Jabra Engage 75 Wireless Headset

In Brief

Jabra’s much loved premium wireless Engage headset for Desk Phone, PC/Mac AND Mobile (in the office). Feature-packed, reliable, lightweight and with excellent sound, this has been the headset of choice for the Simply team since it came out. Available in mono and stereo (one earcup or 2) and also a which comes with an earhook, headband and neckband included (we don’t love this model quite as much). Connects via RJ phone style to most phones and has 2 USB-A connections for PC / USB desk phones (Certified for MS Teams and all major softphones) and 2 Blueooth connections for mobile or tablet. As with all standard desk phone headsets, an accessory is required if you want the freedom to answer calls by pressing a button on the headset. Launch Date – April 2018

What We Love

+ One headset for all your devices! Easy to use and switch between devices –  one less thing to have to think about
+ Great quality sound both ways –  makes busy days less tiring and ensures you sound professional to clients
+ Noise cancelling in microphone is excellent –  your client will hear ONLY you
+ Wear with microphone on left or right side – suits all preferences
+ Convenient mute button on microphone –  no scrabbling around on your earcup when you’re about to sneeze!
+ Bright busy light on earcups AND on the end on the microphone – your colleagues will know when you’re not to be interrupted
+ Lightweight and comfortable for all day use
+ Up to 13 hour talk time –  enough for even your businest days!
+ Use in the office with a desk phone & PC,  and add a Link 400 to take just the headset home and use with a PC (only) –  Hybrid working lifestyle sorted!

What We Don’t Love

– Not very portable for hybrid workers unless you also get the dongle, that’s just the nature of headsets that work with desk phones.
– No option for Active Noise Cancelling in the earcups
– Convertible version not very comfy and has lower specs
– Mobile phone must stay in range of the base unit (max 10m), so just get into the habit of leaving your mobile on your desk – it will re-pair when you come back into range if you take it too far.

The Blurb

Launching to great fanfare in April 2018, the Jabra Engage 75 is for those who REALLY need to stay connected. Frankly it has more connections than we thought possible as well some other ground-breaking features.

The Engage 75 models come in 3 variants All are also compatible with Skype for Business and all major softphone applications: You’re looking at the Mono which has the 2 wearing styles of headband style and neckband style in the box. Also available are the… Stereo, a headband only ‘2 eared’ model and the Convertible version which has earhook, headband AND neckband included. All of the options can be worn with the microphone arm on the left or the right. The Convertible has a shorter battery life and is lighter in weight & reduced range but apart from that all the specs are MOSTLY the same across the variants.

As with all wireless headsets you will need an accessory to answer calls from the desk phone when out of reach. We know, it seems crazy that even such a sophisticated headset as this can’t perform this apparently simple task but there are so many different phones all with different requirements that this functionality just can’t be built into the headset. We call it a RAD (remote answering device). It could be a standard handset lifter or a special ‘electronic hook switch’ (EHS) cable that runs from the base unit to the telephone – it all depends on which make and model phone you have. If your phone has a USB headset port you may not need this but at time of writing, those phones are as rare as hens’ teeth.

Simply Headsets strongly recommends you download Jabra software to get the most of out the Engage headsets… , .

As far as the brand goes, Jabra is one of the most established and renowned leaders in the headset market, so you can’t fault this headset, whichever way you turn. Price is the only slight drawback with this series, but as they say, you get what you pay for and the Engage 75 is proof that, when you’re willing to pay a little extra, you won’t regret it!

NB The Engage comes with one USB cable. To connect the headset to 2 USB devices you will need to purchase a Jabra USB-A to Micro-USB Cable, 1.5m –  you can find this under the accessories tab.

The Good

OK. Connections – you want ’em? The 75 has ’em in spades! 2 x USB (one for PC or Mac, one for a deskphone with a USB headset port), 2 x concurrent Bluetooth connections (for mobiles or tablets) and of course, old faithful, the standard ‘RJ’ connection to a deskphone. If you’ve been counting you’ll know that that’s 5, count ’em FIVE connections. making this a ‘Penta’ headset. Do note this is an ‘in office’ headset – the Bluetooth connection is from the base unit to the mobile so you can’t use it when out of range of the base unit. The good news is that it has NFC (Near-field communication) so will automatically pair with your NFC enabled mobile when back in range.

As we’ve come to expect from Jabra you’ll get great quality sound. The Engage series has top notch sound both ways – the mono and stereo options are the first in their class to meed the Skype for Businesses Open Office requirements (trust us, that’s a tough test to pass). It has a directional noise cancelling microphone(G-MOS, Tx, CC 4.3 for the tech-heads out there) and superior speakers (P-MOS, Rx, Silent 4.4) that switch automatically to optimise music sound when you’re not on a call. As you’d expect these top of the line headsets also protect your hearing against sound spikes.

Battery life – 13 hours of talk time and 52 hours of standby is amazing. There’s also a fast charge feature (in case you forgot to power-up overnight) which gives you over 5 hours of talk time in just 30mins. As with all headsets battery life decreases with distance – ie if you wander far from the base unit all time but you can of course replace the battery. However the unique ‘Powernap’ feature of the Engage extends that standby time even further when it’s not been used for 30 minutes.

