Expert’s Rating

Our Verdict

The Revo Wireless gives you comforter , a inflexible and attractive design , and the sort of sound lineament you do n’t commonly find in Bluetooth earpiece .

There ’s a lot of gear out there for your Apple devices , but how do you know which are worth your time and what ’s not deserving your money ? In our Gear We Love column , Macworld ’s editors tell apart you about the products we ’re personally using — and loving .

I ’m a headphone eccentric , which mean that I care a lot about sound quality . Andthatmeans that as much as I sleep together the widget of wireless peripherals , I ’ve long steered clear of Bluetooth headphones — they just did n’t sound very honest .

jabra revo wireless three colors

But I ’m not above liking agreat headphone that ’s play to listen to , even if it ’s not absolutely precise . And Bluetooth audio has improve enough over the past few age that you could actually find some very good Bluetooth headphones . Which is why one of my favorite earphone of late is Jabra ’s $ 200Revo Wireless . The Revo Wireless is a comfortable , well - build , stylish , and great - sound headphone that just so come about to relate using Bluetooth ( or , when Bluetooth is n’t an pick , a stock audio cable — more on that in a bit ) .

uncommitted in white , calamitous ( actually more of a blue brown ) , or white / grey , the Revo Wireless uses an on - capitulum design , which imply that its delicate , memory - froth earpads sit on your ear instead of enclose them . The headband is well cushiony and does n’t squeeze your head like a vise the way some on - spike headphones do , and the entire software program weighs only eight oz. , make for a comfortable fit — I frequently wear the Revo Wireless for two or three hour at a time . The fit is good enough to take to the gym , though the Revo probably wo n’t stay on your head during strong-growing running .

However , each earpiece sits on a metal rails that can extend only about an inch , and those two inches of adjustability are n’t enough to lodge big head . If you ’ve got a large noggin , you ’ll have a hard time go the headband enough for the earpieces to comfortably hit both ears . Smaller head ? You ’re localise .

jabra revo wireless folding

The rest of the Revo Wireless is made of plastic , but it search nicer , and feel sturdier , than what you ’d wait thanks to those metal rail , which are furrowed and feature a nifty blueprint that wind graciously from the headband to besiege the earpieces . Slide the headband to its smallest stance , and the earpieces fold up into the headband , much like the popular Beats headphones . The folded parcel is n’t pocketable , but it ’s gentle to throw out into a bag for travel . regrettably , unlike with Beats and a good number of other headphones in this price cooking stove , Jabra does n’t admit a rigid carrying case — only a flimsy pocket . I do like , however , that Jabra has silk - screenedRightandLeftin large letters on the inside of each phone , making it well-fixed to figure out which side is which .

As with most Bluetooth headphones these 24-hour interval , geminate is a unproblematic process . The Revo Wireless uses a physical on / off switch — a welcome feature of speech , as you never have to worry about the headphones unexpectedly turning on in your bag — and when you want to pair the earpiece with your computer , smartphone , or tablet , you just slide the replacement a steppastthe On position to enable conjugation mode . You hear spoken instructions that explain how to pair ; once pairing is successful , you listen a confirmation : “ connect . ” ( The Revo Wireless can also pair using NFC , but I did n’t test this feature article . )

The phone can twin with two devices at the same time . When you turn on the headphones , you even get a line a spoken confirmation of the figure of active connections : “ Two machine plug into . ” However , as with all Bluetooth earphone I ’ve tested , this does n’t stand for you could listen to sound from two devices simultaneously . In fact , if those devices are both on and in range , they may press for the Revo ’s care : When I ’m listening to music on my iPad , that audio drop out whenever I get a notification on my iPhone ; or if I type something on the iPhone , the iPad ’s audio goes soundless for a distich seconds so that the phone ’s keyboard “ clink ” can make for over the headphones . The answer is simple — I incapacitate Bluetooth on my iPhone while listening to audio on the iPad — but I ’ll be a happy person when Bluetooth let multiple devicesstreamaudio to a single set of speakers or headphones .

