reviews Jabra Elite 25e | The Wireless Earbuds Headphone

Offers a long battery life, but with rather stiff controllers

Hi there everyone,

Today i’m coming to you again today with a new review on the wireless headphones – the Jabra Elite 25e.


You may be looking for a new pair of in ear earbuds or simply the best Bluetooth earbuds on the market. I always say the best Bluetooth earbuds because I do think that Jabra are an exceptionally good brand.

Now for some reason to me the Bose brand of earbud just come across as a little bit fake. Now when I use this compelling term, it may seem that I joke but within i’m being quite honest.
The earbuds that I’m reviewing now come at a cost price that most people can afford, at $80.00, that’s not too much of a hike for me. The oval shaped tips are a second design to compare the round ear tips. For me they can be good, but what steals the cake is the longevity of the battery. It’s like it has unlimited hours on it.

If you were to ask me, what is the best wireless headphones ? I would quite happily respond, let’s find out!

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Features

Starting of with the design of the Jabra Elite 25e the plastic framing that wraps around your neck it is made of hard plastic but does have soft touch elements that can be felt. The bands are actually really stiff, so if you’re planning on training with these it can become uncomfy just because they tend to bounce on your neck. With soft bands it tends to act like a spring that sort of eats up that bounce ratio. The band is made of plastic with matte elements that does offer any bend. Now the plastic part of the band only goes around your neck. The extension wire with increase the speakers up to your ears. The design of the rubber ear tips are of the classic oval shape in which do not round off, for some people this can be better and for others not so liked depending on the shape of your ears. Being a Bluetooth design its high recommended against earpods with the cords. The Bluetooth device stops tangles and messy problems that can acquire in which corded devices cause. The classic oval shaped rubber earbuds are made by Eargels, a strong brand that makes rubber ear tips.

The first button is next to the left microphone that is the dedicated talk button. On the right hand side are a further 3 buttons to which control volume and pause play. Now the thing is with these buttons is they are a bit hard to push in because of that hard plastic framing we spoke about earlier. The battery is rechargeable Li-thion.

When pairing the Jabra Elite 25e there are popular available features. As you log into Jabra App You can be directed to an area that offers 4 menus on the screen, each reading something different to the other. The menu is Jabra Elite 25e, the second menu is message readout out, the third menu is find my Jabra, and the fourth menu is manuals. These features will allow you to read text messages and find your earbuds (most popular). Now this is within the Jabra app, so no matter what pair of Jabra earbuds you have, you can log in.

The battery has 18 hours of playback time which is long as, so to me that’s a total plus. Have the 18 hours of playback is where this piece of technical equipment takes off. That is a long period. To charge the earbuds there is a micro USB port within the plastic section that you plug the charger into and when they are charged the light will turn green.

Fitted with IP54 your in ear banded earbuds are protected from the forces of the wind. The wind can regularly carry tiny pieces of dust that will over time wreck your device. Because the device is protected with windproof technology you can run and train daily with no issues at all relating to weather.

Sound

The sound is good to that which when leveling up and down with mid to high range, the sounds are crisp and that which punchy when bass lined. At the highest level of volume there’s no distortion or inaccurate sounds that come through, and this is something that Jabra takes care with because they want their brand to be known as quality brand.

Tech specs

• Connections: Micro USB type B 2.0
• Width: 14.1cm
• Weight: 48 grams
• Operating distance: 10 metres
• Protection: IP 54 (wind protection)
• Bluetooth version: 4.1
• Connectivity: Bluetooth
• Profile: Handsfree
• Sound: Stereo
• Frequency: 20-20000 Hz
• Features: Voice guidance, voice control, vibrating call alert.
• Run time: 18 hours
• Stand by time: 528 hours
• Recharge time: 2 hours
• Controls: Volume control, answer, end, play, pause, next and previous tracks.
• Brand: Jabra

Overview

My overall opinion on the Jabra banded headphones are that they are a good portable listening device. I think all in all that everything works good together and it’s made to require the price.
They are meant for being dealt with and with the plastic band they are now even more durable.
They would be a great option for anything that’s dirty and work related.

How many people out there would be looking for a good earphone to pack to work with them? it’s not just about sitting at home and having the best pair of in ear earphones now is it.

But I can recommend these Jabra earbuds for more durable activities. Unlike other and more expensive earbuds, if you lose or break these you won’t have to face losing a lot of hard earned money.

So yes, bricklaying, roof tiling, if you work these hard working jobs and don’t want to listen to the outside world whilst you then here is a great robust package that offers a noise canceling piece of equipment.

Review Jabra Elite Active 65t Wireless Headphone | Mobile Accessories

Alongside being completely free from wires, the Jabra Elite Active 65t is also rated IP56 dust and water resistant. It also comes loaded with features and brings the promise of good audio and practicality to a segment that is still more gimmick than value-for-money.

