumes playback when you put it back on.
Read more: The best headphones and headsets for working from home
The Evolve3 85 and Evolve3 75 have very similar specifications and performance, but they have different ear pieces, with the Evolve3 75 featuring an on-ear design. I found the over-ear model a little more comfortable, and thought it sounded a little better, but the Evolve3 75 is very comfortable for an on-ear model, is more compact (180 grams or 6.35 ounces) and costs less. Both come with Jabra Link 390 USB Dongle – You can choose between USB-A or USB-C – which allows for a fast and reliable wireless connection with your computer. I’ve also used the headphones with my iPhone over Bluetooth (it uses Bluetooth 5.3 with a range of up to 30 metres) and they feature multipoint Bluetooth pairing, so you can pair two devices at once.
Both the headphones and the case are impressively thin.
I plugged the dongle into my Mac Mini (you just have to make sure it’s set as the audio output device in your Mac’s audio settings) and when a call came in on my phone, the headset switched to the audio on my phone when I answered the call without a problem. Once I hung up, the audio went back to what I was playing on my Mac. I also tested the dongle and headset using a Microsoft Surface Pro (Jabra’s desktop software for Windows and MacOS is called Jabra Direct).
This is the kind of headphone/headset you want on your head when you have a lot of background stuff going on at home, because it’s good at filtering out background noise, including vacuum cleaners and lawn mowers (in case someone is mowing your lawn outside). It will also be good if you work in a cafe and have to answer calls or participate in a video conference. I used it on noisy New York streets with my cell phone and callers said they heard minimal background noise while my voice was clear and relatively natural (even with some wind noise). Some background sounds may seep in a little, especially when you’re talking, but they’re muffled.
Evolve3 85 on-ear headphones (left) and Evolve3 75 on-ear headphones (right) in black, placed on their wireless charger, included with some versions of the headphone. You can charge it using your wireless charging pad.
Effective noise cancellation but a step behind competitors
Before they are stopped, Jabra headphones It has good noise cancellation but wasn’t up to par with what I got from flagship headphones from Bose, Sony, and Apple. The same can be said about the Evolve3 85’s noise cancellation. It’s effective but not as powerful as what you get with Sony WH-1000XM6, Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones (2nd generation) and Apple AirPods Max 2 headphones.
Like the AirPods Max 2, the Evolve3 85 and 75 have fabric-covered earpads instead of leather or vegan leather. I got a good seal from the earpads (and the headphones didn’t stick out too much), but I did see some complaints from people claiming that the seal wasn’t as good as they had hoped. The quality of the seal can affect noise-cancelling performance, but I had no problem with the cloth-covered earpads, and they provide good ventilation.
Note that there is also a HearThrough mode that lets ambient sound in and can be adjusted from minimum to maximum or somewhere in between. It feels very natural, though not quite as natural as the Transparency mode on the AirPods Max 2, which is arguably the best out there at the moment.
Good sound for listening to music
While the Evolve3 85 excel at making voice and video calls, they also serve as everyday headphones. Its sound quality for listening to music may not be up to what you get with headphones like headphones Sony WH-1000XM6 and Apple AirPods Max 2 headphonesbut it’s still very good. Equalizer settings are in the companion Jabra Plus app for iOS and Android (or Jabra Direct for PC) to tweak the sound and adjust the amount of side-tone to hear your voice in the headphones while on calls.
The sound is well balanced but doesn’t quite have the depth or clarity compared to the highest-end premium headphones in this price range. Not surprisingly, the Evolve3 85 is very strong in the midrange where sounds live; Vocals sound clear and natural. There’s ample bass with some nice kick, but it’s a bit more controlled and precise on the Sony WH-1000XM6. I did feel that the headphone sounded a little better after a break of about 20 hours.
The cloth-covered earpads are replaceable, as is the headphone’s battery (although it’s not user-replaceable).
Battery life is impressive at up to 120 hours of music listening with noise cancellation (up to the 60-hour range with noise cancellation, which is still very good). A 5-minute charge gives you 5 hours of power, and the headphones also come with a USB-C port and wireless charging, although these aren’t included on cheaper versions of the headphones.
The headphones come in 1 size Microsoft Teams supported option With a dedicated Teams button that gives MS Teams LED notifications that are visible on the Jabra headset (the LED on each earcup lights up red to let people know you’re on a call), quick meeting access and automatic device selection in case there are multiple MS devices. If you’re not using Microsoft Teams as your softphone client, Jabra advises you to opt for the Standard UC variant, which is certified for use with all leading UC platforms, including Cisco, Mitel, and Avaya, and is priced under $500 on Amazon. If you use the UC variant with Microsoft Teams, the plug-and-play experience won’t be available, Jabra says, but you can “manually set up voice control and call features by selecting the UC variant as the default calling device in Microsoft Teams settings.” This can be a bit confusing for average consumers, and is one of the downsides of enterprise headsets that tend to come in several different forms.
The headphones are designed for business environments and everyday wear.
Jabra Evolves 3 85 Final Thoughts
The Jabra Evolve3 85 are certainly expensive, but their discounted price on Amazon is more palatable than their $650 list price (and the on-ear earbuds). Evolve 3 75 It could be for Under $350). I think Jabra did a great job of shrinking down this headphone/headphone combo, making it easier to transport (they take up much less space in your bag than traditional over-ear headphones). In some ways, this feels like where makers of full-size headphones need to move forward with their designs, as over-ear models sometimes feel too bulky.
While the sound quality is very good for listening to music, I can see some people being a little disappointed that it isn’t better, given the Evolve3 85’s near-$500 price and lack of support for so-called high-resolution wireless audio codecs like LDAC and AptX Lossless. But first and foremost, this is an enterprise-level headset that actually offers the interface for voice communication, with noise filtering that removes background sounds while improving your voice. I was able to wear them for long periods of time comfortably, and they represent a capable set of everyday headphones, even if they don’t measure up to other premium headphones in this price category in terms of noise cancellation and sound quality.