Jabra - Elite 65t True Wireless Earbud Headphones - Titanium Black

I’ve been using the Jabra - Elite 65t earbuds for several months. The initial charge provides sufficient time to complete a daily workout or 3+ hours of lawn maintenance. The recharging case works as advertised with earbud placement attention required a bit in the beginning. I was seeking an earbud to provide a low level audio barrier to that high volume noise that disrupts my daily 3 hour Fitness Center workouts. Had been intermittently checking the Best Buy app for a price drop on those upper tier Jabra earbuds to a post Black Friday price level. I stopped by the local Best Buy store, to look for a returned “open box” discount, then noticed the Jabra 65t’s on sale. Hesitant about purchasing these earbuds, a salesperson assured me that the product could be returned if it didn’t fulfill my expectations. The Jabra 65t earbuds provide easily interactive use of the Jabra audio adjustment app. These buds silence the high volume outside noise sufficiently to enable low volume listening and have further replaced my home lawn care hearing protection. It has been another favorable Best Buy experience. My daily workouts are presently enjoyed without the unnecessary high volume distraction.

-=First Impressions=- Typical Jabra presentation with secure and simple packaging. My first thoughts were "these look so business/corporate, they could replace my Plantronics Voyager Edge". Fitting took some getting used to, but once I found the right tips they did not fall out or move at all. Initially, you may feel discomfort while trying to find YOUR proper ear tips, but that goes away fairly quickly. These are pure quality and built to last! The Elite 65t buds are a little bigger than a nickel. The case is pocket sized and fits nicely in the palm your hand although it takes some practice for one handed operation. I wish there was a way to get more accurate battery representation for the case in app or a light bar/indicator. Sound isolation is very good and I think these are the most well balanced for music and voice calls. The best part is you will NOT look like Frankenstein with these in your ears! I love the low profile build of these. Things I like: +Bluetooth 5.0 - these are the ONLY ones on the market with Bluetooth 5.0 as of this review 2/13/2018. +Total Wireless Solution - no wires bouncing on your neck or sticking to you when you work out. No more accidental tugging to annoy you when you are running. Lightweight and can go hours without noticing them. +Built Quality/IP55 - splash proof and dust proof. Offers 2yr warranty on IP55 protection! Built like tanks! +Fit - the fit was perfect and not one single movement during my run or workout. I ran about 5 miles and then did my weight routine. Not a single wiggle. Great job Jabra! +Quick Charge - a quick 15-minute charge provides up to 90 minutes of play time! +Case - has battery reserve of 2 charges. That means 10 hours in the case and 5hrs on the headphones for 15hrs total. +Battery Life - I can probably get a week's worth of use before needing to recharge the case. Easily makes it through a few gym sessions. +Sound & EQ - nice balanced sound. Not too bass heavy and not sharp in highs. I would say it is a sound profile similar to Jaybirds. These have great sound isolation though. EQ available through app. +Mono/Stereo - these can be used in stereo or mono. Use only the right side if you want to have a single Bluetooth experience +Call Quality - in stereo these are amazing. Callers cannot tell if I am using a Bluetooth or not. +Pass Through Sound - these use the on-board mics to allow sound in so you can hear around you while listening to music. +Sound Synced - there is no latency between video playback and audio in my ears. It is perfect and not a complaint in this department. +Look - looks nice, business/executive styling. Very subtle and no not attract much attention. Things I would change: -No aptX - no support for aptX or aptXhd. Sound quality is good, but this should be standard for all wireless headphones with BT5.0 -Button Placement - after some practice, I have figured out where things are. The left ear controls are difficult to find and press. -Buttons - the left side buttons are very stiff and require a LOT of pressure to activate. This make the earbud uncomfortable since you press into your ear to activate. -Charging - you're only able to charge in the cradle. If anything happens to it, you will probably have to shell out more cash as they require a proprietary pin charger. -No Tracking - there should be some sort of way to blast sound to these in case you lose them. An alert with last known location should be an option when out of range. -No USB C - it's unbelievable we are still using micro USB in 2018. I worry I may break the connector since everything I own now has USB C. -App - the app is excellent with regards to features but these do not get stored once you put them away. -Lost Settings - I would incorporate some way of storing last used settings to the ear buds so you don't need to use the app to reactivate them each time. -Range - these are advertised as BT5.0. That means you should get around 120ft range with them if you have a phone that also supports BT5.0. Not the case here. I seriously doubt these are actually BT5.0 being that the range is around 30ft like BT4.0. -Case - I would like to see a light bar or indicator LCD that shows battery level. One light isn't good enough for me. Also, it is tough to use with one hand. It takes practice but can be done. Maybe wireless charging in the case would be nice as well. -Voice Commands - there is a terrible delay in the time you say "answer" and the time the call is answered using voice commands -=The Verdict=- These are a great release from Jabra. Audiophiles, these are not for you since you know only a wired listening device produces the best sound. If you want new Bluetooth headset, these are a buy. They offer versatility without sacrificing call quality and music quality. These are built to last.

