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We've recently released our Test Bench 1.8 update for Headphones! Read the R&D Article to learn more.

Jabra Evolve 65t Truly Wireless Headphones Review

Tested using Methodology v1.4
Review updated Feb 12, 2019 at 10:54 am
Latest change: Writing modified Sep 24, 2021 at 10:55 am
Jabra Evolve 65t Truly Wireless Picture
7.2
Mixed Usage
6.9
Neutral Sound
7.8
Commute/Travel
8.1
Sports/Fitness
7.1
Office
5.6
Wireless Gaming
5.4
Wired Gaming
6.9
Phone Calls

The Jabra Evolve 65t Truly Wireless are decent mixed-usage truly wireless headphones and are a great option for sports. They're designed to be a more business-oriented variant of the regular Jabra Elite 65t Truly Wireless model, including a dongle for PC that improves the microphone performance. Unfortunately, the mic performance isn’t that much better and might not be worth the extra investment. On the upside, they're very portable and block enough ambient noise to be suitable for commuting and office use. Unfortunately, their design is bulky for in-ears and might not be as comfortable for everyone.

Our Verdict

7.2 Mixed Usage

The Jabra Evolve 65t are decent for mixed usage. They have a decent audio reproduction for critical listeners, but the in-ear fit might not be as comfortable for everyone, especially with their bulky design. On the upside, they isolate a good amount of noise and will be good for commuting and use at the office. You can also use their dongle with your work computer for better microphone performance. Their portable and breathable design is great for sports, even without stability fins. Unfortunately, their latency might be too high to be suitable for watching TV, and their mic may not be good enough for online gaming.

Pros
  • Good passive isolation.
  • Stable and breathable for sports.
  • Better microphone performance with the proprietary dongle.
Cons
  • Bulky in-ear design.
  • Not as comfortable for everyone.
6.9 Neutral Sound

The Jabra Evolve 65t are fair for neutral sound. They have very good bass, with just the right amount of punch and kick, a great even and well-balanced mid-range, and a good treble. However, their default sound profile bass lacks a bit of thump and rumble. Also, their mid-range sounds a bit muddy and cluttered, especially on vocals, and their treble could sound significantly sharp and piercing on S and Ts. Thankfully, you have access to an EQ in the mobile app to customize the sound to your liking.

7.8 Commute/Travel

The Jabra Evolve 65t are good for commuting and traveling. They isolate a good amount of ambient noise, including engine rumble, and you can mask even more noise by raising your listening volume. They're very portable and easy to carry on you at all times. Unfortunately, the in-ear fit might not be ideal for long flights, but you shouldn’t have any comfort issues for short bus rides.

8.1 Sports/Fitness

The Jabra Evolve 65t are great for sports. Even if they don’t have stability fins, the bulky design of the Evolve 65t is stable inside the ears and won’t pop out. Also, they're very portable and can easily fit in pockets or a bag when going to the gym. They're breathable, and you shouldn’t sweat more when using them during workouts.

7.1 Office

The Jabra Evolve 65t are decent for the office. They can connect to two devices, like your phone and work computer. Also, you can use the proprietary dongle to get a better microphone performance and additional controls. They also isolate ambient chatter well, but you might have to charge them once during your workday since they hold about six hours of continuous playback on one charge.

5.6 Wireless Gaming

The Jabra Evolve 65t are sub-par for gaming. These headphones have too high latency for gaming, and their microphone performance isn’t as great as gaming headset boom microphones. Even if you aren’t looking for headphones with a microphone because you don’t play online games, these headphones shouldn't be your first option for gaming.

5.4 Wired Gaming
6.9 Phone Calls
  • 7.2 Mixed Usage
  • 6.9 Neutral Sound
  • 7.8 Commute/Travel
  • 8.1 Sports/Fitness
  • 7.1 Office
  • 5.6 Wireless Gaming
  • 5.4 Wired Gaming
  • 6.9 Phone Calls
  1. Updated Mar 27, 2020: Converted to Test Bench 1.4.
  2. Updated Nov 21, 2019: Converted to Test Bench 1.3.1.
  3. Updated Nov 21, 2019: Converted to Test Bench 1.3.
  4. Updated Feb 12, 2019: Review published.
  5. Updated Feb 10, 2019: Our testers have started testing this product.
  6. Updated Feb 10, 2019: Early access published.
  7. Updated Feb 08, 2019: The product has arrived in our lab, and our testers will start evaluating it soon.
  8. Updated Jan 31, 2019: We've purchased the product and are waiting for it to arrive in our lab.

