Jabra Elite 10 Gen 2  Headphones Review

The Jabra Elite 10 Gen 2 provide a balanced sound profile with a touch of extra thump and rumble. The mid-range is even, so voices sound true to life. The treble is also mostly well-balanced, if a touch inconsistent, with a peak in the mid-treble causing bright harmonics and transients to sound piercing. You can use the graphic equalizer in the companion app or select one of the EQ presets.

Unlike the last generation Jabra Elite 10, these sound the same regardless of the listening mode you choose, whether that's ANC on/off or HearThrough. The earbuds also sound similar when you compare the Bluetooth tuning to the frequency responses for audio transmitted via the 'smart case.' The Bluetooth sound profile lands as a midpoint between the bright and more present USB-C audio and the slightly more subdued analog audio source via the 'smart case.'

They have outstanding frequency response consistency. True wireless designs tend to have little deviation in consistency. You can largely expect your audio to sound the same between wears and on other people, assuming the correct ear tip is selected, and you position them correctly.

The Jabra Elite 10 Gen 2 have superb bass compliance. The low and mid bass are slightly over-emphasized, which lends kick drums extra thump and punch. A dip in the high bass means all that extra rumble doesn't muddy up mixes.

The Jabra Elite 10 Gen 2's mid-range target compliance is remarkable. The entire mid-range is virtually flat, so instruments and voices are reproduced accurately and with detail. In songs like Apple by Charli XCX, her voice sounds clear, intense, and well-balanced against the rest of the music.

The Jabra Elite 10 Gen 2's treble compliance is outstanding, albeit a touch inconsistent. While well-balanced across the range, a small, narrow peak in the mid-treble means some sibilants can sound piercing.

The Jabra Elite 10 Gen 2 have very good peaks and dips performance, indicating they generally adhere to their own balanced sound profile. The bass and mid-range regions are very well controlled, with most of the deviations occurring in the treble range. A very prominent peak in the mid-treble disproportionately highlights sibilant sounds and can come across as piercing and shrill when listening to songs with breathy vocals or lots of sizzling ride cymbals.

These earbuds have decently well-matched left and right drivers. Although the right earbud was a touch louder in our testing, this didn't produce any subjectively noticeable shifts in the stereo image. The left and right drivers are also well-matched in phase, so objects are correctly placed in the stereo field.

The group delay performance is good. You can expect tight bass and transparent transient reproduction from these earbuds.

These earbuds have remarkably low harmonic distortion. Even if you listen at unsafely loud levels, you can expect clean and pure audio reproduction. 

The Jabra Elite 10 Gen 2 have two different surround sound modes found in the Jabra Sound+ app, and it performs similarly to the Jabra Elite 10. This mode works regardless of how you're connected to the sound source. Like the Apple AirPods Pro 2, you can choose between a digital signal processor (DSP) mode that simulates surround sound by filtering any audio content through an algorithm or a mode designed for Dolby Atmos content.

The Dolby Spatial Sound without head tracking mode applies an immersive-sounding DSP to whatever content you listen to, and it doesn't need to be specifically mixed and mastered for spatial audio to work. However, the mode with head tracking is for Dolby Atmos audio, and it adds an additional sense of directionality within space if you move your head, so it comes across as even more immersive than the DSP mode. The Dolby Atmos-compatible mode isn't quite as versatile, though, just because you need audio to be mastered in the Dolby Atmos format.

These are the settings used to test the Jabra Elite 10 Gen 2, except we used the extra small ear tips to obtain the frequency response measurements. Our results are only valid when you use the earbuds in this configuration.

The Jabra Elite 10 Gen 2 can easily be confused for the first-generation Jabra Elite 10 and, frankly, much of the rest of the brand's lineup. At a glance, the easiest way to differentiate the latest version is to look for a button on the front of the case. They're rounded, ergonomically shaped earbuds with shallow buttons on the flat outer-facing side of the housings. You can feel the texture difference between the soft, almost micro suede-like exterior of the buds and the shiny plastic buttons that have the branding in low-contrast text. A small vent on each earbud makes them semi-open earbuds. Unlike the lower-tier buds in the Elite line, like the Jabra Elite 3 True Wireless, these premium buds include oblong ear tips. They're available in 'Cocoa,' 'Denim,' 'Gloss Black,' 'Soft White,' and 'Titanium Black.'

The Jabra Elite 10 Gen 2 are comfortable earbuds. Their drop shape is designed to fit the contours of your ear's concha without applying uneven pressure or weight. Their exterior is wrapped in a soft silicone coating, which helps them stay in place without additional stabilizers. They don't have a deep in-ear fit, and their vents relieve the pressure ANC can cause for folks who are sensitive to its pressure. You get four different ear tip sizes, and these come in oblong shapes, which are meant to fit you better, but depending on your anatomy, they can feel less comfortable than the standard circular ear tips that come with the Jabra Elite 8 Active Gen 2.

