Work, rest or play, Jabra's Elite 7 Active wireless earbuds deliver

Whether it’s for work, rest or play, Jabra’s Elite 7 Active wireless earbuds deliver superior sound, in any situation. We put them through their paces in everything from video conferences, to phone calls with the managing editor, and even listening to "The Boss".

Just like the metal in motion we usually critique, we made sure these little troopers were up to the task at the office, at home, in the gym, and the great outdoors, trying to find a way to break some of the stand out capabilities the Elite 7 Active’s offer.

Designed and engineered in Copenhagen, proving that the Danish not only deliver some tasty ice cream, but also provide quality equipment, the Elite 7 Active’s feature the dynamic duo of active noise cancelling (ANC) and hear-through technology.

ANC helps to immerse you into your own space, blocking out environmental noise, and while you can still hear yourself devouring a crunchy packet of chips, you pretty much won’t hear anything else.

Be warned though, it might cause spousal aggravation (especially if you’re getting told to do something). Hear-through allows you to take in the outside world, along with what’s on your playlist at the same time.

In ANC mode, whether you’re listening or talking, Jabra’s newest bit of kit provides superb sound quality, with true wireless in-ear goodness, supporting tech, including a great app, and the best part – ShakeGrip technology.

The latter is pure sorcery, or at least we think so. In a gentle stroll, scenic jog or energetic run, the Jabra Elite 7 Active earbuds refuse to let go of their hold on your acoustic receivers (our swanky way of referring to your ears).

Even through the most strenuous reps at the gym, these earbuds won’t have you missing your tunes on leg day. You also get three different sized Ear Gel covers, but alas, this is not the secret "gripping" ingredient.

Jabra’s special liquid silicone rubber compound encases the micro tech, and this magical material has a firm grip, all while feeling incredibly soft and comfortable. Basically, it’s built in traction control for your ears.

Using Jabra’s free Sound+ app, you can adjust both these features to your optimum specifications. Sound+ isn’t just a novelty either, and lets you become the executive sound engineer of your Jabra earbuds, allowing full personalisation of their capabilities.

Among its features are a music equalizer and pre-sets to help fine tune your beats, plus Find My Jabra, for those forgetful users. You also get MyFit and MySound, which is like having your own audiologist to calibrate your earbuds to your hearing.

Six microphones ensure you have the clearest conversations (dependent on your carrier’s reception of course), and they also assist with hear-through, so that you’re alert to your surroundings, even when you’re air guitaring on your pedestrian adventure.

It’s worth remembering to turn on hear-through on public transport so you don’t miss important announcements and watch your destination pass by as you continue through your “Chillax” playlist (don’t ask how we know that).

Bluetooth Multipoint allows you to connect to two devices simultaneously as well, which means you can take a call via either source, or switch between them seamlessly. We had them connected to an iPhone and laptop, and the transition between the two was effortless.

Prices start from $279, which isn’t too bad considering competitor offerings. The Elite 7 Active earbuds are (IP57-rated) waterproof, sweatproof and workout-proof, proven under our controlled gym environment testing.

They won’t fall out of your ears, despite a tendency to reach out and make sure they’re still there if you’ve not used them before, and they’re easy to charge. Simply pop them back into the storage case for around 2.5 hours (remember to charge the storage case though).

Jabra claim music time of up to eight hours. We thoroughly challenged this with a full day’s usage, consisting of MS Teams meetings, Apple Music playlists, a gym session, in-car audio and numerous phone calls. We managed just over 7.5 hours of usage.

Charging the case is via USB-C connector and a fast charge of five minutes will give you up to an hour of usage. Standby time is up to 292 days. The Sound+ app will also lets you know battery life on each earbud as well as the carry case.

The earbuds have a wireless range of up to 10 metres, and work well with Siri, Google Assistant (Android only) and Amazon Alexa. They come with a 2-year warranty and sleep mode functionality.

The latter will shut them down after they’ve been out of your ears for 15 minutes. Put them back in, and they instantly re-activate. You can even use just a single earbud, if you so desire. They do only come in three colours though; Navy, Mint and Black.

A wireless charging is sold separately. So if your lifestyle includes a physical regimen as part of your daily routine, then the Jabra Elite 7 Active wireless earbuds are a great companion for your journey.

Our test product was provided by Jabra Australia, and all prices quoted are Australian dollars. This story by Jason Fernandez, and first published Exhaust Notes Australia.

Pros – comfort, connectivity, ease of use, noise cancelling and hear-through capabilities, mobile app customisation.

Cons – price and lack of colour choice.