Jabra released it’s latest generation of true wireless earbuds and we have both in for testing. The Jabra Elite 10 is the flagship, complete with customizable spatial audio and top-tier ANC. The Jabra Elite 8 Active is military standard tested to be the most durable pair of ANC earbuds on the market. At $249.99 and $199.99 respectively, do these buds offer enough to put Jabra back on top? Find out in this review!
Specifications
Jabra’s Next Generation
Jabra has been one of the premiere names in true wireless earbuds for generations. The Elite 65T were the first name-brand pair I had ever owned, in fact, and were trendsetters in a major way. Over the years, the company has kept up with a regular cadence of releases but as the market has gotten more competitive, they lost some of their trend-setting swagger and fell more in line with the masses. The Elite 10 and Elite 8 Active aim to put the brand back on the top and — spoiler alert — do a good job of achieving that.
Both pairs of buds have a lot in common, but there are some core differences you need to know about. For starters, the Elite 10 is the flagship model. It boasts the best ANC, best drivers, and highest price, coming in at $249.99. For many users, the Elite 8 Active may actually be the better fit, however. Designed with exercise in mind, these earbuds are as rugged as they come. They’re waterproof up to 1.5 meters (IPX8), dustproof, has a splash and dust resistant case, and come with Jabra’s ShakeGrip coating which keeps them locked in your ear, even without earhooks. They also offer better battery life and the company’s second-highest level of active noise cancelation, and retail for $199.99.
Internally, the buds both use dynamic drivers. The Elite 10’s driver is larger at 10mm while the Elite 8 Active is slightly smaller at 6mm. Both cover a full 20Hz to 20,000Hz frequency range and offer a very full-bodied, lively sound that is more balanced than prior models out of the box. The sound is customizable using an in-app EQ, though, and the buds respond well to personal tweaks without distorting or sounding “forced.” You can dial both sets in to your preference within just a few seconds.
Both buds also support Dolby audio, though the Elite 10 takes it up a notch with true Dolby Atmos and head tracking. Enabling Dolby on either set increases the sense of space in your listening outside the bounds of what’s typical with true wireless earbuds, so is worth trying. The spatial audio on the Elite 10 is definitely a step above the Elite 8 Active in this regard. Its head-tracking tech is genuinely neat, if not completely unique, as it works with any content and isn’t locked to specially curated tracks.
With that said, whether or not spatial audio and head tracking are worth it to you could be a deciding factor between these two. Both sound great, in my opinion. Head-tracking, while fun, isn’t something I used very often outside of testing as I usually listen on the go and prefer a more traditionally spacious audio experience. Whether it’s worth paying extra for is a matter of personal preference.
Both sets feature active noise cancellation, though the level is different between the two. The Elite 10 features Jabra Advanced ANC, which it rates as being twice as strong as the traditional ANC used on its older models. The noise cancellation scans the environment, as well as inside your ear, and responds with cancellation frequencies. The level of cancellation is close to that of Bose and right alongside Sony. It’s especially effective against low frequency noise but does a good job with middle and higher frequencies as well, making it a good fit for more than pure commuting if you need to silence the world and focus.
The Elite 8 Active, on the other hand, uses Adaptive ANC. This ANC algorithm also utilizes noise inside and outside the ear but is theoretically less effective overall. Jabra rates it at 1.6x the strength of its base-level active noise cancellation. I say theoretically, however, because the fit of the Active can actually make up the difference between the two models. I found that they actually fit a bit better and created a stronger seal so blocked more noise than the Elite 10s. I would suggest not letting the multipliers and company ratings dissuade you if you prefer one over the other in other ways.
The mics on both of these sets also come into play with call quality. The mics filter received sound through a noise-canceling algorithm that discerns your voice from the environment and silences surround noise. It does a remarkably good job but I found that I sounded a bit nasally and thin. Callers could still hear me fine, but overall clarity takes a back seat to environmental noise cancelling.
The Elite 10 and Elite 8 Active also feature the gamut of flagship features you would expect at this price point, and each works well. They support multipoint connectivity with easy and fast pairing and switching between sources. They feature wear sensors to automatically play and pause music when you take out and replace the earbuds. They feature fast charging where five minutes in the case will return up to an hour of listening. The case also supports wireless charging. If there’s a flagship feature you can think of, there’s a good change these buds have it.
Both sets also use the same physical button for control. The face of each bud has an integrated button that can be single, double, or triple-tapped for media, call, and noise controls. It’s very intuitive and easy to learn. You can also customize these settings, as well as a number of others (including EQ) within the Jabra Sound+ app.