The Jabra Elite 10 Gen 2's controls are great. They use a simple, shallow button on each bud. Unlike touchpads, it's harder to accidentally trigger a command with the buttons. However, the button can feel a little uncomfortable if you're inputting successive commands, which effectively pushes the earbud deeper into your ear. Most people won't notice this with basic commands, but if you're skipping back several songs, it can get irritating. You can check out the default controls here. You can remap most of them, including pretty in-depth call controls within the companion app.

Not shown in the commands is that you need to remove the earbuds from the case and press and hold both earbuds' buttons for two seconds to initiate pairing mode with your device. If you want to use the case to transmit audio from a wired source, plug in the cable, remove the earbuds, and press the case's button once, and it'll flash white to indicate it has switched to the wired input—while this usually works, it can be finicky.

For commands like ANC and when maxing out the volume, they emit distinct tones, and you can feel the button when you actuate it, so you know it has registered. During Bluetooth pairing, a voice lets you know if you're connected.

Like most stemless true wireless earbuds, the Jabra Elite 10 Gen 2 are highly portable. You can easily store them in your pocket. They don't need a transmitter when used as conventional Bluetooth earbuds, but the case is needed as a transmitter if you use them to connect to wired sound sources.

The Jabra Elite 10 Gen 2's case is very good. It's small and plastic with a strong magnet that shuts the sturdy lid closed. A detent just below the lid lets you flip the case open one-handed with your thumb. You can also wirelessly charge the case. On the underside is a USB-C port for either charging the case or plugging it into an audio source, which is what makes it a 'smart case.' You can plug into a USB-C or analog sound source with the provided cable and connect the other end to the case's USB-C port to turn the case into a Bluetooth transmitter. The button on the front switches the input to wired sources when the case is plugged in.

The Jabra Elite 10 Gen 2 are impressively built, like the last generation model. Each bud is covered in a thin, soft silicone covering, which offers a degree of protection from wear and tear and ensures you won't encounter uncomfortable seams. The ear tips aren't too thin, either, though you might have issues changing them because they require a lot of force to swap. Assuming most people tend to pick one size and stick to it, changing the ear tips counts as a minor inconvenience. The buds are rated IP57 against dust and water, so you don't need to worry about jogging on muddy trails. Lastly, while the case is quite light, the lid is made of dense plastic with a strong magnet, and the finish is nice.

The Jabra Elite 10 Gen 2 earbuds have great stability. Despite lacking stabilizers, the silicone coating, contoured shape, and oblong ear tips help the buds stay in place. You can exercise with them and expect they won't fall out. However, if you have ear canals that are smaller than average, the buds can slowly migrate out of your ears, requiring a nudge back into place, but they don't get to the point that they'll fall out.

• Jabra Elite 10 Gen 2
• 4x silicone ear tips (XS, S, M, L)
• Charging case
• USB-C to USB-C charging cable with a 1/8" TRS adapter (31 in / 80cm)
• Quick Start pamphlet
• Safety Information and Warranty

The full-range noise isolation for the Jabra Elite 10 Gen 2 is amazing. It handles deep rumbling sounds like construction on the street well and blocks shrill brakes and dish clatter in the office kitchen. They don't tackle the midrange as comprehensively as other ranges, even though they still filter chit-chat to a noticeable extent. Besides the max ANC setting, you can also control how much of your environment you hear by utilizing the HearThrough modes (shown here for comparison).

The Jabra Elite 10 Gen 2's noise isolation is fantastic at reducing the everyday noise found in common scenarios. Big rigs thundering past you, blenders crushing ice at your favorite smoothie joint, and airplane cabin ambient din are effectively filtered so you can get on with your day and hear your tunes.

The Jabra Elite 10 Gen 2 have a wind reduction feature in their app. When hit with wind, the ANC with the wind mode on performs similarly at all angles when handling noise produced by wind interacting with the onboard mics and ANC system. It's worth noting that leaving the wind reduction mode on if you're not in a windy space can alter the effectiveness of their overall noise isolation. It's worth considering how different HearThough modes compare to ANC with wind reduction enabled when hit with wind for the days when you're on the go and want more situational awareness. As expected, HearThrough introduces more wind noise than ANC, although interestingly (as you can see here) when set to minimum, HearThrough still blocks out more lower pitched sounds than passive isolation alone.

The Jabra Elite 10 Gen 2 have great leakage performance. Besides a narrow peak in the treble that leaks out a high-pitched tinny portion of your audio, your nearby colleagues won't hear most of what you're listening to at the office.

Their mic system's recording quality is alright. While captured speech tends towards brighter sounding than in real life, particularly for deep voices, your words are clear and articulate. Sibilants like 'S' can sound more exaggerated than in person, though overall, your voice doesn't sound as thin as the Jabra Elite 10, and there's less audible harmonic distortion impacting the overall fidelity.

Since firmware 2.4.4 (1033), you can connect to your device with the LC3 (LE Audio) codec, which subjectively seems to provide a higher-fidelity recording. Due to compatibility issues with our test rig, we weren't able to capture that difference. To that end, you'll also need to check that the earbuds will work with your device over LC3.

