INTRODUCTION

   One of the main reasons (if not the only one) i avoid listening to music both with wired and wireless headsets/earsets while on foot is the absence of awareness for my surroundings. Now as some of you already know from past reviews i used to do that up until the moment a car almost hit me (in all fairness it was raining, he was speeding and i was wearing a hoodie so the wireless earphones i was using/testing back then where just the cherry on top). Still thanks to relatively new technologies found/used in some wireless headsets/earsets (for example the well-known hearthrough mode) this is no longer an issue, at least not when i happen to be testing one such model. A few months back i reviewed the latest Elite 75t wireless earbuds by Jabra and just like in the past with the 65t series today I’ll be testing the more sports oriented Active model.

   Jabra, part of the GN Group, is a leading developer and manufacturer of communications and sound solutions. We are committed to letting people hear more, do more and be more than they ever thought possible. We believe that through sound, we can transform lives. Jabra innovates and empowers with sound solutions for businesses and consumers, producing corded and wireless headsets, portable and in-office speakerphones, and sports earbuds. Jabra employs 1,000 people worldwide, and produced an annual revenue of DKK3.5 bn in 2016. The GN Group operates in more than 90 countries, and has almost 150 years’ experience in innovation and delivering reliability and ease of use. Founded in 1869, employing over 5,000 people, and listed on Nasdaq Copenhagen, GN makes life sound better. www.jabra.com

   Just like in the case of the Elite 65t and Elite 75t models the Elite Active 65t and Elite Active 75t come very close in terms of specifications since both feature two 6mm dynamic drivers (20Hz-20KHz frequency response with 16Ohm impedance, 103dB sensitivity and 8mW max input), 4 digital MEMS microphones (100Hz-10KHz frequency range with -38dB sensitivity - microelectrical mechanical system microphones offer advanced noise cancellation with hearthrough and sidetone controls), IP57 certified enclosures (dust and water proof) and Bluetooth v5.0 connectivity (10 meters range/ 2 simultaneously connected devices/ up to 8 paired devices in total / supports A2DP v1.3, AVRCP v1.6, HFP v1.7, HSP v1.2 and SPP v1.2). Of course, Jabra has performed several tweaks so aside the longer battery life (7.5 hours for the 75t vs 5 hours for the 65t) offered by the lithium-ion rechargeable battery packs the new Elite Active 75t feature a slightly different design (engineered based on thousands of ear scans for optimal fit), are more compact (21.9x19.4x16.2mm for the 75t vs 27x30x22.5 for the 65t) and probably also a tad larger driver (the Elite Active 65t had an 6mm by 5.1mm driver whereas the new Elite Active 75t seems to have an 6mm in diameter driver). The bundled charging case is also improved and offers more than twice the battery life (20.5 hours max for the 75t and 10 hours max for the 65t) while at the same time being far more compact (62.4x36.6x27 for the 75t and 72x51x26.5 for the 65t). Also, for all of you who may not like the Navy Blue color featured in my reviews the Elite Active 75t is currently available in 6 colors (Navy Blue, Titanium Black, Copper Black, Grey, Sienna and Mint) and is covered by a two year warranty against dust and water damage.

SPECIFICATIONS AND FEATURES

PACKAGING AND CONTENTS

Packaging is almost identical to that of the Elite 75t model so once again we see a product picture at the front right beneath the company logo and above the main features.

The part and serial numbers along with barcodes, certification logos and contact information for Jabra HQ are all printed on a sticker located at the base of the box.

Another product picture is located at the rear of the box right beneath the main product features.

Packaging is pretty much excellent with the entire bundle placed inside a formed piece of plastic.

Inside the box you will find the Elite Active 75t TWS earbuds, charging/storage case, 3 sets of silicon eartips (medium-size is already pre-mounted on the earbuds), USB-A to USB-C charging cable and a warning and declarations leaflet.

THE ELITE ACTIVE 75T

Each Elite Active 75t earbud measures 21.9x19.4x16.2mm and weighs just 5.5g.

Yes, this means the Elite Active 75t are identical to the Elite 75t even though they are IP57 certified.