I stayed away from wireless earbuds for quite some time. All of the ones I had tried previously had horrible battery life, dropped the signal all the time, were way too obtrusive in my ears, and worst of all they usually sounded pretty bad. The first pair of wireless earbuds I kept and loved were the Apple AirPods and I still think they are a great choice for many people, but they do have some serious issues for some folks. They don't block out any outside noise, are not IP rated (so can't be counted on to keep out dust and moisture), and can easily fall out of your ears if you are doing anything other than sitting or walking casually. They have some pretty great benefits as well with great connectivity to Apple devices, very good sound quality, great battery life, multiple charges from the storage case, and they are small and compact. The great thing about the Jabra Elite 65t earbuds is that they match or surpass most of the best qualities of AirPods and solve all of the problems I mentioned. Let's break this down shall we? Looks: While I appreciate the Apple aesthetic, many people have commented that they thought the AirPods looked weird. Perhaps because they don't look like 'normal' earbuds or because they are so jarringly white. The Elite 65t looks sharp and professional. The black and gunmetal gray are unobtrusive and since they hug your ear rather closely, some people may even miss that you are wearing them. Big win goes to the Elites. Sound Signature: Here I would call it a tie. I enjoy the sound from the AirPods and I think the sound is phenomenal from the Elites. While some people such as myself like the fact that the Jabra Elite app allows for fine tuning the equalizer settings, most won't care about this or even know that they can do this. I'm going to give the Elites the win on this one too, mostly because of the sound options not necessarily over quality of the sound signature. Isolation: This is an easy victory for the Elites. AirPods have virtually none unless you have REALLY small ears and have them jammed in there. The Jabra Elite has traditional earbud tips that come in three different sizes and provide a nice seal that passively blocks a lot of noise. This lets you enjoy your music a bit more and you can listen to it at a lower volume since it isn't competing with other noise. The good thing about the different size tips is that you can mix and match with them. I have a small tip on the right earbud and a medium on the left since my ear canals are different sizes. That being said, many people don't like earbuds with tips that go into your ear canal because they find them uncomfortable, I am usually one of those people (which is one of the reasons I like the AirPods) but these tips seem to be soft enough and well sized and I haven't had any problems so far. You get a good enough seal without having to really cram them in your ears so that is a nice plus. Active Use: Another win for the Elites. Apple AirPods stay in my ears better than I thought they would but I have had them fall out many times while doing yard work, exercise, and sometimes just walking around. The fit of the Elites is snug enough that this is not a problem. I have yet to have them come out even when cranking hard on an elliptical machine (which is probably the most jarring of the activities I do on a regular basis). Also, the Jabra Elites are IP55 rated that gives them considerable dust and moisture resistance. Now I wouldn't wear these in a dust storm and you sure a heck can't submerge them but they can take the elements far better than AirPods. If you have always wondered about IP ratings I have attached a handy little graphic that breaks it down for you. The Sport version of these are IP56 so they are a bit more moisture resistant. Charging Case: This one goes to Apple. The AirPod case is smaller, holds more of a charge (24 hours), and therefore can recharge the earbuds through more cycles. That being said, they Jabra case is much smaller than I expected and has one really good feature and that is the snap lock. The magnetic latch on the AirPods sometimes doesn't keep the headphones tightly set and I've had several times where one of the AirPods doesn't charge while the other one does. The lid on the Jabra Elite case holds the earbuds down on their charging connectors consistently and well so this is not a worry. While the Jabra case may not hold as much juice, what it does have is going to reliably charge your Elites. Call Quality: This one is a tie. My wife says that I sound better through both the AirPods and Elites than I do just talking though my phone normally. The sound isolation on the Elites though makes it easier to make out softer talking from those