Their noise handling is very good. With constant background sounds, they do an impressive job of separating your speech from the backdrop of noise, like on a street. However, the noise suppression takes a few seconds to adjust before suppressing the noise. With more sporadic and intensely loud sounds like an incoming subway train, they filter out a lot of the noise, but at the cost of the clarity and accuracy of what you sound like, resulting in a muffled version of your voice. Nevertheless, compared to many earbuds, the noise handling is good enough for calls in less-than-ideal settings.

Their battery life is decent. With ANC enabled, the earbuds last seven hours of continuous playback (an hour longer than advertised) with an extra three recharges stored in the case. While the continuous battery life is about a half-hour shorter than the Jabra Elite 10, they fully recharge a bit faster in about 45 minutes, rather than a bit over an hour on the last generation. Plus, the actual battery life will vary depending on how you use them and at what volume. They have an auto-off timer and a power-saving standby mode that lasts a whopping 345 days when they're left idle to preserve the battery. With firmware update 2.4.4 (1033), you can connect to compatible devices using the LC3 (LE Audio) codec, which can extend the battery life slightly.

The Jabra Sound+ app for the buds is great. It covers most of the essentials and more; you can look at it here. The app lets you use the five-band EQ and presets to alter the earbuds' sound, adjust the strength of HearThrough and ANC modes, remap most controls, and adjust the sidetone mix for calls. Through the app, you can set up Spotify Tap, access Spatial Sound, track your earbuds with the Find My Jabra function, and assign a voice assistant. You can even listen to pleasant ambient soundscapes like ocean waves when you're stressed.

Their 'smart case' provides a hybrid configuration of wired and wireless audio. You use the included cable to connect like you would a standard pair of headphones, either to a USB-C port or a 1/8" headphone jack (with the adapter for the cable). The other end of the cable plugs into the case. Pressing the case's button switches the input to the wired connection; then, it wirelessly sends audio only to the earbuds. This system allows you to listen to audio from devices without Bluetooth connectivity, like an older TV. However, there's still enough latency that you'll notice a bit of lag if you try gaming, even though it's much better than their latency over a standard Bluetooth connection. In testing, we found that the USB-C connection works much more reliably than the analog connection, which can cut out at times and is temperamental about placement. This appears to be due to the 1/8" jack adapter's design and not because the cable or device is broken.

Their Bluetooth connectivity is impressive. The standout feature that differentiates the Gen 2 from the previous Jabra Elite 10 is the 'smart case,' which allows you to connect to most audio outputs, even without Bluetooth support. For example, you can connect to your TV or headphone amp to listen to vinyl records if it has a conventional headphone jack using the included USB-C to USB-C cable and the 1/8" TRS adapter, then connect the other end of the cable to the case's USB-C port. This produces a hybrid wired and Bluetooth connection because the audio transmitted to the earbuds when using the wired case uses the LE Audio Bluetooth codec. This also works with USB-C outputs, and in testing, USB-C worked more reliably than when using the analog adapter.

You can use these as conventional Bluetooth earbuds. They support simultaneous pairing with two devices via AAC and SBC codecs. We retested them with firmware update 2.4.4 (1033), and you can now use the LC3 (LE Audio) codec to connect, but we experienced inconsistent connectivity issues and weren't able to check latency with our rig, so be sure to check the list of compatible devices. Their SBC latency is better than that of the previous generation. However, it's still high enough to notice lip-sync mismatches when streaming video, and the app doesn't provide a low-latency mode. Some apps and devices compensate for that, but if you want lower latency, try the 'smart case.'

The Jabra Elite 10 Gen 2 can only send audio to your earbuds if you connect to a PC via the 'smart case' via analog or USB-C ports. It may require going through your computer's sound settings, particularly if you choose the USB-C audio, but once set up, the USB-C connection works more reliably than the analog. However, you'll need an outboard microphone if you need to speak in a meeting, and something like the ASUS ROG Cetra True Wireless SpeedNova can connect via USB-C dongle and still use the integrated mic. Besides that, you can still connect these Jabra buds via standard Bluetooth if your PC is compatible and receive audio and mic support.

Using the 'smart case,' you can transmit audio from your PlayStation consoles to the earbuds using either the USB-C port or analog port on your controller. You'll need to use the included cable and its adapter with the case, as the consoles don't support standard Bluetooth. You can only receive audio, so you'll need an outboard mic if you want to chat with teammates. It's also not especially comfortable having a case dangling from a controller. Consider instead the full audio and mic support with PS consoles you get with the ASUS ROG Cetra True Wireless SpeedNova, which also have Bluetooth connectivity and a USB-C wireless dongle.

You can use the 'smart case' with the USB-C to USB-C cable and its 1/8" TRS adapter to send audio from your Xbox to your earbuds. Because the analog adapter connected to the male USB-C on the cable sticks out from the controller, and the case subsequently hangs off the cable, it's not a convenient configuration. The microphone won't work, either, and standard Bluetooth and USB-C to USB-C audio aren't compatible.

The 'smart case' both charges your earbuds and transmits your audio via Bluetooth LE Audio if you connect it to an audio source via the USB-C port. It also charges wirelessly.