Our Verdict

The Jabra Elite Active 65t is capable of delivering good audio performance and is packed with features like HearThrough, Google Assistant support, and more. Five hours of active playback time is as per standard, and barring the multi-pairing issue, the Elite Active 65t is an excellent overall package in this category. If you’re willing to make a big investment for wireless headphones and are willing to go the fully wireless way, the Jabra Elite 65t is the best that you can spend on at the moment. It is not really inexpensive at Rs. 14,999, which makes you wonder twice about buying them. That said, it ticks almost all the boxes that it promises to deliver, and that makes it a product worth keeping in your checklist.

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PROS

• Impressive, balanced audio performance
• Good clarity
• Truly wireless
• IP56 rated sweat and dust resistant
• The companion app is versatile

CONS

• Intermittent sibilance in upper-mids
• Weirdly difficult to open the case
• Multi-device connectivity issues

Jabra Elite Active 65t: Detailed Review

The Jabra Elite Active 65t aims at delivering good audio performance in the truly wireless headphones segment. While bound to become mainstream in future, this isn’t what the most prudent of us would invest in. The Elite Active 65t is priced at Rs. 14,999, and to justify its still-pretty-expensive price, Jabra has crammed in a bunch of features to make it more intuitive. Does that, then, make it one of the most impressive and innovative pair of wireless headphones you can buy, provided you are open to a bit of splurging?

Specifications
 
Impedance: 16 Ohm ±15% at 1kHz
Sound Pressure Level: 103 dB; SPL at 1kHz/1mW
Max power input: 8mW
Frequency range: 20Hz ~ 20KHz
Bluetooth: v5.0 

Audio Performance
 
The Jabra Elite Active 65t is not for those who prefer overpowering bass. The earphone is capable of delivering tight and clear bass, which is not overwhelming. This is reflected in Acid Rain by Lorn, in which when the intro breaks from electronica to thumping of the bass, the lows sound clean and prominent, even though there is a slight lack of thump. The lows are nicely detailed, but lacks a bit of depth owing to its drivers. As for segregation of the frequency range, the Jabra Elite Active 65t does well to avoid muddling of the upper lows and lower mids, or the upper mids and lower highs. 

However, there is a slight bias towards the brighter range of the auditory spectrum, because of which lower mids and certain sections sound attenuated. This happens particularly in tracks like Pull Me Under by Dream Theater and Enya’s Caribbean Blue. For example, in Pull Me Under, the soft electric guitar arpeggio that builds around the 2:38 mark isn’t as pronounced as it sounds in better (and admittedly more expensive) headphones by Ultimate Ears and Sony.

Stereo separation of audio is as it should be, but the soundstage could have been better on the Jabra Elite Active 65t. For instance, In Entangled by Lorn, the overall audio output of the headphones feels a tad narrow, and the intra-spacing of instruments is limited here. This has an adverse effect on genres like opera and jazz, in the sense that the sound is simply not as expansive as it would be in headphones with a better soundstage. As a result, there is a lack of flair and composure, particularly in tracks like Equinox by John Coltrane. In Bjork’s Hunter, the attenuated bass roll has a short stereo trajectory, which is characteristic to the Elite Active 65t. At this point (and this applies to a lot of tracks), extensive hours of listening does tend to make you feel a bit tired and makes the overall sound a bit too intense.

The mids are crisp, loud and impressively well-pronounced for a pair of earphones at this price bracket, although there is a perceivable case of intermittent sibilance. This is particularly evident in higher octaves of soprano and high-tenor voices like Michael Jackson and Axl Rose. For example, Guns ‘n Roses’ Welcome to the Jungle encounters the shrillness of sibilance prominently. However, this is intermittent and is mostly affected by high octave voices, since you would not experience the same in Adele’s Rolling in the Deep. The highs are a tad shrill, which makes hi-hat rolls rather annoying at times. For instance, in Michael Jackson’s Billie Jean, a large part of the song sounds a bit too shrill, with the pitch at the high frequencies being a bit askew. This, though, is us nitpicking. The arrangement of the highs, lows and mids come together fairly pleasantly, and hold good composure and balance through a majority of genres – taking rock, metal and Bollywood as the three most popular genres of music most people listen to. The solid lows are good for listening at home, although since these have been made for outdoor listening, they should have fared better. It is also this that makes the highs sound more pronounced than what they should be.

Taking into account what it’s worth, the Jabra Elite Active 65t is one of the rarest breeds of truly wireless earbuds that produce sound that would definitely please the discerning buyer. At this price point, the range of options for you includes the Apple AirPods, Bang & Olufsen’s Beoplay E8 and the Sony WF-1000X. Amid this competition, the Jabra Elite Active 65t delivers pleasant, measured audio that, while not having the most flourish and peppiness, offers good composure and brightness over most genres. It is also majorly free of distortions, and while it does have a few erratic flaws, it still makes for the best-sounding truly wireless headphones available in India right now.

Build and design
 
The Jabra Elite Active 65t is truly wireless and comes with its own carry case that doubles as its charger, as is the norm with these things. Even though the buds are made of plastic, both the charger and the earpieces are covered with a layer of silicone rubber to provide better grip. Since this is the ‘active’ variant of the Elite 65t, the added reinforcement truly ensures that the earpieces remain in place when you’re out jogging. The Active 65t is also IP56 dust- and water-resistant and it survived a few water splashes and a slight drizzle during our tests. The ingress protection, though, is mainly aimed at preventing accidental sweat damages.

