Back in August of last year, I reviewed the Jabra Elite Active 65t and loved them. At the time, they were some of the best true wireless earbuds I'd used. Fast-forward to now, and I've been using the Elite 75t for several weeks, and I love them even more. They improve on the 65t in basically every way.

Before we get into the meat and potatoes, however, it's worth noting that these are the standard Elite 75t---not the Active model. While those have been announced, they're not yet available at the time of writing. Basically, the main difference between the two models will be the IP rating---the regular 75t has an IP55 rating, while the Active models are IP57. Essentially, that means the Active model will be able to withstand more dust, water, and sweat than the regular model.

So yeah, if you want these for working out, I'd wait for the Actives. They'll be out in a couple of months, so you don't have much longer to wait.

But I digress---let's talk about the (regular) Elite 75t now.

Let's Start with the Case: It's Way Better Now

My biggest complaint with the Elite Active 65t was the case. Instead of using a magnet like most true wireless earbud cases, it had a little clip. It was annoying, hard to open with one hand, and annoying. Also, it was annoying.

The 75t fixes that by using, get this, a magnet. It's almost like that makes sense (and why everyone else uses magnets too). I'm glad Jabra figured it out and made the swap, because it makes a world of difference with the new case.

Not only that, but the new case is also smaller by a pretty big margin. Jabra didn't specify how much smaller it is, so I'm just going to go with quite a bit. I mean, the case was fairly small in the first place, so making it smaller is just an added bonus. It's still bigger (thicker) than the AirPods Pro case, however, so that's worth keeping in mind if you're looking for something as compact as possible.

My favorite thing (aside from the magnets, that is) about the new case, though, is the charging port: it now charges over USB-C. I'm so glad to see that update because I'm beyond ready for microUSB to die. The charging port is also on the back of the case now, instead of the bottom. Another nice touch.

What you won't find on the case, however, is wireless charging. If you don't already have a wireless charger, then you probably won't care. But if your phone has wireless charging and you want the same convenience on your earbuds, you're out of luck here.

Still, all in all, the case for the 75t is better in every possible way over its predecessor. An excellent update.

Fit Is Good, But the Battery Life is Even Better

Fit is crucial when it comes to any earbuds, but I feel like it's even more important with true wireless 'buds. As noted in my review of the 65t, I was worried about how bulky they are, but they turned out to be very comfy and stayed in place very well.

Much like the case, the 75t buds themselves have also gotten a nice size reduction. They're now more compact and lighter, but they still fit very similarly to their predecessor. That's good because the fit of the 65t is on point. They're rock solid even during brutal workouts. I didn't test the 75t while working out because I want to save that torture test for the Elite Active 75t, but I can't see them coming out even intense workouts.

Like most other earbuds, the 75t come with three sets of silicone tips (small, medium, and large), so you can find your fit. Nothing really more to say about that---they're light and they fit.

Of course, a good fit is only important if you can, you know, use the things. That's where battery life comes into play, and the 75t have some of the best battery life I've seen on this side of the PowerBeats Pro. According to Jabra, you can get 7.5 hours from the buds themselves and 28 hours from the case. That's impressive considering the size reduction.

In my testing, I'd say those numbers are pretty damn accurate. Unless you listen to your music AT FULL VOLUME ALL THE TIME, then you'll probably get about the same---7ish hours of play time, then 28 total hours from the battery. You can almost make it a full workday without having to toss these bad boys in the case.

Oh, but if you need to squeak just a bit more time out of them, 15 minutes in the case will get you an additional hour of play time. Bam.

But the Sound Quality? Damn, Man

So I'm just going to put this out there: the 65t sound good. But the 75t? Hot damn. These are the best sounding true wireless 'buds I've ever heard (and I've tested some 15 pairs over the last year). Better than AirPods and AirPods Pro. Better than the Jaybird Vista. Better than literally anything else I've personally tested.

And that's not just by a small margin, either. These earbuds hit frequencies that I've never heard from other 'buds. I've been using the more or less the same playlist to test headphones for almost 10 years (with some very slight tweaks over time), so I'm very familiar with these songs. But I still heard things with the 75t I've never heard from other earbuds. It honestly kind of blew my mind.

The frequency response and clarity from the 75t are next level. Simply put: if you only care about sound (and not additional features) from your 'buds, these are the ones to buy. They sound amazing.

The bass response is pronounced in a way that I can't say I've ever experienced from a set of headphones---in-ear or otherwise. It's almost as if I'm sitting in a room with a subwoofer, but...in my head. But it's not overbearing in any way---it balances so well with both the midrange and the treble. It's excellent.

Speaking of midrange and treble, both cut through the bass in a very clear and articulate way. Most earbuds don't have a problem with treble or mids, so this isn't surprising. But a lot of the time when manufacturers crank the bass in a set of 'buds, it comes at the cost of the treble and midrange. But not on the 75t. All frequencies cut through with precision, despite the incredibly defined bass.

Really, I can't express this enough: they sound amazing. The response is balanced and clear. They're the best-sounding earbuds you can buy today.

Oh, and if you buy them, go listen to Bass Head by Bassnectar if you want a clear indicator of what these can do. My God, man.

But They're Still Missing the Game-Changing Features

I do not shy away from my love for the AirPods Pro---I even called them the Best Product of the Year for 2019. To me, they're one of the most innovative, forward-thinking, and unmatched products out there right now.

And that's because of two things: ANC (Active Noise Canceling) and Transparency Mode. These two features are completely unparalleled on the market right now, and nothing---not even the Elite 75t---does anything to change that.

UPDATE: 10/21/20

Jabra recently sent a firmware update to the Elite 75t and Elite Active 75t that enabled ANC.

The 75t sort of try to do something similar to Transparency Mode, which Jabra calls HearThrough. If I'd never used Transparency Mode, then I'd say it's fine. But compared to Transparency Mode on the AirPods Pro, it's...not very good.

Basically, this mode enables the earbuds' mics and pumps the audio back into your head. That's cool, but in practice, it doesn't make a huge difference when music is actually playing and---here's what kills me---it doesn't work when you're on a phone call.

To me, the best thing about Transparency Mode is using it on phone calls because it allows for such a natural talking experience. The 75t totally misses the boat on that, but it makes sense---if HearThrough is using the mic, you can't use it on call (and vice versa).

I guess it's really not fair to knock them because they're missing this one feature that I personally love from AirPods Pro. There's a chance that you might not want (or even like!) Transparency Mode. But for me, it's a complete game-changer that redefined how I think about earbuds.

Update: After the review was published I learned about a feature called SideTone that does exactly this---it allows you to hear yourself on phone calls. You can adjust the level of transparency in the app, though I found that even with it all the way up it doesn't compare to the clarity and natural response of AirPods Pro. Still, it's nice to see that it's there and it's definitely better than nothing.

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When it comes down to it, the Elite 75t have a lot going for them. They sound amazing, they have great battery life, and they're incredibly comfortable. They're missing features like ANC or a true Transparency Mode clone, but they're also $70 cheaper than AirPods Pro. Overall, they offer a lot of bang for the buck---especially if you're looking for sound quality above all else.