jabra revo wireless earpieces

Another decent feature is that the Revo Wireless can also be used as a set of stock wired phone . Jabra includes a nice , pleach - fabric - masking cable that plugs into a 1/8 - in ( 3.5 mm ) diddly-shit on the bottom of the left earpiece . This contour is handy if , for example , you ca n’t use Bluetooth on a plane , or if the Revo Wireless ’s rechargeable battery run out of succus . ( The headphone ’s earpiece - based control and mike , covered below , do n’t form when connected via cable ; the earpiece cable television , however , include a single - button inline remote / mike module . )

Speaking of direction , Jabra say the headphone should give you up to 12 hours of use on a full mission , or up to 240 standby hours . I did n’t rigorously test this battery call , but it seems about right . I can apply the headphone for an hour or two a solar day for over a week ( and sometimes even two ) before I need to charge . you may charge up using any powered USB port ; Jabra include a USB - to - Micro - USB cable with the same braided - fabric masking as the headphone cable system . ( You also use this USB connexion to update the Revo ’s firmware , if necessary . )

The center field of the Revo Wireless ’s right - deal earpiece host a received Bluetooth restraint button : When listening to media , you tap it to toggle gambol / intermission . For earphone outcry , you tap the button to do or stop a call , tap - keep to reject an incoming call , or three-fold - tap to redial the last number . The phone ’s microphone is pretty dependable as Bluetooth headphones go — unlike with some competing models , I was n’t tempted to turn off the headphones whenever I find a call on my phone .

jabra revo wireless turnable touch control

Surrounding that control clit is a feeling - sensitive disc that Jabra yell the “ Turnable Touch Control , ” even though it does n’t in reality turn . To increase book level , you simply swipe your finger’s breadth in a clockwise guidance on this disc ; swipe in the other direction to lower the intensity . For this purpose , the comptroller work dandy . On the other hand , to skip to the next or previous track , you double - tap the arena of the disk stuffy to your aspect or closest to the back of your head , severally . I bump this prospect of the Turnable Touch Control to be somewhat frustrative : When the Revo Wireless is on your oral sex , it ’s not always easy to picture out the exact billet on the disc to solicit . It would be a lot well-heeled if the disk included a tactile nib in each location to give your finger’s breadth something to find .

The leftover - helping hand earpiece also includes a middle button , but that one is reserved for exercise with the company ’s Jabra Sound App , which isfree with the Revo Wirelessoravailable for purchasefor use with any earphone . This app ply Dolby sound - processing feature for audio recording listening , though it requires you to take heed to your topically - stored ( iTunes ) music through the Jabra Sound app — it does n’t fend for iTunes Match or streaming services such as Pandora and Spotify , for example — so I do n’t come up it to be very utile . I also do n’t think the app ’s audio processing necessarily makes music voice better — sometimes it does , but many times it does n’t .

All the nice design aspects of the Revo Wireless would n’t matter much if the earpiece did n’t sound good , and on that front , it ’s a pleasant surprise compared to many of the Bluetooth earpiece I ’ve try . As withV - moda ’s XS , there ’s a noticeable bass emphasis , but it ’s not overbear , and unlike with most freshwater bass - bumped headphones , the treble and midrange frequencies are n’t whelm by the low gear . ( Sound calibre is slightly skillful in pumped-up modal value , if you ’re singular . ) The earpads also isolate somewhat well for an on - spike design .

jabra revo wireless 580

Overall , while hard - pith audiophiles will balk at the Revo Wireless ’s lack of flat frequency reply , it ’s a fun earpiece , especially when you ’re in the modality for bound to the cadence . I ’ve been using and care the Revo Wireless for over a class — we’ve include it in the preceding two edition of our headphone passport — but over the past few months I ’ve noticed that when I ’m listening nonchalantly , rather than geeking out with my higher - oddment headphone gear , I ’m grabbing the Revo Wireless more than any other phone . The combining of comfort , wireless convenience , and unspoilt audio quality makes it very appealing .

But the other reason I was prompted to write about the Revo Wireless now is that it ’s been usable at heavily brush off price recently . you may frequently find iton Amazon.comfor as little as $ 140 , and over the past hebdomad , it was temporarily useable for $ 125 from Staples.com and even $ 90 from Woot.com , which is an absolute buy . peradventure this means that Jabra is clearing out inventorying for a new theoretical account , but even if that ’s the case I would n’t hesitate to purchase a Seth . If you ’re in the market place for some great Bluetooth headphones , I ’d keep an heart out for more sales .