Jabra Elite 8 Active Gen 2 review: Go out in style

There are tons of wireless earbuds available on the market, but you will rarely find a pair that offers a high level of durability. Some brands do this, except Jabra is the only one on the high end that does it consistently. Their Active headphones continue to deliver excellent results, and that is the case with the Elite 8 Active Gen 2.

By name, these headphones follow up on their predecessors and add some new improvements to the mix. However, a solid pair of rugged headphones is overshadowed by Jabra's decision to exit its headphone business, but that still doesn't really change how viable they are.

Jabra Elite 8 Active Gen 2: Price and availability

jabra thrown out Elite 8 Active Gen 2 in June 2024 and will be easy to find in retail stores and online for some time. They start at $230, although discounts aren't out of the question in the future now that Jabra is exiting its consumer business and will no longer make headphones. Jabra confirms that it will continue to support its existing line of Elite headphones with updates and warranty commitments in the years to come. They come in black, navy blue, coral and olive.

Jabra Elite 8 Active Gen 2: What's good

The Elite 8 Active Gen 2 may not have everything you need Elite 10 Generation 2 the brothers do, but they may be the more attractive of the two for a couple of reasons. The first thing is durability. While the Elite 10 Gen 2 boasts an impressive IP57 rating for any pair of flagship headphones, the Elite 8 Active Gen 2 takes dust and water resistance even further with IP68 protection. It's pretty rare to find sturdy headphones, but it's another to find a pair that does so many things well. You could be climbing a mountain or splashing in a pool and there would be no problem. Dealing with sweat is just part of the deal here.

That's where the second reason comes in: durability makes the Elite 8 Active Gen 2 more attractive as workout headphones. Like his predecessors, the Elite 8 Active first generation, Jabra wisely chose to stick with a design formula that simply works. A rubberized matte finish handles water so well that it slides off the liner.

I wish Jabra would apply 100% coverage with this material, but they basically took the same approach as with the first-gen Elite 8 Active and left a considerable amount of the interior more exposed. Of course, that doesn't necessarily pose a danger because dust and water resistance apply equally here, but it still would have been nice to see it here.

Sticking with a familiar design bodes well for fit and comfort. In my opinion, these are some of the most comfortable and stable headphones available, having used and tested hundreds of wireless headphones at this point. You have three sizes of tips to choose from to find the best, most comfortable fit for your ears. A size up would have been nice, like extra large or extra small.

A tighter seal is key to getting the most out of the built-in active noise cancellation (ANC), and that's no different here. It's also crucial for the sound, especially if you want to use them during a run or workout and want to capture as much bass as possible.

The Elite 8 Active Gen 2 have smaller 6mm drivers compared to the Elite 10 Gen 2's 10mm drivers, so they work harder to play the same tunes. However, tuning is no different and you can always tweak the equalizer in Jabra's Sound+ app to deliver balanced sound.

Truth be told, there isn't a huge difference in how music generally sounds through these headphones, although changes do occur under certain circumstances. Enhanced ANC, particularly in low and mid-range frequencies, helps drown out more background noise so audio playback feels more resonant.

It works largely efficiently. I can't tell you that the ANC is twice as good as Jabra claims, but it's more refined this time around. It works best with street and wind noise, although phone calls in windy conditions still sometimes present a challenge. I was most impressed with HearThrough, where ambient sounds come through much clearer than before, making it more natural to listen to an announcement or chat with someone without removing the headphones.

Most importantly, the charging case also acts as a Bluetooth LE smart case. It works with the LC3 codec, so once you use the included cable and connect it via USB-C or 3.5mm to a playback device, it streams the audio to the headphones. On a plane, this seems like magic, although Jabra is not the first to do it. The same goes for television, where remaining silent can mean the difference between happiness and misery. It's also great with laptops or tablets where latency and audio/video synchronization may be a concern. You don't even need any configuration; Simply plug it in, press and hold the button on the case until a white light appears, and you're done.

