Chances are you have heard of the Jabra brand. If not, then why not? These guys created the world’s first ultra noise-cancelling microphone, the world’s first Bluetooth headset and the world’s first sports headphones with integrated heart rate monitor. I think its safe to say these guys aren’t comfortable coming second to anyone else.
The Jabra Elite Active 65t have been engineered for true wireless music, calls and sport. It features a striking secure-fitting design for enhanced stability when you are working out and includes customisable equaliser and integrated motion sensor. Starting with the overall design, the Active 65t have an attractive navy and copper coloured body. They look rather bulky in your hand, however when you fit them in your ear they are surprisingly discrete, and, although comfortable for an hour or so, but we found they can cause fatigue if worn for too long. They come with a charging case, which is nice and compact although unreasonable fiddly to open. This will give you max battery life of 15 hours (5 in the earbuds with an extra 10 from the case).
Before we get onto the sound quality lets take a quick look at the other features the 65t has to offer: starting with the Sidetone mode, this enables you to hear your own voice when you are on a call and the settings can be configured using the Jabra Sound+ app. The Auto-pause feature automatically pauses your tunes when you remove the earbud from your ear, ideal for quickly ordering a coffee, it will then un-pause after the earbuds are placed back in your ear within 60 seconds or by pressing the multi-function button. The auto power-off switches the power off when it is out of range of your phone for 15 minutes and not in the charging case, or when it has been inactive for 1 hour. They connect via Bluetooth 5 (with up to 33 feet / 10 metres range), and they are compatible with Alexa, Siri or Google Assistant, although this can take a couple of goes to activate, you can get it to read back text messages whilst you are on the move. The Active in the name is due to the IP56 rating which protects the earbuds from sweat and dust, you can also track fitness and performance with use of the integrated motion sensor and compatible app. This can be a little hit and miss but a nice added extra as long as you aren’t too serious about the accuracy of your run. In this mode it will also activate the HearThrough feature so you can hear the ambient noises around you, helping you to stay safer when running in urban areas. You can use the right ear on its own, pair them with up to 8 devices, connect to pairs of earbuds to one device and use the Jabra Sound+ app to personalise the EQ settings.
Now for that sound quality: these earbuds create a clean, well rounded and balanced sound, with punchy bass, rich mid tones and crisp high tones. Phone calls are also clear but the one thing I really didn’t like was the syrupy little voiced indicator, but that’s because I’m easily irritated and these always bug me. These certainly aren’t the cheapest wireless earbuds out there, but in essence they are worth every penny. They are a healthy all-rounder with a few handy added touches, excellent sound and build quality. As long as you can get in the case, you won’t be disappointed! RRP £169.99
4.8 out of 5
Pros
Sturdy and secure
Sweat and dust resistant
Attractive design
Excellent sound quality
Integrated motion detector
HearThrough mode
Can be used with right ear alone
Customisable EQ
Integrated motion detector
Auto pause and auto switch off
Cons
Fiddly charging case
Battery life could be better
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