Jabra Elite Active 8: A Durable Pair of Earbuds With Impressive Audio Quality

The Jabra Elite series has been around for years, and now we see the company showing ambition and challenging the Goliaths of the audio segment. The Elite 8 Active is a breath of fresh air in the sub-20K market, mainly because of its Active nature that helps it stand out from the competition. It has an IP rating which isn’t a big deal except in this case, Jabra has gone the extra mile to make it extra durable.

But does it come at the expense of quality sound and other features? We spent the last few weeks trying to find the answers with the Jabra Elite 8 Active headphones, and this review gives you all the details.

yay

Nice design and fit

IP68 durability

Effective noise reduction

Good overall sound reproduction

Long battery life

No

Physical buttons for bud controls

Call average

Jabra Elite 8 Active Review: What’s Cool?

You have to like the overall dimensions of the charging case that comes with the Jabra Elite 8 Active earbuds. It is neither the smallest nor the largest, it sits in a very sweet spot where you can easily fit in your pocket and use them discreetly too.

The case has a solid touch to it and you can pick them up in different colors, we got the blue version for review. Jabra offers an IP68 rating for the headset, making it one of the strongest in its segment, and also gets military-grade durability so you don’t damage the headset by dropping it on the ground or even in water.

The main benefit of the IP rating is that people can wear it during workouts and long runs without having to worry about sweating. Jabra clearly focuses on the functional aspects of the headset, and that’s always a good sign. But the Elite 8 Active isn’t just about durability, you also get reliable active noise cancellation from the buds.

We tested the headphones in all kinds of conditions, including offices, subways, and even walking on the road. The sound is isolated quite well, which was helped by the tight fit of the headphones. In most situations, the Elite 8 earphones satisfy with their performance and that counts for something.

Now to the main part of making this review. How is the sound quality? We found that the earbuds produce the right level of bass that doesn’t overpower the vocals in any way. And it’s vital when you want to listen to audiobooks and podcasts where clarity of sounds is vital.

We tried playing all genres of music to get a taste of its strengths and to be fair, we thought the Elite 8 Active could handle most of them pretty well, which is what most people want from a quality headphone. An added bonus is support for surround sound, which expands the sound world even further.

Another good thing about Jabra earbuds is that they last a really long time. The brand claims you get 8 hours of playback support, and during our time we didn’t really need to grab a charger to unbox. In fact, with the charging case around, you get three rounds for a full charge. Battery life has been a big issue with wireless headphones, but Jabra shows us that’s definitely not the case for everyone.

Jabra Elite 8 Active Review: What’s Not So Cool?

Jabra has followed a two-pronged strategy with the new Elite series. The Active 8 focuses on durability, while the Elite 10 offers you premium audio and noise cancellation, including better call quality. The Active 8 feels like an entry point for people who mostly want in-ear headphones for working out, but without major compromises on sound.

That seems to be its strength and weak point. Another thing we didn’t like is the actual physical buttons for volume and music playback.

These controls are embedded in the buds, and if you want to change tracks or even pause a song, you have to press the button hard for it to work. We’re not a big fan of the headset gestures, but a soft touch option would have been a smarter choice.

And finally, these headphones aren’t the best for taking calls. Make no mistake, there aren’t any major issues with this, but still, we’ve used others and found them to be a notch above what Jabra has to offer with these headphones.

Jabra Elite 8 Active Review: Should You Buy?

Jabra has done a decent job with the new Elite 8 Active earbuds and it succeeds in more ways than one. Durability is where Activeness shines through, and making it shockproof couldn’t have been easy.

Noise canceling works in most situations, blocking out outside noise and letting you focus on your workout while listening to your favorite songs. With the charging case, you can use the buttons for longer, and the sound field is wide enough for you to enjoy all kinds of music.

That being said, the call quality leaves us wanting and the physical buttons may not appeal to most of you. Priced at Rs 17,999, the Jabra Elite 8 Active delivers on most fronts, but it has some drawbacks that might make you consider other brands like Sony, Sennheiser or even Apple.