Jabra Evolve2 Buds Review: The Best Enterprise Buds

Jabra Evolve2 Buds Review: Jabra’s True Wireless Earbuds Tackle the Enterprise

The future of audio has become increasingly small. It was inevitable that true wireless earbuds should become the de facto standard for business and personal audio experiences. Integrated circuits and new batteries converged to bring long-life and digital signal processing to headphones that often fit inside a 1-inch square cube. Much of that technology derives from hearing aids, which always sought the most invisible path toward increased auditory acuity. Jabra’s consumer and commercial earbuds benefit from owner GN’s investment in hearing aids. The company’s long history in sound, including laying the first intercontinental telegraph connections in the 19th century, reverberates through its products.

With the $269 Jabra Evolve2 Buds, the company has shipped a pair of earbuds that will support audio experiences as diverse as an investor call and as diaphanous as sitting back on a Friday afternoon chilling to a Disney Lofi mix.

Read the Jabra Evolve2 and Poly Voyager Free 60+ Comparision here

What we like

Pros

• Great audio with Active Noise Cancellation (ANC)
• Bluetooth® 5.2
• Solid ear fit
• Wide range of certifications for enterprise conferencing systems

When it comes to earbuds in this price range and above, many features come as assumed rather than differentiators. Those features include multipoint connectivity, Qi charging, USB-C connectivity, in-ear sensors, ANC with transparency, and hearing protection.

Jabra includes all of those features in the Evolve2 Buds, some under branded names and others as generic features.

So, what differentiates the Jabra Evolve2 buds? The company’s database on 62,000 ear scans and their fit algorithm. The Jabra Evolve2 buds simplify fit better than the closest competitor in our evaluations, the Poly Voyager Free 60+. The combination of small size and accurate fit proves more comfortable using the Evolve2 Buds in more situations—they do not feel like they are going to fall out, and, subsequently, I don’t waste my time checking on them.

As for the experience with Jabra’s Evolve2 Buds, the already-paired Bluetooth Transceiver made connecting to my Mac seamless. Connecting to a secondary device, a phone or tablet, or both, required putting the Evovle2 Buds into pairing mode. The pairing was as effortless as any other pair of earbuds. Bluetooth 5.2 ensures good connectivity at an improved distance from the source.

The battery keeps the Evolve2 Buds thrumming for up to 8 hours. The case, which charges in about 2 hours, keeps the earbuds going for up to a total of 33 hours. Fast charge turns five minutes of power into an hour of listening time.

The audio experience is outstanding for earbuds, with music and voice coming across clear and undistorted. The Poly Voyager Free 60+ earbuds also offer great audio, but their fit issue, at least in my ears, detracted from my listening experience in a way the Jabra earbuds do not.

Barbara Streisand’s ethereal and trippy version of Somewhere comes across in all its power and quirkiness. I also listened to several raw, emotionally and musically charged tracks from the Beatles Anthology, from an early version of Let it Be to Maxwell’s Silver Hammer and early distant and thin renditions of songs like I Saw Her Standing There. I found satisfying joy in the music even as I reached out to fill in the words hidden in the echoes of Hallelujah, I Love Her So, and You’ll Be Mine.

The Jabra Evolve2 Buds effectively transported me back in musical time, reproducing the subtleties of early mixes and the rawness of mono recordings captured in the field with no intention of ever speaking to a 21st-century mind. If you need a moment, find the 2:34 version of Yesterday on “The Beatles: Anthology 2, Disc 1” to hear what that song sounded like when it was new.

Beyond the music, I feel confident in using Jabra for video conferencing and audio calls. The effortless handoff between devices supports the reality of my work and life as a long-time member of the #WFH community. There are times when full headsets play a role, but increasingly, I find earbuds more convenient and perfectly acceptable for all types of audio experiences.

