Do you want the best headset? 
The truth is, there are a lot of people who don’t like wearing a typical headset, and that can be for a number of reasons. Some might feel that it makes them look like they’re taking orders at the local Taco Bell. Others might get migraine headaches from wearing something over their head. Whatever the reason, suffice it to say that some people simply don’t want to wear a typical headset. And that’s where earbuds come in.
Earbuds are available from a wide variety of sources such as Apple, Logitech or Jabra. And of course there are scores of options to choose from on the popular shopping sites that are cheap, and sold direct from offshore companies.
But, the question that needs to be asked is; “are earbuds good enough to use on important business calls”? Generally speaking the answer is a resounding no. Why is this you ask? Here are a few reasons why it’s so:
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Microphone sound quality. Some earbuds sound decent, and many don’t. But how you sound could easily vary depending not only on the make, model and price of the earbuds, but the type, and amount of noise going on around you. Not all sound the same to be sure, and when you’re getting business done, you want to sound your best, and that’s not always what you’ll get when using earbuds. Without question, a headset with a boom microphone is a better design when it comes to voice audio quality.
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Background noise reduction. This is a huge drawback to earbuds. If you plan on using earbuds on important calls, then you need to be sure that the sounds going on around you aren’t being heard by your callers. This is something that earbuds overall struggle with.
Even if you’re using Apple Airpods, that doesn’t mean they’re good enough to use on your business calls. Here’s a video that talks about why Airpods aren’t suitable for business calls. But that limitation isn’t restricted to Airpods only.
Take your earbud pick, and chances are extremely high that those buds will be in the same boat at the Airpods. Bottom line is earbuds overall simply can’t reduce enough background noise to make them usable in business.
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Limited Battery Life. The small physical size of earbuds typically doesn’t lend itself to having enough room to pack in a decent sized battery. Limited amount of space,combined with a limited sized battery generally yields a limited amount of talk time. The last thing you need when on an important call is to have it drop in the middle of your conversation.
Yes, there are buds that have a portable charge case that can give you charging on the go. But, that still means that you have to cease using the earbuds while they’re receiving the recharge. On the flip side, some earbuds are benefiting from advances in battery technology where they’re able to produce 8 hours of talk time, which is an acceptable amount of talk time for business use.
- Durability. Earbuds aren’t known to be the most durable of all devices. Add to that their small size makes them easy to get misplaced or stepped on. One of the things you need in any headset used for business is reliability, and longevity, and with earbuds overall, that’s something hard to get from them.
So having illustrated why earbuds aren’t your best choice, here’s a pair of new earbuds that are breaking away from the pack.
I’m referring to the new Jabra Evolve2 earbuds with comfort, sound quality and a solid battery.
Comfort, just like sound quality, is a bit subjective. Still, the Jabra Evolve2 Earbuds are lightweight, and they come with different sizes of earbuds so you can select the size that’s most comfortable for you.
And something that’s unique about these earbuds is you can wear both, or just the right or left bud. That’s not something you’ll find in other earbuds, and it’s more than a gimmick. This is because you can wear one earbud, while the second one gets a recharge. Then, when it’s fully charged, you can swap it out with the one you’ve been using. So in a sense, that gives you unlimited talk time.
Battery
The battery in the Evolve2 earbuds is rated at up to 8 hours of talk time. But, it also comes with a portable charger that can extend the talk time to 33 hours. So between the available battery life, and their ability to be used individually (to allow the second bud to charge), the Evolve2 earbuds are a game changer when it comes to squeezing out enough battery life so they can be used for an entire business day.
USB Adapter
Most earbud style headsets don’t come with a USB Adapter, and because of that they’re required to connect to computers via Bluetooth. And though that can work fine at times, it’s known not to be the most reliable connection. Connecting to Bluetooth enabled computers through Bluetooth is known to be inconsistent, and the voice audio quality isn’t the best either. And if that weren’t enough, you won’t get the most wireless range either. All of those things can be fixed when you have a USB Adapter.
