Jabra Elite 7 Active wireless earbuds review

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Jabra’s Elite 7 Active in-ear headphones offer engaging sonic performance in a well-built, compact package, supported by a plethora of useful and customisable features.

Weighing only 5.5g each, these stylish in-ear buds are small and light enough to fit seamlessly into your cycling setup.

Eschewing ear hooks or fins, used by rival air and bone conduction headphones, they employ ShakeGrip technology to sit in place, covering your ear canal. That could be an issue for those worried about the safety of cycling with headphones.

However, like many aspects of the Elite 7 Actives, that can be mitigated by some clever tech accessed via the buds’ fully featured app.

Battery life is enough to get you through big days on the bike or full shifts at the office, while audio quality is better than many in-ear headphones. However, true audiophiles may be left wanting more and fit was an issue throughout testing.

Jabra Elite 7 Active specifications

Jabra tells us the Elite 7 Active earbuds are “big on tech but small on size". I'd concur, and the buds exude a feeling of understated quality that’ll please plenty of urban commuters.

They come in black or an attractive navy blue, snapping pleasingly into the magnetic charging port of their compact matt-finish case.

Charging is by USB-C, with the battery claimed to provide eight hours’ listening. That's nearly sufficient to get through Max Richter’s Sleep album (Deutsche Gramophon, 2015), although not something I'd recommend trying on a ride.

Battery life can be extended to 30 hours with the case, and a five-minute charge is said to give you an hour of play time. Wireless charging is also supported.

Not using ear hooks or wings to provide a stable fit is a bold move. However, Jabra says its ShakeGrip silicone rubber compound holds the buds in place for “walking, running or repping” and presumably cycling. EarGel fit adaptors are provided in small, medium and large sizes.

The 6mm speakers squeezed into the brand’s smallest buds yet are designed to deliver a “rich, powerful music experience”, which can be tailored using the MySound feature in Jabra’s impressively detailed app.

Rather than the tap functionality used in some of the best cycling headphones, the Jabras employ a soft-touch button on each bud.

There’s Adjustable Active Noise Cancellation, useful for blocking out chatty neighbours in the office, and five levels of what Jabra calls HearThrough to keep you alert to approaching hazards on the bike. This feature uses the internal microphone to mix in ambient noise.

The buds have an IP57 waterproof rating and Jabra offers a two-year warranty against failure from water and dust.

Jabra Elite 7 Active performance

Much of my 20 years’ journalism experience has been while working on guitar, vinyl and tech magazines. In that time, I’ve reviewed a wide musical spectrum of amplifiers, effects pedals, turntables and headphones.

To assess the performance of the Jabra Elite 7 Active earbuds, I used them on my daily commute for two weeks, alongside a couple of gravel rides, 50 miles of running and some gym sessions.

This enabled me to get a thorough picture of their fit, usability, comfort and hi-fi performance.

Bluetooth pairing with my Google Pixel 7a was instantaneous and the Jabra app installed without issue.

Starting with the default medium EarGels, I quickly achieved a comfortable, secure seal.

The MyFit function confirmed both buds had a ‘good fit’ and I completed the MySound ear test designed to fine-tune the audio for your specific hearing profile. The latter made a substantial positive difference to my listening experience.

When cycling, the fullness of the audio presentation ensured no detail went missing. The HearThrough function did a good job of making sure I was alert to approaching cars, although it’s not as natural or effective as buds that leave your ear canal open.

My biggest issue with these headphones was the fit. With no ear hook to sit around the top of your ear, or fin to hold them in place, everything rests on whether the supplied adaptors fit your ear canal.

Using the default medium EarGels on my first test ride, the right bud suddenly ejected itself from my ear and hit the wet tarmac. I had to stop twice more on the ride to tinker with the fit.

I switched to the large adaptor for a five-mile run the following evening and felt even less confident, eventually removing both buds two miles in after they’d dislodged numerous times. Thankfully, the build quality is robust enough that no damage was done.

I’ve since returned to the medium size, largely with better results, although the fit in my right ear seems particularly problematic and I’d stop short of saying I feel confident wearing these buds.

My suspicion is my fussy ear canal size lies somewhere between the medium and large adaptors.

This is a fundamental issue for me in using these buds, although I’d qualify that by saying I’ve had similar issues with almost every wireless in-ear headphone I’ve ever used. Other testers have reported the Jabras to offer an excellent fit.

Jabra Elite 7 Active sound quality

The Elite 7 Active buds deliver a balanced, full-powered listening experience. With the buds sealed in place, overall volume is among the loudest I’ve tested, ensuring your music won’t get blown away when the wind whips up.

On Four Tet’s spellbinding Two Thousand and Seventeen, the soundscape was immersive and detailed, but when the signature dulcimer motif entered the picture there was a slightly brittle harshness to the cascading notes.

A blast through The Clash’s eponymous 1977 debut album on my morning rumble to the office certainly blew away the cobwebs, but Mick Jones’ chordal stabs and the splashy snare hits left my ears a little more fizzy and fatigued than the best wireless headphones.

I’m not sure I’d want the Jabras to accompany me with such a spiky soundtrack on an audax.

Overall, audio quality is plenty good enough for a set of sport headphones, if slightly unremarkable. The Jabras ultimately lose out to the refined, minute detail and widescreen presentation of my favourite Sony LinkBuds.

Jabra Elite 7 Active bottom line

The Jabra Elite 7 Actives are a good pair of wireless headphones. Sound quality is full and well-rounded, falling only marginally short of the best options on the market.

Build quality is excellent, the accompanying app offers a range of useful customisation options and the battery will last all day.

Whether these are the best wireless buds for your cycling lifestyle will likely come down to the fit – and that’s a hugely subjective matter. If it were my money, I’d opt for the premium sound quality of the Sony LinkBuds or the confidence the ear-hook design of the Shokz OpenFits inspires.

Considering the former are £20 cheaper than the Jabras and the latter only £10 more expensive, the Elite 7 Active earbuds narrowly miss out on my recommendation.

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