Jabra REVO Wireless Bluetooth Stereo Headphones

When I first reviewed these Headphones some time ago in Amazon, I did not yet tried so many BT Headphones.
 
Somehow I like them more now, specially because their much cheaper price (actually around US$130 on Amazon) makes them among the best if not the best on their price range.
 
So, yes, they are good. Just, not "very" good.
They are beautiful, I liked their mix of discrete Olive and lively subtle Orange lines.
They sound warm, but somehow a bit dull due to a lack of highs and (I suppose) due to the lack of Aptx (which I am used to).
Beside lacking highs they have a poor soundstage and no matter how much I can EQ them they never sound open and fresh enough to me.
Their bass is good, I would say on pair with the Bose Soundlink On-Ear, maybe a bit more vibrant.
The touch controls are cool but also a pain in the A.
EVERY SINGLE TIME that I wanted to reach the central button to pause the music I finished turning the volume up or down or changing track.
The bag is a joke. Period.
They are comfortable but do not fit tight enough to do much fitness.
They have got NFC but no APTX. If you really need NFC (but, why?) you could have a look to the new Fidelio M2BT. I have them now and they are the best BT Headphone I have ever tried (they also cost more though).
The improvement given by the Dolby App is only while using that App as a music player (which has got no folder browser), and it does not bring the Revo to the level of the Fidelio for soundstage and detail, or of the Bose for freshness and balance.

They have a wonderful orange cable covered in Fabric, with a Mic to use them as Headset also in cable mode. This is, I must admit, a nice point. I really liked the cable

Not much more to say.
 

Here, we have the new Revo Wireless on-ear headphones from Jabra, a company that's probably pretty obscure here on the lands of Head-Fi.

Now, before I begin, I have to give a big thanks to the people over at Jabra for sending me a pair of these to review. 

When I received the package, I noticed that the Revo Wireless box was very well made. The outer portion is made completely of hard plastic. It has a yellow silicone stripe on the front with an indent that reads "Revo Wireless'
Inside was a nice plethora of papers and such (Including the Jabra Sound App access code, which I will discuss later in this review), cables, a bag, and the headphones themselves; Not to mention a 'new electronic' scent that was from the gods themselves. Never before have I smelled something that good. Never before, and perhaps nothing will ever surpass it.
The 3.5mm to 3.5mm cable (for wired use of the headphones) is 1.2m in length. kevlar reinforced. Features a 90 degree termination for plugging into a source, and a straight termination for plugging into the headphones. Has a single-button smartphone control with mic.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Enough about the packaging. Onto the headphones themselves!

When I picked up the Revo Wireless, I found myself instantly smiling. Was it the striking appearance? The texture of them? Something else? I'm not sure.

Build - The cups are made out of a very sturdy-feeling plastic. The 'circle' of them have a smooth and elegant matte finish to them. The outer circle is an orange plastic that compliments the design very well, in my opinion. The pads are made out of extremely soft memory foam. Inside the pads is orange fabric to cover the plastic over the driver. They read 'left' and 'right', indicating the left and right sides. The headband is made out of a nice and well-built plastic. Doesn't seem prone to breaking or cracking. Good amount of squishy padding material for comfort on the underside.
Folding hinges are made out of steel (according to the product info provided by Jabra). The parts connecting the cups to the headphones are made entirely out of aluminum. All in all, it seems that the Revo Wireless is a very durable headphone.

Comfort - The Revo Wireless is definitely one of the most comfortable headphones that I've ever used. The memory foam pads are insanely soft. I love how they feel quite a bit. It's headphones like these that I sometimes put on, regardless if music is playing or not. The headband is so comfortable that it practically feels like there is nothing there. 
Sure, the Revo Wireless aren't the lightest headphones for an on-ear pair, but its weight doesn't even seem to make any difference whatsoever.
 