calling you. Bluetooth Connectivity: Again, a tie. Both have solid connections to my iPhone and other devices and I have yet to have a dropped signal from either. The AirPods seamlessly hook up to all of my Apple devices without any work from me but the pairing with the Jabra Elite is easy as well (it's just not 'magical' like the AirPod sync). The Jabra Elites are on the new Bluetooth 5 spec but I have yet to determine a difference between it and the version 4 on the AirPods but perhaps as more devices support it (my phone does not), it may be more of an issue. Controls: This one is a win for Apple. This is only because there is one glaring problem with the Jabras and that is that they aren't gesture control or just touches but are actual button presses. The buttons can sometime be hard to actuate and have the unfortunate side-effect of forcing the earbud into my ear. For someone who really does not like that sensation, it can be a problem. That being said there are a lot more controls that are available through the button presses than are available for the AirPods. Also, I have an Apple Watch and control my AirPods with it, so that has always been really seamless for me so I have to give this one to Apple. This would be different if Jabra would change from actual button presses to taps. I would be ok with the loss of some control features to not have to push the Elites into my ears to get a good actuation. Overall: The Jabra Elite 65t is probably they best wireless earbud out there now and it is going to take a lot for anyone to push them off the top of that hill. Across the board they either meet or exceed the quality of Apple AirPods and absolutely destroy any other wireless earbuds that I've tried. These are an outstanding choice for anyone and I highly recommend them. I think it would almost be impossible to be disappointed in them. I don't say that about many things.

Jabra Elite 65t Setup/Testing/Conclusion I have to first say… I am quite impressed with Jabra on creating the Elite 65t. When I first saw the box I really liked the packaging. Jabra made the box standout with the yellow color that you’ll typically see with other Jabra products. Some of the text on the box is silver so it gives it that “premium” look. Jabra didn’t overdo it because they only made the Elite and one side of the box text silver. Once you break the seal on the bottom of the packaging and pull the yellow box out, you’re prompted with a little grey tab to pull out which discloses the “Welcome to Superior Sound” card. On that card you’ll be able to see the earbuds through a hole. Once you remove that card you’ll gain access to the Elite 65t, the charging box, need help contact sheet, get started booklet, usb charging cable, and of course extra ear gels. For those of you that require different size ear gels; Jabra provides you with a small, medium, and large (medium installed by default). I personally didn’t have any problems at all with the already installed medium ear gels. Getting started was honestly pretty simple and straightforward. I took a look at the get started booklet for reference but found that I got a better understanding of how everything works after downloading the app. The app you want to download is the Jabra Sound+ app. After, you’ll be able to download the Jabra Service app. Please note that the Jabra Service app is not a standalone app! Make sure you download the Jabra Sound+ app. After downloading the two apps I paired the Elite 65t with my Google Pixel phone without any issues whatsoever. Within the app, you’ll be able to set the voice assistant which is on default or you could select Amazon Alexa. When clicking on Audio experience you’ll be able to change settings of HearThrough, Auto Pause, and Headset Prompts. HearThrough basically gives you the ability to have it off where no audio from your surroundings will be transmitted to your headset. Or you can set it to Mix or on and customize the way you want it. AutoPause works where if you remove one earbud from your ear, audio will pause. Headset Prompts basically gives you verbal headset prompts, pretty straightforward there. Other things you can customize is the call experience like call audio, caller ID or even the Sidetone. If you don’t know what Sidetone is, it’s basically where you can hear your own voice when on a call; I set mine to off. The last thing you can customize is the Equalizer. Don’t forget! If you need to change the language for guidance; Jabra gives you the ability to change it to either Deutsch, English, Francais, or Chinese. I must say, the Elite 65t is definitely customizable. I like the fact that the app can control so many things. But what helped me out the most personally is having