**Jabra Elite 10 and Elite 8 Active Earbuds: A Review**

The Jabra Elite 10 and Elite 8 Active earbuds are two versions of the same earbud model, with the main difference being the addition of head tracking for Dolby spatial audio in the Elite 10. The Elite 8 Active is designed to nestle into your ears, providing a secure fit.

The Elite 8 Active features silicone ear tips that provide a snug and comfortable fit, but some users may find them slightly too loose. However, they still offer an excellent level of security during exercise, such as running. On the other hand, the Elite 10 also offers a similar level of comfort, but with larger 10mm drivers that enhance sound quality.

The sound quality of both earbuds is exceptional, with clean and detailed audio that rivals some of the best wireless earbuds on the market. The mid-range frequencies are particularly well-defined, providing a more natural sound than the Elite 8 Active. Additionally, the spatial audio on these earbuds is impressive, rivaling Apple's spatial audio and even surpassing it in some cases.

However, there is one notable exception to this exceptional sound quality: voice calling performance. While both earbuds feature six microphones and improved wind noise reduction technology, their performance falls short of expectations. Background noise and reduced clarity are common issues, making them less desirable for phone calls than some competing models like the Apple AirPods Pro 2.

Despite this limitation, the Elite 10 and Elite 8 Active earbuds remain excellent choices for music listening. Their sound quality is unparalleled, with rich bass and detailed audio that provides a more immersive listening experience. The spatial audio feature, which enhances the listening experience with certain tracks or videos, is also impressive and adds to their overall value.

**Battery Life**

The Elite 10 earbuds have a slightly shorter battery life rating than their predecessor, the Elite 8 Active, but it's still respectable at up to six hours of moderate volume use with ANC on. This is comparable to other high-end wireless earbuds, such as the Apple AirPods Pro 2.

**Headset Performance**

Interestingly, headset performance for these earbuds was somewhat inconsistent during testing. Calls were not reduced in noise or pick-up clarity, which may be disappointing for users relying heavily on these earbuds for phone calls. However, it's worth noting that Jabra has delivered firmware updates to improve voice calling performance, so it's possible that future updates will address this issue.

**Conclusion**

In conclusion, the Jabra Elite 10 and Elite 8 Active earbuds are exceptional choices for music lovers and exercise enthusiasts alike. Their sound quality is unparalleled, with rich bass and detailed audio that provides an immersive listening experience. While voice calling performance may not meet expectations, the added features of head tracking for spatial audio make them a compelling option for those seeking a more immersive audio experience.

