Jabra has once more updated its more recent Elite 75t model, albeit very slightly. About three months after the standard Elite 75t made its debut, the new Elite Active 75t is released. That model was just outstanding and was recognised with a CNET Editors’ Choice award.
There are some minor design improvements in this “active lifestyle edition,” which costs $200. Is it worth the additional money? The quick response is that most people probably won’t. Spending a bit more on the Elite Active 75t, however, may provide you some additional piece of mind that your headphones may hold up better over time if you’re searching for a sports headphone for running and other physical pursuits and you sweat a lot.
The Elite Active 75t appears to be the same as the Elite 75t at first appearance, with the exception of colour (the one I got was navy blue, but there are other colour options). However, if you look very closely, you’ll see that the case and earphones have a slightly different finish. The Active 75t have a soft-to-the-touch finish with a hint of traction rather than the harsh, smooth finish of the Elite Active 75t. It’s also “designed with a robust coating for dust and perspiration resistance and includes an enhanced IP water-resistant rating from IP56 (of the Elite Active 75t) to IP57, making them waterproof,” as Jabra put it.
Jabra Elite Active 75t review: Design
The Jabra Elite Active 75t is virtually identical to the non-Active Elite 75t in terms of design; the only difference is that the Active model has a rubberized coating that guards against drops on the wireless earphones and charging case.
The rubberized feel is a nice improvement over the plain plastic of the standard Elite 75t, which is a little slick. It is, however, also a dust and fingerprint magnet. If you intend to use these for exercise, be ready to sometimes wipe down the earphones and case to keep them looking nice. Additionally covered in a rubberized texture, the charging case has the same USB-C charging connection as the standard Elite 75t.
The Jabra Elite 75t’s design is carried over to the Active version, which has the same premium fit and finish as its more affordable sibling. Although it will take some time to learn all the shortcuts, controls can be operated with the physical buttons on each earbud. For instance, if you’re wearing the headphones in single-earbud mode, you won’t be able to access them because music playback is exclusively controlled by the left earbud.
Since you have to press and hold to raise or lower the level, volume controls are still difficult to dial in. It’s really simple to miss your objective, and it’s far simpler to adjust the volume on your smartphone. Regarding smartphones, Jabra has a fantastic app for personalising the user experience. The app is the only way to update the headphone’s firmware and offers a programmable EQ and sound profiles.
Jabra Elite Active 75t review: Comfort
The Elite Active 75t are true wireless earbuds made for highly active wearers. Due to their IP57 rating, which means they are waterproof and dust-resistant up to a depth of one metre, they should have no issue surviving even the wettest exercises. The Elite 75t, on the other hand, is only waterproof to the point of a light sprinkle and is certified at a relatively unimpressive IP55.
A soft, lightly rubberized covering of the Elite Active 75t helps them stay snug and secure in the wearer’s ear in other places. The neatly proportioned charging case is likewise wrapped in same sticky material, which ought to assist keep it from slipping from perspirant hands.
In comparison to most competing “sports” in-ears, the earbuds themselves are tidy and discrete. They weigh only 5.5g apiece, aren’t too heavy to wear, and once they’re in place they prove to be both comfortable and motion-resistant even while you’re doing a serious workout. The Elite Active 75t might seem a little under-engineered in comparison to other “sports” designs that feature different ear-hooks or stems to help them remain in place, but that isn’t the case.
Jabra Elite Active 75t review: Performance
Each ear’s internal 6mm driver produces sound in the 20Hz–20kHz range. The earphones create truly tremendous bass depth on tunes with heavy sub-bass content, like The Knife’s “Silent Shout,” and manage to do so without entirely disrupting the balance of the mix. However, users who like a more balanced sound characteristic with less thud will probably wish to slightly lower the app’s EQ settings.
The music “Drover” by Bill Callahan, which has far less deep bass in the mix, offers us a clearer idea of the general sound. Bass fans and those who are inspired by booming lows while exercising will be happy because the drums are deafening here. A clear treble edge is added to Callahan’s vocals and the acoustic strums, and the high-frequency presence is also superb. Reducing the low end in the software can transform the sound from boomy to full, round, and organic.
The kick drum loop gets a lot of high-mid presence on Jay-Z and Kanye West’s “No Church in the Wild,” which helps the attack maintain the majority of its impact. There is a lot of high-frequency shaping and adjusting going on here, and we can also hear the vinyl hiss and crackle move forward in the mix a little. The strong sub-bass synth hits that break up the pace have some of the most subwoofer-like response you’ll ever hear coming from a set of headphones. The voices are nevertheless delivered clearly and cleanly, despite sounding as if they are in conflict with the lows if the bass is even slightly amplified.
Active and passive noise cancellation
Don’t feel bad if this is the first time you’ve heard of a manufacturer using a firmware update to incorporate active noise cancelling into a set of wireless earphones. We also own it. The feature can be accessed, however, by downloading the most recent Jabra Sound+ app version (4.7.1) and the newest firmware upgrade; the process takes about 10 minutes.