Jabra ships the Elite Active 65t with a micro-USB cable and three varying sets of earbuds that it calls ‘EarGels’. You should be able to get a proper fit for the earpieces fairly easily, and in my experience, the earphones didn’t fall out even during strenuous activities. The fit, too, is fairly comfortable, and while you do remain aware of them, they don’t really intrude into your comfort. The passive sealing thanks to the earbuds is fairly good, which blocks out most ambient noise when you’re out. On overall terms, there’s really nothing to complain about here.

The microphone, despite the distance from your mouth, has been designed to pick up sound pretty well. What that translates to is clear calling performance, as long as your network would allow it. That said, it does become a spot of bother if you’re out in a market and making calls since the microphone is not unidirectional. Jabra, however, has clearly attempted to restrict the frequency response of the mic, which helps clean up incident audio by a reasonable margin.

I did accidentally drop the earphones and the charging case twice, but thankfully, neither has incurred any damage. The charging case is compact and easy to carry in your pocket. The opening of the case, though, is unnecessarily difficult and certainly hampers ergonomics. There is a small recess on the front of the case that looks like an easy-open ridge, but it’s not. It’s actually easier to open the case by supporting it with the thumb while lodging it in your palm and pulling the cap off. It is not an intuitive way, and this in turn risks in dislodging the earpieces from their housing, which is particularly hazardous when you’re in public transit.

Both earpieces have circular buttons on the back, which are responsive. The right button enables pairing, managing music playback and accepting/rejecting calls. The left earpiece has two buttons for controlling volume and skipping tracks, which are connected to a single circular disk. It’s difficult managing volume levels due to the button design as the earpiece is pushed further into the ear canal while doing so, and that is both uncomfortable and not ergonomic. Placing them on the top of the housing, as Bose did with its SoundSport Free earphones, or even on the bottom would have been a better usage choice.

Jabra Sound+ app and other features 
 
The Jabra Elite Active 65t connects with the Jabra Sound+ app, which adds to the device’s functionalities and provides over-the-air firmware updates. Setting up the app is easy and after pairing, you will see three main tabs on the bottom labelled Home, Device and Info. The Home tab has ‘Your Preference’, ‘Commute’, ‘Focus’ and ‘Active’ sub-menus, each of which is meant to tune the audio performance to presets, or ‘equalisers’. You can also manually set the equaliser, and even choose the amount of ambient noise allowed to enter via ‘HearThrough’.

Jabra’s HearThrough works exactly like Sony’s active pass filter on its new 1000X flagship headphone lineup. Double tapping on the right earbud enables it and amplifies ambient sound, which is particularly helpful when you need to pause music briefly to listen to your neighbour. You can choose the intensity of this from one to five, from within the app. Level five of HearThrough amplifies noise a bit too sharply, so we’d recommend avoiding it as long as you can.

The Jabra Elite Active 65t can handle two active connections between devices at any point in time. 
That said, while it does work, there are intermittent connectivity errors. In the dual-pairing mode, connectivity kept dropping, and you may also need to restart the earphones as the switching just doesn’t happen seamlessly. This is possibly an issue with how the headphones manage the connectivity switching and should be fixed in an OTA update soon.

Keeping the right earpiece’s button pressed for a second brings up the Google Assistant. The dedicated smart assistant button is becoming increasingly common now and it’s a good feature to have. I used it primarily for setting reminders and alarms, placing calls and listening to the news. There were no issues using the feature but there is also an option to use it with Siri when the device is connected to an iPhone. One can also switch to Alexa on an Android device, but only from within the Jabra Sound+ app. 

Battery life
 
Jabra claims that the earphones can deliver up to 5 hours of continuous audio playback. This is true when the audio level is set to 50 percent but crank the volume up to 70 percent and the battery decreases to four and a half hours of active playback time. This is about the same as what other products in its category provide, and you will need to charge it once every two days unless you’re careful about switching it off and not multi-pairing it with devices. The charging case is capable of topping up the earphone twice from nil charge, which comes in handy when you’re on the move. Charging the case itself with the earbuds inside takes about one and a half hours, with a 2A fast charger. Jabra could have cut-down on the charging time by using a USB Type-C port, instead of micro USB. In an effort to save additional battery and prolong usage, the earphones automatically pause audio playback when either one of the earpieces is taken out of the ear. It’s resumed when it’s popped back into the ear. 

Bottomline
 
The Jabra elite active 65t deliver good audio performance and brings various useful features while being a newcomer in the truly wireless earphone segment. While some may find the Rs 14,999 price tag a bit too much, we think that it’s justified considering the limited choices one has when selecting from completely wireless earphones. Additionally, given that almost all the truly wireless earphones available today from reputable brands carry more or less the same price tag at the Jabra, makes for a great value for money proposition.