Welcome to The Run Testers. In this video we’re talking about running headphones. Specifically The Run Testers’ Award-winning Jabra Elite 8 Active. If you want to know why we crowned these the best running headphones launched this year you need to hit play. We’re going to tell you hat makes these a brilliant option for soundtracking your runs. Let’s get into the Jabra Elite 8 Active review …
JUMP STRAIGHT IN:
0:00 – Intro
0:21 – Specs, design & what you need to know
2:35 – Battery life
3:38 – Fit
5:45 – Controls
7:52 – Sound, ANC and Hearthru
13:58 – Verdict
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Best running headphones: Jabra Elite 8 Active alternatives
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Welcome to the Run testers and in this Video we are talking about running Headphones specifically the Run testers Award-winning Jabra Elite 8 active if You want to know why we crowned these The best running headphones launched This year you need to watch on over the Next few minutes we're going to tell you What makes these a brilliant option for Soundtracking your run so let's get into [Music] It now we've been patiently waiting on An update to the jabber Elite 7 active And now that it's here we're not that Surprised that jabber is stuck with much Of the design DNA that you find there You're getting the same Wing free light And compact buds that sit snug in the Ears and rely on a shake grip liquid Silicon compound coating for hold the Idea here is that when that silicone Gets wetter it gets grippier so sweat Doesn't affect it the buds weighing it Is 5 G or 0.2 o the charging case is a Shade bigger but it's still Compact and Running belt friendly weighing in at 46.4 G or 1.6 o on paper the battery Life on the buds is 8 hours withc on That rises to 14 hours without there's a Further 24 hours ofc charge in the case Or up to 56 if you use them withc off That nonc runtime is higher than we had On the elite 7 active so that's an Upgrade speaking ofc there's adaptive
ANC that automatically adjusts to the World around and Jabra says it's up to 1.6 times more powerful than the hybrid ANC youve got on the elite 7 active There's also wind neutralizing here Through awareness mode and a total of Six mics to try and guarantee good core Quality when it comes to durability Jabra says these are the toughest it's Ever made the buds are ip68 rated so They can be submerged up to 1.5 M rinsed Underwater get splashed during water Sport soaked on a rainy day they're also Dust proof and they're military tested To mil STD 810h the case is also ip54 rated so That's dust protected and splash proof Good news if you want to carry it with You on a run the sound is powered by six Mil speakers with Dolby spatial sound Customizable music EQ and music EQ Presets in the partner app other clever Tricks here include Spotify tap for Launching your most recent Spotify play Track with a single tap find my buds for Locating misplaced headphones rapid Charge that earns you an hour's run time For 5 minutes on the plug the Connectivity has been approved too with Bluetooth 5.3 multipoint so you can now Connect to two devices simultaneously And switch from laptop to phone without Having to reconnect you can also pair up To 10 devices on price de jaab Elite
Active have jumped up a chunk they cost £199.99 $199 99 that's £30 more Expensive or a $20 leap over the active Elite 7 active Elite 7 actives you know What I [Music] Mean so first up let's talk about Battery life well we all agreed that the Staying power that you get with thec off On these buds is pretty amazing for such Small compact buds with volume up andc On Nick got through the battery slightly Quicker than the listed runtime he Tracked for sort of 7 hours rather than 8 hours runtime in Mike's ANC tests he Burned 25% sent for 1 hour of running Withc on which indicates a smaller Overall battery life than listed in my Tests I found 90 minutes of running Withc on burned around 20% and hours run Withc off burned around 10% and that's With volume up pretty high on both so That's also slightly short of the listed Run times however regular topups with a Quick charge feature really alleviates The need to charge fully and when you Factor in the case most Runners are Likely to be able to get through a month Running an hour a day or so on a single Charge or with at least kind of minimal Rapid charging the other good news these Headphones will cope with marathons Easily and single day Ultras with the Case if you're running for over 12
