I also frequently use only one headphone while talking on the phone and if you ever wanted to share headphones there's no requirement for them to be close together. If you like using headphones while laying down, the new, smaller, design is even comfortable against a pillow. They fit perfectly and your ears don't get tired of wearing them over time. The biggest reason I love them comes down to just how comfortable they are. When off the bike, the Jabra Elite 7 Active are the headphones I use more than any others. If you are looking to ride long distances with music you'd probably be better off with the Aeropex. Similarly, if you wanted the earbuds in while riding, in case of a call, but wanted to retain awareness this would work well. If you were listening to directions while riding through the city this would be a great option. Turn on HearThrough and it's almost as if you have nothing in. What the Jabra tech does is use the mic array to open your ear canal back up virtually.īecause the Elite 7 Active seals with your ears you'd experience a loss of hearing even with no music.
If you are looking to keep your hearing totally free while listening to music, the Aftershokz Aeropex still does best in that use. When it comes to riding outside with headphones, I generally don't do it, but in my testing, the HearThrough tech is impressive. It's just the on-off nature of the sound of breathing that it lets through a bit. The biggest challenge in these situations comes from dealing with the fan pointed right at the mic but Jabra seems to do an excellent job with wind noise. Still very subtle but it seems to pick up heavy breathing just a little bit more. When it comes to the mic performance, specifically while riding indoors, it's actually a slight downgrade. With the Elite 7 Active, I've yet to have that happen. Sometimes I'd have to catch an earbud as it fell. I often find myself covered in sweat and laughing at the absurdity of attempting to stay with an attack in a Zwift race. With the old earbud design if you smiled or laughed it could sometimes push them out of the ear canal. It's all very subtle but it solves the only issue I ever had with the Elite 75t. The section in the outer ear is also just a little more integrated with the ear too. The effect of the changes is that the earbuds sit with less of the body outside of the ear canal. The new Elite 7 Active design sees a 16-per cent smaller earbud though and the shape is just a little bit smoother. Choose one of three "EarGels" to make the tip fit your ear best and they feel pretty secure with a nice sound-deadening seal. The two designs are very similar and the seal with the ear canal is almost exactly the same. When it comes to Zwift performance, that's where the Elite 7 Active marks a change from the previous generation Elite 75t. If you get off the trainer, they should be usable outside on a bike if you decide to and they should work well for phone calls or listening to music. The mic should handle the fan pointed at my face in that same scenario. From my perspective that means they will feel secure when I'm absolutely dripping sweat while racing on Zwift. With the pricing at £169.99 / $179.99 it's likely that you are going to expect these to perform in a variety of situations. Nearly every aspect of the Jabra Elite 7 Active headphones is customizable (Image credit: Josh Ross) Performance Everything the buttons do is configurable through the app. At all times you can summon a voice assistant, change the volume, or switch between ANC, HearThrough, or off.
If a call comes in, those same controls switch to call controls. If you are listening to music then you have options for music control. The area that this material covers is mostly the flat top section and it contains a hidden button. Holding the earbuds between your fingers and you'll notice the soft-touch plastic that Jabra uses. The drone of an aeroplane or the constant hum of motorway traffic drops to inaudible but constantly changing noise doesn't change much. As for the ANC mode keep in mind that ANC works best for continuous noises. It's worth noting that these are not hearing aids, so don't expect amplification with this feature. If you were to ride outside with these, HearThrough uses the microphones to pipe outside sounds through into the sealed environment behind the earbuds. The sound modes include both HearThrough and Active Noise Cancellation or Off. In the app you can see the battery status of the earbuds or case, access the extensive customization features, and select sound modes. (Image credit: Josh Ross)Ĭonnecting the earbuds to the phone also means they connect to the Jabra companion app. Under the soft touch material at the top is a hidden button.