Compared To Other Headphones

Comparison picture

The Jabra Evolve 65t are decent truly wireless headphones that are business-oriented and set themselves apart by their USB dongle that give you a better microphone performance for calls. Unfortunately, they aren’t that different from the Jabra Elite 65t Truly Wireless, and the extra investment might not be worth it.

If you’re interested in this type of headphones, see our recommendations for the best truly wireless earbuds, the best Bluetooth earbuds, and the best earbuds with a mic.

Jabra Elite 65t Truly Wireless

There's practically no difference between the Jabra Elite 65t Truly Wireless and the Jabra Evolve 65t Truly Wireless other than the microphone performance. The Evolve 65t come with a proprietary USB dongle that gives a better recording quality which is audible when you listen to the two recording samples. However, without the dongle, you can expect similar performance between the two models. Overall, the Elite 65t might be a better option for most, unless you often make calls on a travel laptop or at the office.

Apple AirPods (1st generation) Truly Wireless

The Jabra Evolve 65t Truly Wireless are more versatile than the Apple AirPods (1st generation) Truly Wireless. Due to their open-back design, the Apple don’t isolate much noise and aren’t the best option for commuting and using at the office. The Jabra also have better sound quality and are a better option for sports due to their stable design. On the other hand, the Apple are very well-made and comfortable in the ears. Their case is also great and offers a great total 25-hour battery life.

Jabra Elite Sport Truly Wireless

The Jabra Evolve 65t Truly Wireless are more business-oriented, while the Jabra Elite Sport Truly Wireless are designed for physical activity. However, the Evolve 65t are a bit more versatile since they have better accurate audio reproduction, a better battery life, and can connect simultaneously to two devices, while having a much better microphone when used with the USB dongle. On the other hand, the Elite Sport have a better case that isn’t as frustrating to open as the Evolve 65t, and they are more affordable.

Jabra Elite Active 65t Truly Wireless

The Jabra Elite Active 65t Truly Wireless and Jabra Evolve 65t Truly Wireless are very similar headphones. The biggest difference between these two is the fact that the Evolve come with a USB dongle for PC that offers a slightly better microphone performance. They also have slightly better battery life and noticeably better wireless range. However, if you aren’t looking for business-oriented truly wireless earbuds, then the Elite Active 65t and have a higher IP56 rating, though we don't currently test for that.

Sennheiser MOMENTUM True Wireless

The Jabra Evolve 65t Truly Wireless are better truly wireless earbuds than the Sennheiser MOMENTUM True Wireless. The Jabra have a more neutral sound, especially in the treble range. Their microphone is also better when using the provided dongle on PC. They have great battery life on a single charge, and you can EQ their sound to your liking, which you can’t do on the Sennheiser. On the other hand, the Sennheiser have a more premium feeling and feel better-built. They also support lower latency codecs, which can be useful if your source supports them too.

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Test Results

Design
Design
Style
Type In-ear
Enclosure Closed-Back
Wireless Truly Wireless
Transducer Dynamic

The Jabra Evolve 65t look pretty much the same as the Jabra Elite 65t Truly Wireless, even color-wise. They have the same bulky in-ear design that's larger than most truly wireless earbuds, and they slightly protrude out of your ears. Their design looks better when placed inside the ears.

6.5
Design
Comfort
Weight 0.03 lbs
Clamping Force
0 lbs

The Jabra Evolve 65t kept the same design as the original Jabra Elite 65t Truly Wireless and Jabra Elite Active 65t Truly Wireless. The buds are larger and fit inside your ears, so you don’t need stability fins. They can be decently comfortable for those who can fit in the buds but might not be ideal for people with smaller ears. Also, the in-ear design isn’t for everyone, and some will feel listeners fatigue faster than others.

