Jabra Elite 85t Review: Voice cancellation is not the only big change

For the past several years, Jabra’s true wireless earbuds have been receiving consistently positive reviews and are at the top of the recommendation lists for people who aren’t interested in Paul’s AirPods. Last month, the company announced its latest set – and shipping with the first active voice cancellation. The 230d El Elite 85T is Jabra’s most premium earbuds yet and is meant to go toe-to-toe with AirPods Pro and Bose’s new quiet therapy airbuds. But to the surprise bonus, Jabra said he would bring the ANC (despite less effective implementation) through a firmware update.

The 85T buds have a new chip dedicated to noise cancellation, which allows them to cancel a wide range of sounds outside the 75T, where the ANC seems to feature. But while they look and feel very similar to the previous model, Jabra has made some resulting design choices. Most notably, the 85T now has a “semi-open” design that eliminates the feeling of an old set of plug-up ears. It comes with a change sacrifice, however, these earbuds are not as capable of effective bass as the 75T. The jaws have also rotated the tips of the oval-shaped ears – probably required by the larger 12mm drivers and ANC circuitry – which feels a little less secure in my ears than the older rounded style. And the Elite 85T buds are rated IPX4 for water and sweat resistance, which is downgraded from the previous jaw.

But even with those changes, the Elite 85 Ets are among the better sound-canceling earbuds on the market, thanks to their best-in-class controls, a wealth of features, and reliable performance. The main question is whether it is worth spending more than the Elite 75T to cancel the noise. Given the differences in water resistance and sound quality, that is not a straightforward answer.

Picking up 85 meats, everything seems pretty familiar. They are slightly larger and heavier than their predecessors, the drilled microphone holes are much smaller (more likely to be dusty), and the most obvious change is the oval speaker grills. This case has also grown in size, but includes Qi wireless charging; 75T buds are only available with wireless charging if you direct them to the jaw. (The charging LED is on the front of the case, rather than on the rear near the USB-C port, as it is on the 75 ST.)

There is still a circular button on each earbud that responds to single, double and triple presses. You a Tons The freedom to customize the controls in the Jabra app and those changes – like any EQ adjustments you make – stick with earbuds from device to device. The 85T earbuds are rated IPX4 for water and sweat resistance, below the Elite 75T and IP577 Elite Active 75T. The IPX4 puts it in parallel with the AirPods Pro and the Silent Comfort earbuds and that means they are able to withstand water splashes, but heavy sweaters should be wary of making these their fitness earbuds. (It is unclear whether Jabra ultimately intends to release an active version of 85.)

Before we cancel the noise, let’s quickly call one of the best things about jaw earbuds: multipoint. While most genuine wireless earbuds can only connect to one device at a time, the jaws can handle two at once. You can listen to music from your laptop and take incoming calls to your phone without manually switching to earbuds.

It’s a trick that Bose’s quiet comfort earbuds, Sennheiser True Momentum Wireless 2s, and Sony’s 1000XM3 buds are simply incapable of. (I argue that AirPods get a pass here because now they can automatically switch between Apple Pull devices without doing anything, and if you have AirPods, you’re probably in that ecosystem.) Integrated on Multipoint 85C earbuds How Phone Dio actively switches back and forth between your phone and PC or tablet depending on what is playing. All of Jabra’s earbuds together with the elite 65t offer this feature, but here, you can combine the multipoint feature with powerful sound cancellation.

The active sound cancellation function of the jaw in 85t buds is impressive. You can adjust the intensity of the ANC with the slider in the Jabra app, and at most, I can say it’s there with the Sony 1000XM3 or AirPods Pro – but definitely the bottom of the quiet medical airbuds, which I see as the new benchmark.

But as I said earlier, the 85T earbuds are different from previous models due to their new semi-open design. When you turn off the ANC completely (which can only happen within the jaw application), you can definitely hear more atmospheric noise than ts the meats, which seals my ears really well and makes great passive noise. Gain the advantage of separation. I noticed that the new, oval-shaped tips of the 85 were not as ferocious as the snail or deep danda in my ears; They never came out or came close, but I can get rid of them with less than 75 attempts. The choice comes down to this: I know there are many of you who would prefer the 85T air design, which would be worn longer without any significant discomfort or increased pressure.

But keep in mind that Jabra recently updated the Elite 75T with active voice cancellation. By itself, it is less effective than the 85T, but isolating the sound of the 75T earbuds helps create some distance. In the end, I think it’s almost a wash between the two. Even when I tested them together in a coffee shop or on the streets of Brooklyn, the Elite 85 teams won even more and got more noise with enthusiasm. If you’re someone who doesn’t seem to like regular earbuds and doesn’t like the plug, the 85T is a better choice, but added comfort means paying more. I don’t mind that close-up feeling at all, so I’ll probably stick with the 75’s.

That is also due to the sound quality. The 85 uses new 12mm drivers that offer a bit more detail and attendance (and the 75 rolls some of the rigidity of the treble), but it’s not really That The difference between these two sets of earbuds. The 85T has a full middle range; Overall the EQ looks less clearly V-shaped – but all of this can also be carefully adjusted to your liking.

However, while the semi-open design results in a wider soundstage, it also means losing an astonishing low-end kick of 85 points that is capable of 75ts. If you lean towards a less sculpted EQ, you can choose the 85th more balance; Not to mention the bass, it doesn’t hit the headlines as much as the 75s. I’m happy when using the set either, but high-end 85ts trail competitors like Sennheiser and Bose if top sound is your deciding factor.

Battery life with ANC off (half an hour shorter than 75T) is given a rating of 7 hours and 5.5 hours with its capable, which is fairly standard. In case of factor, you can get a total listening time of 25 hours. As has become the standard for jaws, call quality remains a strength at 85 coats. People said my voice is crisp and very clear without background noise. But you can still only use the right earbud yourself as it is the primary bud that relays the audio dio from the left. I wish Jabra would make the two independent (especially at this higher price), but we’re not there yet.

Some other things to touch quickly:

• Jabra’s “heartthrob” passthrough mode isn’t as natural a sound as I’ve experienced with AirPods Pro or Bose Quiet Comfort Airbuds, where it can often sound like you’re not wearing earbuds. With these earbuds, the outside world still seems a little more digital and more processed, but it’s absolutely useful for keeping you aware of your surroundings.
• Jabra Sound Plus mobile app remains the best. With it, you can set different “moments” with customized ANC / Hierarchy preferences choices for each environment. Your own hearing profile has a built-in hearing test to match the sound (I found the difference to be negligible), and you can also play white sounds and other sounds when you need to focus on something and a lot of music or podcasts Is higher. .
• Unlike previous jaw-dropping earbuds, the 85ts will no longer offer the Amazon Alexa as an accessory. I rarely took advantage of this option, and looking at what was going on now, I guess it was true in most people.

Overall, I think the Elite 85T earbuds are by far the best earbuds: the sound cancellation is pretty good, they offer rich audio dio quality, and you can use them with two devices at once. But there are a lot of people who are better off saving money and just going for Elite 75. For me, older earbuds fit better, and I prefer to differentiate their sound on the semi-open experiences of new buds. But maybe the combination of sound cancellation and a fun fit is exactly what you’re looking for. If the AirPods Pro doesn’t meet your needs, it’s hard to go wrong with the Jabra Elite 85T.

Photography by Chris Welch / The Verge