One the annoying things about wearing a wireless headset is that colleagues are never sure if you’re on a call or not, so they will either blunder on in and you have to show them ‘the hand’ or (if they’re a bit more considerate) there’s the ever popular over exaggerated ‘are you on a call?’ mime. Happily Jabra has banished this issue with a built in busy light. On the mono and stereo versions this light is on both the earpiece and on the end of the microphone boom (or arm). On the convertible option it’s just on the earpiece.

Density & Security – it’s an important consideration when it comes to wireless, particularly if you’re kitting out an office. Too many wireless headsets up close and personal to each other will cause interference and loss of sound quality. The Engage series has increased density capacity so you can have 3 times as many headsets in a small space as before. Additionally this is a super-secure headset, with features going beyond DECT Secure Level C, which provides the highest protection. 256-bit AES encryption. 128-bit authentication.

As we’ve mentioned this is an in office headset only – you can’t use use it with your mobile when out of range of the base unit. However if you need a portable headset that will work at home with a PC or you can travel with from time to time. This is it too! Jabra released a firmware update in Dec 2018 that means you can plug the headset into a standard micro USB cable then a PC for use as a corded headset.

Other stuff we thought was nifty:

* Volume up and down function: The headset knows which way up you’re wearing it so you know that the top button always means volume up.

*The mute button is on the mic making it easy to locate (and you can set a reminder so you don’t waffle on forgetting your caller can’t hear you).

* You can conference up to 3 additional headsets onto one base unit (either mono or stereo models) – great for conference calls or training.

* There’s a clock on the base unit!

*The base unit can be set to ring and you can have a different ring tone for each device you use it with. You can even programme your own music to ring!

* The base unit has a touch screen to help you set up the device and navigate to different devices when using the headset. It clearly shows what you’re currently using and then you just tap to use a different device (don’t worry about inbound calls – they come in automatically.

* You can record calls made from mobiles or desk phones onto your computer (of course you’ll need the caller’s permission for that!) Great for call monitoring, authentication or agreement to terms and conditions or important calls you need to refer to in the future (NB 3rd party recording software is required).

The Not-So-Good

As we’ve mentioned this is an in office headset only – you can’t use use it with your mobile when out of range of the base unit. Yup, that’s it

Specifications
SKU	Jabra-Engage-75
Manufacturer	Jabra
Product Type	Computer Wireless, Office Bluetooth, Office Wireless
Standby Time	52 hrs
Wireless Technology	DECT, Digital Encryption
Talk Time	13hrs
Warranty
Wearing Style	Around the back of the neck, Over the head (one ear), Over the head (two ears)
Connection Type	Base unit Bluetooth, Base unit to phone RJ (handset/headset port), USB
Software Compatabilty	Apple, Dragon Naturally Speaking, MacSpeech, MOC & Lync, Unified Communications, Voice Recognition Software, Windows, MS Teams Compatible, Zoom Compatible
Ear Cushion Material	Leatherette
Speaker Frequency Response	40Hz-16kHz
Ear Cushion Size	39mm
Mic Frequency Response	100Hz – 10kHz
Headset Weight	64g (+ headband / neckband)
Coverage Range	Bluetooth Range, Wireless Range
Charge Time	90 mins (40% in 30 mins)
Charger Type	Base Unit
Coverage Range [Bluetooth]	Up to 25m with BT class 1 mobile
Conference Additonal Headsets	3
Coverage Range [Wireless]	150m
Best Use	Noisy Office, Quiet Office
Application	Desk Phone + Computer + Mobile Phone (inside only)
Audio Qualities	Enhanced (DSP) Digital Sound Processing, Mono sound, Noise cancelling mic, Noise protection, Peakstop Protection, Wideband Audio, Wideband mic
This product is featured in	, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

• WORKS WITH – Desk Phone + PC (2)+ Mobile(2)
• Easy installation with SmartSetup wizard
• Ultra -secure DECT Level C
• Up to 3 x more density – perfect for call centres
• Up to 150 meters wireless range
• Busy light built in

Manufacturers Description

Industry-leading wireless performance.
Work away from your desk and still maintain a wireless connection that won’t let you, or your customers, down. 150 metres DECT wireless range. 3 times more users in the same office space

Overcomes wireless capacity issues The Jabra Engage series enables 3 times as many people to work wirelessly in the same office space.

Crystal-clear calls.Advanced noise-cancelling microphone and enhanced speakers deliver crystal-clear calls even in noisy offices. Meets Skype for Business Open Office requirements.

Constant sound levels throughout the day. Speaker software separates noise from speech, reducing user stress. All incoming calls can be adjusted to a user-defined sound level that stays constant for all-day comfort.

Takes security in wireless calls to the next level. Patented pairing. 256-bit AES encryption. 128-bit authentication.

Fewer interruptions. The busylight acts as a do not disturb sign for colleagues.

All-day battery life. Up to 13 hours of talk-time – and when you do need to charge, the fast charge feature powers the headset to 40% in just 30 mins.

Connect to up to five devices simultaneously. You can connect to a deskphone, softphone, analogue phone and 2 Bluetooth devices.

Modern base, small footprint. Intuitive touch-screen base for ease of use, showing connected devices, battery life and call controls.

Premium usability and build. Easily answer and end calls, mute and adjust volume using the intuitive controls on the headset.

Engineered to deliver more power for your conversations. 40 engineers spent more than 115,000 hours in research and development to create the world’s most powerful professional wireless headset, registering 4 unique patents to Jabra in the process.