6.9
Design
Controls
OS Compatibility
Not OS specific
Ease Of Use Decent
Feedback Okay
Call/Music Control Yes
Volume Control Yes
Microphone Control No
Channel Mixing
No
Noise Cancelling Control No
Talk-Through
On/Off
Additional Controls No

The Jabra Evolve 65t have a similar control scheme to the Jabra Elite 65t Truly Wireless, but with an additional command for talk-through. Each bud has a main button. The right one offers calls and music management, and you can also trigger your device’s voice assistant. You can control the volume on the left earbud and skip tracks backward and forward. The controls are easy to use, but the layout could be improved. Also, when using the control scheme, you have to push the earbud even further inside your ear canal, which is uncomfortable.

9.2
Design
Breathability
Avg.Temp.Difference 0.8 °C

Like most in-ears, the Jabra Evolve 65t don’t trap much heat inside your ears. Their bulky bud design might be a bit less breathable than some smaller in-ears, but this shouldn’t make a big difference in temperature. You can wear these during physical activity without sweating more than usual.

9.5
Design
Portability
L 1.6"
W 1"
H 0.9"
Volume 1.4 inÂł
Transmitter Required No

Like most truly wireless headphones, the Jabra Evolve 65t are very portable. You can easily fit both earbuds inside small pockets or a bag. They also come with a small case that doesn’t add too much bulk and will still fit inside pockets.

7.5
Design
Case
Type Hard case
L 4"
W 3.2"
H 1.3"
Volume 17 inÂł

The Jabra Evolve 65t come with a similar case to the Jabra Elite Active 65t Truly Wireless, which was a great upgrade over the original Jabra Elite 65t Truly Wireless' case. The size and shape are practically the same, but the lid closes effectively and doesn’t open easily. The case protects the earbuds against scratches and minor impacts. However, the earbuds aren’t held by magnetic force inside the case, and the lid is quite hard to open now. This results in the buds often popping out if you’re struggling to open the case.

7.5
Design
Build Quality

The Jabra Evolve 65t are practically made the same way the Jabra Elite 65t Truly Wireless are. The buds are thick, dense, and feel durable. They should survive a few accidental drops without suffering too much damage. They're certified IP55 for dust and direct water resistance, which is a slightly lower water resistance than the IP56 rating of the Jabra Elite Active 65t Truly Wireless. On the upside, the case is similar to the Elite Active 65t. The lid doesn’t open as easily as the original, meaning the buds are better protected, which is a good thing since the earbuds aren't held in place by magnets.

7.5
Design
Stability

The Jabra Evolve 65t have the same stable design as the other 65t models. Their unique shape doesn’t require stability fins since the bulky design holds in place inside your ears. Unfortunately, since they do not have any stability fins, you can't adjust the fit if you have smaller or larger ears. They should still be good enough for running and working out, and since they're compact and wireless, they won't hinder your movements. You also won’t have to bother with a cable getting stuck on something.

Design
Headshots 1
Design
Headshots 2
Design
Top
Design
In The Box

  • Jabra Evolve 65t headphones
  • 3x tip options
  • Charging case
  • Proprietary USB dongle
  • Micro-USB charging cable
  • Manuals

Sound
Sound
Sound Profile
Bass Amount
-0.4 dB
Treble Amount
-1.95 dB
9.2
Sound
Frequency Response Consistency
Avg. Std. Deviation
0.17 dB

The frequency response consistency is outstanding. Assuming the user can achieve a proper fit and an air-tight seal using the assortment of tips that come with the headphones, they should get consistent bass and treble delivery every time they use the headphones. However, since the buds are quite big, some people may have difficulty getting a perfect seal with them.

Sound
Raw Frequency Response
7.7
Sound
Bass Accuracy
Std. Err.
3.18 dB
Low-Frequency Extension
25.2 Hz
Low-Bass
-1.1 dB
Mid-Bass
3.14 dB
High-Bass
4.58 dB

The Jabra Evolve 65t's bass is good. The LFE (low-frequency extension) of 26Hz is very good. Low-bass lacks by about 1dB, meaning the Jabra will be a bit light on rumble and thump, but this won't be very noticeable. Mid-bass, responsible for the body of bass guitars and punch of the kick drums is well-balanced. However, high-bass is overemphasized by more than 4dB, which adds a bit of boominess to the sound.

8.6
Sound
Mid Accuracy
Std. Err.
1.91 dB
Low-Mid
2.87 dB
Mid-Mid
-0.82 dB
High-Mid
0 dB

The mid-range is excellent. The response is even and mostly flat. The overemphasis, which is the continuation of the high-bass bump, adds a bit of muddiness to vocals/leads and clutter to the mix. However, at 2dB, the effect will be subtle. The dip around 850Hz nudges the vocals and leads towards the back of the mix by giving more emphasis to the lower frequencies, but again, this effect will be subtle.