"WEBVTTKind: captionsLanguage: enforeign has released a lot of earbuds that were a little hard to tell apart from each other I'm not only talking about the elite three four five and seven Pro but there are also active versions of some of those same buds actually told Jabra I didn't think it was such a great idea to put out so many models because it created confusion well it now appears it's come to its senses or sort of anyway I've got the 200 Elite eight active here in my left hand and in my right the flagship 250 Elite 10 but at least there will be no standard Elite eight or an elite 10 active this is it Jabra has assured me so let's get right into what I think about them thank you I'm going to start with the elite eight active because they're more straightforward they look feel and perform like a modestly upgraded version of the elite 7 Pro with six microphones instead of four slightly improved adaptive noise canceling and wind reduction technology along with a higher durability rating if you're more interested in the elite tent feel free to jump ahead with the elite active 8 does have some appealing features like the elite 7 Series they have a noise isolated design with the same ear tips they fit my ears quite well and I do like that they have physical control buttons for controlling music playback answering and ending calls and toggling between noise canceling and hear through transparency mode the new charging case has rounded corners and does offer wireless charging there are ear detection sensors that automatically pause your music when you remove a Bud from your ears and you can use a single bud in mono mode while the other charges in the case jabra's active earbuds have always been billed as being slightly more durable than their standard Elite counterparts and for the elite active 8 Jabra has really leaned in the whole durability factor and it's sparking these as the world's toughest earbuds they're fully waterproof and dust proof with an ip68 rating and their charging case is dust and splash group with an ip54 rating Jabra also says they're drop proof and have passed nine durability tests to meet the military spec standard for ruggedized Electronics while I didn't do any extreme cold tests I did drop them a few times on the pavement fully submerged them in water and wore them around a 90 degree heat in the streets of New York City and they came out no worse for the wear if you're looking for rugged buds that would be a key reason to buy these but they also are lightweight at 5 grams each and compact sitting fairly flush with your ears they have jabra's Shake grip rubber coating that gives them an added bit of grip and most people should get a very secure fit in my test they worked well for running and have both adaptive noise canceling and an adjustable here through transparency mode that lets you hear the outside world neither the ANC or the transparency are quite up to the level of the airpods pro O2 which when they're on sale retail for about the same price but the noise canceling seems slightly improved from the elite 7 Pro for both of these earbuds Jabra has moved away from using Qualcomm ships so they don't support the aptx audio codec for Android devices but they do support the AAC audio codec and are also compatible with the new le audio standard that includes the lc3 audio codec Le audio features will supposedly be available via a firmware upgrade sometime in the future though it's unclear exactly when multi-point Bluetooth pairing is available from the get-go and Android users get hands-free Google Assistant you just have to say the Wake word to access the assistant if you get a Tight Seal I think these sound very good equipped with six millimeter drivers they deliver Punchy bass good Clarity and pleasant sound overall that has an open quality enhanced by dolby's spatial sound mode that tricks your brain into thinking the sound is more outside your head they lack a little bit of refinement and accuracy compared to even more expensive earbuds including in the elite 10 and Sony wf-1000x Mark V but all in all there isn't a whole lot to complain about you can tweak the sound a bit in the app with some preset EQ options or create your own custom EQ and you can turn off spatial sound in the Java sound Plus app while I did feel they had some small shortcomings in their performance particularly their voice calling performance more on that in a minute I did come away feeling that these were really solid earbuds overall battery life is rated at up to eight hours with ANC on and 14 with it off good numbers for sure but ultimately their standout features are their sound design and apparent durability thank you foreign are a completely different set of earbuds if they have a descendant it's the elite 85t which also had a semi-open design some people really like those earbuds I was less of a fan compared to the elite 85t the elite 10 offer not only a more comfortable fit and better design but also Better Sound and significantly better noise canceling performance along with impressive Dolby spatial audio with head tracking the elite 10 are designed for people who don't like having ear tips jammed in their ears you're still dealing with silicone ear tips but they have a unique oval shape and are designed to Nestle in your ears they certainly are among the most comfortable earbuds that have silicone ear tips interestingly they sometimes felt like they were sitting in my ears a little too Loosely but it actually had a more secure fit than I thought while the Elite 8 active at a higher durability rating they still have an ip57 rating which means they offer both good dust resistance and also can be fully submerged in water in other words you can use these for running if you get a secured fit but I felt more confident that the elite eight actives would stay in my ears while running with them the elite 10 of all the same features I just described in the Elite 