Apple's AirPods vs. Jabra's Elite 65t Wire-Free Earbuds

[MauiPa]

Okay, the video goes on about how, with the W1 chip, you can switch between devices without going into the BT menu.

While it’s not the BT menu but the sound output menu on the iphone, this is pretty much the same thing. To get them to connect from one device (Apple TV) to another (iPhone), I have to open the Control Panel, select the tiny sound output button, select Airpods from the list.

People make it sound like they don’t do this.

Am I doing something wrong? Because, to me, these are no easier to switch to my iPhone than my $25 pair of off-brand BT headphones. And they could connect to two devices at once, which was great.

Can't help you with ease of use, I know my Powerbeats with the W1 are available on my Mac, Apple TV, and iOS menus all I have to do to connect them is hit the pairing button while music is playing. Another advantage is the long range as W1 uses the higher bluetooth standard, this is great if you leave your phone in the kitchen when walking around the house. Jabra uses the lower standards I believe
[doublepost=1548456971][/doublepost]

Okay, the video goes on about how, with the W1 chip, you can switch between devices without going into the BT menu.

While it’s not the BT menu but the sound output menu on the iphone, this is pretty much the same thing. To get them to connect from one device (Apple TV) to another (iPhone), I have to open the Control Panel, select the tiny sound output button, select Airpods from the list.

People make it sound like they don’t do this.

Am I doing something wrong? Because, to me, these are no easier to switch to my iPhone than my $25 pair of off-brand BT headphones. And they could connect to two devices at once, which was great.

no. bluetooth menu is buried in settings, sound output is on the audio app you are using.
[doublepost=1548457120][/doublepost]

Are you kidding me? Not a single mention of one of the 65t's major features - Noise cancellation. The AirPods don't even come close to comparing to the Jabras and they sound sh*tty to boot. You're either very biased and writing a desperate hit piece on Apple's behalf (imagine that) or you're something I'm too polite to suggest.

maybe because the 65t don't have noise cancellation? At least it is not in the spec sheet

 

[Mackinjosh]

With these types of devices, two things matter most...well 3. (1) battery life, which they both stink at. (2) sound quality, which Apple's are terrible at and (3) water/sweat proofing, which again Apple fails miserably at. Jabra the clear winner for now.

 

[willgreene99]

Very happy with my AirPods. But to adjust the fit and stop them from falling out, I put foam covers over them.

I find that the AirPods has a surprisingly comfortable fit, or maybe my ears are oddly shaped.

The problem with in ear buds is you can't get extensive time to try them out and each individual have different shape ear and size. I agree comfort comes first and sound quality is close behind. If Jabra comes with different size cushions that you can swap out that conforms to an individual's ear, then I think they can sell very well. I think the Airpods shell is on the slick side and it would be nice if there was a cushion to hold inside the ear better.

But wouldn't adding a cushion remove the one feature that I find makes them so comfortable to wear and listen to my connected device?

I used both pair extensively, important omission from this review:
- Jabra has actual isolation and blocks significant noise, AirPod is open and doesn't block any. This makes jabra a lot better on e.g. transit or outdoor biking, better for your hearing since you can keep vol low.

This aspect alone is the major reason I have not enjoyed wearing them, it give a stethoscope effect, which makes me nauseous after wearing them for some time. It's like I can hear/feel my heartbeat while I am listening which is distracting.

 

[tridley68]

On the market for a pair. Haven’t decided yet.
Jabra. Apple. Bose. B&O. Senheisser. JBL. Sony. The list goes on.
What I want is stable connection, comfort wearing and they have to go loud.

I'm using a set of B&O and couldn't be happier best of luck in your search.

 

[ssspinball]

I have the Jabras and they’re great. Sound quality is better due to the included tips, and the best part is they don’t make you look like you have straws in your ears.

Yeah I’m not sure the hearing aid look is a positive for the Jabras.

 

[outskirtsofinfinity]

I'll take sound quality over comfort, hands down. These are audio devices, after all. If I wanted comfort, I'd wear the fluffy ear muffs my mom knit me. #itaintrocketscience

 

[FyerFyer]

I'm using a set of B&O and couldn't be happier best of luck in your search.