As always, Jabra offers a significant level of granular control in the Sound+ app, allowing you to adjust the controls (which still work well as physical buttons), configure Spotify Tap, and update firmware, among other things. You just have to dig a little to see where everything is if you're new to Jabra headphones.

Spatial sound is more front and center as a feature, and that's fine. It's neither great nor terrible. One reason is that it's Dolby Audio rather than Atmos, giving you Dolby's more general spatial audio technology. As such, there's no head tracking like the Elite 10 Gen 2 and the effect feels less substantial here anyway. I chose to leave it off most of the time, especially for music, and only tried it again when watching a show or movie.

Multipoint connections also allow you to pair with two devices simultaneously, making the Elite 8 Active Gen 2 headphones equally useful in an office situation.

Jabra does other things well, like wear sensors, where removing one earbud pauses playback or mutes a call, or wearing just one earbud automatically activates HearThrough. Multipoint connections also allow you to pair with two devices simultaneously, making the Elite 8 Active Gen 2 headphones equally useful in an office situation.

On paper, battery life is up to eight hours per charge with ANC on or up to 14 hours without. That's all based on default volume levels, so if you increase them, you'll never reach those numbers. I easily got more than seven hours at about 60% volume (and spatial audio off), so the batteries in both headphones hold up well. The case offers three additional full charges, and since it also supports wireless charging and a five-minute quick charge, the conveniences add up.

Jabra Elite 8 Active Gen 2: What's not good

I still don't understand Jabra's motivation for not supporting high resolution audio codecs. Here you only get SBC and AAC. Not yet aptX, LDAC or LHDC, to name a few key ones. You could argue that high-resolution tracks are less relevant for more active headphones, but I don't see why running or exercising suddenly negates that feature. Jabra did the same with the Elite 10 Gen 2 – a missed opportunity for both pairs.

Maybe it's a moot point anyway, considering the The company is leaving its consumer business behind.. The shocking departure comes at a time when it seemed Jabra was still the leader in the category. Its headphone businesses and companies make more money, so in an increasingly tight consumer market for wireless headphones, Jabra decision makers made what was most likely a purely business decision.

It's just strange for a brand to launch a key product and then completely walk away from the entire business. The good thing is that Jabra will continue to support their consumer audio products for “years” with updates and warranties, and given their track record in that regard, I'm inclined to believe it.

Jabra Elite 8 Active Gen 2: Competition

Despite Jabra's surprising move, the Elite 8 Active Gen 2 deserves to be mentioned alongside the best wireless headphones. Certainly, if you were looking for the best headphones for working out, they would be at the top of the list. If you think you can do without the improved ANC and HearThrough, you'll find similar comfort and durability with the Elite 8 Active above. If you wanted good durability with additional features and the same fit, the Elite 10 Gen 2 is a great option.

When it comes to other brands, the Samsung Galaxy Buds 2 Pro They do not have dust resistance, but their IPX7 protection is quite resistant to sweat and water. For a pair with ear hooks and a much cheaper price, you can look into the Treblab X3 Pro or the JBL Endurance Peak 3.

Jabra Elite 8 Active Gen 2: Should you buy them?

You should buy this if…

• You want rugged durability.
• You want good sound with ANC support.
• You want a comfortable fit with physical buttons.
• You want an equalizer to work with.

You shouldn't buy this if…

• You really want high resolution audio codecs.
• You don't need spatial audio.
• You have a tighter budget.

As I already noted, it's rare for a brand to launch a key product and at the same time walk away from the entire business. That's where we are with the Elite 8 Active Gen 2: putting consumers in a difficult situation. But despite the unusual situation, I wouldn't hesitate to recommend these headphones simply because they don't have many rugged competitors. And definitely not of this quality. Plus, Jabra still makes them to meet retail demand.

However, they are a very iterative update over their predecessors. Unless you're super picky about noise cancellation, HearThrough, and really want Bluetooth LE functionality in the case, you can't go wrong with the above pair either.