Jabra Elite 7 Active Review TL; DR: If you think Jabra’s running headphones are better than the Elite Active 75t, think again. Elite 7 Active offers an ultra-personalized listening experience, long battery life and ANC all in a lightweight body.
Jabra The best running headphones Brand, it’s no wonder we rated it Jabra Elite Active 75t When I first reviewed it two years ago, I got 5 stars. Since then, Jabra has released new workout buds such as the Elite 7 Active that are the subject of this review.
The Jabra Elite 7 Active Headphones is an updated version of the Elite Active 75t that offers longer battery life, faster fast charging, preset equalizer settings in the Jabra Sound + app, more microphones, and personalized active noise cancellation. The size of the bud is also smaller, and it fits well even for people with small ears.
But is it worth the update, or should I get the cheaper Elite Active 75t instead? Let’s check.
Jabra Elite 7 Active Review – Price and Availability
Jabra Elite 7 Active can be purchased directly now. Jabra US (Opens in a new tab), Jabra UK (Opens in a new tab) When Jabra AU (Opens in a new tab) The suggested retail price is $ 179/169/279 AUD. The buds are available in three colors: black, mint and navy blue.
You can consider opt-in as a cheaper alternative Jabra Elite4 Active (Opens in a new tab) Wireless headphones with ANC, HearThrough, very good battery life, Bluetooth 5.2 and more.
Of course you can still choose to buy Jabra Elite Active 75t (Opens in a new tab) (Retailer link) cannot be purchased from Jabra, at least at the time of writing. Third-party retailers still have these buds in stock, but miss out on benefits such as Jabra’s 100-day free returns and free delivery (the latter depends on the retailer).
(Image credit: Matt Kollat / T3)
Jabra Elite 7 Active Review – Design and Fit
Jabra created the Elite 7 Active by improving the shape of the buds on the Elite Active 75t. Elite 7 Active is small and features a new coating technology called Shake Grip, which is said to improve grip without the need for a wing tip. This “special liquid silicone rubber” is soft to the touch and comfortable to wear for a long time. Thanks to the sleek shape of the bud itself, the Jabra Elite 7 Active fits better in your ear than any other compact workout bud.
Even better, the Jabra Sounds + app has a feature called MyFit that allows you to check the fit of your buds. Put your headphones on your ears, run the test, and the app will tell you if it fits well. The Beats Fit Pro Has similar features, and to be honest, it’s the most user-friendly in-ear headphones ever. Previously, it was impossible to determine which eartip was best for your ear. No need to guess anymore!
Apart from ShakeGrip and MyFit, the Jabra Elite 7 Active popped out of my ears the first time I ran. It was like a cork popping out of a Prosecco bottle. As I was preparing to run, the bud on the left jumped out onto the road. Of course, this made me a little more aware of the fit, and I’m sure it wouldn’t have happened if the buds had a wing tip.
It turned out that when the buds (and my ears) warmed up a little, they fit better. Maybe the ShakeGrip coat works well with a little warmth. I couldn’t find any evidence of this online, and the popping headphone phenomenon could be the result of my apparently non-standard ear canal. Do you know?
(Image credit: Matt Kollat / T3)
Jabra Elite 7 Active Review – Battery Life
The battery life of the Jabra Elite 7 Active is very good. The bud can play music uninterrupted for up to 8 hours. In addition, there is an additional 22 hours of juice in the case of regret. In addition, quick charging is also possible. It can be played for 1 hour with a quick charge of 5 minutes.
If you leave the headphones charged for a little longer (30 minutes), they will be charged 50%. It takes 150 minutes to charge the Jabra Elite 7 Active from 0 to 100%, but it doesn’t always have to be fully charged. Probably once a week.
The case has a USB-C charging port (cable included in the box) and the wireless charger is not included in the box, but it can also be charged wirelessly.