8 active but they add head tracking for Dolby spatial audio and have different noise canceling technology called Jabra Advanced ANC they also have larger 10 millimeter drivers that help deliver richer and more accurate sound than the Elite 8 active in a quieter environment anyway these have sound that ranks up there with the best sounding wireless earbuds it's clean nicely detailed and open with well-defined bass these sound a little more natural than the elite eight actives particularly in the mid-range where vocals live they just have a little more depth and texture I was impressed with the spatial audio on these Buzz it's right there with apple spatial audio and some might argue it's even slightly better it works with music and can enhance the listening experience with some tracks or at least give you a different listening experience particularly those remixed with Dolby Atmos but like with Apple's spatial audio it can enhance video watching creating a virtual surround experience with dialogue fixed at the center of your smartphone or tablet screen it works with both Apple and Android devices the one issue with semi-open earbuds is they do allow some sound to leak in and that creates challenges for noise canceling performance as I said these do a better job than the older Elite 85t at reducing Ambient sound but I would not buy these expecting them to muffle the outside world as well as the airpods Pro 2 Sony wf-1000x Mark V or the Bose quiet Comfort 2 earbuds in other words they're able to reduce Ambient sound better than I thought they would but they can only do so much and you really only get about 50 level compared to some of those other earbuds in terms of noise canceling also on a side note I did notice the sound quality changed a bit when I switched from acts of noise canceling to here through mode and off each mode made the earbuds sound slightly different the elite 10 don't have as good a battery life rating as they lead 8 active but it's still not bad they're rated for up to six hours at moderate volume levels with ANC on compared to eight hours for the elite eight active that's about the same as what you get with the airpods pro 2. I'll finish by talking about the voice calling performance for both the elite 10 and Elite activate it's the one thing I was slightly disappointed with don't get me wrong it's good but with both buds Now featuring six microphones and improved wind noise reduction technology I expected a little more also this is Jabra it's done headsets for a long time and done them well so I'm not sure what's going on but headset performance for these was a little mixed with callers tell me they didn't reduce background noise or pick up my voice quite as clearly as some competing models like the airpods pro 2. here's a test call I recorded with the elite 10 that gives you a sense of the call Quality though note the call is recorded via the Internet so you lose a little bit of Fidelity in my voice all right I'm here on the test call with scene at editor John Falcone John I'm in the streets of New York here very noisy near you but it gets uh pretty difficult as the noise ramps up and there is also a lot of background noise including a whoosh during the entire talk all right well I'm going to keep talking a little bit so you can hear um as our traffic's going by and see how am I here I got a big touch to win there uh so that is the best call thanks a lot John in the past for earlier earbuds Jabra has delivered firmware updates that improve voice calling performance that will probably happen here as its Engineers tweak their software algorithms but if the voice calling performance was leveled up a bit the elite 10 buds would probably be an Etters Choice territory they're still really good earbuds not only comfortable to wear for long periods but they also sound excellent as always let me know what you think in the comments section and hit me with any questions I'm David Connor for CNET thanks for watchingforeign has released a lot of earbuds that were a little hard to tell apart from each other I'm not only talking about the elite three four five and seven Pro but there are also active versions of some of those same buds actually told Jabra I didn't think it was such a great idea to put out so many models because it created confusion well it now appears it's come to its senses or sort of anyway I've got the 200 Elite eight active here in my left hand and in my right the flagship 250 Elite 10 but at least there will be no standard Elite eight or an elite 10 active this is it Jabra has assured me so let's get right into what I think about them thank you I'm going to start with the elite eight active because they're more straightforward they look feel and perform like a modestly upgraded version of the elite 7 Pro with six microphones instead of four slightly improved adaptive noise canceling and wind reduction technology along with a higher durability rating if you're more interested in the elite tent feel free to jump ahead with the elite active 8 does have some appealing features like the elite 7 Series they have a noise isolated design with the same ear tips they fit my ears quite well and I do like that they have physical control buttons for controlling music playback answering and ending calls and toggling between noise canceling and hear through transparency mode the new charging case has rounded corners and does offer wireless charging there are ear detection sensors that automatically pause your music when you remove a Bud from your ears and you can use a single bud in mono mode while the other charges in the case jabra's active earbuds have always been billed as being slightly more durable than their standard Elite counterparts and for the elite active 8 Jabra has really leaned in the whole durability factor and it's sparking these as the world's toughest earbuds they're fully waterproof and dust proof with an ip68 rating and