To have a better understanding about the size of the Elite Active 75t i placed them right next to the BP82 by Silicon Power, Elite 75T by Jabra, HT10 by Lenovo, BP81 by Silicon Power, E1026BT-I by 1MORE, Q29 by SoundPEATS, X11 by Trelab and the Bluetooth Earbuds by Sandberg.

Both earbuds have the company name printed on the center button which can be used to answer/end/put on hold calls, increase volume levels, play/pause tracks and enable voice assistant (right earbud) and mute/unmute the microphone, enable/disable hearthrough/sidetone modes, next/previous track and decrease volume levels (left earbud). The holes right next to the buttons are just in front of where the 4 MEMS microphones are located.

A small driver exhaust port is placed at the base of each earbud.

Left and right markings are printed at the rear of both earbuds just over the charging contacts.

This time over Jabra seems to have used an 6mm in diameter driver (compared to the 6x5.1mm used in the Elite Active 65t) but do take this with a grain of salt (not verified).

The charging case of the Elite Active 75t (62.4x36.6x27mm / 35g) is also smaller and lighter compared to the one used in the Elite Active 65t (72x51x26.5mm / 67g).

At the rear of the case we find the USB-C charging port and an activity LED right next to it.

There are no charging LEDs inside the case so once you place the earbuds inside their own LEDs will turn on.

SOUND+ APP

Once you launch the Sound+ App it will automatically check for firmware updates.

The flashing procedure takes but a few minutes to finish (you will need to remove the earbuds from the case in order to get this message).

From the main Sound+ tab you can enable/disable hearthrough (allows you to hear what's happening around you by using its 4 MEMS microphones), use the equalizer (6 presets plus your very own) and use the soundscapes feature to mask noise around you (12 available sounds).

Inside the headset tab you can check the battery levels of both the earbuds and the charging case, enable the voice assistant, access various audio settings (sidetone is probably the most important since it allows you to also listen to your voice when in a call), set sleep timeout and choose the preferred type of guidance (voice or sounds).

Jabra introduced a new feature in their Sound+ App a couple of months ago called MySound.

What this basically does is put your ears to the test (literally since this is something done even in hospitals to check hearing sensitivity) to see which frequencies it can detect thus producing a more "tailored" sound experience for you.

This time over the Sound+ App also allows you to program both the left and right earbud buttons as seen above.

The final feature/option is the find my Jabra which does exactly what it says, it can be used to locate your Elite Active 75t by storing their GPS coordinates in your phone (provided of course no one moved the charging case).

CONCLUSION

   The Elite 75t and Elite Active 75t are Jabra's 4th generation TWS models so it's not really a surprise that they are considered among the best in the market today, just like their predecessors did when they were released. Audio is crisp, accurate and without lacking bass (surprisingly enough there’s almost no difference between the Elite 75 and the Elite Active 75t in this area) and in terms of build quality the IP57 certified housings can withstand pretty much anything from dust to sweat and water (I did use them both while on the treadmill and in a pool without issue). However even if something goes seriously wrong and you do have a problem with the Elite Active 75t while working out or even swimming (for example) Jabra has you covered with their warranty. As for battery life nothing new here since results were almost identical with those i recorded while using the Elite 75t (meaning just over 6 hours at max volume). Now i don’t really know if the MySound feature works as advertised but since i did have my hearing checked many years ago, I can just say that this test is actually legit.

   Currently set at USD199.99 inside the USA (Amazon.com) and 151.83Euros inside the EU (Amazon.de – limited time offer) the Elite Active 75t TWS earbuds by Jabra are priced right (especially in the EU). Granted to some people Jabra may not be quite as popular as BOSE or SONY but thanks to their impressive build quality and excellent audio clarity the Elite Active 75t have nothing to fear from the competition and that’s why they get our Platinum Award.

PROS

- Build Quality (IP57 Certified)
- Design / Size / Available Colors (Navy Blue / Titanium Black / Copper Black / Grey / Sienna / Mint)
- Hearthrough / Sidetone / MySound Features
- Exceptional Audio Quality (For The Size)
- Call Quality (Other End)
- Noise Cancelling
- Battery Life (Up To 28 Hours Total)
- Great Fit
- 2 Year Warranty Against Dust & Water Damage
- Bluetooth v5.0
- Jabra Sound+ App

CONS

- Price Tag (For Some)