Jabra Elite 4 Active review - Waterproof in-ear headphones with high-resolution audio

The Jabra Elite 4 Active earbuds are currently available in the colors black, mint green and navy. The charging case of our navy blue pair is made of a matte plastic, feels very pleasant to the touch and the magnet closure works reliably. Magnets also keep the earphones locked in place during transport and ensure a reliable charge. The contacts on the earphones are recessed in the housing for the most part, but are almost flush at the inner edges, so skin contact is certainly possible.

For an optimal fit, we used a twisting motion to insert them into the ear canal and locked them in place behind the anthelix (the curved inner ridge of the ear). Anchored this way, even excessive movements had no chance of dislodging the buds. To ensure a proper fit, Jabra supplies three different sizes of silicon tips, although the small size is truly tiny. Provided the correct tip is used, the fit is very decent with a slight amount of pressure, although that doesn't detract from the overall wear comfort. Either earbud can be used independently: as soon as one is taken out of the charging case, the Jabra Elite 4 Active functions like a monaural headset - certainly an advantage in an office or home office setting.

Far from common in this price range is the IP57 certification, which means that this particular True Wireless Headset (TWS) is able to withstand exposure to dust and temporary immersion in fresh water.

The earbuds feature 6 mm dynamic drivers with a frequency range from 20 to 20,000 Hz and support the audio codecs SBC and aptX according to Jabra. AAC seems to be missing from the list, but we will try to get some clarification on the matter.

The sound is balanced and pretty clean, but the lower registers feel somewhat restricted and bass lacks punch when playing certain genres. The treble range could be crisper as well, but overall, the Elite 4 Active headphones are decent performers.

Jabra of course also has professional headphones for business applications in their portfolio and promises outstanding call quality for the Elite 4 Active as well. We found that to be true in quiet environments and although the microphones record voices at rather low volume levels, we sounded natural and clear on the other end. Background noises unfortunately put a significant dampener on the microphone performance and we were barely audible when in the proximity of busy main streets. It is important to ensure proper fit of the earbuds, as it is possible for a part of the ear to touch the microphone mesh otherwise.

The passive noise suppression already does an admirable job reducing ambient noise. For the active noise cancellation to be as effective as possible, we recommend adjusting it according to personal preference. With ANC active, the lower frequency range gets curtailed somewhat, but the lows remain audible. Overall performance of the active noise cancellation is about average in our opinion. The user-adjustable HearThrough technology uses the microphones to pick up sound and play them in your ear - a useful feature we think, particularly when exercising in a city.

At this time, the Jabra Elite 4 Active is available for purchase on Jabra's German website, but unfortunately the earbuds haven't yet appeared on the company's US homepage or Amazon