The recent launch of the Jabra Evolve2 Buds caught my attention. Why so? Because Jabra is doing something different with earbuds that I have not seen before and it got my attention pretty fast.
With thanks to Jabra I got m grubby hands on them and gave them a road test.
Preamble
For a while I have had the luxury of hybrid #WFH and on-site work, even before COVID. With the numerous and extended COVID lockdowns Melbourne endured, I settled into a work routine and setup that made it easy for me to juggle all the different tasks I do on a daily basis.
I have earbuds paired to multiple phones, because it is easy and convenient to chuck those in my pocket or in a bag to go.
My laptops are paired to a headset that is always charging on my desk ready to face long days on calls.
The recent changes in personal circumstances saw me being in transit or away from a desk setup for quite significant periods of work time daily. Working out of random places is nothing new for me, but lugging my headset around along with everything else, like a second laptop and other paraphernalia becomes unwieldy and irksome quickly.
First Impressions
The Jabra Evolve2 Buds comes with a pair of earbuds as well as the Jabra Link 380 dongle in the case. It does make the case longer than other earbuds I have reviewed, but to clarify, it is longer to accommodate the dongle rather than overall bulking up.
My review unit comes with the USB-A dongle, but a USB-C variant is also available. The dongle sits between the two earbuds in a snug fitting slot. It sits firmly in there but not difficult to take out or put back in. If you do drop the case, chances are the buds might pop out but the dongle will remain in place.
The additional bulk does not feel too out of place, it hasn’t registered as an issue whether I am putting it in my pocket or in my bag.
Getting Started
By default, the earbuds are already paired to the Link 380. Once you pop the dongle into your computer, it is ready to hit the ground running.
I had to put the earbuds into pairing mode for the phone but that was to be expected and easy enough to do. Of course the Jabra Sounds+ app is a must to personalise the Evolve2 Buds specifically for you.
Normally I would say that the Sounds+ app is the go to for firmware update, and this channel is still available. But with the inclusion of the Link 380 dongle you can also use the Jabra Direct app on your computer to do the same thing. Both components do receive updates, I know with the Link 380 I have seen a few over the past two years.
In Use
The Evolve2 Bud sits well in my ear. Being very average, the default size eargel fits me just fine. I ran the app to customise the sound to my ears, a task that is worth spending a few minutes to do so regularly.
By and large, the Evolve2 Buds perform really well. They are powered by four microphones, bone conduction sensors and of course, backed with the algorithms of Jabra MultiSensor Voice. All of these have debut previously and Jabra has continued to refine and update with each product launch.
In action though, people are generally really surprised to find out I am using earbuds to talk. The general feedback consistently has been that my voice is so clear that it sounds like I am talking directly into the phone microphone. For all intent and purposes, it is flawless in that respect.
Changing things up a bit, I was on a call while walking through a food court foraging for some sustenance. Two things that came to realisation is that my walking gait whilst carrying my work bag will shift the earbuds in my ear enough to affect my voice clarity. Secondly the background noise suppression won’t mask the part where I am in a busy food court, or at least out and about.
ANC part works well though, as it cuts out the background noise for me. It works so well that I completely missed the school bell go for the end of the school day when I am using them.
But not everything is perfect. The rendering of sound is really dependent on getting the eargels fit just right. If you don’t get a good seal and positioning, you are going to sound absolutely awful. And if you have ANC cranked up without a good fit, it exacerbates the problem.
In my testing, swapping out to the smaller sized eargel made a significant difference in the rendering of my voice. For me the fit was not as snug and the feedback was that my voice was not as rich in tone.
Taking note of the business side of things, the Evolve2 Buds are certified for leading virtual meeting platforms including Google Meet, Microsoft Teams and Zoom – depending on your variant.
I use a lot of Microsoft Teams and Zoom. Occasionally I still have to use Skype for Business (or Teams with one less lick of paint as I like to refer to it). And yes Discord as well. Having the Link 380 dongle means I can quickly swap between laptops without having to fumble with toggling Bluetooth on and off to keep it under concurrent connection limits.
I was happily (well, as much you could be happy about endless work calls), to jump on and off between devices and calls. I can’t emphasize just how convenient it was to be able to plug the Link 380 dongle into whichever machine I needed to use on demand. At the same time the Evolve2 Buds are connected to my phone for a pretty seamless experience.
Audio Quality
As expected the Evolve2 Buds’ strengths are in voice calls. I am constantly on calls and it is important for me to be able to pick up information without having to expend extra effort dealing with poor connection or audio quality. To this end I am really happy with the performance because fatigue do set in after a while.
When it comes to media performance, it is also no slouch. In this form factor though, there are always going to be some trade offs. It is not to say they perform poorly but there is just a little hollowness in the sound from time to time, but tweaking the EQ in the Sounds+ app goes a long way. The clarity and sound separation is pretty superb overall. The Bass Boost preset gets the thump going but also introduces some muddiness. A slight adjustment from the preset does help.
Overall they are impressive performers and sort of going full cans over your ears, you could do a lot worse.
Battery Life
The Jabra Evolve2 Buds have a rated battery life of 5 hours, plus another 28 hours with a fully charged case.
The 5 hours battery life is a bit marginal, I would have preferred it to last through a standard 8 hour day but it is not a deal breaker. My particular usage pattern does vary and I am writing from the standpoint of knowing I do occasionally jump on calls that lasts 6+ hours in one stretch.
The great part is that I can use the Evolve2 in stereo, or just the right or just the left earbuds. This would allow me to stretch out the battery life to meet my needs.
The charging case supports Qi-compatible wireless charging. Alternatively you could go with USB-C cable.
Other Features
Far from just a business focused device, the Evolve2 Buds have a IP57 rating which is one of the highest I have reviewed in recent times.
IP57 gives you protection from limited dust ingress, and liquid immersion between 15 centimeters and 1 meter in depth. This makes the Evolve2 Buds ideal for work and play.
Gripes
A couple of issues, and one is a pretty major one for me. When I am on a Teams call and a phone call comes through, my audio feed is wiped out with the incoming call alert taking priority. Like, not just a notification but full blown ringtone and it cuts the Teams call completely until I do something – answer or reject the call. In the meantime I have effectively dropped out of a meeting.
It did the same when I was on a Discord call so this was not an isolated issue.
The second issue is that it can struggle to cut out the background noise if it there is too much of it. I find that the other side can hear a lot of what is going on in my background. To be fair it is about on par for earbuds.
Also I have had a couple of instances where I was talking about no one could hear me. It was a bit odd.
Conclusions
Overall I can live with the Jabra Evolve2 Buds. The inclusion of the Jabra Link 380 on top of traditional Bluetooth means a stable connection with PC and the likelihood of much better range then native onboard Bluetooth.
As long as the fit is right, the sound quality is pretty amazing. The issue with an incoming call taking priority is a bit of a concern though and that needs to be addressed.
The Evolve2 Buds are not cheap, they will set you back a cool AUD$399 without a wireless charging pad. On the other hand, carrying a headset and a pair of earbuds can double the cost easily. This one is good for convenience and reliable business and playtime use, just be mindful of some of the limitations I have found.
DRN would like to thank Jabra for providing the review unit.
