The Jabra Elite Active 65t Truly Wireless are versatile in-ears with a lightweight, breathable, and portable design. They're similarly designed to the Jabra Elite 65t Truly Wireless, though with a slightly sportier look, a more secure carrying case, and a higher IP56 rating for water resistance. Their companion app offers a graphic EQ, allowing you to tweak the sound to better suit your preferences. Unfortunately, they don't have the most comfortable fit and can be fatiguing if you're using them for long periods.
Our Verdict
The Jabra Elite Active 65t are satisfactory for neutral sound. They have a slightly overemphasized bass that might sound boomy and muddy but is ultimately quite well-balanced. Their reasonably flat mid-range should result in full-bodied and clear vocals and lead instruments. Their slightly veiled treble range can result in a minor loss of overall detail. Like most closed-back in-ears, they also have a small, closed-off soundstage. On the upside, you can customize this sound profile to better suit your tastes using the graphic EQ or presets in the Jabra Sound+ app.
- Good companion app with graphic EQ.
- Closed-off soundstage.
The Jabra Elite Active 65t are very good for commuting and traveling. They do a great job of passively isolating you from ambient noise in your daily commute, like the low rumble of bus and train engines. They're also fairly portable, even in their carrying case. However, their continuous battery life is on the short side. Unfortunately, they can be fatiguing when worn for long periods of time like on multi-hour flights. Their high audio latency over Bluetooth could also be somewhat disruptive if you like to watch movies or videos on your way into the office.
- Very low leakage.
- Great passive noise isolation.
- Sturdy, IP56-rated build.
- Compact, lightweight design.
- Not as comfortable for all users.
- High Bluetooth latency.
- Short continuous battery life.
The Jabra Elite Active 65t are great for sports and fitness. They're compact, sturdily-built, and let your ears breathe freely. They do a good job of staying in your ears too, though they aren't quite as stable as some in-ears with an ear hook design. Although we don't currently test for it, these in-ears are also rated IP56 for dust and water resistance.
- Sturdy, IP56-rated build.
- Breathable, stable fit.
- Compact, lightweight design.
- Not as comfortable for all users.
The Jabra Elite Active 65t are decent for office use. They can be fatiguing to wear for extended periods. On the upside, they have great passive noise isolation and support multi-device pairing, so you can stream music from your phone while remaining connected to your computer. You can also turn up the volume to further reduce background noise without bothering your coworkers, as these earbuds barely leak. However, their continuous battery life might not be enough to get you through the day without a recharge, and their carrying case supplies only about two additional charges.
- Very low leakage.
- Great passive noise isolation.
- Multi-device pairing capability.
- Not as comfortable for all users.
- Short continuous battery life.
The Jabra Elite Active 65t aren't recommended for wireless gaming. They aren't compatible with PS4 or Xbox One, and while you can connect them to a Bluetooth-enabled PC, their latency is likely too high for gaming.
The Jabra Elite Active 65t are Bluetooth-only headphones that can't be used wired.
The Jabra Elite Active 65t are okay for phone calls. Their integrated mic makes recorded speech sound thin, muffled, and lacking in detail. It also does a mediocre job of separating background noise from speech, which can make it harder for the person on the other end to hear you. On the upside, these earbuds have great passive noise isolation thanks to their in-ear design, so you should be able to focus on your phone call rather than the sound around you.
- Great passive noise isolation.
- Mediocre microphone noise handling capability.
Changelog
- Updated Oct 20, 2023: Compared their build quality and IP rating with the newer Jabra Elite 8 Active True Wireless'.
- Updated Aug 11, 2021: Converted to Test Bench 1.5.
- Updated Mar 18, 2021: Updated review for accuracy and clarity.
- Updated Feb 05, 2020: Converted to Test Bench 1.4.
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Differences Between Sizes And Variants
The Jabra Elite Active 65t are available in four different color variants: 'Copper Blue', 'Copper Black', 'Copper Red', and 'Titanium Black'. We tested the 'Copper Blue' variant, but expect the other models to perform similarly overall.
If you come across another variant of the Jabra Elite Active 65t, let us know in the discussions so we can update our review.
Popular Headphones Comparisons
Although similar in design to the Jabra Elite 65t Truly Wireless, the Jabra Elite Active 65t are sports-oriented earbuds with slightly different features. They're just as portable as most truly wireless headphones we've tested but aren't the most stable. Some users may also find them somewhat uncomfortable to wear during longer listening sessions. Their battery life is less than newer headphones on the market, like the Samsung Galaxy Buds+ Truly Wireless. Their companion app features a graphic EQ with presets that make it easy to fine-tune your listening experience, making them one of the best sounding wireless earbuds.
Check out our recommendations for the best headphones under $200 and the best noise cancelling earbuds.
The Jabra Elite Active 65t Truly Wireless and Jabra Elite 3 True Wireless have different strengths. The Elite Active 65t are better built and have a significantly better noise isolation performance. They also support multi-device pairing with up to two devices at a time. However, the Elite 3 are more comfortable and have a superior battery performance.
The Jabra Elite Active 65t Truly Wireless are better headphones than the Jabra Elite 65t Truly Wireless. The Active 65t are slightly more water-resistant and are rated IP56 compared to the original’s IP55 rating. They also have a more neutral sound profile, which some users may prefer. Overall, they are very similar headphones, but active people who run outside in bad weather or sweat a lot might prefer the better build quality of the Active. If this doesn't apply to you, the normal 65t may be a better and less expensive choice.
The Jabra Elite Active 75t Truly Wireless are a better option for most uses than the Jabra Elite Active 65t Truly Wireless, as long as noise isolation isn't a top priority. The Active 75t have a more compact earbud design that's a lot more comfortable but doesn't isolate noise as well. On the other hand, the Active 65t have a more neutral sound profile out-of-the-box, but their battery performance isn't as good.
The Jabra Elite Active 65t Truly Wireless and the Jaybird Run XT Truly Wireless are two great truly wireless headphones for sports, but people might prefer the functionalities of the Jabra over the Jaybird. The Jabra have onboard volume controls, which the Jaybird is lacking; this could be a deal-breaker for some. They also block a bit more noise and feel slightly better-built. They also have lower latency and can connect simultaneously to two devices. On the other hand, the Jaybird are a bit smaller and a bit more comfortable than the bulky design of the Jabra. Their app also offers better customization thanks to a fully parametric EQ. They also feel a bit more secure in the ear thanks to their stability fin sleeve options.
Our How We Test Headphones article takes you behind the scenes in our lab. You'll learn how we choose and purchase products and dive into the details of our review philosophy, from testing and scoring to writing and editing.
You can also discover how we produce recommendations like this one so that you can find the best headphones (or earbuds!) for your needs.
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