Trust me, the Anker sound buds are brilliant. I mix sound for a living and for the price they are unbeatable. In actual fact Im gonna say they are better than the AirPods

 

[tridley68]

Trust me, the Anker sound buds are brilliant. I mix sound for a living and for the price they are unbeatable. In actual fact Im gonna say they are better than the AirPods

Thanks for the info I will have to check them out.

 

[Jbaffoh]

I would have bought AirPods if they fit well, sounded better, and didn’t look ridiculous hanging from the ears. Instead, I bought the Jabra Active Elite 65t, and I love them. They fit well, they look good in-ear, and most importantly, they sound great—far better than I would have expected for a bluetooth device. I would definitely buy the Jabras again.

My only caveat is the Bluetooth 5 range. I use these with my Apple Watch where I walk around marinas which have various radios operating. I’m tall and have long arms, so there is some distance between my left wrist and my right ear bud. To avoid interference and dropouts around the boats, I need to wear my watch on the right wrist. That eliminates all dropouts, but I prefer to wear my watch on my left wrist.

 

[eyeseeyou]

My AirPods and jabra elite knock offs from amazon.

Used primarily for workouts.

6 hours on a single charge, “water proof”, dual left and right mics, can be used in a pair or in single mode. As soon as I take one out of the case it automatically connects to my primary device(Iphone) effortlessly and connects to the 2nd ear bud just as easy. All for about $40. So far so good.

For my use case the biggest feature missing is the ability to connect quickly to my other apple devices otherwise when they have a good seal in my ear the sound quality blows the AirPods out the water.

That being said once I start getting sweaty they almost never have a good seal and I have to adjust them every 5 minutes to reseal them otherwise the sound is on par if not worse than airpods. I think my ears are just not shaped for inner ear buds. I also wish they had a lightning cable port. Inner earbuds have always eventually become uncomfortable after a while especially if I keep them sealed inside my ear from the pressure.

 

[Peperino]

Have the Jabras and love them.

- I do not look like having 2 antennas coming out of my ears.
- Jabras are cheaper
- Jabras have better insulation.

 

[djeeyore25]

I would have bought AirPods if they fit well, sounded better, and didn’t look ridiculous hanging from the ears. Instead, I bought the Jabra Active Elite 65t, and I love them. They fit well, they look good in-ear, and most importantly, they sound great—far better than I would have expected for a bluetooth device. I would definitely buy the Jabras again.

My only caveat is the Bluetooth 5 range. I use these with my Apple Watch where I walk around marinas which have various radios operating. I’m tall and have long arms, so there is some distance between my left wrist and my right ear bud. To avoid interference and dropouts around the boats, I need to wear my watch on the right wrist. That eliminates all dropouts, but I prefer to wear my watch on my left wrist.

This seems to be an issue with watches in general. My Apple Watch was hit and miss when it came to Bluetooth reception. Different headphones produced different results in different conditions. While inside, most headphones worked fine. Once I stepped outside, some would lose connection frequently. I recently switched to a Garmin watch and have the same issue. Out of all my BT headphones, that ones that work the best are an $11 offbrand I bought on Amazon. Go figure.

 

[kumar714]

On the market for a pair. Haven’t decided yet.
Jabra. Apple. Bose. B&O. Senheisser. JBL. Sony. The list goes on.
What I want is stable connection, comfort wearing and they have to go loud.

i would recommend you not to go with Bose, they are crap, can't even hold connection among the two ear piece.

 

[fairuz]

I've gone back to wired. Bluetooth has been terrible for decades and still is. I can't believe in 30 years no one has managed to get it to be on part with wired.

Bluetooth is early 2000s technology. Really it's not improved since around 2005, before the first iPhone came out, and it's got all the problems the wired connection never had. Nobody used it until they had to.

I'm not opposed to wireless audio, but cmon, we need something new. First thing to be ditched should be the idiotic pairing system. Shouldn't be any harder than plugging in a cable.

 

[Stella]

Jabre 65t are good earplugs. Very few disconnections and work with Siri. Good battery life with charging case. I’ve tried others, but very happy with these. The fit is geat for my ears - others just fall out!

These are often on sale at bestbuy.

 

[eyeseeyou]

With these types of devices, two things matter most...well 3. (1) battery life, which they both stink at. (2) sound quality, which Apple's are terrible at and (3) water/sweat proofing, which again Apple fails miserably at. Jabra the clear winner for now.

