The Jabra 85h Wireless Noise-Cancelling Headphones carry an understated design, with black-on-black materials being punctuated only with a glimpse of matte metal. Under this unassuming shell sits a plethora of audio technologies promising, according to Jabra itself, an exemplary audio experience - both with phone calls and during music playback. The question, as always, is whether the headphones can deliver on this promise. After spending several weeks with the 85h, we’re ready to tell all.
Drivers: 40mm | Response range: 10,000Hz to 20,000Hz | Connectivity: Bluetooth, 3.5mm, USB-C | Connect to: Two devices | Wireless range: Up to 33 feet | Weight: 298g | Colours: Multiple available
Music
The Jabra 85h headphones are particularly good at allowing instrumentation to sit with presence across a coherent soundstage. The hard panning in Neil Young’s Heart of Gold demonstrates the headphones’ ability to firmly place the instrumentation without feeling like the elements are disparate or isolated. Fontaines D.C.’s instrumentation on Oh Such A Spring is given plenty of space to breathe. The hall reverb on the bright guitar lines sparkle above a deep, punchy and precise rhythm section. The vocals, firmly positioned front and centre, fit into the mix without forcing any other detail to lose its place.
Equally, the 85h headphones are more than capable of coping when things get a little more hectic. The rumbling Trap bass kick in Denzel Curry’s Ultimate is thick with OTT vibration, while Curry’s barking lines carrying an aggression that teases the drivers to distort - the headphones control this onslaught while maintaining the song’s intended energy. The thick, ethereal 'Wall of Sound' brought by heavy shoegazers Nothing in Say Less keeps its overwhelmingly dense qualities, but with the more beautiful details being provided space to expand. The vocals and whining guitars, purposefully set back in the mix, carry across the mid-range of frequencies with a precision that cannot go underappreciated.
In short, the Jabra’s 85h headphones will satisfy music lovers. Details that can be lost in the mix with less-accomplished headphones are brought out, enlivening even the most familiar of songs. Each frequency is treated equally, with balance and understanding. These headphones aren’t all about that bass, and they don’t equate volume with noise. They are precise, thoughtful and unerringly exceptional.
Radio, Podcasts and Phone calls
Related: The best wired headphones
The Jabra 85h’s 40mm drivers perform excellently when it comes to spoken media and phone calls - speech comes through loud and clear. The accuracy and control that the driver has over frequency separation means that when multiple voices are talking, they each remain clearly defined.
Of course, when it comes to phone calls, it’s important that the headphones can pick up the wearer’s voice. The eight-mic array in the 85h offers a great call quality, with even whispers being picked up clearly. Here the headphone’s noise-cancellation tech also works wonders, reducing background and wind noise to enhance the call further.
The Jabra 85h can connect to two Bluetooth devices, allowing calls to be answered on multiple devices.
Jabra Sound+ App
Jabra Sound+ is the central hub of operations for the 85h headphones, controlling everything from ANC settings through to firmware updates. The app itself is light, with the available controls being laid out plainly. This simplicity belies some of the app’s more powerful features.
The first is Find My Jabra. This feature allows the user to access information regarding the last know location of the headphones, or, if they are within range and switched on, play a high-pitched alarm that will lead anyone right to them. The second feature is the Music Equalizer which, as you’d expect, allows the user to play around with the headphone’s audio across the bass, mid-range and treble. There are also several pre-sets available, and an ambient noise option that’ll play rainfall or storms to aid relaxation and concentration.
In the Sound+ app, the user can choose to activate Active Noise Cancellation or HearThrough, or to turn them both off. These functions can also be toggled through via the headphones onboard controls. The app is also the place to set the preferred voice-controlled smart assistant, such as Google Assistant, Bixby, Alexa or Siri. The app also displays the headphone’s remaining battery in 5% increments.
Active Noise Cancellation, HearThrough and SmartSound
The Jabra 85h’s Active Noise Cancellation (ANC) is one of the best we’ve heard (or should that be not heard?). When audio media is paused, the ANC’s ability to create silence is almost deafening, feeling almost like a vacuum has been created between the ear and the outside world. During playback, the ANC has no discernible effect on the quality of the audio.
HearThrough is a powerful tool for anyone taking the headphones out into the street. Again, the headphones take advantage of the eight microphones to capture external sounds and play them back to the listener. This is an important safety setting that is ideal for train platforms, crossing the road and just general daily life. The volume of this feature can be set in the app.
SmartSound is a clever little feature that can be activated to automatically switch audio profiles depending on the wearer’s location, again using the microphones to assess the surrounding.
Onboard And Detection Controls
The Jabra 85h headphones have several onboard controls. To power on the device, the earcups twists into the wearable position from the flat storage position. On the exterior of the right earcup sits a discreet volume increase and decrease buttons, and one play/pause (holding this button for three seconds also activates the device’s Bluetooth connectivity). On the outer edge, there’s the USB-C port, audio jack input and a small button to activate the voice assistant. On the out edge of the left earcup, there’s one button for scrolling through the ANC and HearThrough activations.
A truly useful feature of the onboard headphone controls is Jabra’s use of ear-detection. Lifting one or both earcups will automatically pause any media playing, allowing the wearer to hear their surroundings without missing out on their favourite songs. Placing the headphones back on the head, within a reasonable amount of time, will resume the playback.
Battery Life and Recharge
The battery of the 85h is long, lasting around 36-hours with ANC activated, and 41-hours without. It’s unlikely that a user will ever have to test the extremes of the life, however, as five hours of charge can be gained from only 15-minutes of charge via the USB-C connection.
Comfort
While the headphones are well padded, they are notably tighter to the head and ears than some may be used to. Thankfully, once the audio performance kicks in, this tightness is forgotten. Plus, the thickness of the earcup’s padding helps to reduce ambient noise interference. We can’t say these would be great for exercise, as breathability has been lost in favour, rightly, of material quality and density.
Also available form Argos (£219.99) and John Lewis (£219.99)