 

Bluetooth - The Revo Wireless has an impressive wireless range of 10m (according to Jabra product info). Battery life is also quite impressive, boasting an average life of 12 hours of straight audio playback. A lot of other Bluetooth headphones that I've seen have around an 8 hour battery life, so Jabra certainly has outdone themselves here. Plus, charging only takes around 2 hours max. It's all impressive here.

Features - There are so many features that the Revo Wireless have, that I had to make a whole section on them.
On the right cup, the outer matte circle has capacitive touch sensors. Making a circular motion in a clockwise direction turns the volume up. Making a circular motion in a counter-clockwise motion turns it down. Double tapping on the left area of that circle goes back a song. Double tapping on the right area of the circle skips a song. There is a middle button on the right side also. It's not capacitive; instead, it's a regular button. Single pressing it pauses/plays. Double pressing it redials the last number called. Nothing happens if the button is held. Note that all of those features are available in Bluetooth mode only, and will NOT work when connected via a standard 3.5mm to 3.5mm cable.
    I can't express just how useful all of these features are. While in bed, before going to sleep, I like to have headphones on to listen to some calming tracks. But I also like to keep my phone connected to the charger while I'm asleep. Unfortunately, my charger is all the way across my room. With the wireless features that these headphones have, I'm able to keep my phone on charge while listening to music, without having to get up and plug my phone in after I take my headphones off. It may sound like a simple case of laziness to you, but it's very useful to me.
    Now, one of the major features is Jabra's Sound App for iOS and Android devices. It features a music player, Dolby processing, Dolby Mobile Surround sound processing, and a graphic EQ (which is only usable while Dolby processing is on). (I recommend an app like EQu for an equalizer, as I feel it's much better than the Jabra EQ. Plus, it doesn't require the Dolby processing). The Dolby processing, in my opinion, adds an artificial 'soundstage' that I think is both unnecessary and lacks usefulness overall. The Mobile Surround feature only makes it sound even more artificial. I honestly can't stand it. I think it doesn't give the 'true' experience of either the headphone or the music itself. The Jabra Sound App is available in both Bluetooth and wired mode. The only way to get the app to function is to use the code found inside of the packaging. The Revo Wireless can actually open the app with the press of the center button on the left cup. A preprogrammed melody plays through the headphones if the button is pressed, whether it is able to open the app at the time or not. (The button will not open the app if another app is already in use).  
    
 
 
 
 
 
 
Now, onto the sound..

Sound - Here is where I feel the headphones fall behind. I find it lacking in generally every area. 

Bass - The Revo Wireless are certainly bass-heavy headphones. It's got more warmth than sub-bass by a significant amount. Sub-bass is still present and definitely isn't overshadowed by the abundance of warmth. It's quite impactful, but lacks dynamic qualities. A good thing about the bass with the Revo Wireless is that it doesn't overpower the rest of the spectrum.

Mids - I'm actually pretty satisfied with the midrange presence of these. It's not too recessed, in my opinion. While it doesn't give vocals too much life, it produces them quite well in regards to balance with the rest of the sound. 

Highs - Being the lover of brighter treble that I am, the Revo Wireless didn't suit me too well in regards to my tastes. However, just because I don't like the signature, doesn't mean it doesn't produce highs well. It very much does. While it lacks sparkle overall, it's got a good amount of clarity. There is absolutely no sibilance present, thankfully. I don't think I would really call it dark. I would call it laid back though. 

Soundstage - On-ear headphones are generally known to be inferior to over-ear headphones in terms of soundstage. So I wasn't expecting a lot of space here. The soundstage is quite bland, though, even for an on-ear, if there really is any soundstage at all.



Overall - The Jabra Revo Wireless is a decent portable headphone that is packed with great features. While the signature may not be for everyone, I feel that the people that do like a warm sound will generally enjoy the Revo Wireless. 
If sound is the main priority here, though, I wouldn't recommend them, especially considering that the asking price is $250. But, if overall versatility and functionality are more of a priority, then I would definitely recommend these.