Jabra - Elite 8 Active Gen 2

I returned these. My Samsung Galaxy Buds2 pros had better transparency mode for work, being that people came to my desk frequently, and me to theirs. Call quality wasn’t as good, and I found the bass to be lacking. My Jabra Elite Active 8 Gen 2’s are the only keepers. Apple, AZ100’s, Bose, JBL, Sony, and even Beats, I tried them all. Most kept falling out. I workout and play golf in the Jabra’s. They don’t move. Better call quality, bass, and fit. I’m trying a few more when they get here next week, too. Perl Pros, Accentums and the AZ80’s. I doubt I’ll like any of the, but who knows.

Soooo you kinda asking for the ultimate hybrid. And they just don't exist. However at the price point you going for you have great options. First if you want in eco system, galaxy buds pro 3 and the easy choice. If you want best sound Sony WF1000XM5 is definitely for audiophiles. If you want something for the gym with good sound, jabra elite8 active gen 2 is the best out there. If you want to spend half those prices and have a great daily driver I'd recommend checking out the nothing ear gen 2.

Well they still sell them. And they are still easily the best active earbuds by a wide margin. But if you can't find them, I'd say honestly the Soundcore X20 is the next best. Very good for a cheaper price. And I know Sennheiser makes the Momentum Sport but I have tried them as well and I can confidently say they're overpriced and underwhelming (imo) *Other suggestions I see might be good earbuds, but the "active" features are critical to me, you can't dump water on your head mid run with just any earbuds.

Jabra needs to un-cancel their line. elite 8 active gen II are what I always reach for. Have AirPods Pro II and WF-XM5’s. Nothing fits as well, has better anc, has better battery, or is waterproof like my jabras. I should have bought 2 at the end cause I think it’ll be a couple years till someone catches up.

Technics az100 blew me away and I came from Beoplay h9 and jabra elite active 8 gen 2.

I had the same Jabras for two years until the right earbud stopped charging. I got the elite active 8s to replace them. I love them just as much as the 75 T. Both pairs have been the most comfortable earbuds I've ever worn so I'd be hesitant to try another higher-end set from another brand... but will have to eventually since Jabra has stopped making new earbuds. They do block a lot of noise even when the ANC is off, so if you need to be able to hear cars and you didn't like the hearthrough from Jabra, you may want to keep looking.

Ran my usual 4.5mi loop this morning. Definitely get the wind noise when using hearthrough. When I turned on wind noise reduction, the wind noise was cut in half. I would compare it to the low rumble when you're on a plane, but not nearly as loud. I switched back and forth a few times and without the wind noise reduction turned on, it sounded more like a wind tunnel. I turned that back on for the final mile and got used to it. Definiely could hear when a car was coming up on me from behind and if a car was idling in a driveway (it's still 40deg in the morning here... come on spring!) To clarify, I have the Elite Active 8 Gen 2. hope that helps.

Go for the Jabra Elite 8 Active Gen 2—mic crushes the Sony LinkBuds S in noisy/quiet settings, keeps your voice natural, and the fit’s comfy/secure (IP68 rating). If that’s too pricey, the Anker Liberty 4 NC is a cheaper runner-up with decent mics (stem design helps) and ANC. Sony’s mics get shaky in noise, and their shallow fit annoys some. Both Jabra/Anker use silicone tips, so no AirPod 4 vibes. You’re golden. Also you can check this thread: https://www.reddit.com/r/Earbuds/comments/1i0k6ye/earbuds_for_you/

Wait wut… I just got my mother and I new pairs of elite 8 and elite 8 gen 2

Their quality is good but I wish I’d gotten AirPods. Jabari’s don’t listen for hey siri And I use AI and Siri all the time

Wait wut… I just got my mother and I new pairs of elite 8 and elite 8 gen 2

Their quality is good but I wish I’d gotten AirPods. Jabari’s don’t listen for hey siri And I use AI and Siri all the time

Wow I have the Elite 8 Active Gen 2 and I hate them. The left one always wants to fall out. I hate that the default is hear-through and I have to change it in the app every day.

Correct, I only run with the right but the default is hear-through. I wonder if there's a way to fix that. I suspect that the ANC / hear-through and being able to move the tracks forward cannot be on the same bud.

If your budget is $300, I think they are one of the best all-around earbuds right now. My Jabra Elite Gen2 are still my favorite all-arounders, but the AZ100 sound is better. The only earbud that sounds better than the AZ100 *under $300* is the Denon Perl Pro, which were $330 a year ago, so their current price is a steal. The Technics are better in most other areas though. In terms of "are the AZ100s really worth the money," I think they are, in that they excel at everything you should expect from a $300 earbud. But you can get pretty damn close from the Sennheiser MTW4, which are a bit cheaper now. I always recommended the MTW4 over the AZ80, considering the two more or less tied. I do think the AZ100, especially in LDAC, has edged both out, but it's not a huge margin. Jabra Elite 10 and 8 Gen 2 are still contenders, at whatever their current price is. I'm trying out some JBL Tour Pro 3 and I have reservations, but they're growing on me. I don't love the sound but I'm warming up to it, and I think others might find it to be in the same league as the AZ100 soundwise. I have some qualms about the limited control customizability and some intermittent charging problems, but overall these are very good earbuds and legitimate competitors to the AZ100 in the same price range. OnePlus 3 Pro and Nothing 2024 have excellent sound and are good all arounders for half the price or less. These are definitely a step down from the AZ100 but we're talking diminishing returns here. If the AZ100s sound 10-20% better and have 20-25% better ANC, but cost 200%-250% more, it's up to you to decide whether those improvements are worth the cost. (Those percentages are just a rough comparison based on my experiences, and don't correspond to any hard data).