7.5
Sound
Treble Accuracy
Std. Err.
3.34 dB
Low-Treble
-2.42 dB
Mid-Treble
-0.96 dB
High-Treble
-0.65 dB

The treble performance is good. The range is underemphasized, so vocals and lead instruments are a bit veiled and lacking in detail. The mid-range is a bit more neutral, though, so sibilants like S and T sounds are present in your mixes.

7.7
Sound
Peaks/Dips
Peaks
1.41 dB
Dips
1.19 dB
7.2
Sound
Imaging
Weighted Group Delay
0.26
Weighted Amplitude Mismatch
3.51
Weighted Frequency Mismatch
2.67
Weighted Phase Mismatch
1.2

The imaging performance is decent. Their weighted group delay is 0.26, which is within good limits. The GD graph also shows that the group delay rarely crosses the audibility threshold. This ensures a tight bass and a transparent treble reproduction. In terms of driver-matching, the L/R drivers of our unit were very well-matched in frequency and phase response. However, just like on the regular Jabra Elite 65t Truly Wireless, we measured more than 3dB of amplitude mismatch between the L/R drivers, which skews the stereo image and makes it noticeably heavy on one side. This could be considered a marker for poor quality control, and the unit you purchase may or may not have this mismatch.

0.5
Sound
Passive Soundstage
PRTF Accuracy (Std. Dev.)
N/A
PRTF Size (Avg.)
N/A
PRTF Distance
N/A
Openness
1.8
Acoustic Space Excitation
0.3

The Jabra Evolve 65t's soundstage is bad. This is because creating an out-of-head and speaker-like soundstage is largely dependent on activating the resonances of the pinna (outer ear). The design of in-ears and earbuds is in such a way that fully bypasses the pinna and doesn't interact with it. Also, because the Jabra have a closed-back design, their soundstage won't be perceived to be as open as that of open-back earbuds like the Apple AirPods (1st generation) Truly Wireless or the Bose SoundSport Free Truly Wireless.

0
Sound
Virtual Soundstage
Head Modeling
No
Speaker Modeling
No
Room Ambience
No
Head Tracking
No
Virtual Surround
No
7.9
Sound
Weighted Harmonic Distortion
WHD @ 90
0.231
WHD @ 100
0.108
Sound
Test Settings
Firmware
Unknown
Power
On
Connection
Unknown
Codec
SBC, 16-bit, 48kHz
EQ
Default
ANC
No ANC
Tip/Pad
Silicone (small)
Microphone
Integrated
Isolation
8.2
Isolation
Noise Isolation
Isolation Audio
Overall Attenuation
-24.59 dB
Noise Cancelling No
Bass
-12.08 dB
Mid
-19.98 dB
Treble
-42.25 dB

The Jabra Evolve 65t's noise isolation performance is great. In the bass range, where the rumble of airplane and bus engines sit, they achieved 12dB of isolation which is sub-par. In the mid-range, important for blocking out speech, they reduce outside noise by 20dB, which is very good. In the treble range, occupied by sharp S and T sounds and fan noises like A/C systems, they isolate by more than 42dB, which is great.

9.7
Isolation
Leakage
Leakage Audio
Overall Leakage @ 1ft
22.58 dB

The leakage of the Jabra Evolve 65t is outstanding. A significant portion of the leakage is spread over a very narrow range in the treble, making their leakage very thin sounding and mostly consist of S and T sounds. The overall level of the leakage is also very low. With the music at 100dB SPL, the leakage averages at 23dB SPL and peaks at 31dB SPL, which is way below the noise floor of most offices.

Microphone
Microphone
Microphone Style
Integrated
Yes
In-Line
No
Boom
No
Detachable Boom
No
Mic Yes
6.9
Microphone
Recording Quality
Recorded Speech
LFE
276.97 Hz
FR Std. Dev.
2.55 dB
HFE
6,001.45 Hz
Weighted THD
11.85
Gain
7.62 dB

The Jabra Evolve 65t's integrated mic with the dongle has an okay recording quality. The LFE of 276Hz results in a recorded or transmitted speech that is relatively thin. The HFE of 6KHz with the dongle suggests a clear and detailed speech, but it may lack a bit of airiness. Without the dongle, the HFE was around 3.3KHz, which results in a speech that is muffled and lacks detail. The understandability of speech on this microphone will be decent in quiet environments.