their charging case is dust and splash group with an ip54 rating Jabra also says they're drop proof and have passed nine durability tests to meet the military spec standard for ruggedized Electronics while I didn't do any extreme cold tests I did drop them a few times on the pavement fully submerged them in water and wore them around a 90 degree heat in the streets of New York City and they came out no worse for the wear if you're looking for rugged buds that would be a key reason to buy these but they also are lightweight at 5 grams each and compact sitting fairly flush with your ears they have jabra's Shake grip rubber coating that gives them an added bit of grip and most people should get a very secure fit in my test they worked well for running and have both adaptive noise canceling and an adjustable here through transparency mode that lets you hear the outside world neither the ANC or the transparency are quite up to the level of the airpods pro O2 which when they're on sale retail for about the same price but the noise canceling seems slightly improved from the elite 7 Pro for both of these earbuds Jabra has moved away from using Qualcomm ships so they don't support the aptx audio codec for Android devices but they do support the AAC audio codec and are also compatible with the new le audio standard that includes the lc3 audio codec Le audio features will supposedly be available via a firmware upgrade sometime in the future though it's unclear exactly when multi-point Bluetooth pairing is available from the get-go and Android users get hands-free Google Assistant you just have to say the Wake word to access the assistant if you get a Tight Seal I think these sound very good equipped with six millimeter drivers they deliver Punchy bass good Clarity and pleasant sound overall that has an open quality enhanced by dolby's spatial sound mode that tricks your brain into thinking the sound is more outside your head they lack a little bit of refinement and accuracy compared to even more expensive earbuds including in the elite 10 and Sony wf-1000x Mark V but all in all there isn't a whole lot to complain about you can tweak the sound a bit in the app with some preset EQ options or create your own custom EQ and you can turn off spatial sound in the Java sound Plus app while I did feel they had some small shortcomings in their performance particularly their voice calling performance more on that in a minute I did come away feeling that these were really solid earbuds overall battery life is rated at up to eight hours with ANC on and 14 with it off good numbers for sure but ultimately their standout features are their sound design and apparent durability thank you foreign are a completely different set of earbuds if they have a descendant it's the elite 85t which also had a semi-open design some people really like those earbuds I was less of a fan compared to the elite 85t the elite 10 offer not only a more comfortable fit and better design but also Better Sound and significantly better noise canceling performance along with impressive Dolby spatial audio with head tracking the elite 10 are designed for people who don't like having ear tips jammed in their ears you're still dealing with silicone ear tips but they have a unique oval shape and are designed to Nestle in your ears they certainly are among the most comfortable earbuds that have silicone ear tips interestingly they sometimes felt like they were sitting in my ears a little too Loosely but it actually had a more secure fit than I thought while the Elite 8 active at a higher durability rating they still have an ip57 rating which means they offer both good dust resistance and also can be fully submerged in water in other words you can use these for running if you get a secured fit but I felt more confident that the elite eight actives would stay in my ears while running with them the elite 10 of all the same features I just described in the Elite 8 active but they add head tracking for Dolby spatial audio and have different noise canceling technology called Jabra Advanced ANC they also have larger 10 millimeter drivers that help deliver richer and more accurate sound than the Elite 8 active in a quieter environment anyway these have sound that ranks up there with the best sounding wireless earbuds it's clean nicely detailed and open with well-defined bass these sound a little more natural than the elite eight actives particularly in the mid-range where vocals live they just have a little more depth and texture I was impressed with the spatial audio on these Buzz it's right there with apple spatial audio and some might argue it's even slightly better it works with music and can enhance the listening experience with some tracks or at least give you a different listening experience particularly those remixed with Dolby Atmos but like with Apple's spatial audio it can enhance video watching creating a virtual surround experience with dialogue fixed at the center of your smartphone or tablet screen it works with both Apple and Android devices the one issue with semi-open earbuds is they do allow some sound to leak in and that creates challenges for noise canceling performance as I said these do a better job than the older Elite 85t at reducing Ambient sound but I would not buy these expecting them to muffle the outside world as well as the airpods Pro 2 Sony wf-1000x Mark V or the Bose quiet Comfort 2 earbuds in other words they're able to reduce Ambient sound better than I thought they would but they can only do so much and you really only get about 50 level compared to some of those other earbuds in terms of noise canceling also on a side note I did notice the sound quality changed a bit when I switched from acts of noise canceling to here through mode and off each mode made the earbuds sound slightly different the elite 10 don't have as good a battery life rating as they lead 8 active but it's still not bad