The earbuds come pre-paired to the USB adapter,so all you need to do is plug it in after charging the earbuds. This adapter is the Jabra Link 380, and besides giving you a steadier wireless connection, better sound quality, and longer wireless range, you also get remote call answering on the leading UC platforms such as Microsoft Teams.
With remote call answering, you’ll hear a quiet tone in your headset earpiece. This tone is to alert you of an incoming call. Once you hear this tone, simply press the button on the right earbud to take the call, and tap the same button twice to end it. No more running back to the desk to catch a call, and no more listening to voice messages and returning calls. Remote call answering is far more convenient and it also gives your customers better service because they’re able to reach you more readily.
Active Noise Cancellation, and HearThrough
The Jabra Evolve2 earbuds come with a couple of premium features known as Active Noise Cancellation, or ANC for short, as well as HearThrough. Here’s the quick explanation of what these features are:
ANC is a feature that electronically reduces unwanted background noise so you don’t get distracted by it, and as a result, you stay focused on your work. Noise can be distracting, and ANC is the feature that can help to remove it.
HearThrough is a feature that allows you to have a face to face conversation without the need to remove the earbuds. It’s extremely common for coworkers to walk up to those wearing a headset, and begin talking. This requires that the headset is removed in order to have that conversation, and put back on when the conversation is finished. This can occur many times throughout the day, and when you consider how many times that happens annually, well, it’s a lot (about 2,500 times to be exact).
HearThrough is a feature that allows you to press a button on the Evolve2 earbuds, which in turn activates microphones to pick up near field sound. You can have the conversation, and return back to work without the need to take out the buds, and put them back in. This saves time, is more convenient, and helps to avoid one of life’s little annoyances.
Software compatibility
The Evolve2 earbuds are compatible with Jabra Sound+ (mobile phone) and Jabra Direct software (computer). So if you download this software to your mobile phone, you’ll be able to set up the audio parameters, adjust the Active Noise Cancellation and much more.
For those wishing to download this software to their computers, I’d suggest that you get your IT Department approval before installing it. This is because a lot of companies have restrictions on employees downloading software due to the threat of viruses.
Sound quality
Sound quality is highly important, especially if these earbuds will be used on business calls. So, how do the new Jabra Evolve2 earbuds sound?
In terms of voice audio quality, and compared to what most earbuds give you, they sound very good. The voice quality is solid, and you’re heard loud and clear and professionally. Having said that, I’m not suggesting that these, or any other earbuds, are on par with the sound quality available with a boom microphone headset. But, for earbuds, these sound really decent.
As for its ability to remove background noise, we did test it, and the results of those tests left me disappointed, especially when using only one of the two earbuds. Either way, with or without both earbuds, it didn’t remove all that much background noise unfortunately.
And as easy as it would be to be harsh here, I have to say that other earbuds we’ve tested, including the likes of the Apple Airpods and others, don’t do any better. I do have to admit that I was hoping that these earbuds would remove more noise, especially knowing that they’d be used on business calls.
That leads me to conclude that if you work in a noisy environment with the sounds of coworkers, dogs, babies etc. these earbuds, like others, probably aren’t your best choice if noise reduction is important to you. But if your workspace is fairly quiet, then these would be a great choice.
Key points why Evolve2 Buds are excellent earbuds
- You have a good sounding microphone to help you sound good when you’re on calls.
- There are several different sizes of earbuds so you should have no problem finding a size that’s comfortable for you.
- The Evolve2 earbuds have premium features like Active Noise Cancellation to help you stay focused, and not get distracted by the sounds going on around you. You also have the HearThrough feature so you can have a face to face conversation without taking your buds out.
- You have a full 8-hour battery, with up to 33 additional hours through the portable charge case. So, plenty of power when needed.
- You can use one, or both earbuds, which gives you some versatility not found on other earbuds. And, you can charge one, while using the other.
- The Evolve2 earbuds come with a pre-paired USB Adapter for a better, more reliable connection, improved sound quality, and longer wireless range. It also allows you to have remote call answering with the leading UC platforms so your customers will have an easier time reaching you, and you won’t have all those voice messages to listen to and calls to return.
- These earbuds are compatible with the Jabra Sound+ software for access to several feature adjustments to help personalize, and customize your earbuds.