The app is integral to the experience of both sets of buds, and I would encourage you to download it to customize your settings at least once. There are several EQ presets to choose from as well as a 5-band customizable EQ. You can adjust a number of other settings, as well, including integrating the buds with Spotify. Jabra also includes a collection of soundscapes to help you focus. I especially enjoyed the Perfect Storm ‘scape for focusing during work.
Differences, Fit, and Sound Quality
While the two sets share a lot in common, there are some big differences between the two. The Elite 8 Active is much more resilient, as is its case. The buds are IP68-rated, which makes them virtually indestructible by the elements. You shouldn’t dive with them, but they’re pool-safe to 3.5 meters and can withstand enough dust to run a dusty track and roll around in the grass. The case is IP54 rated, safe from more limited dust and sprays of water from all sides. That the case is IP-rated at all is unique and impressive.
By contrast, the Elite 10 is made for lighter activity. The buds are IP57-rated, which means they’re safe against limited amounts of dust and submersion in water up to a single meter. The case has a matching IP54 rating to the Elite 8 Active. Realistically, either set is just fine for normal exercise and the rigors of daily life, but the Active model is significantly more resilient overall.
There’s also a big difference in how these buds fit. Both are comfortable, but the Elite 8 Active have a longer nozzles that allow the ear tips to reach further into the ear. The Elite 10 snugs up against the ear canal but mostly rests on the outer ear. The Elite 8 Active also uses ShakeGrip (liquid silicone) coating that prevents it from easily moving on its own. Both buds are very comfortable and low profile, but the Active is noticeably more solid in the ear. Since neither moves very much, this is again a matter of preference rather than necessity, even if you plan to use them for exercise.
One surprising difference comes with battery life. The Elite 10s are rated for eight hours of listening with another 28 hours provided by the charging case for 36 hours total. With ANC enabled, this drops to six hours of listening and 27 hours altogether. The Elite 8 Active, on the other hand, offers up to 15 hours of listening time with ANC off and a total of 56 hours when combined with the case; eight hours of listening and 32 altogether with ANC.
The battery life on both sets is great when combined with the charging case, but the Elite 8 Active is downright remarkable. Not only is it substantially higher than the flagship model but even with ANC, eight hours and 32 hours is excellent playtime.
The listening experience on both is very good, but there are some slight differences between the two. As I described previously, the Elite 8 Active has a 6mm driver while the Elite 10 uses a larger 10mm. Both are tuned to deliver a bassy sound signature that reaches low. Jabra has clearly put time into refining its house sound because I found both models delivered brighter mids and highs, so vocals and details in the music popped more. I would describe each as very mainstream-friendly for pop, rock, hip-hop, and dance, but the clarity and detail here are the best I’ve heard yet from Jabra.
Between the two, though, the Elite 10 has a clearly more refined sound. The Elite 8 leans much more into the low end and has more bite throughout the range. It makes sense. These are buds you’ll be wearing when you need to be pumped up, surrounding by a lot of exterior noise, and pushing yourself beyond your limits. The Elite 10, on the other hand, trades more directly on its sound quality. The bass is more subdued than the Active, the mids and highs a bit more energetic. There’s a greater sense of space (even without Atmos), and a better sense of vocalists being front and center with a natural timbre.
With that in mind, I actually found them to be a bit too bright — not something I even would have expected from Jabra. I listen to a lot of rock, metal, and progressive instrumental music (in addition to folk, classical, ambient, and more besides). On these tracks, the cymbals were a bit too splashy, so I toned them down in the EQ. Now, they’re just about perfect for my tastes.
Compared to my Bose and Sony flagships, I find that I prefer this tuned sound the most out of the three, and it’s thanks to the efficiency of the app. Equalizers can be a real mixed bag in how well they work for true wireless earbuds but this one does the trick exceptionally well. Because of that, the stock sound is less important than it would be on competing earbuds. If you don’t like something, it’s easy to change and saves directly to the earbuds. A theme throughout the app is personalization — and it fits. These buds are exceptionally personalizable.
Final Thoughts
The Jabra Elite 10 and Elite 8 Active are a return to form for Jabra and an excellent pair of true wireless earbuds to consider for your holiday shopping lists. They sounds great, fit great, and have excellent active noise cancellation. Even though the Elite 10 is ostensibly the flagship, both models stand shoulder to shoulder offering different features for different needs, so you don’t have to worry about making the wrong choice with either pair. Both are great in their own way.
The product described in this article was provided by the manufacturer for evaluation purposes. Some articles may contain affiliate links and purchases made through this will result in a small commission for the site. Commissions are not directed to the author or related to compensation in any way.