(Image credit: Matt Kollat / T3)
Jabra Elite 7 Active Review – Sound Quality
Jabra Elite 7 Active does its best to provide a personalized sound experience. These running headphones can not only tune the sound to your hearing through the MySound feature, but also tune your ANC to your hearing.
The Jabra Elite 7 Active’s ANC has been criticized for not being powerful enough to filter out external sounds, but in my experience it’s more than enough. There are two things you need to do to ensure that Elite 7 Active provides a great ANC experience. The ANC personalization test should be run in a noisy environment and the buds should fit properly.
If these conditions are met, the Jabra Elite 7 Active’s ANC performance will be excellent. The ANC level can be adjusted with the Sound + app if you want a little more noise. Alternatively, you can use the Hear Through transmission mode, where the bud picks up and supplies external noise using a microphone. Don’t expect bone conduction headphone level ambient noise as this is not a natural sound. However, it’s more than enough for most purposes.
Personalized sounds also help you listen to music better. By adjusting the soundscape to your hearing, you can hear music and podcasts more clearly with Elite7Active. There are 6 music presets to choose from in the app. My favorite is the smooth option. These can be further adjusted to your liking.
Needless to say, thanks to these sound adjustments, the sound from the Jabra Elite 7 Active is far from natural, but I don’t think anyone will use them to listen to music on high-end HiFi. setting. For training and listening to music in general, Elite 7 Active is as good and personal as you can get it.
(Image credit: Matt Kollat / T3)
Jabra Elite 7 Active Review – Workout Performance
I mentioned this section briefly earlier, but this is a slightly expanded version.
After a few runs, I took the buds, put the Jabra Elite 7 Active on my ears, and rode an electric scooter. For both purposes, the buds worked well, apart from the first pop-out accident. It’s not perfect, but it’s good enough considering the lack of earhooks and stips.
ShakeGrip coat is not the ultimate solution, at least in its current form, but it helps keep the buds in place. When it comes to HIIT style training … I would probably choose another model Beats Powerbeats Pro Or cheaper Skullcandy Push Active (Opens in a new tab) (Retailer link). Regardless of fit and coating, the Jabra Elite 7 Active isn’t perfect for strenuous head movements.
Again, the fit is very personal, and if you have a Jabra Elite 7 Active bud-shaped ear canal, you can shake your head until you have a concussion and the buds will remain. increase. place. On the plus side, the Elite 7 Active is lightweight and weighs only 5.5g / 0.2oz. Also, because it is smaller than the elite 75t, it can be kept in better condition.
Finally, the Jabra Elite 7 Active is IP57 waterproof and sweatproof, making it one of the best on the market today.
(Image credit: Matt Kollat / T3)
Jabra Elite 7 Active Review – Verdict
Jabra takes the expectations of running headphones on the Elite 7 Active even higher.
These are major updates to the Jabra Elite Active 75t, with three mics per bud for a more personalized sound, fit and even better call performance.
Active noise canceling can also be personalized via the Jabra Sound + app. ANC will greatly benefit from now on. As long as it’s set up correctly, that is, in a noisy environment, it helps keep unwanted sounds away from your ears and allows you to quickly enter the zone during your workout.
The Jabra Elite 7 Active also has excellent battery life. In fact, given the size of the buds, eight hours of continuous playback is nothing less than awe-inspiring. The case has an additional 22 hours of battery life and can keep the bud and case charger for 30 hours without cables (or wireless charging base). Impressive!
The Elite 7 Active is significantly cheaper than the Elite 7 Pro, and all you’re missing is the call quality (the Elite 7 Pro has a better microphone setup). This may not be as important from a workout perspective. ..
Jabra Elite 7 Active Review – Consider
The BoseSport earphones It’s a bit bulkier than the Jabra buds, but has all the qualities of a fitness-focused earphone. The audio is excellent and the level of comfort is higher than the bulky look suggests.
The Jaybird Vista 2 It’s even more waterproof than the Jabra Elite 7 Active and has a similarly compact body. However, Jaybird’s top buds have wing tips to better secure your wireless headphones.