The Jabra are my favorites all around, but I have a lot of earbuds and there are a lot that beat them in one area or another, but none (in my opinion) that beat them *overall*. Comfort: no earbuds beat Jabra Elite 10 for comfort. Probably the next most comfortable would be Nothing 2024 / A or OnePlus 3/3Pro/2Pro or maybe Galaxy 2Pro/3Pro. But I find Technics, Devialet, Bose to all be reasonably comfortable. Sound: I love the Jabra 10 sound but plenty of premium earbuds beat them in sound. Technics AZ100/80, Sennheiser MTW4, Denon Perl Pro, and at a higher price point: Gemini 2, Pi8, BeoPlay EX (and probably Eleven but I haven't tried them). The Nothing 2024 in LDAC could potentially beat the Jabra in sound too but it's a close call. Most of these would be overkill if you're primarily listening to audiobooks and podcasts: in fact the Jabra are my favorites for spoken word, especially since the recent LC3 firmware update. ANC: Bose beats everyone. To my ears, the Jabra ANC is roughly tied for 2nd place ANC with Sony, Sennheiser, and Devialet. Some might argue that Sony is 2nd place and the others are tied for 3rd. Either way. I particularly like the Jabra ANC for flights, but the others are comparable. Microphone: I don't use earbuds much for calls so this is one area I never have much of an opinion on. My understanding is that Huawei buds have the best mics for calls but I've never tried them. Water Resistance: the Jabra 8 Active are the only earbuds I'm comfortable showering with. Beyond that I don't pay too much attention to IP ratings. My understanding is that Jabra generally leads in this area but that there are some (which I can't recollect) that are comparable. Physical buttons: nothing that I'm aware of beats Jabra in this area. I know the Status Between 4ANC (or something like that) has a physical button in addition to touch controls, but I only had these briefly and I don't remember how useful it was. Transmitter: Bowers & Wilkins Pi8 has a transmitter case (I think B&W were the innovators in this area). When using the USB-C transmitter, the Pi8 sound is *incredible*. I don't think I've tried the headphone/aux cable transmitter yet (the Pi8 comes with two separate cables instead of the Jabra version which has a built in adapter on a single cable). I think JBL Tour Pro 3 also have a transmitter option but I only had these briefly and I don't think I tried it. If your otherwise-perfect earbuds are missing the transmitter case feature, you can always get something like this: https://a.co/d/bbJW8Yn. I've used a similar device on a plane and it worked great, but I didn't do any side-by-side comparison of sound quality or anything. If all my Jabra earbuds disappears today, the Technics AZ100 or Sennheiser MTW4 would probably be my new daily drivers. Both have better sound than the Jabra and are probably 2nd-ish place in all the other areas: they're great overall earbuds. But this choice puts a lot of emphasis on music sound quality. For primarily audiobooks/podcasts, I'd probably choose the OnePlus Buds 3 Pro or Nothing 2024 (or Nothing A) as daily drivers. (Don't get me wrong, they both sound fantastic on music too). OnePlus would probably win out because of their controls and somewhat better ANC and battery life.

I have 3 sets of Elite 10 Gen 2 and 1 set of Elite 8 Gen 2, so I'm hoping to keep them around for a while, because nothing else quite lives up to the Jabra as comfortable all-arounders. (And I have a lot of top-tier earbuds, many of which are better than Jabra in some ways, but the Jabra are still my favorite daily drivers). If all my Jabra earbuds disappeared today, my Technics AZ100 or OnePlus Buds Pro 3 would probably become my new daily drivers. It's impossible to know what the future will bring, but I'd anticipate that these brands will continue putting out worthwhile all-around earbuds like Jabra has. Nothing Ear is a good choice too. In the current generation, I *slightly* prefer my OnePlus buds over Nothing Ear, but it's a close call. For my ears, Nothing are probably the most comfortable earbuds after Jabra.

I also have a few sets of Elite 10 and will be sad when the last set dies or I run it through the washer... They're my #1 earbuds for everyday use and I pretty much always have a set in my pocket. When my Elite 10s and 8s are gone, AZ100 (or its successor, presumably) is a great premium "everyday" earbud, probably the best and most full featured in its price range while still being comfortable and pocketable. I also really like the OnePlus Buds Pro 3. They're not as "premium" as the Technics but they're cheaper and fairly full featured and they scratch my "everyday carry" itch better than most.