Jabra has been in the headset game for a while and the Revo is their first on ear headphone. This model comes in both wired and wireless, and comes in either black or white, with orange accents. This review focuses on the wired version.
Packaging and Build
The Revo comes packaged in a very solid clear plastic container, and the headphones are presented well. The headphones are on-ear, and are one of the most comfortable on ears I have used. They are light, but also feel sturdy with the metal armatures that hold the earcups given good support . They armatures don’t clamp down on your head like some on ear headphones and this makes for easy long listening sessions. The earpads are very soft, and with the memory foam surrounds, external noise is isolated well and is also cool on the ear, so no over heating ears. Also the adjustable headband is easy to use and each earcup also pivots to conform’s to your ears.
The left and right indicators are printed on the inside of the earcup and each earcup has its own input jack for the cable. The reason for having one on each ear, is so you can link the headphones with another set of headphones, which allows two people to listen to one source.
When listening by yourself, you can plug the braided cable in either earcup input, which ever side you prefer. This is a nice feature that Jabra has incorporated in these headphones, and makes it a great travelers headphones. The cable as mention before is braided with a cloth covering, this does introduce some cable noise, but only a little. It also helps reduce tangling. The cable also includes in-line controls for answering calls and skipping and pausing music on your smartphone. This does not include a volume rocker, which would be nice. The cable ends with a L-Shaped 3.5mm jack for the smartphone side, and a straight 3.5mm jack for the headphone side. The headphones can also fold into itself, which makes transporting and storing easier. Also included is a carry bag, which is quite underwhelming, and I feel it wont protect the headphones at all, but overall, the build quality of the headphones and feel on the ear is very good.
Sound
The sound is best described as clean and punchy, with decent bass and non fatiguing overall sound. Sub Bass is present, and you can get the headphones rumbling with the right music, although at high volumes, there can be some minor distortion. Mid bass is fast and mixes really well with the sub bass. The mids are slightly recessed and mix well with the bass and treble. Treble extends nicely and is smooth in the top end. Listening to Arco Luc, instruments are present well and are balanced beautifully. The guitar and bass combine well and there is good separation of all the instruments.
Soundstage extends well pass your headspace. The sound is a little V-Shaped and this is amplified when you use the Jabra sound app that can only be activated for with a unique code that comes with every Revo headphone. The app is powered by Dolby Digital Plus and you can play your music that is on your phone through the app. It does colour the sound, and increases the bass and treble when using the default Dolby setting. Frequency range settings can also be adjusted to suite your listening style. I found the app to boost the bass too much and takes away from the original sound that the artist intended, but some people will enjoy the sound it gives.
Conclusion
The Revo on ear headphones are a comfortable, great sounding, portable and well built headphone that has a pleasant sound that will give you enjoyable long listening experience. Having great sound isolation and being light weight, these are a great option for your everyday commute or being used as a traveling headphone.