I haven’t taken my AirPods into a pool but I have into the steam room many many times and they function perfectly. Treat my non waterproof original Apple Watch the same way except I actually took that into the pool. 0 issues

 

[fairuz]

Very happy with my AirPods. But to adjust the fit and stop them from falling out, I put foam covers over them.

If they're like the EarPods, I expect them to be good. IDK why nobody but Apple designed such ergonomic earbuds.

 

[44267547]

I think the airpods don't get enough credit. I really, really enjoy using mine. Simple, elegant, effective.

And really not that expensive when you compare the competition prices either. I think the AirPods are not necessarily just good at what they do because they’re designed for the iPhone, it’s the battery life and the technology included, alongside the portable charging case that really makes these things convenient.

Surprisingly, I find them to be decently loud, even though they don’t include noise canceling, which I expect Apple to hopefully include and a water resistance rating if we see the 2019 AirPods.

 

[skveezer]

Very happy with my AirPods. But to adjust the fit and stop them from falling out, I put foam covers over them.

I've been searching for something that I could make the right pod fit into my right ear. What is the source of your foam covers?

 

[JGIGS]

if only these competitors didn't make such butt-ugly products...

Mmmm ya but to be fair everyone made fun of the look of AirPods when they came out and I still wouldn't call them beauties. The can actually look pretty terrible on certain face shapes.
[doublepost=1548460665][/doublepost]I want to like AirPods. I want to buy AirPods. I just wish they sounded better. I mean that's the most important feature I don't understand how Apple doesn't put more effort into the sound quality.

That being said I've only briefly listened to a set and sound quality is probably good enough but for a premium product and brand like Apple it should be better.

I'll probably be in the market for the AirPods 2 or current AirPods if/when my Beats X die or the AirPods 2 are released.

 

[Khedron]

"Jabra uses micro-USB to charge the case, which is not as convenient as Lightning or USB-C."

Complete delusion. Micro-USB is everywhere and far more convenient that Lightning.

 

[eyeseeyou]

Mmmm ya but to be fair everyone made fun of the look of AirPods when they came out and I still wouldn't call them beauties. The can actually look pretty terrible on certain face shapes.
[doublepost=1548460665][/doublepost]I want to like AirPods. I want to buy AirPods. I just wish they sounded better. I mean that's the most important feature I don't understand how Apple doesn't put more effort into the sound quality.

That being said I've only briefly listened to a set and sound quality is probably good enough but for a premium product and brand like Apple it should be better.

I'll probably be in the market for the AirPods 2 or current AirPods if/when my Beats X die or the AirPods 2 are released.

I love using the airpods but I will never get used to how they look. They look awkward and horrible.

 

[Peperino]

Are you kidding me? Not a single mention of one of the 65t's major features - Noise cancellation. The AirPods don't even come close to comparing to the Jabras and they sound sh*tty to boot. You're either very biased and writing a desperate hit piece on Apple's behalf (imagine that) or you're something I'm too polite to suggest.

And that is the great Apple design!! straws airpods...

 

[B4U]

First question is, how bad is the latency?

 

[BuddyRich]

Okay, the video goes on about how, with the W1 chip, you can switch between devices without going into the BT menu.

While it’s not the BT menu but the sound output menu on the iphone, this is pretty much the same thing. To get them to connect from one device (Apple TV) to another (iPhone), I have to open the Control Panel, select the tiny sound output button, select Airpods from the list.

People make it sound like they don’t do this.

Am I doing something wrong? Because, to me, these are no easier to switch to my iPhone than my $25 pair of off-brand BT headphones. And they could connect to two devices at once, which was great.

I had airpods and currently own Jabras 65t actives and you aren't doing something wrong.

The only real benefit to airpods w1 (aside from range and battery life though BT 5.0 levels the playing field here) is that you only have to pair to a single idevice and then the pairing is shared with other idevices. With BT you need to pair with each device, but once its paired its basically the same as the airpods after that (assuming you don't reset your device).

The Jabras can be paired with up to 8 devices at once and can be actively connected to 2 devices at once, which is actually better than airpods. Early on I believe airpods did kind of auto switch between active devices without the need to use the audio menu but the feature was removed before it shipped. Early reviews mentioned it. It still does with the watch just not between ipad and iphone or atv...