JABRA ELITE 85T
Stunningly good true wireless buds combine great sound and compact size
The sound isn’t as natural as that of the Bose, but it is a little more dynamic
So far we have had Bose’s music-focused buds that sound stunning, have great noise cancelling but are somewhat bulbous. Then we’ve looked at Samsung’s compact buds, which are great to wear and offer pretty good sound for their size and shape. This offering from Jabra is even better, though. Why? Because they sound almost as good as the Bose, but are far smaller.
Jabra already has a great pair of true wireless buds on the market called Elite 75t. These build on the success of those buds with much bigger and better drivers and the addition of active noise cancelling. Laudably, Jabra has added noise cancelling to the 75t as well, via a software update, but the ANC on the 85t is an awful lot better.
The impressive thing is that Jabra has managed these upgrades without making the newer buds much bigger, and also without murdering the battery life.
Everyone’s ears are different, admittedly, but Jabra did a lot of testing to find the optimum shape for the largest number of people and, for us, the fit is absolutely spot on. The 75t were actually so compact that you had to almost ‘dig’ them out of your ears, and their case, but the 85t sit comfortably but firmly in place. The fact that the buds don’t go as deep, while the drivers are vented, mean there is less of an ‘earplug’ feel.
That’s not to say they don’t keep noise out, though. In fact, the combination of active noise cancelling and in-ear fit here is like having an off switch for the world. You really will need the ‘hear through’ feature if you want to converse with other people while wearing these buds. The ANC also further improves the sound quality, which is already pretty damn good even with it turned off.
The sound is not as natural as that of the Bose, but on the other hand it is a little more dynamic. If you favour electronic music and driving rock, you will probably prefer their sound to the Bose, although we’d say the QuietComfort buds handle acoustic sounds better, and add less colouration to the sound.
Battery life is just shy of the other buds in this feature, at five and a half hours per charge, and 24 hours in total, via in-case recharging. It’s also worth noting that the Elite 85t are waterproof to IPX4. Combined with secure fit, this means they should be suitable for use during workouts and runs. That’s yet another reason to consider purchasing these exceptional earbuds.