[Music] Hours so fit for me the Elite 8 active Has been very very good now I am a Long-term user of the elite 7x I still Use them I've raced with them I kind of Switch between these and the Apple Airpods Pro 2 there's terms of my Everyday headphones I also use for Running and it still uses that kind of Shake fit grip design so doesn't use Wing tips ear hooks and I think in terms Of the sports airbuds that I've used That don't use any kind of tips or ear Hooks this is the most secure feeling Buds that I've used and you know not Just for running I've kind of used it For other activities when I've been in The gym and done other workouts but for Running it's been very very solid I've Had no issues in terms of that fit so For me from a fit point of view very Similar to the elite 7 active similar Approach and I think that approach works Really really well and has done for me So the fit of the Elite 8 active has Been really good As it always is with jabra's headphones Like I do struggle with in ear buds that Don't have wings or hooks or anything They tend to squirm loose for me on the Run but not jabas they just Nestle in Nicely into my ears they fit really Closely they don't move around on the Run even when I get really sweaty and
That's been the case with the elite a Active they have the shake grip coating Which is a little Improvement on fit on The all plastic design or something like The Elite 4 Active although those also Fit me very well and yeah it's great It's very comfortable to use for several Hours come back from the run and I can Use for a couple hours in the office no Concerns at all and the fact they don't Have a wing means that they are quite Comfortable to use for extended periods As well so although I know it won't work For everyone not having a wing on there I will say these are the only INE buds Really that I can wear without a wing And have them sit comfortably and Securely throughout my runs when it Comes to fit in headphones tend to be Okay me and I find the jabas fit nice And reliable 99% of the time Occasionally I have to fiddle a bit but Once I start moving to ensure I get them More firmly in place but I think the fit Really benefits from how light and Compact the buds are there's no tugging Like you can get with bulky buds that Sort of sometimes when you're running They will pull out running flat any Pace Was fine for me however I wouldn't 100% Back them to stay put on anything like a Big steep sort of impacted descent and Downhills where you're bashing your [Music]
Heels so in terms of controls Jabra Hasn't really changed anything on that Front but I don't necessarily think that Is a bad thing because I think in terms Of what they delivered on the elite 7 Active I think are some of the best Examples of physical controls that you Can get on a pair of sports airbuds They're very discreetly hidden away you Kind of press double press you can hold Them to adjust volume and I think that's A really kind of nice feature that I Find I regularly use and I think it's Not very well executed on a lot of Headphones but I think in terms of Jabra's approach it's very very good and As we always kind of say physical Control is always a way to go for Running and in terms of using these on The Move whether you're running kind of Steady Pace or you're running a bit Quicker I think the physical controls on The jabber Elite 8 active are very very Good just like they were on the elite 7 Active too controls another big tick Here for Jabra it got a physical button Uh that means it's a very easy to know When you have hit it but also means you Very rarely AC well you can't Accidentally set it off so with other Buds if I'm nudging them into position Or something like that I'll often set Off a touch panel and things like the Beats fit Pro for example which have
Quite a sensitive button and touch Panels in general there a bit more hit And miss the buttons on these work Really easily I can use them on the run Without you know too many problems like Holding down for volume is not easy to Do on the run but for the most part you Can use on the run and they have an off Button which I find really useful like I Don't know why more trly Wireless bus Don't have this you you usually have to Put them in the case to turn off Headphones but these have an off button So that means for example at the start Of a big race I can stash their case in My bag and go to the backdrop turn the Headphones off and put them in my pocket And then they're good to go when I Actually start running preserves a bit Of battery life means that your music Isn't playing through headphones in your Pocket that kind of thing it's not a Huge deal but yeah I really like the Controls on the jabas they're really Easy to use and very well done on Controls I don't tend to fiddle with my Headphones that much once I'm running I Usually stick on a playlist pop the buds In and then just run maybe control it With my watch or a phone but the Controls when you need them with the El A actives are nice and simple and I Think the presses are nicely responsive You don't have to jab too much which