they're rated for up to six hours at moderate volume levels with ANC on compared to eight hours for the elite eight active that's about the same as what you get with the airpods pro 2. I'll finish by talking about the voice calling performance for both the elite 10 and Elite activate it's the one thing I was slightly disappointed with don't get me wrong it's good but with both buds Now featuring six microphones and improved wind noise reduction technology I expected a little more also this is Jabra it's done headsets for a long time and done them well so I'm not sure what's going on but headset performance for these was a little mixed with callers tell me they didn't reduce background noise or pick up my voice quite as clearly as some competing models like the airpods pro 2. here's a test call I recorded with the elite 10 that gives you a sense of the call Quality though note the call is recorded via the Internet so you lose a little bit of Fidelity in my voice all right I'm here on the test call with scene at editor John Falcone John I'm in the streets of New York here very noisy near you but it gets uh pretty difficult as the noise ramps up and there is also a lot of background noise including a whoosh during the entire talk all right well I'm going to keep talking a little bit so you can hear um as our traffic's going by and see how am I here I got a big touch to win there uh so that is the best call thanks a lot John in the past for earlier earbuds Jabra has delivered firmware updates that improve voice calling performance that will probably happen here as its Engineers tweak their software algorithms but if the voice calling performance was leveled up a bit the elite 10 buds would probably be an Etters Choice territory they're still really good earbuds not only comfortable to wear for long periods but they also sound excellent as always let me know what you think in the comments section and hit me with any questions I'm David Connor for CNET thanks for watchingforeign has released a lot of earbuds that were a little hard to tell apart from each other I'm not only talking about the elite three four five and seven Pro but there are also active versions of some of those same buds actually told Jabra I didn't think it was such a great idea to put out so many models because it created confusion well it now appears it's come to its senses or sort of anyway I've got the 200 Elite eight active here in my left hand and in my right the flagship 250 Elite 10 but at least there will be no standard Elite eight or an elite 10 active this is it Jabra has assured me so let's get right into what I think about them thank you I'm going to start with the elite eight active because they're more straightforward they look feel and perform like a modestly upgraded version of the elite 7 Pro with six microphones instead of four slightly improved adaptive noise canceling and wind reduction technology along with a higher durability rating if you're more interested in the elite tent feel free to jump ahead with the elite active 8 does have some appealing features like the elite 7 Series they have a noise isolated design with the same ear tips they fit my ears quite well and I do like that they have physical control buttons for controlling music playback answering and ending calls and toggling between noise canceling and hear through transparency mode the new charging case has rounded corners and does offer wireless charging there are ear detection sensors that automatically pause your music when you remove a Bud from your ears and you can use a single bud in mono mode while the other charges in the case jabra's active earbuds have always been billed as being slightly more durable than their standard Elite counterparts and for the elite active 8 Jabra has really leaned in the whole durability factor and it's sparking these as the world's toughest earbuds they're fully waterproof and dust proof with an ip68 rating and their charging case is dust and splash group with an ip54 rating Jabra also says they're drop proof and have passed nine durability tests to meet the military spec standard for ruggedized Electronics while I didn't do any extreme cold tests I did drop them a few times on the pavement fully submerged them in water and wore them around a 90 degree heat in the streets of New York City and they came out no worse for the wear if you're looking for rugged buds that would be a key reason to buy these but they also are lightweight at 5 grams each and compact sitting fairly flush with your ears they have jabra's Shake grip rubber coating that gives them an added bit of grip and most people should get a very secure fit in my test they worked well for running and have both adaptive noise canceling and an adjustable here through transparency mode that lets you hear the outside world neither the ANC or the transparency are quite up to the level of the airpods pro O2 which when they're on sale retail for about the same price but the noise canceling seems slightly improved from the elite 7 Pro for both of these earbuds Jabra has moved away from using Qualcomm ships so they don't support the aptx audio codec for Android devices but they do support the AAC audio codec and are also compatible with the new le audio standard that includes the lc3 audio codec Le audio features will supposedly be available via a firmware upgrade sometime in the future though it's unclear exactly when multi-point Bluetooth pairing is available from the get-go and Android users get hands-free Google Assistant you just have to say the Wake word to access the assistant if you get a Tight Seal I think these sound very good equipped with six millimeter drivers they deliver Punchy bass good Clarity and pleasant sound overall that has an open quality enhanced by dolby's spatial sound mode that tricks your brain into thinking the sound is more outside your head they lack a little bit of refinement and accuracy compared