There is nothing better than having motivating music playing while working out or going for a run. Unless, of course, the earbuds keep falling out due to the strenuous level of activity. The Jabra Elite Active 65T Wireless Earbuds are designed specifically to eliminate that problem while still providing amazing sound quality.

Being truly wireless, these earbuds eliminate the hassle of cords getting tangled or caught on things. They can add immeasurable enjoyment to anyone's commute, workout, or any other part of their daily routine.

Design

Quite stylish, the Jabra Elite Active 65T Wireless Earbuds comes in a copper blue finish with a gold panel. The panel is actually the button (or buttons, on the left) for the controls. The charging case is machined in a very stylish copper blue finish, but more matte than the earbuds themselves.

These earbuds lack the wingtips common on other wireless varieties. Instead, they are simply placed into the ear and twisted. This creates a tight enough seal that there is no movement even during vigorous exercise. The many folks who found the wingtips of other wireless earbuds uncomfortable should enjoy this. Rather than pressing into the ear and causing an unpleasant feeling of pressure, these earbuds are designed to sink down into the bottom of the ear, making them quite comfortable.

One of the biggest goals of these earbuds was to be able to withstand even the sweatiest of workouts without falling out. Jabra definitely succeeded with this. Although made of plastic, they manage to be both attractive and durable. The plastic is on the softer side, making them comfortable to wear. The right earbud weights 6.5 grams and the left earbud weighs 5.8 grams, meaning they can be put in and then basically forgotten.

The Elite Active 65T has an IP56 rating. IP ratings refer to the level of "ingress protection" an item has. With a level of 56, these earbuds are deemed safe from splashes and dust in the air. This rating is considerably higher than the competitors. These earbuds are so well protected that they can be rinsed off in the sink after a sweaty workout, although total submersion would be a bad idea.

Sound Quality

Wireless earbuds have always struggled with providing more than mediocre sound. The Elite Active 65T manages to exceed most people's expectations with the quality of sound they produce.The sound produced by these earbuds is balanced, leaning slightly towards warm. The bass is definitely noticeable without being overwhelming. Due to the rolling off of the high frequencies, the sound never winds up sounding harsh. Even though there is a ton of electronics crammed into two tiny devices, the sound never gets distorted.

Anyone unsatisfied with the sound quality they are getting from these earbuds should try different sized ear tips. Proper fit is important to get the most out of the experience. If a commuter wants to block out their surroundings, the Elite Active 65T does a decent job of blocking at ambient noises, especially for earbuds. For those who feel they need to stay more alert, the external mics can be set to pump in different levels of outside noise. This is controlled via the app. Syncing well with movies, users experience no lag between their video and audio when using these earbuds. They are ideal for watching YouTube or Netflix.

Bluetooth

As for the Bluetooth component, it is quite impressive. The range allows listeners to move into a different room from their device without issues. The official packaging lists the range on them as 33 feet. Connecting to devices is also quite quick and easy. There can be up to 8 devices on its pairing list.

With other wireless Bluetooth earbuds, the motion of swinging arms while running or lifting weight sometimes interferes with the signal. That is not the case with the Jabra Elite Active 65T Wireless Earbuds. This may be due to the fact that it is equipped with Bluetooth 5.0, which was designed to provide a more stable connection. One of the most impressive things about these earbuds is their solid connecting ability.

These earbuds can be synced with two products at once, such as a phone and a Bluetooth enabled laptop. Even though there are two of them, they register as a single device.

Battery Life/Charging

To charge these earbuds, the user simply needs to place them in the included charging case. They lay on charging pins and are held in place by closing the lid. Once the lid is closed, the earbuds will begin charging automatically.

When the lid is opened, LED lights on the earbuds will indicate how much of a charge they have. They will either pulse green or red, depending on their power level. For someone in a hurry, the rapid charge feature is great. A mere 15 minutes on the charger results in 1.5 hours of battery life.

It is very important that the earbuds are placed in the case precisely. Neither the earbuds themselves or the case is magnetic, so if the earbuds are not oriented properly they may not charge. Adding magnets to both the case and the earbuds would be a great upgrade for Jabra to make in the future.

