The Jabra Elite Active 65t are high-end truly wireless in-ears. They are the more sport-oriented variant of the original Elite 65t model thanks to their better sweat resistance. The Elite Active 65t are stable and breathable in-ears that are suitable for most sports and physical activities. Their new matte dark blue finish gives them a more premium look and feel, and they come with a better designed and very portable case that gives you two additional charges for more playback time. Unfortunately, they have a slightly awkward button layout but at least it provides physical controls which are easier to use. They also have a good wireless range and connection but won’t be great for video content because of their higher-than-average latency. On the upside, they’re one of the more versatile truly wireless headphones we’ve tested and they’re suitable for most use cases.
Pros
+ Good range and wireless connection
+ Stable and breathable for sports
+ Good passive isolation
Cons
- Not as comfortable for everyone
Design
Type: Truly Wireless In-Ear
Enclosure: Closed-Back
The Elite Active 65t are slightly better built than the regular 65t. The design is very similar; the matte blue finish being one of the only main differences between both models. They are very portable truly wireless in-ears and they come with a compact case that should fit in most pockets. They are stable enough for most sports and they feel dense and durable. They are also sweatproof headphones for more intense workouts. Unfortunately, their earbud design is larger than most and they don’t have stability fins, meaning the earbuds push on the concha of your ear, which could be a bit uncomfortable for smaller ears after a while. On the upside, they come with 3 tips sizes for you to find a better, more comfortable and air-tight fit. They are very breathable, and your ears won’t get too hot thanks to the in-ear design.
Sound
The Jabra Elite Active 65t are decent sounding truly wireless in-ears. They have good bass with the right amount of punch and kick, but a bit light on rumble. Their mid-range is also pretty good and mostly flat, but their treble range can sound a bit sharp and piercing on S and T sounds. Also, you may experience a loss in bass if you’re not able to achieve an air-tight seal with the provided tip options and their soundstage is also poor, but this is to be expected for a closed-back in-ear design. Nevertheless, their default sound should be good enough for most, and they come with a great companion app that has a great 5 band EQ, so you can adjust their sound profile to your liking.
Isolation
Noise canceling: No
The Jabra Elite Active 65t block a lot of noise thanks to their decently isolating in-ear fit. Their passive noise isolation is on par with some over-ear noise canceling headphones, so noise won’t easily seep into your audio even in noisier environments like a busy street or on a bus. This makes them a good choice for your daily commutes and a suitable option for a somewhat lively office. On top of that, their leakage performance is excellent and will allow you to reduce even more ambient noise by raising the volume without bothering the people around you.
Microphone
Mic type: Integrated
The integrated microphone of the Elite Active 65t is average-at-best, but this is to be expected on truly-wireless Bluetooth headphones. Even in quieter environments, voices sound thin, muffled and lacking in detail, but still understandable to a certain extent. In noisy environments like on the street or on a windy day, the microphone struggles to separate background noise from the actual speech and the person on the line with you might have difficulty hearing you clearly. Overall, this microphone shouldn’t be your first pick for making calls.
Active features
Headphones Battery Life: 5.2 Hrs
Charge time: 1.5 Hrs
Case battery life: 10 Hrs
App support: Yes
Passive Playback: No
The Jabra Elite Active 65t have a good battery life for truly wireless in-ears. You can expect around 5 hours of playback for 1.5 hours of charging time. The case that comes with the headphones is also a dock to recharge them. The case will give you two additional charges for up to 15 hours of listening time with breaks in-between sessions for charging. There is also a quick charging feature that gives you about 1.5 hours of battery life for only 15 minutes of charging. The Elite Active 65t are compatible with the Jabra Sound+ app that gives you access to an EQ, battery data and activity stats like a step-counter, which makes them a bit more versatile than other truly wireless headphones we’ve tested.
Connectivity
Bluetooth: Yes
Wired: No
Wireless range: 40 ft
Latency: 227 ms
The Jabra Elite Active 65t are Bluetooth-only headphones and can’t be used wired if the battery is dead. They have better wireless range than most truly wireless designs with Bluetooth 4.2, but they’re also Bluetooth 5.0 so they might have an even better range with a compatible device. They can remember the last 8 synced devices for auto-pairing when you take the headphones out of the case. Unfortunately, their latency is too high to be suitable for watching video content or for gaming, but they are great for everyday use cases like listening to music, especially if you keep your audio source on you.
Who should buy them?
If you’re looking for premium looking sports headphones and don’t want a wire that gets in your way, go with the truly wireless Jabra Elite Active 65t. They are very portable, and their case should easily fit in most pockets. Their sound reproduction is good and they passively isolate noise very well. They are as good for your daily commute and crowded gym as well as being a decent option to use at the office or just for listening to music. On the other hand, they might not be the best sports headphones for runners who want to monitor their surroundings (even with the open feature you can enable in the app) and as usual with most Bluetooth headphones, they aren’t good for watching videos and for gaming because of their high latency. Also, people with smaller ears might find them a tad uncomfortable after a while because of the larger earbud design. However, these sweatproof truly wireless in-ears are great for most sports and have a good build and sound quality and are versatile enough for most activities in your daily routine.
To see all our measurements and our test results of the Jabra Elite Active 65t, please go here.