Kind of presents some falling out I also Like the fact you can customize many of The controls in the app and the single Tap Spotify feature that automatically Plays your most recent track is also a Really welcome touch if you use [Music] Spotify so in terms of the overall sound Quality I would say pretty much ident Called to the jabber Elite 7 active it's Something that's nice and bright I think There's a good amount of power there You're getting a good level of Base you Know there's a nice warmth there to the Overall sounds a good Sound Stage and You can get something a little bit more Finesse once you kind of tap into those Kind of EQ modes that you have in the Jabro companion app so I think if you Were looking for something that's wholly Different from what we got on the elite 7 active I think it's pretty much Identical I don't think jab br's Chang a Massive amount in terms of the overall Sound profile I think there are some Changes in some kind of audio areas but From kind of pure kind of sound profile For most music for podcasts I think it's Generally the same as what we've seen Before so sound quality on the elite Active is good like it's certainly an Improvement on what I've seen from Jabra Before across all their Sports Headphones this is the best sounding set
Of jabas I've used got the Dolby um Atmos in there which I've used of Apple Music and it does add a nice amount of Depth to really all genres of music Today I was listening to a nice range of Like folky stuff like Laura Marling and Then something more bass heavy uh music Like Grimes and it all sounds really Quite good with these headphones got the EQ in the app you can set some presets In there and use your own ones I don't Think I've really come across headphones For under2 200 that sound better than This in terms of Sports headphones like You can upgrade on sound like I've also Been testing out the airpods 2 recently And the Bose Quite Comfort earbuds 2 They both do sound better I think you Get a bit more depth more clarity with Those headphones than the jabas but they Do cost a lot more so it's a trade-off There and I think for the package you Get here the sound quality is really Good like I said I don't think there's a Lot of stuff that sounds better I think I prefer the sound on these slightly to The Beats fit Pro for example which are Around the same price Al They also sound Really very good and it is an upgrade And what you get further down jabra's Range which is important because picking Between jabber headphones is going to be Quite difficult as we come to in the Verdict now on sound I'm not an audio
File and I'm quite easily satisfied when It comes to overall sort of sound Profiles I Like it Loud Rich basically With plenty of energy and I think the Jabber Elite 8 active tip those boxes There's good depth to the sound it's Full it's Rich it's got a decent amount Of subtlety to it for songs that aren't Big and Bassy European dance music I Listen to at least for my simple years Anyway that's the way it is it's got Great top volume plenty of base if you Want it there's no Distortion at the top Levels and I love the fact you can click Between uh presets or create your own Custom sound profile for different Settings in the app the other thing I Noticed was that the call quality Particularly On The Run was good I don't Often take calls while running running Is my way of getting away from the world But sometimes when I'm doing longer Ultras when I'm really struggling and I Need a lift at certain points I'll call Someone in my family just to hear a Friendly voice to help cut of pass a few Moments even even a few minutes of chat Can be a huge boost now with some Headphones the people on the other end Struggle to hear me but all the people I Tested this with said I came across loud And clear with no cutouts and Importantly no wind interference so when We delve into all things ANC and
Awareness modes now I am the kind of Runner that likes to block out the world So I do usec a lot now in terms of my Experience using the elite 7 active and Thatc mode I would say that level of ANC Is probably you know kind of middle of The road in terms of performance you Know not up there with things like apple I think Sony and Bose which I think you Know those top airbuds that they have Forc are the best I think it was Probably a little bit below that I think With the jabos you're getting of the Adaptive ANC which adapts the active Noise cancellation based environment Something we've seen on the latest Generation airpods Pro 2 and then also Jabra is claiming that there is a Stronger overall ANC performance and it Is something that I have noticed in Terms of my experience I do think it is A bit of a step up I do still think it Sits a little bit below those top endc Airbuds but in terms of what we've got From the a active compared to the seven Active that definitely does feel Particularly when I've kind of been Running near kind of bus roads when I Have been kind of using them in the gym As well the a performance definitely Feels notably a lot better in terms of What I've experienced now I don't use The awareness mode massively but I think If you uh do kind of jump into that
