Jabra Elite 8 Active review

Jabra adds an entry to the top end of its expansive line of true wireless noise canceling earbuds. The Jabra Elite 8 Active are durable buds aimed at serious athletes or weekend warriors who need wireless earbuds that can keep up or get through your workday. We put these buds through the ringer to see how they do.

What’s it like to use Jabra Elite 8 Active?

The Jabra Elite 8 Active shares aesthetic traits with Jabra’s current earbud line, so it looks familiar. They’re reasonably lightweight and pocketable at 5g per bud and 46g for the case. The earbuds are rated IP68, so they are effectively dust- and waterproof, and the case is rated IP54 as well. Choosing one of the three ear tips (10mm, 12mm, and 14mm), you can gently pop in the buds covered in a grippy ShakeGrip coating. The coating feels somewhat rubberized, doesn’t pick up dust, and doesn’t cause the buds to slip out when you work up a sweat.

Generally, if you look for workout earbuds, you’ll want something with stabilizers or over-ear hooks, but Jabra manages to get a solid fitting shape on the Elite 8 Active. If Jabra buds usually fit you, these should, too. They fit my ears relatively well without many pressure points and go pretty deep.

There are buttons on the flat of the earbuds, which do not require much pressure to actuate, but still more than touchpads. There’s also in-ear detection and thoughtful features like an auto sleep timer. You can take these buds for your workout, but they’re equally suitable for going about your days.

How do you control the Jabra Elite 8 Active?

Controls for the Jabra Elite 8 Active work effectively. The only irritation is that you are pushing your buds repeatedly into your ears for multiple presses. Otherwise, the Elite 8 Active has Spotify Tap and works with Google Assistant or Siri, which you’ll need to assign in the app.

Should you use Jabra Sound+ for the Jabra Elite 8 Active?

You’ll want the Sound+ app to access updates. It costs you some privacy. One of the feature highlights of the Jabra Elite 8 Active is that you can enable Dolby Atmos for spatial audio. You also get an equalizer with some presets and the ability to add your own. Sound+ has some niceties for ANC and HearThrough, such as automatically switching to HearThrough for phone calls.

How do the Jabra Elite 8 Active connect?

The Jabra Elite 8 Active uses Bluetooth 5.3 with multipoint and offers LE Audio compatibility. Otherwise, the Elite 8 Active uses the basic SBC and AAC codecs. Apple users eke the most out of the AAC codec, though it’s not as well optimized on many Android devices like aptX. Overall, the connection is stable without dropouts.

How long does the Jabra Elite 8 Active battery last?

With ANC enabled the Jabra Elite 8 Active battery lasts 9 hours and 28 minutes on a single charge, according to our standardized testing. That’s above-average performance for noise canceling buds.

The case charges via a short USB-A to USB-C cable. You can also charge it wirelessly using a Qi pad, but it’s a bit fussy about placement (on its back). On the case, there are two LEDs: the outside one indicates the charging status of the case, and the inside one indicates the charge status of the earbuds — a nice touch. Red (low battery), yellow (partly charged), and green LED means charged up.

How well do the Jabra Elite 8 Active cancel noise?

According to Jabra, there are four tiers of active noise canceling (ANC) in the lineup, and the Elite 8 Active has the third highest, what it calls Adaptive Hybrid ANC. What stands out is how effectively the ANC removes low-pitched rumbles and hums. Experientially, the effect is better than the measurement suggests where it counts. The 36dB of noise reduction at 100Hz effectively mutes low-frequency noises.

One downside is that the ANC does not handle high-pitched incidental noises well. For example, I wear the buds while cooking and dropping cutlery into a drawer. The system feeds back the sound into my ear a split second afterward, producing a very uncomfortable clang. Typically, that’s a job left to isolation, but Jabra has ANC covering high frequencies, which apparently has a weakness with clanging sounds.

The Elite 8 Active also passively isolates you from the environment fairly well. Your isolation relies on achieving an effective seal via a good fit. Overall, the isolation and ANC are good, but noises that land towards the middle frequencies (like traffic) still reach your ears to some extent.

How do the Jabra Elite 8 Active sound?

It’s no secret that Jabra has really honed its house sound, and its products tend to measure very close to our headphone preference curve. The Elite 8 Active is no exception, with its frequency response exhibiting just a mild bass bump and some slight under-emphasis in the very highest frequencies.

Lows, mids, highs

Because these earbuds are intended for exercise, it makes sense to try an upbeat track with a strong bass emphasis; in this case, Love by Molecule and Johnny Clark does not disappoint. The propulsive bass line and loud kick are mixed prominently, almost too loud, but it’s great if you’re dancing or running.

There’s a slight under-emphasis in the topmost frequencies above 10kHz relative to our preference. You’ll miss some harmonic nuance up there with the cymbals or the (heavily affected) vocals, but it’s okay for casual listening. Overall, the fast panning synths adequately delineate left and right channels, and the synths parts all receive enough volume that you can hear them all. Most people will like this tuning.

Can you use the Jabra Elite 8 Active for phone calls?

The Jabra Elite 8 Active uses six microphones to capture your voice. The mic system relays voices of higher and lower registers rather well. You might hear some artifacts, but by and large, it sounds decent. In offices, the mics struggle a little with handling environmental sounds, but your voice is prioritized. When the Elite 8 Active encounters wind, your voice remains intelligible, if a little choppy. Overall, it’s entirely useable.

Jabra Elite 8 Active microphone demo (Ideal conditions):

Jabra Elite 8 Active microphone demo (Office conditions):

Jabra Elite 8 Active microphone demo (Windy conditions):

Should you buy the Jabra Elite 8 Active?

The Jabra Elite 8 Active is a good companion for workouts and going about your day. These buds sound good, have a secure fit, and the robust IP68 rating combined with an IP54-rated case makes them a solid choice. If you can’t abide by buttons instead of a touchpad, these might not be for you. Functionally, you get niceties like Dolby Atmos, in-ear detection, and sidetone when making calls.

The noise cancelation is good but can backfire with high-pitched incidental noises. The battery life is excellent, and the case is light and pocketable. The main detractor is the cost, which seems a touch steep at the regular price. Even so, if you need earbuds for exercising, these don’t require over-ear hooks or stabilizers and, therefore, fit into office settings well.

What should you get instead of the Jabra Elite 8 Active?

If you suspect that the Jabra Elite 8 Active fit isn’t exactly how you want, the Jabra Elite 10 offers a uniquely shaped set of earbuds with a very similar feature set. These have a lesser IP57 rating, which is still pretty robust by most measures. You get the same Sound+ app, Spotify Tap, Fast Fair, and in-ear detection. The battery lasts longer than the Elite 8 Active’s battery, and the Elite 10 can be had for $249 at Jabra.

If you’re looking for another workout alternative that doesn’t rely on over-ear hooks, the LG TONE Free Fit TF7 supplies a very comfortable fit with various-sized stabilizers. These stabilizers have enough give that they feel good without placing pressure anywhere. The buds are certified IP67, so you get a similar level of durability for the buds themselves. If you don’t care about spatial audio, they are a good alternative for ₹12989 at LG.

The newer Jabra Elite 8 Active Gen 2 ($229.99 at Amazon) has been released and are even better durable workout earbuds. They are also ideal for travel, given their noise canceling and ability to transmit from any 3.5mm connection or USB source.

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