The earbuds themselves can hold a 5-hour charge. The charging case can provide two more full charges before needing to be juiced back up itself. That means a user can go 15 hours away from an outlet on a full charge. For convenience, the case can charge the earbuds while it itself is being charged. While there are other wireless earbuds on the market that can last longer, it is hard to imagine 15 hours not getting someone through their day.

Ease of Use

Jabra made it incredibly easy to setup this earbuds upon purchase. They come with voice instructions that can be activated by holding the button on the right earbud at the same time as the forward button on the left earbud. The audio instructions are easy to understand and walk the user through the entire process.

These earbuds are controlled through the use of just three buttons. On the right side, a simple quick press will either play or pause the music, or answer or hang up a call. By pressing and holding this button, the user's selected voice assistant (Siri, Google Assistant, Amazon Alexa) will be launched. Double tapping results in enabling the HearThrough option for ambient noise.

On the left earbud, there are two buttons. They are designed for volume control and for skipping through tracks. It is important not to push any of these buttons too hard, as that will push them further into the ear canal.

One fantastic thing about these earbuds is they turn on automatically when they are taken out of the case so there is no fiddling with the buttons. Once returned to their case, they turn off automatically so there is no danger of the battery being accidentally run down. Obviously, they can also be turned on and off using the button on the right earbud.

Features

The HearThrough feature is a nice touch because when it is off very little ambient noise gets through. This can be dangerous for joggers or bikers who are near traffic. People using them on a flight or at work, however, can leave it off and experience as much noise cancellation as can be reasonably expected from earbuds.

The auto-pause feature, which can be turned off, will automatically pause the music if one of the earbuds is removed and resume it as soon as it is replaced. This is great for a quick conversation.

Unlike its biggest competitor, these earbuds do not come with a tracking feature to help find them when they are lost, which is a bit disappointing but ultimately not a big deal. The earbuds should really only be in the ears or the charging case, anyway. Both replacement earbuds and charging cases can be ordered through the Jabra website.

Fitness Tracking

Coming with an integrated motion sensor, the Elite Active 65T can help its user keep track of their workout. The motion sensor works with a tri-axis accelerometer. At this point, it can only count steps and track them in the app. This is immensely useful for runners, but not so much for people enjoying other forms of exercise. Including a rep-counter in a future version would be a great feature.

Call Quality

For making and receiving phone calls, these earbuds do a fine job. It is possible to just wear one earbud, but keep in mind that the right one is the "master earbud" and should be used instead of the left one. When the call is over, the user can simply take the left one out of the case and it will automatically sync up.

When both are worn during a call, the voice comes through both earbuds.

There are perforations in the earbuds to allow the built-in mics to pick up the user's voice for phone calls. With four mics, two per earbuds, the Elite Active 65T has no issue picking up voices while at the same time managing to keep ambient noise to a minimum .

Unboxing Experience

When buying these earbuds, users receive the following things:

• Two wireless earbuds
• Small and large silicone gel earbud tips (the medium ones come on the earbuds)
• A charging case
• A micro USB cord
• The User’s Guide

The charging case is made of a hard plastic that is ideal for storing the earbuds when not in use, even if they don't need to be charged. For those interested in third-party ear tips, be aware that they may not fit inside the carrying case. With the three sizes included, it is unlikely anyone will have to look elsewhere for a comfortable fit.

Jabra Sound+ App

Users are encouraged to download the Jabra Sound+ App so that they can customize their experience. Through it, equalization settings can be adjusted, adjust the auto-pause feature, and turn on or off the HearThrough feature. The app is also a way to check the charge level of the earbuds.

For people wanting to talk to their digital assistant, this can be set up through the app as well. While installing the app is not required to use the earbuds, it is definitely a good idea. Jabra is constantly evolving their app to make sure their earbuds perform properly and have all the latest features.

Conclusion

The Jabra Elite Active 65T Wireless Earbuds are the ideal product for any exercise or running enthusiast. Not having to watch out for cords is a very liberating experience.They are durable enough that Jabra feels comfortable offering a 2-year warranty against dust and sweat. All the user has to do is register their product in the Jabra Sound+ App and they are protected.

After the workout, users find these earbuds to be great for relaxing with a movie or playing a game on their phone. Not having a cord sticking out of the bottom of the phone can make playing a lot easier, especially in landscape mode. With tons of perks and very few drawbacks, the Jabra Elite Active 65T Wireless Earbuds are a great buy.