Companion app and you make sure you Balance out how well that awareness um Works or how it setup then I do think You can get a very good experience Ultimately for me it's really about thec Performance and for me is better than What we got on the elite 7 active and It's something that I was looking for From the new version and you know I'm Kind of glad that we have seen Improvements from Jabra on that front The active noise cancellation uh has Improved with the Jabra Elite active Compared to previous models like Jabra Says it's 1.6 times as good but I mean In terms of more real world terms it's Very noticeable for me I was testing Them both on the tube that you're Getting a bit more sound filtered out With the new headphones the Adaptive ANC Is a bit weird like it does work it Changed a little bit but occasionally if You're using it you get a blast of noise Where it's shifted a bit thec and hasn't Really worked out exactly where it wants To be but does work very well when You're traveling for sure it's a good ANC mode now again like with the sound It's not quite as good as you'll get on The more expensive headphones the Airpods Pro 2 and the Bose Quite Comfort A 2 have even better ANC it's really Amazing how much it filters out but the Jbas is now good and certainly better
Than we had before on the elite 7 active I also think the here3 mode is really Well done on these in that doesn't Really bring in a lot of wind when You're running it's the same with thec Actually like Jabra has worked out a Good filter for wind noise that means You can go and run with these or cycle With these and you're not just getting Because of the way the external mic is Picking things up out there so yeah a Tick onc and awareness you can get Better ANC and awareness by spending More but I don't think you're really Going to find anything that's a lot Better than this for its price now I'm Not a massive user ofc but thec on the Elite 8 actives has notably improved I Use it most in shared working space and Cafes rather than running and it's Pretty effective for filtering out the General hubub it works well on public Transport too it's not the best ANC I've Tested and I think the airpods pro Probably still top it but it's good Considering the price of these buds the Hearr mode has also kicked on with much Improved wind filtering when you're Running and again I might be old school But I don't use this a lot if I want to Hear more stuff around me I'll just turn The volume down so I can hear more of What's going on around me and be Connected but if you're a user of
Awareness modes this is now pretty Good The Elite 8 active are the best jabas I've ever tested for sports and for the Most part I tend to think the best Headphones on the market for sports are Jabra headphones just because they are Really well balanced you get a lot of Good features good value good fit Without wings and it all acts up to a Really good package and I think the Elite active are excellent at their Price not any PA of headphones better Than them you can spend a bit more if You want slightly better lifestyle Crossover headphones things like the Airpods pro or you can spend a lot less And still get very good headphones and That's the other thing to talk about Here with these headphones like Jabra Own range is so full of headphones like Got the Elite 4 Active hereit now the Elite 4 Active are not as good as the Elite 8 active like they fit is good but Not quite as good the sound on NC are Good but not as good as on the elite Active the battery life is not as good As on the newer headphones but it's an 80 lb price difference the elite cor a Bit older sometimes still open sales I'm Still very happy using these on runs so You know it's a case of do you want to Spend the extra £80 or $80 to get the Elite A8 active if you're really into
Good sound quality and use a andc a lot Then it would be worth the upgrade but I Think if you're just looking for a good Set of headphones to workout and general Use the Elite 4 Active still do tick Back box for a lot less there are the Headphones that will do that as well Obviously and if you want a more secure Fit there are other options certainly You can get headphones with an ear hook Like the jlab Epic Air a lot cheaper There're pretty solid ear hook Headphones you can look at the Beats fit Pro if you want a wing although I do Find that Wing quite uncomfortable Myself but the Beats fit Pro I think Match up pretty well for the jbas across The board in terms of things like sound And awareness maybe thez is a bit better On the jabas but the beats do have a Hook that does make them that little bit More secure but yeah all in all I think They're really good headphones like Temptation would be to get a cheaper set Of the jabas cuz they are quite similar Across the range but these are the best Jabos and I would get them if you were Looking for the best ones and then the Other temptation is to look at spending A little bit more to get an even bigger Upgrade on sound and active noise Cancellation with things like the Airpods pro and the Bose QC airpods 2 But those are more lifestyle headphones