Audiophiles may find that observation an anathema to finely honed auditory pathways betrayed by data-compressing codecs and tiny speakers. Audiophiles should buy the best headphones to transmit their lossless audio experiences. For the rest of us, working daily in the online world, switching between video conferences, podcasts, and music to stay distractions or act as one, good earbuds like the Jabra Evolve2 Buds make audio experiences instantly accessible and infinitely mobile.

The Jabra Evolve2 Buds are certified or compliant with a wide range of audio and video conferencing services include, Avaya, Cisco, Unify, Microsoft Teams (SKU specific), MFi, Qi, Zoom, Google Meet, Amazon Chime, Amazon Alexa.

The Evovle2 Buds ship in top-notch sustainable packaging.

What could be improved

Cons

• Supporting apps could be much better
• Only basic codecs supported
• SKUs are a little screwy

Software from high-end earbuds needs work. Universally. Not just from Jabra. Updating firmware is frustrating as it leaves steps out of the online instructions. I recently processed an update. I clicked update and waited. Nothing happened. No instructions. Nothing. And I know I said this about the Poly Lens experience as well. I’m not repeating myself. Jabra put me through the same lack of experience.

I remembered, however, after a bit, that the Jabra Evolve2 Buds were different. While some manufacturers say: DO NOT PLACE THE EARBUDS IN THE CHARGING CASE, that is not true for Jabra. Jabra doesn’t apply the update until the buds are in the case, at which point the front LED strobes a red and pink until it goes out, at which point the update is complete.

Put the instructions in the app. It costs nothing. When clicking update, tell people step-by-step what to do with pictures. Don’t make people search for how to update my earbud firmware or what to do when my firmware update hangs; anticipate the problems in the client app—don’t bury guidance in an FAQ, a support page, or even worse, in a user group (not to disparage user support groups, but to point out that many questions would better be answered at the point they are likely encountered).

Other features of the app prove less annoying, such as settings for in-ear detection and button-feature mapping, which is completely customizable for the left earbud.

Given that the target market for Jabra Evolve2 Buds is the enterprise, not supporting AptX isn’t a big deal, but it does make the earbuds appear old-school and cheaper compared to many at this level.

For some reason, Jabra found it necessary to create a number of configurations for the Evolve2 buds, some as simple as swapping out a USB-C to USB-C cable for a USB-A to USB-C cable. I have a long history in manufacturing management, and that level of detail runs counter to what is either seen as simplification or cost savings. Market confusion also comes at a price, one often not accounted for by product managers.

I would suggest that Jabra buy a USB-A/C dual configuration cable and eliminate the cable SKUs. I would also suggest they unbundle the Qi charging unit, which most people will find less expensive elsewhere or already own.

That brings us to the UC or Microsoft Teams variants which sound like products from the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The Microsoft Team version of the Evolve2 Buds includes some unique feature mapping, including LED notifications, call priority with multiple options when Microsoft devices are attached, and computer-based Teams call management. The UC version, reviewed here, doesn’t recognize Teams with any special features.

The truth is either set of buds (or other Jabra products) will work with any unified communication (UC) system. Given the enterprise nature of Microsoft Teams, the MS Teams variant was likely developed to appeal to enterprise buyers. For those using multiple UC systems, the MS variant doesn’t add much value except when using Teams.

Jabra will benefit from a simplified product line and improved software to support its audio ecosystem.

Jabra Evolve2 Buds: The bottom line

So how does a pair of earbuds with so many notes become the recommended pair of earbuds for the Enterprise? Because despite business choices, the hardware and the user experience prove superior to other products. Once an individual or company buys headphones, all the issues of configuration collapse into the product purchased. And sure, the app and firmware upgrade experience isn’t great, but Poly’s is worse. Owners won’t deal with firmware updates regularly and will likely not fiddle with settings once they settle into a comfortable routine.

At that point, it comes down to audio and fit, and the Jabra Evolve2 Buds fit more comfortably and securely, and sound slightly better because of their fit. And that makes all the difference.

Jabra provided the Jabra Evolve2 Buds for review. Images courtesy of Jabra unless otherwise noted.

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