Verdict

Pros

• Solid build quality
• Wireless listening via Bluetooth
• Good sound quality
• Dolby Digital Plus via app

Cons

• Touch controls can be a bit confusing
• Headband is a little tight

Introduction

Wireless headphones are pretty much everywhere now. Although some might see Bluetooth headphones as a bit of a gimmick, the Jabra Revo Wireless headphones certainly work well, delivering wireless sound to your ears.

The Jabra Revo Wireless headphones produce super clear, rich sound that can be further enhanced by the Jabra Revo Wireless Sound App, which brings Dolby Digital Plus enhancement to the mix. The only downside is that with a £199 price tag the headphones themselves are more of an investment than an impulse buy.

Jabra Revo Wireless – Design and Features

The Jabra Revo Wireless headphones offer a very compact and sleek design. This makes them incredibly well-suited to travel and also makes them a dream for commuters.

Travel-savvy design features include folding ear cups, which makes them easy to store and carry around, along with a durable and sturdy aluminium frame, steel hinges and a shatterproof tight-fit headband. However the metal construction does means that they’re not the lightest headphones going.

Of course, the most notable hardware feature of the Jabra Revo Wireless is that they are wireless, and the good news here is that setting them up to connect with your phone or MP3 player via Bluetooth is a fairly straightforward process.

On the side of the headphones you’ll find a dedicated on/off/pairing switch. Simply hold the button in the “pairing” position for three seconds until the blue light flashes. There’s even a helpful, if slightly annoying, Dalek-style voice that pipes through the headphones to instruct you on how to pair your device with them.

If you have an NFC-enabled (Near-Field Communication) device it’s even easier, as it’s simply a case of tapping your device onto the left earcup.

The Jabra Revo Wireless headphones are designed to be extremely tactile and interactive. Featuring Turntable Touch Control (essentially touch-sensitive pads on the side of the earphones) they allow the listener to play, skip and pause music as well as manage incoming calls. You can also use the Turntable to adjust volume by swiping your finger in a circular motion on the Turntable Touch.

Other features of the Jabra Revo Wireless headphones include an additional 3.5 mm jack connector, which lets you carry on listening if you run out battery while using Bluetooth. You can take calls hands-free even when the cable isn’t connected as a microphone has been built into the the headphones. Should you be using the cable then this sports a multi-function button that allows you to answer calls and play/pause music – similar to the Turntable Touch’s functions.

The wireless battery life for the Jabra Revo Wireless headphones is pretty impressive, with up to 12 hours of wireless music/talking. Charging takes around 2-4 hours using the USB cable which comes with the headphones though. The flashing red battery icon on the side of the Jabra Revo Wireless headphones, is a useful feature, that informs you when they’re in need of a charge. However, as the battery icon is placed rather awkwardly at the bottom of the headphones, the indicator can be difficult to see.

Jabra Revo Wireless – Dolby App

The Jabra Revo Wireless Sound App, which comes free with the headphones, may seem a bit excessive when whatever device you’re connected too will have its own music player. However it does offer some audio enhancements.

The Dolby Digital Plus button on the app is a great feature as you can immediately distinguish between the quality of sound. It adds richness and bass weight. Alongside this the Jabra Sound App also comes with bass and high frequency customisation, along with a preset equaliser option that allows you to customise the sound according to your sound preferences.

The Jabra Revo Wireless headphones also comes with a Jabra Sound App button on the headphones that’s used to launch the corresponding app on your phone. The downside to all this is that the sheer amount of function buttons on the earphones can seem a bit confusing and unnecessary. There’s a lot of touching and tapping of earcups here.

Jabra Revo Wireless – Sound Quality

The Jabra Revo Wireless headphones offer impressive sound quality for such compact headphones. Using a 40 mm dynamic speaker on each side, the sound is rich and clear while the padded memory earphones are designed to cancel out the majority of noise and also adjust to fit your ears.

Although not noise-cancelling headphones, the clear sound quality of the Jabra Revo Wireless means that you don’t have to blast your music in order to hear it. With that in mind, these headphones will be well loved by other passengers on your train journeys.

By far the most impressive feature about these headphones is the Dolby Digital Plus enhanced sound (activated via the supplied Jabra Sound App). The Dolby Digital Plus enhanced sound offers a rich depth to the music which, unfortunately, comes with the price tag. With the amount of features built-in to the earphones it’s easy to get distracted from the sound quality. And if you’re willing to forego all the fancy extra features, you can get better sound at the same price elsewhere.

Verdict

The Jabra Revo Wireless headphones are made with commuters in mind, offering great sound quality, wireless Bluetooth connectivity and solid build quality. Although the tough design is a key feature, it can also be a bit of pitfall as the Jabra Revo Wireless’ headband isn’t the most comfortable, due to its tight fit.

However the headphones are built to last which is why their price falls towards the higher end on the spectrum, at £199. With all the additional features, such as the touch sensitive Turntable Touch earphones (which can be quite confusing), it’s the rich sound quality which prevails – particularly the Dolby Digital Plus feature on the App, which really enhances sound for bass lovers.

Trusted Score