These are very good in the way they work For sports and I will say that even if Other inia headphones don't work for you These might because I don't really get On with in ear headphones but the jabas Do sit very securely on my ears when Running but they might not so you might Still have to look at a winged pair or a Pair of an ear hook but all in all I Think these are excellent headphones and Yeah I don't really have a bad word to Say about them it's just that there Might be some compelling better value Options within jabra's range to look at So my verdict on the Jabra Elite 8 Active are these are some of the best or Probably the best new truly W airbuds That I've used for running this year now There hasn't been a lot that's launched This year but in terms of what's Impressed me these are definitely up Were terms of the best that I've used I Think in terms of ticking those key Boxes of you know offering a really Secure fit I think in terms of well Integrated Controls overall Sound Performance battery life this kind of Improvement in terms ofc and also Improvement in terms of the overall Durability of the Design absolutely I think you know the Jab A8 active tick all those key boxes As I said are they an essential upgrade From the elite 7 active I think unless
You want a little bit of a step up Inc You want that more durable design those Are ultimately the things you are Gaining so you know it's not a huge Upgrade on the elite 7 active I think if You can pick those up then I think you Know they're absolutely worth going for Also it's worth mentioning the Elite 4 Active which we absolutely love you know It's not a massive difference from what You got in the elite 7 active with those Bus slightly different in terms of the Design you know it's not quite the same Kind of shake fit grip design But Ultimately if you can pick those up as Well those offer really solid Performance as well too but I think for Me The upgrading kind of thec which is Something that I do use a lot and you Know maintaining all those good things That we got the elite 7 active make These a stand out pair of airbuds I kind Of class them as those kind of airbuds Those kind of everyday airbuds a little Bit of the Apple airpods Pro 2 where you Can wear them all day we also use them From runs and you know if you can get That fit to work you and I think most People will then you know you do get Something that delivers on those kind of Those key eras ultimately they aren't Cheap ultimately but I think if you are Win to spend that kind of money and
You're looking for those that kind of All round kind of airbud that kind of Delivers across the board then these Absolutely can do that so for me I've Loved using them are they essential Upgrade from the elite 7 active not Necessarily but I do like the fact that It has that Improvement in terms of thec And the durability design as well which When you look at the fact that jbed V 2 Airbuds that we have really liked but Ultimate Logitech who make them or you Know and jbird are going to phase these Out so there is room for another pair of Airbuds to take its place and I think Ultimately these are good airbuds to Kind of replace those kind of more Durable jbed Vista 2os we also give you That fit sound quality battery life and Everything you'd want from a pair of Truly welled airbuds that you can use For your runs verdict to me then well I'm a fan of jabra's running headphones They tend to offer good quality and good Value and I think the activate builds Nicely on what we've seen before you get A solid fit for in ears thanks to that Nice compact design they're well built With good durability including the case The sound for me is right up there with Everything that I need it's got clear Rich deep and nuanced audio that's easy To tweak and tune to get the personal Sound profiles that you might like or
Prefer the controls I find simple and Easy to use the battery life is Competitive with plenty enough on the Buds for a marathon and an ultra Friendly total runtime when you factor In what's in the case as well this case By the way is nice and compact running Belt friendly there's a comprehensive Suite of additional features too with ANC he through my buds I love the Simultaneous connections that make it Really easy to switch between a phone And laptop if you come back from a run Jumping onto a work or vice versa Basically the Jabra Elite 8 active offer A fantastic all round package I think For just under200 or [Music] $200 so there you have it that's been Our review of the Jabra Elite 8 active I Hope it's been useful as ever hit us up In the comments if you have any Questions don't forget to like And Subscribe and ring the bell to get Alerts for when our latest videos go Live otherwise thanks for watching and Good luck with all your running out There whatever it is that you're trying To achieve go and get it