Apr 23 2021
Hardware

Review: Focus on What Matters with the Jabra Evolve 75 UC Stereo Headset

Get more done with this lightweight, noise-canceling headset with features galore.

Whether you’re teaching from home with little noisemakers in the background or working in a crowded school or office, if you want to focus with minimal distractions, you need a noise-canceling headset.

With a wireless range of up to 100 feet, the Jabra Evolve 75 UC stereo headset allows teachers navigating a hybrid model to maintain an open line of communication with their remote learners and help in-person learners from anywhere in the room.

The headset, which comes in a hard-sided zippered case, looks and feels sturdy while being lightweight and comfortable to wear. I even wore the Evolve 75 for over four hours straight and hardly noticed it was on.

Revel in Comfort and Quiet

With other on-ear headsets, my ears usually hurt or feel sweaty, but not so with the Evolve 75. The cushioning on the top of the headset is made of soft rubber, and the ear cups are made of a supple leatherette covering a soft layer of foam. Both ear cups tilt up and down as well as side to side to ensure the headset fits nearly any head with just the right level of snugness and comfort.

Due to the on-ear design and the seal on the ear cups, just wearing the headset while powered off reduces background noise. This feature alone muffles a great deal of distracting sounds such as noisy kids, barking dogs, the TV and even low-frequency noises. For even more peace and quiet, just press the active noise canceling button located on the bottom of the left ear cup.

Choose from a Variety of Controls

The right ear cup features many controls. On the bottom are a USB charging port, a Bluetooth indicator light, a battery-life LED and a three-way toggle switch for powering the headset on and off or selecting USB or Bluetooth connectivity.

The round button in the center of the right ear cup answers and ends calls and also plays and pauses music. The large exterior side of the ear cup acts as two additional buttons that allow you to manage volume.

LEARN MORE: What are the common oversights schools make in one-to-one device purchasing?

Headset Notifies Others When You Are on a Call

Another convenient feature of the Evolve 75 is dual Bluetooth. As the name implies, it gives users the ability to connect two devices at the same time. For example, while I was streaming a YouTube video on my computer, a phone call came in and I was able to immediately answer the call. It should be noted that even though two devices can connect at a time, the headset will only play audio from one device at a time. During testing, I played music on my phone and then pressed play on a YouTube video on my computer. The headset immediately switched to the YouTube audio on my computer while muting the song on my phone. I was delighted to see that as soon as I paused the YouTube video, the music on my phone switched back on automatically.

Another top feature is that when you’re on a phone call or videoconference, the round buttons in the center of both ear cups glow red to indicate you are busy. This can be a helpful feature for letting those around you know not to disturb you.

I discovered almost by accident that the USB receiver also glows different colors to indicate different activities. The receiver glows green when you’re on a call, red when you’re muted and blue when there is no active call. This subtle visual cue reminds me to unmute myself when on a conference call.

If you need to talk to someone approaching you but you prefer to keep your headset on, simply press the round button located in the center of the left ear cup to mute all incoming volume. When you’re ready to return to your cocoon, tap the button again.

Jabra specs

SPECIFICATIONS

BATTERY LIFE: 15 hours
DIMENSIONS: 6.9x8.1x2 inches
WEIGHT: 6.24 ounces
CONNECTIVITY INTERFACE: USB
WIRELESS TECHNOLOGY: Bluetooth
SOUND OUTPUT MODE: Stereo

DIVE DEEPER: Find more Jabra communication solutions for K–12 teachers and students.

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