6.1
Microphone
Noise Handling
Speech + Pink Noise
Speech + Subway Noise
SpNR
14.09 dB

The Jabra Evolve 65t's microphone is mediocre at noise handling. In our SpNR test, they achieved a speech-to-noise ratio of about 14dB, indicating they're best suited for quiet and moderate environments. However, they will struggle to separate speech from ambient noise in loud situations.

Active Features
6.6
Active Features
Battery
Battery Type
Rechargable
Continuous Battery Life
5.9 hrs
Additional Charges
2.0
Total Battery Life
17.7 hrs
Charge Time
1 hrs
Power-Saving Feature
Auto-Off Timer
Audio While Charging
No
Passive Playback
No
Charging Port micro-USB

The Jabra Evolve 65t have almost six hours of playback on one charge, and you also get two additional charges from the case, which gives you an estimated total of about 15 to 18 hours of playback. We expect them to have the same auto-off timer of one hour of inactivity, which is considerably longer than most truly wireless headphones and wastes a bit of power.

7.5
Active Features
App Support
App Name Jabra Sound+
iOS Yes
Android Yes
macOS Yes
Windows Yes
Equalizer
Graphic + Presets
ANC Control
No
Mic Control No
Room Effects
No
Playback Control
No
Button Mapping No
Surround Support
No

The Jabra Sound+ is a decently well-made app that offers a good amount of customization options. You get an equalizer, hear-through, options for the mic to reduce wind and ambient noise, as well as battery data and setting profiles and widgets to change your settings if you're at work, home, or commuting. Also, you have access to ambient sounds like white noise, ocean waves, etc., to help you focus and mask the noise around you. However, the app lacks an adjustable auto-off timer and in-app player, but it's a good app that improves your experience with the Evolve 65t.

Also, the Jabra Evolve 65t have a desktop app called Jabra Direct. This app is more oriented towards office use cases, and customization options will be more related to the microphone. You also use it to download the latest firmware for your devices.

Connectivity
8.0
Connectivity
Bluetooth
Bluetooth Version
5.0
Multi-Device Pairing
2 Devices
NFC Pairing
No
Line Of Sight Range
158 ft
PC Latency (SBC)
215 ms
PC Latency (aptX)
N/A
PC Latency (aptX HD)
N/A
PC Latency (aptX-LL)
N/A
iOS Latency
105 ms
Android Latency
200 ms

You can connect these Bluetooth-only headphones to two devices simultaneously, which is very convenient if you want to switch between your phone and office computer. They also tell you which two devices are connected, which is nice. Unfortunately, they don’t support NFC, and you can't use them with consoles. While the headphones are Bluetooth 5.0 compatible, curiously, the provided USB dongle only supports Bluetooth 4.2.

Like most Bluetooth headphones, the Jabra Evolve 65t have high latency that may not be ideal to watch video content and gaming. They have about the same latency with and without the provided dongle, which is disappointing. However, apps like YouTube and Netflix offer some compensation, so you might not notice the delay on those apps.

0
Connectivity
Non-Bluetooth Wireless
Non-BT Line Of Sight Range
N/A
Non-BT Latency
N/A
0
Connectivity
Wired
Analog Audio
No
USB Audio
No
Detachable No
Length N/A
Connection No Wired Option
Analog/USB Audio Latency
N/A

You can't use these truly wireless headphones wired.

Connectivity
PC / PS4 Compatibility
PC/PS4 Analog
No
PC/PS4 Wired USB
No
PC/PS4 Non-BT Wireless
No
Connectivity
Xbox One Compatibility
Xbox One Analog
No
Xbox One Wired USB
No
Xbox One Non-BT Wireless
No
2.2
Connectivity
Base/Dock
Type
Charging Case
USB Input
No
Line In
No
Line Out
No
Optical Input
No
RCA Input
No
Dock Charging
Yes
Power Supply
USB

The Jabra Evolve 65t come with a USB Bluetooth 4.2 dongle that gives you better mic performance and audio support on your PC. Also, like truly wireless headphones, they come with a charging case that gives about two additional charges.