to even more expensive earbuds including in the elite 10 and Sony wf-1000x Mark V but all in all there isn't a whole lot to complain about you can tweak the sound a bit in the app with some preset EQ options or create your own custom EQ and you can turn off spatial sound in the Java sound Plus app while I did feel they had some small shortcomings in their performance particularly their voice calling performance more on that in a minute I did come away feeling that these were really solid earbuds overall battery life is rated at up to eight hours with ANC on and 14 with it off good numbers for sure but ultimately their standout features are their sound design and apparent durability thank you foreign are a completely different set of earbuds if they have a descendant it's the elite 85t which also had a semi-open design some people really like those earbuds I was less of a fan compared to the elite 85t the elite 10 offer not only a more comfortable fit and better design but also Better Sound and significantly better noise canceling performance along with impressive Dolby spatial audio with head tracking the elite 10 are designed for people who don't like having ear tips jammed in their ears you're still dealing with silicone ear tips but they have a unique oval shape and are designed to Nestle in your ears they certainly are among the most comfortable earbuds that have silicone ear tips interestingly they sometimes felt like they were sitting in my ears a little too Loosely but it actually had a more secure fit than I thought while the Elite 8 active at a higher durability rating they still have an ip57 rating which means they offer both good dust resistance and also can be fully submerged in water in other words you can use these for running if you get a secured fit but I felt more confident that the elite eight actives would stay in my ears while running with them the elite 10 of all the same features I just described in the Elite 8 active but they add head tracking for Dolby spatial audio and have different noise canceling technology called Jabra Advanced ANC they also have larger 10 millimeter drivers that help deliver richer and more accurate sound than the Elite 8 active in a quieter environment anyway these have sound that ranks up there with the best sounding wireless earbuds it's clean nicely detailed and open with well-defined bass these sound a little more natural than the elite eight actives particularly in the mid-range where vocals live they just have a little more depth and texture I was impressed with the spatial audio on these Buzz it's right there with apple spatial audio and some might argue it's even slightly better it works with music and can enhance the listening experience with some tracks or at least give you a different listening experience particularly those remixed with Dolby Atmos but like with Apple's spatial audio it can enhance video watching creating a virtual surround experience with dialogue fixed at the center of your smartphone or tablet screen it works with both Apple and Android devices the one issue with semi-open earbuds is they do allow some sound to leak in and that creates challenges for noise canceling performance as I said these do a better job than the older Elite 85t at reducing Ambient sound but I would not buy these expecting them to muffle the outside world as well as the airpods Pro 2 Sony wf-1000x Mark V or the Bose quiet Comfort 2 earbuds in other words they're able to reduce Ambient sound better than I thought they would but they can only do so much and you really only get about 50 level compared to some of those other earbuds in terms of noise canceling also on a side note I did notice the sound quality changed a bit when I switched from acts of noise canceling to here through mode and off each mode made the earbuds sound slightly different the elite 10 don't have as good a battery life rating as they lead 8 active but it's still not bad they're rated for up to six hours at moderate volume levels with ANC on compared to eight hours for the elite eight active that's about the same as what you get with the airpods pro 2. I'll finish by talking about the voice calling performance for both the elite 10 and Elite activate it's the one thing I was slightly disappointed with don't get me wrong it's good but with both buds Now featuring six microphones and improved wind noise reduction technology I expected a little more also this is Jabra it's done headsets for a long time and done them well so I'm not sure what's going on but headset performance for these was a little mixed with callers tell me they didn't reduce background noise or pick up my voice quite as clearly as some competing models like the airpods pro 2. here's a test call I recorded with the elite 10 that gives you a sense of the call Quality though note the call is recorded via the Internet so you lose a little bit of Fidelity in my voice all right I'm here on the test call with scene at editor John Falcone John I'm in the streets of New York here very noisy near you but it gets uh pretty difficult as the noise ramps up and there is also a lot of background noise including a whoosh during the entire talk all right well I'm going to keep talking a little bit so you can hear um as our traffic's going by and see how am I here I got a big touch to win there uh so that is the best call thanks a lot John in the past for earlier earbuds Jabra has delivered firmware updates that improve voice calling performance that will probably happen here as its Engineers tweak their software algorithms but if the voice calling performance was leveled up a bit the elite 10 buds would probably be an Etters Choice territory they're still really good earbuds not only comfortable to wear for long periods but they also sound excellent as always let me know what you think in the comments section and hit me with any questions I'm David Connor for CNET thanks for watching\n"