Jabra offers a large range of true wireless earbuds for a range of use cases and also across a wide price range – there is literally something for everyone.

The true wireless earbuds that they sent us, the Elite 8 Active, continue Jabra’s design language in the “active” segment.  The Elite 8 Active have been tested to be, according to Jabra, the “world’s toughest earbuds” having passed the military standard for ruggedised electronics (810H) and the HACT (highly accelerated corrosion testing).  

Add in dustproof, waterproof and sweatproof (IP68 – even the case has a rating of IP54 which is virtually unheard of for true wireless cases) and the ability to be submerged in water up to 1.5 metres and you can see why they can easily fit the “active” moniker.

Design and fit

The Jabra earbuds have had basically the same design for a long time and I’m here for it.  The earbuds do not sit deep in the ear canal but instead are shaped around the outer ear with just a small section poking into the ear canal.  

This results in an incredibly comfortable fit and somehow it is a secure fit.  The earbuds are so well moulded to the shape of your ear that they basically just sit well in and on there.  Jabra use their ShakeGrip technology in the design of the earbuds to ensure that your most intense workouts will still not dislodge them.

ShakeGrip technology apparently has an increased silicone coverage to provide a tighter in-ear fit that increases their comfort and improves the passive seal.  I don’t know how they’ve done it but the fit is secure and comfortable.

When testing earbuds I do my best to workout as intensively as possible to see if I can dislodge them.  Unfortunately I currently have a broken ankle and am unable to do much at all so instead I tested them out riding around on my knee scooter and shaking my head in all directions attempting to simulate an intense workout.

I was able to wear them for a basic upper body workout at all times without any issues.  I also used them for a long session while working and they were still comfortable after a couple of hours of wear.

Control

A lot of true wireless earbuds these days have the capacitive touch buttons where I often accidentally tap the control button when adjusting them or putting them in and taking them out.  

The Jabra buttons are physical touch and press buttons which do not press with a light tap but slightly more pressure is required to press the button down.  I actually like it.  Once you know this is what you need to do they are very easy to control using the buttons and using the buttons does not affect the fit at all.

A quick mention on how customisable the buttons are.  Through the Jabra app you can adjust the single, double and triple tap to whatever you want them to do.  I was happy to customise the presses to what I was used to the buttons doing on other earbuds.  

How do they sound?

Jabra talks a big game when it comes to the quality of the sound produced by the Elite 8 Active, although when it comes to their marketing material it seems to take a back seat to their ruggedness.  There’s no reason for it to do so though.

The Elite 8 Active do sit near the top of their range of true wireless earbuds (second only to the Elite 10) so you would expect them to still sound decent. And they do.  They sound a lot better than decent. 

The quality of the sound far outstrips that from the Elite 4 and even better than that from the JBL Live Pro 2.  The bass is much deeper and detailed in the Jabra Elite 8 Active earbuds while the mids and highs are extremely similar.

Comparing them to the Sony LinkBuds S which most would consider premium, AI was pleasantly surprised to find the Jabra’s blew them away too.  So much more bass with comparative mids and highs again.  Considering the Elite 8 Active are designed for rugged use their quality of sound is amazing.

Software

The Jabra+ app is great for controlling the EQ for your music.  I keep a fairly simple EQ for mine.  The app also allows you to adjust the level of ANC to either full ANC, HearThrough or entirely off – ANC will always be on when in a phone call though so you don’t need to worry about that.  

HearThrough mode works well, enabling you to hear people around you speaking to you.

Also in the app is the EQ along with the ability to change the button controls for each earbud.  The software for the earbuds is updated through the app which seems to work well but can take a while at times.

One thing I liked about the software was the permanent notification in the notification shade.  It gives you not just a quick view of the settings or ANC and Spatial Sound but the ability to chage them – without having to open the app.  The percentage charge left in each earbud and the case is also shown in the notification.

Other features

Other notable features included in the Jabra Elite 8 Active are the Qi charging supported by the case, support for Bluetooth 5.3 and SwiftPair for PC or tablet and FastPair for mobile.  Most of these are standard in premium earbuds in 2023 but the fact they are included should still be mentioned.

Should you buy them?

The Jabra Elite 8 Active are premium earbuds. They offer premium sound that comes at a premium price but you get what you pay for with these earbuds. They offer a ruggedness and ability to work various environments unmatched by so many other premium earbuds — IP68 rated dustproof, watertight, sweatproof and 1m drop-resistant earbuds, and an IP54 rated dust and splash proof case.

The Jabra Elite 8 Active sound amazing offering deep, punchy bass (for a set of earbuds — for true bass you’ll need over the ear cans) while losing none of the upper end of the sound frequencies.

Jabra earbuds are quite possibly the most comfortable true wireless earbuds I have used. The way they sit in the ears without having to be lodged halfway down your ear canal to stay in is incredibly comfortable — and they didn’t fall out in my testing.

If you need a set of earbuds that sound great and can work wherever and however you workout then these are for you.

The Jabra Elite 8 Active has an MRSP of $329 and is available in caramel, navy, and black. You can find them now at JB Hi-Fi, Harvey Norman, Officeworks, The Good
Guys, Amazon and Jabra.com.au.

Find out more at https://www.jabra.com.au/bluetooth-headsets/jabra-elite-8-active.