The 85t buds can cancel out a wider range of outside sounds than the 75t, where the active noise cancelling feature feels tacked on. This is because they have a new chip specifically designed for noise cancellation. Although they have a very similar appearance and feel to the previous model, Jabra has made some important design decisions. Most significantly, the 85ts no longer give off the plugged-up feeling of older sets thanks to their “semi-open” design.
These earbuds can’t produce the same loud, impactful bass as the 75t, so that change comes at a cost. Jabra has also switched to oval-shaped ear tips, which feel slightly less secure in my ears than the earlier round style. This change was probably made possible by the larger 12mm drivers and ANC circuitry. Additionally, compared to earlier Jabra products, the Elite 85t earbuds are rated IPX4 for water and sweat resistance.
The Elite 85ts are still among the best noise-cancelling earbuds on the market, despite these modifications, because of their best-in-class controls, abundance of features, and steady performance. The main concern is whether the additional cost compared to the Elite 75t for the noise cancellation is worthwhile. It’s not a simple answer given the variations in water resistance and sound quality.
Jabra Elite 85t review: Design
Jabra is a business that embraces innovation. The Danish audio company is frequently the first to market with innovative in-ear headphone designs, introducing more compact form factors while maintaining the outstanding sound quality the company is known for.
Fortunately, the same is true of the recent Elite 85t earphones. They have a very similar design to Jabra’s most recent offering, the Elite Active 75t, as their name suggests. The main distinction, though, is that they don’t focus on sports. Instead, these earbuds concentrate on enhancing the audio experience and feature Active Noise Cancellation (ANC), which works to muffle any loud or bothersome sounds in your surrounding area, such as the rumbling rattles of an underground train or the droning buzz of an aeroplane engine. But we’ll talk more about the ANC later.
The Elite 85t earbuds maintain the sleek appearance of their predecessor in terms of design, but there is a small amount of extra bulk added to accommodate the ANC technology, making the buds protrude out of your ears a little bit further than before. When you look at them in the mirror, it’s not as obvious, but this has definitely affected how the 85t buds feel and feel in your ears. One of the main reasons we loved the previous model so much was the fit, which is just a lot less snug than in the 75t. The new oval-shaped buds are another factor that affects fit. According to Jabra, this innovative “semi-open” design has pressure relief vents to stop pressure from building up inside the ear, and the silicon oval EarGels work to help create a more secure seal for improved noise-cancellation.
Jabra Elite 85t review: Comfort
One of the few product categories where “less” is unquestionably “more” is true wireless earbuds. And the Elite 85t have fewer advantages in this regard. Before you even consider how well ergonomic the shape is, they are usefully smaller than many price-comparable competitors and weigh only 7g. The 85t can be fitted with a variety of silicon eartips of varying sizes, and once in place, they remain secure and comfortable for hours on end.
This is especially helpful because, despite their small size, the 85t have a respectable battery life of five hours, and the similarly small charging case adds another 20 hours to that. When compared to the Bose QuietComfort Earbuds’ 18 hours of battery life, this all-in stamina of approximately 25 hours makes the Bose’s relatively large size even less justified. The Jabras can run for an hour after just a 15-minute blast when charged via USB-C or a Qi wireless charging mat.
Jabra Elite 85t review: Sound quality
Jabra has never had a problem with audio, and the Elite 85t is excellent. Although many people find that the default EQ is adequate for enjoying all popular media formats on the go, the engineers doubled the speaker size (12mm) to pump out even bigger, more detailed sound. This sound can be customised in the Jabra Sound+ app. Each model in the series has a warm signature, but the Elite 85t lies in the middle of the two. More high-pitched sounds and subtle differences in recordings will be audible without degrading bass levels.
In my opinion, the Elite 85t performs best when playing orchestral records. During the testing phase, my personal favourites like Ahmad Jamal’s “The Awakening” inspired me to go on a Jazz binge. The addition of more bass oomph made for a more enjoyable listening experience. Amazing reverberation from the double bass gave off the surreal impression that the instrument was being played right next to my ear.