the ability to reference the actual user manual within the app. So instead of looking at a paper instruction manual or downloading the PDF manual online, I was able to reference to it within the app at any given moment; which I did quite often. Using the Jabra Elite 65t was fantastic. The earbuds fit into my ear snug and didn’t cause any discomfort at all. My coworker mentioned that it looked just a little bit bulky in his opinion. I personally felt like it wasn’t a problem at all. The sound quality when playing music was fantastic. The earbuds did a great job with blocking out people around me (when working in an office). I tested the Elite 65t by making a couple calls and the receiving end said that I was clear and could barely hear any noise around me. I tested this because I work near the airport runway along with having my window rolled down and driving while talking to someone. The button placement on the earbuds are also not a problem for me. Left earbud basically controls the volume along with being able to skip songs. Right earbud is the “master” earbud I guess you could say. It functions by pausing music, holding it down to access your voice assistant, hanging up phone calls, or even turning off the earbuds. I like the fact that the Elite 65t comes with the portable on-the-go charging case. So the earbuds alone can operate up to 5 hours of use, with the charging case; you’ll get a total of 15 hours. The portable charging case basically gives you 2 full charges, meaning 5 hours (earbuds) + 5 hours (case) + 5 hours (case) gives you a total of 15 hours. I didn’t have any problems loading the earbuds into the case and plugging it into my PC with the included charging cable. In conclusion; the only thing I would’ve liked to see is instead of the USB charging cable, a USB C cable instead. Only reason why is because a lot of electronics are moving to USB C now. It’s just flat out better… Nonetheless, Jabra has truly done an excellent job on the Elite 65t. Everything from packaging, to sound quality (input and output), to materials used was really thought out by Jabra. The Elite 65t definitely reached and exceeded my expectations. I will continue to use the Elite 65t on the daily and tune everybody out at work while jamming to some music. Don’t forget ladies and gentlemen! Register your product after downloading the app to take benefit of the warranty! Product Information 4 Microphone Enhanced Sound Customize your Music Proven Wireless Connection Up to 15 Hours Battery Voice Assistant Enabled 2 Year Warranty (Dust & Water). Registration required with the Jabra Sound+ app. What's in the box? Elite 65t Earbuds (w/ Medium Ear Gels Installed) On-The-Go Charging Case USB to Micro USB Cable Large and Small Ear Gels Get Started Guide Contact (Help) Sheet

I was looking to buy a pair of Bluetooth earbuds for my iPhone but was unsure of what to buy. Prices were all over the board and wouldnt even know if I would like them. A friend of mine let me borrow his airpods and although I liked them and the features, they wouldn't stay comfortably in my ear and would easily fall out of my ears. I saw these during the 2018 CES convention and was intrigued. It had all the same features as the airpods plus a little more so I pre-ordered them and received them prior to the release date. I cannot express the how happy I am with this decision. - These stay in my ears comfortably no matter what I do. - Although they aren't noise canceling, they do block out some sound with a touch of a button. This way you can make them closed (where you hear only what you're listening to) or open (where you can also listen to sound around you) - The included app has a great equalizer and has constant updates to software and firmware. - They're loud - they pair with 2 devices (but can only listen to one at a time. I cannot recommend these earbuds highly enough!

I love this earbuds! This is the true definition of brilliant engineering. Same caliber as Bose. It comes with an app for both iOS/Android and you can set the equalizer to whatever mood you wish. The most amazing feature is the microphone. The Elite 65t has 4 microphones making your conversation with the other party seamless and very very clear. You’ll never regret it. The price is even more affordable. Will keep these earbuds till it breaks... question is how??

I really tbink the sound and mic are clear and provide crisp sound. The only issue i am having is with the left earbud. The left earbud will work for a short time <10minutes, before it just stops working. I have tried charging it for hours to ensure it has charge but none of the troubleshooting is working so I am waiting for Jabra to begin the warranty replacement process.

