The new Jabra Elite 8 Active and Elite 10 earbuds are well-priced for Christmas gifts, at R3,500 and R5,000 respectively. They offer different features but both have the same renowned Jabra sound.
Stuff called the Elite 10 “the most comfortable earbuds we’ve ever worn”. Jabra scanned over 62,000 ears to develop this design, it wrote, and “that’s apparent”.
The premium earbuds “feels like a step forward for the company” and that “part of what makes them so comfortable is also what makes them great for workouts is ideal for people looking for their next workout buds”.
The “durable” earbuds’ sound profile can be tuned to your liking, and it has active noise-cancelling (ANC). It also has a Dolby Atmos head-tracking feature.
Its new 10mm drivers make the Jabra Elite 10 “the biggest of the company’s in-ears to date. They have a well-balanced sound profile when using the default ‘Neutral’ EQ setting meaning they’ll do fine for most music genres”.
Stuff concludes: “You should seriously consider the Jabra Elite 10 if you’re looking for in-ear headphones that you plan to wear for extended periods”.
“If you don’t mind sacrificing a few features,” Stuff writes, “the Elite 8 Actives and their IP68 rating might suit you better”.
Stuff’s reviewer wrote that “it’s a wonder we haven’t showered yet while wearing the Elite 8 Actives, an operation they’re designed to survive”. Swimming in a chlorinated pool is not advised as it will damage the earbuds.
Voice calls take advantage of the six internal mics for decent clarity. Those same mics are responsible for the Adaptive Hybrid ANC and the HearThrough features.
Bluetooth 5.3 makes for speedy connections and represents a substantial improvement.
“Jabra may have done too good a job with its workout headphones,” wrote Stuff. “We’ve spent more time not working out while using them than actually breaking a sweat but since they perform equally well in both scenarios, that’s nothing to complain about.”
The earbuds’ “audio performance is more important than its other skills. Expect a detailed soundscape with a decent bass punch even without resorting to Jabra’s Sound+ app”.
Beyond audio, it added, “there’s loads to like. The fit is secure and comfortable and the buds themselves are grippy enough that we had no issues during workouts. The eight hours of battery life per charge isn’t an exaggeration. Nor is the additional 24 hours in the case for a total of 32 hours before you’ll charge the whole lot again.”
Stuff’s verdict is that “Jabra’s Elite 8 Active are expressly designed for this, able to last through a marathon in a rainstorm with enough battery left for you to listen to some tunes in the doctor’s waiting room afterward.”