Jabra Elite 8 Active has several good reasons for grabbing your attention. We have been using this for a few days and there’s a lot like about these wireless sound cans. First, IP68 on the buds (IP54 for the case), the highest IP rating for water resistance. It’s pretty incredible, meaning that these are among the most durable earbuds you can find in the market. You can submerge them in water without facing any issues. The figure ‘6’ in IP68 is the level of dust resistance. Next, Bluetooth 5.3 is the most stable Bluetooth and an upgrade from 5.2. Next, the mics have been upgraded. Fourth, there is Dolby Audio.

To get the most out of the wireless earbuds, pair it with the app

I think these are a pair of earbuds that are going to be the best fit for most because these are the functions we always look for. Also, the fit of these earbuds is superb. Instead of resting on the outer part of the ear canal, these go slightly deeper. Even if you go jogging, you won’t have to adjust the earbuds because the fit is absolutely snug. These are very hardy. But don’t leave them in water for a long time just to experiment and don’t put them into a washing machine. Also, these are drop-proof.

I like the fact they have physical control buttons for music playback, answering calls and ending calls, besides the ability to toggle between noise cancellation hear-through transparency. The buds are lightweight (each 5g) and compact.

How does it sound?

What matters is sound. With the Jabra Elite 10, you go more towards the Bose set of earbuds where richness and clarity matter a great deal. By default, these earbuds focus on mids and lows. There is a lot of bass. After all, it’s called ‘Active’ and that means, the earbuds will motivate you while exercising. It’s geared towards a crowd that’s big on exercising.

These have a noise-isolating design and there is a wear sensor that detects if the earbuds are in the ears to pause/play music. You can also use a single bud in ‘mono’ mode.

I think of this more in terms of an upgraded version of Jabra Elite 7 Pro. There are six microphones instead of four, there is improved active noise cancellation and better wind-reduction technology.

How good is the ANC? It’s quite good and most irritating noises get cancelled. You can easily wear them when you are flying here and there. But these don’t quite reach the ANC on AirPods Pro (second generation), which has set a very high benchmark. In the same breath, it matches everything, say, Sony or Samsung has to offer.

As far as codec goes, there is no aptX codec; instead there is AAC and it’s compatible with the new LE audio standard, which will come via a firmware upgrade. Also, you get multi-point Bluetooth pairing and Android users get hands-free Google Assistant.

If you get a tight seal, that is, wear the perfect eartips, you will get good sound. There are 6mm drivers and they deliver punchy bass. And it has an open quality because of Dobly’s Spatial Sound mode. Simply turn on Head Tracking. It certainly takes competition to Sony WF-1000XM5. You can tweak the sound with the equalizer in the app.

Should you buy it?

Elite 8 Active packs in 6mm drivers and support for Dolby Audio

The microphone quality has improved a good deal and so is the sound. Users get up to eight hours of battery life and up to 32 hours with case (ANC on), which is comparable with what rival brands have to offer. If you switch off ANC, battery life increases drastically. But the standout features for me are the overall sound as well as durability. I also like that the punchy bass doesn’t kill the upper end of the sound frequencies. Jabra Elite 8 Active is surely meant to last a long time.

AT A GLANCE

Device: Jabra Elite 8 Active

Price: Rs 17,999

Colours: Caramel, navy, black and dark grey

HIGH NOTES

Extremely durable

Good soundscape

Very good app support

MUFFLED NOTE

Voice calling can be improved