I’ve just spent the previous week experiencing the Jabra Elite 8 Active earbuds. I own a previous iteration of Jabra earbuds – the Jabra Elite 65t, and I have been very happy with them, so I’ll say upfront I was really interested to see whether there would be any difference in the listening experience with the Jabra Elite 8s.
The earbuds come in four colours – I have the navy pair which I have enjoyed as a change to the usual black, but they also come in black, dark grey and caramel. They are dust proof and water proof to a depth of 1.5m – though I did not test that. I can tell you they withstand a good soaking rain! Once unboxed, the sleek and streamlined packaging reveals the charging case with enclosed earbuds, three different sized silicone ear bud covers, and a short USB C charging cable.
Let me hear you!
Sound Quality: The difference in the sound quality of the Jabra Elite 8 earbuds, compared to what I was using, was the first thing I noticed. These earbuds produce a depth and clarity of sound that made for very enjoyable listening. I loved that I could customise the earbuds to my listening tastes via the Jabra Sound+ app. The interface with Dolby Spatial Sound for media means that whether I’m watching Netflix on my laptop or listening to my running playlist on Spotify, the sound quality and clarity is excellent. I don’t lose any of the nuances in musical soundtracks. The call quality is changeable. In an outdoors space (out walking, a bit windy and some traffic noise) the quality seems a bit choppy and irregular causing me to repeat myself when speaking or asking the speaker to repeat what they were saying. I could make out what was being said most of the time but it was as though I was in a tunnel – the quality was a bit “hollow” for want of a better word. That all changed though when I was inside a quiet house with very little to no competing noise. In this case I had no problem with call quality.
Sounds of silence!
Active Noise Cancellation: The Elite 8’s active noise cancellation is impressive. I’ve never had earbuds or headphones with noise cancellation before, so I was blown away by how effective this feature is! The ANC effectively blocks out unwanted ambient noise. As I type this, my significant other is madly typing away at his desktop – keys clacking, the traffic outside speeds past without any acknowledgement of speed limits on a residential road, and my sons are making joyful exclamations every time they slaughter opponents in their virtual world. When I turn on Active Noise Cancellation my ears slide into a world where those noises simply do not exist. Switching to the HearThrough mode, some of these sounds begin to intrude and allow me to hear if a car has mounted the curb into my front yard, or if my boys are now killing each other IRL. When out running or walking I initially had ANC mode activated and couldn’t believe that the traffic I was running past sounded like every car on the road was an e-vehicle. Eventually I switched to HearThrough mode as I began to worry I’d cross the road and not hear oncoming traffic – I must admit I feel more comfortable using the HearThrough mode for road running and neighbourhood walks from a situational awareness point of view – the noise cancellation is just that good!
Sounds of joy!
Comfort and Fit: The Jabra Elite 8 earbuds are super comfortable! They come with a range of ear tips to ensure a secure and comfortable fit. I’ve worn them for extended periods without any discomfort or fatigue and I believe the silicone coating has a lot to do with that. They stayed put during my runs – there is no need for those sports hooks you find on other earbuds – and are not uncomfortable when I wear a ball cap, as the buds fit snuggly in my ears.
Wired (or not) for sound!
Connectivity and Controls: Pairing the Elite 8 earbuds with my devices was super easy. There is a simple card with illustrated step by step for connecting via Bluetooth to your chosen device. I can easily switch between using the buds with my mobile phone and my laptop. The touch controls on the earbuds are intuitive and responsive, allowing me to adjust volume, skip tracks, answer calls, and activate voice assistant with ease (once Google voice assistant is set up). That too was a simple process. The Jabra Sound+ app provides additional customisation options that I played around with – I imagine if I was a hardcore headphones/earbuds aficionado I might be more discerning about customisation.
A powerful sound!
Battery Life: The battery life of the Jabra Elite 8 earbuds is commendable. You can expect up to 8 hours of playback. The included charging case provides an additional three full charges (on top of the initial charge), giving you a total of up to 32 hours of use on the go. I loved this as I am notorious for failing to put things on charge when I should!
Conclusions
A sound of applause! The Jabra Elite 8 earbuds gave me a wonderful listening experience with top-notch sound quality and comfort. I loved having the app to play around with and to learn how to make the most of my earbuds. If you’re in the market for high-quality wireless earbuds, the Jabra Elite 8 should be at the top of your list.
DRN would like to thank Jabra for providing the review unit.
Specifications – for product support, user manuals, video tutorials and technical specifications go to their website here.