Pros Sleek and does not stand out for completely wire free Autopause pauses thesong automatically when an earbud is removed Options for noise isolating or mixing outside sounds Good sound quality and reasonably balanced IP55 dust and water resistant Quick and easy pairing process on iOS Cons Earbuds don’t feel secure with sweat or when cold Pressing buttons requires pressing earbud hard into your ear While sound quality is good it sounds flat and equalizer can’t fix it Options for mixing outside sounds miss some important low frequency sounds Ambient sound option causes cycling of earbuds on and off following sound on Android Call recipients report frequent microphone dropout with wind noises Poor cross body signal quality causing sound dropout for some Instructions are confusing of what app to use and multiple apps are required on Android No earbud tracking or find option Charging case finger slot is too small for opening for those with short fingernails Charging case has no flat surfaces for laying down The Jabra Elite 65t true wireless headphones join an increasing number of wire free headphones. Included are four microphones to improve call quality while reducing unwanted noises. The earbuds are noise isolating but include an adjustable setting in the software to allow outside noises as needed for safety. Connectivity is by the latest Bluetooth 5.0 to allow high quality sound and more stable connections. Included is Alexa as a voice assistant or you can use your phones default assistant. Total listening time is rated at 15 hours with included charging carrying case. The Elite 65t also comes in an active variant, which is nearly identical to the standard 65t. The design of the Jabra Elite 65t is very sleek, particularly for true wireless headphones. Most of the body of the earbuds stays hidden inside the ear canal with only a relatively small portion visible. The earbuds are held in place with a rubberized tip, which is said to have a special coating to improve grip. You put them in your ear with a slight twisting motion to lock them in place. It sounds nice but in practice, the earbuds loosen from moisture from sweating or if you ears become cold from being outside on a cold day. Fortunately, it is easy to tell when they become loose to correct them but considering their compact size, you might find yourself worried you would lose them. Unfortunately, unlike some other brands that keep a track of the earbuds via GPS on your phone and list where they lost connectivity these include no such feature. They also do not include a feature to ring the buds to assist in finding them as some other true wireless earbuds include. If you drop them and do not realize it, there is no GPS log to the rescue or other tools to help you find them. Starting with setup, the instructions say to install the Jabra app on your on your phone. When using an iPhone this is not even necessary since the moment you pair the phone it tells you it needs an app and even sends you directly to the app store to install it. Very easy to use. On Android, the process is more manual. You must search for the Jabra app as indicated only to discover there are multiple Jabra apps, none of which match the name you are given. The app you need to install is actually called Jabra Sound+ in the Play Store but you aren’t done once you install this. After installed Jabra Sound+ you will receive a message stating you need to install Jabra Services. Once installed the confusion does not end. If you look later on your phone for the Jabra Sound+ you don’t find it. Instead, the app is called Sound+. Overall the setup experience on Android feels less refined and in need of updates. Once you have the earbuds, set up you will find the app has options to choose your voice assistant. The options are to use Alexa or your phone’s default voice assistant. A section called Audio experience allows to you to adjust such settings such as how much ambient noise you want played through the earbuds, if you would like Autopause activated, and if you want headset prompts. Under Call Experience, there is a helpful feature where you can choose to hear some of your voice as you speak in calls or if you would like the Caller ID announced. An equalizer is available for some basic tuning of sound with options to adjust the 60Hz, 250Hz, 1KHz, 4KHz, and 7.5KHz ranges. Battery level is listed in the app but unfortunately the earbuds do not announce battery level on start. Overall, the app is simple to navigate and offers a good selection of settings for most people. Continuing the split experience for Android and iOS users, sound quality and connection stability is different for each. Using an iPhone 6, music quality is good and mixing of outside sounds happens uniformly in each ear. When using a Galaxy S8+ sound quality sounds more of what can be best described as flat and the mixing of outside sounds results in an odd left to right cycling at random times. It not that music sounded bad using an Android phone. It just seemed to lack body. This seems to be related to the way the earbuds work with Android since more than one GS8+ was tried as well as other older Android phones lying around. It seems Jabra needs to optimize how they work with Android more. A problem common regardless of phone was cross body signal quality. If you kept your phone in your pocket and bent over the thickness of your leg could block enough signal to cause dropouts. The adjustment for ambient noise still needs fine tuning as well. Traditional earbuds that naturally allow ambient noise allow a small amount of all noises through. The electronic version in the 65t seems to favor allowing high pitch noises while blocking deeper noises. This means that when outside the noise of crickets will blend straight in with your music while a car passing by or a person with a deep voice will be inaudible. For safety reasons, this needs fine-tuning. If Jabra could improve this, the largest flaw would be a non-issue. Just as the earbuds are surprisingly small for the feature set, the charging case is small as well. The earbuds are rated to work for 5 hours on the integrated batteries with the charging case allowing two additional charges for a total of 15 hours of playback. The case can be easily stored in back. The inside is lined with a soft plastic. The earbuds light up on a successful connection to the charging case. On the outside of the case is a single status light. The case is rounded on all edges, which makes placing it on a flat surface awkward. You could stand it on end but that also does not seem correct. It feels that Jabra, in order to create a sleek and smooth design, forgot you might want to actually place it on a flat surface. This is of course a small gripe but an important one to mention nonetheless. Overall, the Jabra Elite 65t true wireless earbuds are a decent offering that, with software refinement, could make a very compelling case for anyone who wants to get rid of the cables without spending a fortune. If you are an iPhone user, they can already be a good option and would be rated 4 out of 5. For Android users the decision is less certain without some updates and would be rated 2 out of 5.