Jabra designed the new Evolve 75 wireless headset specifically for busy, open office environments. It is the first headset to receive Microsoft Skype for Business’ Open Office and Outdoor certifications. Notably, it’s also the first Evolve headset to combine active noise cancellation and Bluetooth capability.
Source: Jabra. The Evolve 75 in action in an open office.
To expand their Evolve headset range for the modern office worker, Jabra released the wireless Evolve 75. This is the first time Jabra has introduced a portable, compact model that combines wireless functionality with active noise cancellation (ANC)*.
Inspired by the popular Evolve 65 and Evolve 80, Jabra wanted to address user feedback by bridging the gap between the two existing models: a wireless model without ANC and a wired model with ANC. The Evolve 75 integrates the most popular features of these two products while enhancing sound quality, portability, and noise isolation.
Jabra highlights the headset as ideal for remote workers, traditional desk workers, and those who often find themselves taking calls in corridors to minimize distractions. Patrick Khor, Jabra Country Manager, emphasized the increasing prevalence of open office layouts, hot-desking, and employees who spend significant time working remotely but still need a private space when in the office. He also acknowledged the trend of companies moving away from physical phones towards Voice over IP (VoIP) solutions like Skype for Business, or ‘soft phones’ that operate through software, despite their limitations in audio quality compared to traditional phones.
He referenced Jabra’s research**, revealing that 78% of office workers report a decline in productivity due to on-site noise, with up to 24 minutes lost daily to workplace interruptions. Khor highlighted the challenges of concentration and collaboration in today’s open office designs, stating that “the least productive workplace is the open office,” and “people are struggling to be as productive as they used to be.”
Jabra designed the Evolve 75 to specifically address the challenges of the modern open office. By simply flipping a switch, users can create their own virtual private space while still benefiting from the collaborative aspects of open offices. Demonstrations of the Evolve 75 clearly illustrated the difference in sound quality compared to using a phone alone—background noise, like traffic, was completely inaudible when the headset was in use. During a personal test, this writer found that activating the ANC on the headset created an immersive bubble of silence.
Khor emphasized the seamless integration of the headset with various devices, stating that “the mobile call comes to the headset, the laptop call comes to the headset. (It’s) crystal clear sound,” and highlighted its noise-canceling capabilities: “We’re blocking noise around you in the office.”
Wayne Lee, APAC Lead for Product Management and Alliance at Jabra, presented the headset as “the best wireless headset for concentration in the open office,” noting its ability to block ambient noise, provide a superior sound experience for both parties on a call, and connect to two devices simultaneously. Lee added, “We think design is one of the things that makes our product unique.”
Khor gives the big picture on Jabra and why Jabra headsets.
Certified by leading unified communications platforms, including Skype for Business, Cisco WebEx, and Google Hangouts, the Evolve 75 also works with Jabra Direct, Jabra’s cloud-based software for headset customization.
The Evolve 75 stands out as the only wireless ANC headset with both Open Office and Outdoor certifications from Microsoft’s Skype for Business Certification Program. Due to the wide range of products claiming Skype for Business compatibility, Microsoft implemented this program with stricter certification requirements to ensure consistent quality.
The Evolve line - launched only in Q414 - has been very popular, Khor says, and grew 100% by volume from 2015 to 2016 with this year showing similar numbers to date. The Evolve 75 fits in between the Evolve 60, which is wireless but does not have ANC, and the high end Evolve 80, which has ANC but is wired.
Products now need to pass tests in both the Open Office and Outdoor categories. To pass the Open Office test, a microphone must not pick up conversations from nearby users, making it suitable for environments with multiple speakers, such as call centers. The Outdoor test exposes products to various noise profiles, ranging from cafeterias and car interiors to bustling train stations. A certified headset should effectively eliminate ambient noise and maintain audio clarity across all these scenarios.
To achieve this, Jabra’s engineers spent over four years developing a software solution that seamlessly integrates the boom microphone with the ANC microphones. This creates a noise-free zone around the user, with the boom microphone acting as the focal point. Any noise detected by the ANC microphones within a 60-centimeter radius is identified and filtered out as background noise. This intelligent software also optimizes call quality by activating transmission only when the user is speaking.
Beyond exceptional noise cancellation, the Evolve 75 offers unparalleled freedom of movement with a wireless range of up to 30 meters for laptops (10 meters for smartphones). Its dual Bluetooth connectivity allows users to connect to two devices concurrently, streamlining communication by integrating laptops and smartphones.
Jabra focuses on the growing unified communications space for enterprise headsets. Research predictions for unified communications include a US$37 billion market by 2018, and 86 million unified communications users by 2021. Khor said that the Singapore business is getting “this type of growth”.
Open offices are unproductive. According to Jabra, 78% of open office worker respondents in a survey said that they are impacted by noise and disturbances, impacting productivity.
Holger Reisinger, SVP of Jabra Business Solutions, acknowledges the drawbacks of open offices: “The premise behind the open plan office is to foster collaboration and improve communication among employees. But despite their many benefits, they have become breeding grounds for unsatisfactory labor output. Interruptions from colleagues and the noise generated in these environments negatively impacting workers and contributing to lackluster performance. Increasingly, knowledge workers are being forced into isolation to do their jobs. The Jabra Evolve 75 provides businesses with an alternative solution to support an open office philosophy that’s conducive to better performance.”
Lee does a deep dive into the Evolve 75 headset.
Key features include:
- High-definition (HD) voice for crystal clear calls and music
- Superior active noise cancellation (ANC)
- Integrated “busylight” clearly shows when the user is busy
- Wireless range of up to 30m away from the laptop and 10m from the smartphone
- Flexibility to connect two Bluetooth devices at the same time for calls and music – for example, to both a computer and a smartphone
- Integration with leading unified communications (UC) platforms including Skype for Business and Cisco certification
- Up to 15 hours of battery life
- All-day comfort leather feel ear cushions and an on-the-ear wearing style for all day comfort
- Discreet boom-arm: Boom-arm can be clipped into the headband when not on calls
- Listen-in: Easy to reach button on the ear cup allows users to hear announcements without removing the headset
- Optional charging stand
Part of the GN Group, Jabra is a leading developer and manufacturer of communications and sound solutions. The GN Group specializes in medical-grade hearing appliances, and audio devices for enterprise and consumer markets.
Intrigued?
The Jabra Evolve 75 is available at a manufacturer’s suggested retail price (MSRP) of S$512.53 (inclusive of charging stand), or S$434.42 (excluding the stand).
*ANC refers to the ability to switch noise cancellation on and off, unlike passive noise cancellation, which cannot be switched off.
**Jabra knowledge worker survey 2015.