Only those with fine-grained hearing will notice the gradual increase in bass that occurs when ANC is turned on. These buds can be very loud, which was one of my main complaints about the Elite 75t, but if you want to give your ears lively sound and avoid any hearing damage, I suggest turning the volume down five notches from the maximum setting. Strangely, the Elite 85t’s sound was noticeably quieter coming from my phone than from my MacBook Pro, though this was only a short-term problem that was resolved the next morning.
Jabra Elite 85t review: Performance
Positive first impressions of the Elite 85t’s audio quality. They take a measured approach to music and provide genre versatility, handling a variety of musical styles without getting stuck. They have a neutral tone, and the performance is fairly well-balanced, crystal-clear, and precise. The treble notes that begin Elbow’s Weather To Fly are rendered brightly enough to be audible and have some sparkle to their description. The Elite 85t’s 12mm drivers deliver bass that belies their size as you travel to the lower reaches of the frequency range. The beats in Booka Shade’s Interpretations land with a satisfying thud, but it’s in this area that the Jabra’s armour begins to show its first signs of wear.
The Elite 85t can’t deliver the same level of nuance in the lower registers as the Sony WF-1000XM3 does for the track. The Jabra can go big but also sounds a little rough when dealing with big bass performance. Regarding the energy, rhythm, and flow that these earbuds can create, there are no complaints. They have a consistent and coherent sound and exhibit good timing when playing layered and complicated tracks. With plenty of force and punch to make for an engaging listen, they dynamically describe the range between loud and quiet in a broad and effective way. The Jabras are consistently entertaining live acts.
Jabra Elite 85t review: Noise cancelling
Yes, the Jabra Elite 85t has excellent noise cancellation technology that effectively muffles background noises like running faucets. Lower-midrange and upper-bass notes will only sound about 25% as loud as they would without the earbuds. Similar to the highly effective Panasonic RZ-S500W, Jabra uses feedforward and feedback noise cancelling. In fact, both the Panasonic RZ-S500W and the Jabra Elite 85t are so effective that they make me feel disoriented.
Wearing the earbuds makes sounds louder than 1 kHz up to eight times quieter than not wearing them, demonstrating the effectiveness of passive isolation. The oblong ear tips assist in sealing the ear canal securely, but you must spend some time selecting the right pair for your ears. It is easier for ANC technology to block out other noises like engines and refrigerator hums the more noise you can block out by putting a physical barrier between your ear canals and the outside world.
Jabra Elite 85t review: Connectivity
The Jabra Elite 85t supports both the SBC and AAC codecs, which will please Apple users. On iPhones and other iOS devices, AAC guarantees high-quality streaming, though it can occasionally be erratic on Android. No matter what platform you use, the Elite 85t has Bluetooth 5.1 firmware, which is significantly superior to Bluetooth 4.0.
Additionally, the Jabra Elite 85t supports Bluetooth multipoint, allowing you to connect two devices simultaneously for simple multitasking. Overall, it functions well, but it falls short of the high standard that the Microsoft Surface Headphones 2 set. You must pause playback on one device before switching because the earbuds won’t switch automatically. In my testing, multipoint caused a small amount of audiovisual lag, but there were no issues when the earbuds were connected to just one device.
Jabra Elite 85t review: Battery Life
The Jabra 85t’s only shortcoming in comparison to its competitors is its run time. The noise-canceling feature is supposed to last for 5.5 hours, but I found that after 5 hours of nonstop music playback, my headphones usually stopped working. This shorter battery life is not surprising given the 85t’s smaller size, but it does mean that you get about an hour less than you would with the competition.
With its case, Jabra makes up for this shorter battery life by allowing for an additional 3.5 full charges (give or take) before you need to re-charge it. After only 15 minutes of charging in the case, you can get 60 minutes of play time if you only need a quick boost. I never experienced battery anxiety while out and about as a result. You can disable both the noise cancelling and hear-through modes to extend the battery’s life. You can extend the run time of the earbuds by about an hour and it has no impact on the audio quality.
Final words
The Jabra Elite 85t hits all the right notes: it’s well-made, comfy, has great sound, and has a tonne of features that are all helpful. Best of all, you can listen to music for 31 hours using just the earbuds and charging case. Although it can be annoying if you prefer to use just one earbud or if you frequently use the microphone, the advantages greatly outweigh the drawbacks. Overall, the 85t has everything it requires to compete favorably in its price range.
