JABRA ELITE 7 ACTIVE
A splendid pair of buds that will stick with you through thick and thin
Jabra has slowly and quietly become a real market leader in true wireless headphones and the Elite 7 Active is the jewel in its crown. Like the other buds on test here, there is nothing about their look or feel that makes them obviously ‘running headphones’ or ‘workout earbuds’. They are not massive or ostentatiously ruggedised, and there are no hooks of any kind to keep them in place. Nor is the sound excessively bassy or pumpin’, as was practically always the case with workout buds of yore.
They sound excellent, in fact, with a forceful and exciting sonic character that is perfect for workout music of all kinds. The sound quality is also more than acceptable outside the gym; these are the only buds you’ll need. There’s ANC and ambient noise hear-through as well and, while they’re not quite out of the top drawer, both these invaluable sonic additions are excellent for the price.
When running or working out, the secret of the Elite 7 Active’s success is a coating that helps them ‘stick’ to the inside of your ear. It does this without actually feeling sticky, which would just be unpleasant. A bit of practice is needed to insert the Elite 7 Active correctly, but once mastered, they felt unlikely to go anywhere.
There’s IP57 protection from dust, sand, water and sweat. That absolutely trounces the other earbuds in this test. Battery life of eight hours is also very good indeed, and the battery case adds a further 22 hours to that, despite being extremely compact.
The only slightly irksome design element is that the volume and playback controls are placed on the earbuds in such a way that pressing them pushes the buds further into your ears. The upside to this is that the buttons are large but it’s not the most pleasant feeling. You can also activate Alexa (iOS and Android) or Google Assistant (Android only) with a press.
Jabra also provides the excellent Sound+ app. You don’t need to use this to operate the buds, but it does add an excellent graphic equaliser to tweak the audio to your liking and regular software updates to add new features. For instance, early 2022 will see the arrival of Bluetooth Multipoint, for seamless switching between two simultaneously connected devices.
With their multitude of features, compact size, lack of big ear hooks and app-powered future proofing, the Jabra Elite 7 Active will surely appeal to most. Champion buds.
They have an exciting sonic character that is perfect for workout music