In comparison to other ANC models, how does it fare? So-so. Although Jabra deserves all the respect in the world for making an effort to improve upon what are already great wireless earphones, don’t hold your breath for spectacular results.
The technology, nevertheless, is remarkable. A running dishwasher, heavy rain on the windowpane, and my brother-in-law shouting over my wife’s iPhone speaker made up the most of the background noise that it was able to block out. Most of the time, the latter was muted, but as I drew nearer to the phone, I could hear his voice more clearly, though it was still very low and muddled.
It’s a little difficult to customise the feature because you have to put the selector on a particular box to locate your strongest noise suppression. It will take a few tries to get it right, but for me, I discovered that the best results came from keeping the selector directly on the Jabra block. Just keep in mind that what works for me might not be right for you.
Jabra Elite Active 75t review: Sound quality
The Jabra Elite Active 75t earbuds create a vibrant and dynamic sound with strong bass response, finely detailed mids, and acceptable highs thanks to their 6mm drivers. The overall sound signature lacks a little warmth since the high bass isn’t extended enough, but the low bass has plenty of strength and produces a sound that emphasises the low end. Due to the prolonged low bass, there is a small aural masking in the mids. Although the vocals in Muse’s Hysteria are undoubtedly obscured by the low drumming, this effect is not as pronounced in most songs and musical genres.
On the other hand, the highs don’t get all the way up, but they still sound quite balanced and precise. The most of the time, female vocals aren’t tinny or shrill, but when the level is higher you can hear some sibilance. In-ear headphones’ limited soundstage is to be anticipated, yet the imagery and instrument separation are also superb. Each instrument is portrayed precisely and there is no visible overlapping, even in dense tunes like Selkies by Between the Buried and Me.
Jabra products often have good microphone quality, which is to be expected. The earbuds make use of 4-microphone call technology, which is particularly effective at blocking out loud noises and wind. During calls and when using voice recording to take notes, there were also a few minor speech intelligentibility concerns. Although we occasionally experienced audio lags and skips when using the Jabra Elite 75t’s wireless connectivity. The Elite Active 75t has excellent wifi connectivity and range, and this problem was absolutely missing from it.
Jabra Elite Active 75t review: Connected
The Jabra Elite 75t features Bluetooth 5.0, which is great, but regrettably only supports AAC and the default SBC codec. Although beneficial for iOS users, AAC seems to play poorly on Android smartphones. You’re out of luck if you were hoping that your Android would support aptX. However, if you’re having problems with AAC, you can always go the developer options on your Android device and manually change the codec to SBC.
I don’t have many significant problems, but there are a few oddities that I am aware of. Only once during the nearly three weeks of testing did the audio start to stutter to the point where I needed to remove and replace the headphones, but nothing like that has happened since. Even though the connection strength wasn’t ideal and I did experience several difficulties over a few weeks, they typically went away right away without my involvement.
I’m having trouble switching between my iPhone and iPad Pro, for one thing. The Elite 75t is designed to maintain a connection to two devices at once, however when I try to join a video conference on my iPad after halting the music on my phone, the headphones will not connect. There isn’t much time to explore in the middle of a conference, so I opt to use my wired earbuds. This is one of those instances where I am inevitably reminded of how effortless using a pair of AirPods Pro makes this particular shift. To be honest, it always works fine when I switch from my phone to my iPad to listen to music or podcasts.
Jabra Elite Active 75t review: Battery Life
In our objective battery test, which involved continuous listening with a peak volume of 75 dB, the Jabra Elite 75t lasted 7 hours, 14 minutes on a single charge (SPL). The earbuds turn off on their own after an hour of idleness or 15 minutes without a connection in order to save battery.
Quick charging is more crucial than longevity because these earbuds are meant to be worn during exercise: 15 minutes in the case provides one hour of listening time. Unexpected battery drain is rare because the case provides slightly more than an extra two and a half charges. To fully charge the USB-C charging case after it is empty, you must allot 2 hours and 20 minutes. Wireless charging is not supported by the case.
Jabra Elite Active 75t review: Price and availability
Six hues, including copper black, dark grey, navy, titanium black, sienna, and mint, are offered on the Jabra Elite Active 75t, which is currently sold on Amazon and the Jabra website. Jabra also offers a dark grey and navy Elite Active 75t with wireless charging, but it costs $230, which is significantly more.
Final Words
The Jabra elita active 75t earbuds excel at this because, at their core, wireless earbuds designed for fitness are all about keeping you inspired with your music while causing the least amount of inconvenience. If you’re serious about your fitness objectives, you should seriously consider buying a pair because they offer a secure, “put ’em in and forget about ’em” fit and contain quality internals that deliver great sound.
