I live near a beach and I relax listening to music while I walk down for a swim, I also travel a lot and one thing that is important to me is my headphones.
Comfort is critical along with the ability to easily take and make calls especially as we are now moving into an era of cordless headphones.
As the market switched to Bluetooth devices and manufacturers started to eliminate headphone jacks on premium smartphones there emerged a new generation of listening devices earbuds and among those on offer are a pair of third generation 4-microphone Jabra Elite 65t that last up to 5 hours on a charge.
Made by a Company that also makes hearing aids the Jabra buds which are selling at JB Hi Fi for $299 they feel and look premium.
Even the charging case is small and compact and can be easily carried in a pocket, as for the buds they can be easily docked into the charging case for a recharge or two.
You also get true wireless connection stability to reduce call and music dropouts as well as one-touch access to Amazon Alexa Siri, and Google Now.
The black matte metal case has a micro USB port on the bottom and an easy-to-close snap lid. Despite their relatively small size (0.3 x 1.2 x 0.9 inches), the right bud weighs a tiny bit more than the left, at 0.23 and 0.2 ounces, respectively.
When one compares these buds and the AirPods on offer from Apple the difference is chalk and cheese, while one pair is more a fashion statement the Jabra offering are all about engineering a device for optimum listening.
There is even a companion app that lets you access a host of capability.
As soon as I put the buds into my ears the fit was perfect right out of the box.
The silicon ear tips created a secure seal even when I shook my head side from side to see if they would fall out.
What you realise with buds is that Jabra’s packing a hell of a lot of value and functionality into the Elite 65t which are easy to connect to multiple devices.
Recently I was in Byron Bay and wanted to watch the football, not having access to a TV, I simply connected my Jabra buds to my notebook opened the Foxtel Now app and well I had crystal clear sound. I also noticed when watching a movie that the dialogue was a lot clearer than listening to sound via a soundbar. I later paired my Samsung S9+ and instantly accessed Spotify and was able to take a call.
Compared to several other buds that I have tested I had no problem seating them in my ears, though I suspect females with smaller ears may need to play around with the spare silicon cups.
To set up the Elite 65t buds hold down the button on each bud for 3 seconds, the power on and are ready to pair.
A female voice guides you through the pairing process, they say a woman’s voice is more calming which most navigation systems is why have a female voice.
The Elite 65t buds come with the free Jabra Sound + app that is available via iOS or Android. download it and you can track the battery life as well as get access to Voice Assistant, Audio Experience, Call Experience and Equalizer.
Voice Assistant allows you to toggle between your device’s default assistant, in my case Google Assistant.
Audio Experience let you manage the HearThrough function, which determines how much ambient noise, if any, is pumped into the earbuds you can also adjust Auto Pause and Headset Prompts.
The Music Equalizer gives you free range to manually adjust the five-band EQ, which ranges from 60 hertz to 14 kilohertz.
Conclusion
I am a big believer in sticking to products where the manufacturer already has a track record.
Apple outsources production and they are not known as a Company who can deliver miniaturisation, Jabra is. they have been a leader in the hearing aid market for decades. Their heritage is European which is why the design of the Jabra buds is excellent.
As for functionality there is nothing missing from these buds, they deliver excellent sound, can cut out noise when you want to, and they fit snugly into the ear. You also don’t look like a dork with a pair of Apple AirPods hanging from your lobes.
For $299 these are excellent value as they pack a lot of technology and capability into a very small package.
