We believe the Jabra Elite 8 Active Gen 2 are the best running headphones on the market. In fact, they are the best in-ear headphones you can buy for virtually any type of exercise.
A big part of their appeal is the fantastic fit. Thanks to Jabra’s ShakeGrip technology, they stayed in place whether our writer was doing 100-meter sprint intervals or slow and steady 10k runs. This is all the more impressive given that there are no stiff silicone wings, which in our experience can cause a dull ache in the ear when worn for long periods.
Instead, the Jabra Elite 8 Active Gen 2 was so comfortable to wear that you would have easily forgotten you were wearing earphones at all if it weren’t for the rich Dolby Audio sound.
Billed as the “world’s toughest earbuds,” they’re built to last, too. The brand says they’re “tested to meet U.S. military standards.” The IP68 rating means sand and dust aren’t a problem, and they can survive submersion in water up to 1.5m deep.
Improved active noise cancellation (ANC) and hear-through settings, as well as the world’s first LE Audio Smart Case (which lets you connect the headphones to devices like smart treadmills for lag-free listening) round out these headphones’ impressive portfolio.
Price and release date
The Jabra Elite 8 Active Gen 2 was released in June 2024 with an RRP of $229.99 / £229.99 / AUD379. They were announced less than a year after the release of the Jabra Elite 8 Active, which was available in September 2023 for $199.99 / £199.99 / AUD329.
There are a few improvements that justify this premium, including improved surround sound, stronger ANC, and the “world’s first LE Audio Smart Case.”
Structure and design
Before testing these earbuds, our writer used the Jabra Elite 7 Active for all of his workout listening needs and loved them. But Jabra’s next generation feels more premium in every way.
The cheap-looking plastic casing has been replaced with a sleeker, silicone-coated casing with an IP54 rating that can withstand dust and splashes of water. The ear tips have the same slightly textured silicone coating that ensures the ear tips sit securely in the air.
The earbuds are even more robust than their casing. They are IP68 rated for protection against sand and dust and can be submerged in water up to a depth of 1.5 m, so they can easily survive beach workouts and runs on rainy days.
Setup couldn’t be easier. Just hold down the discreet buttons inside the earbuds and your phone will pair with them. From unboxing to listening, it took us less than a minute.
The only other product worth mentioning is the LE Audio Smart Case. This has an integrated chip that allows you to connect the case to a device via the charging cable (compatible with USB-C and 3.5 mm jack) and stream music directly to your earphones.
This promises less delay than traditional Bluetooth listening, although sports applications are limited (unless you plug it into the screen of one of the best treadmillsexercise bike or rowing machine).
Controls
Jabra keeps the controls simple here, which we like. Rather than being touch sensitive or having smart, voice-activated controls, there’s a discreet button built into the outside of each earbud. Click the left button to switch between ANC and HearThrough or to answer a call, and click the right button to pause or play your music.
You can also double-tap the right earbud to skip a song, triple-tap it to go back to the previous track, and press and hold it to increase the volume (or press and hold the left earbud to turn the music down).
The layout of the buttons makes it easy to press them while running without accidentally pressing them – we’ve also found this to be the case with competing products with touch controls.
If you’re an audiophile and want to fine-tune your listening experience, you can also experiment with settings such as HearThrough strength, music equalizer, and music presets in the Jabra Sound+ app.
Fit
The Jabra Elite 8 Active are impressive across the board, but where they really stand out is the fit.
Unlike most in-ear sports headphones, there are no silicone wings that rest against the ear and keep the earbuds in place. Instead, they have an ergonomic fit that sits flush in the ear, and we found that this works incredibly well.
No matter how fast we ran, the earbuds were comfortable and didn’t move. They even stayed put during other dynamic, high-impact activities like burpees and box jumps.
Sound quality
With sports headphones, you often have to sacrifice some sound quality for a secure fit and a robust design – it’s no use having perfect sound if the earbuds break as soon as you start to sweat.
However, we found that the Jabra Elite 8 Active earbuds still offer a really comfortable listening experience that outperforms the vast majority of other workout earbuds.
This is largely due to the improved second-generation spatial sound (similar to the concept of surround sound, which provides an immersive or three-dimensional listening experience) made possible by Dolby Atmos.
We found our music sounded rich and natural, from Fleetwood Mac’s “Seven Wonder” to modern pop songs. Podcasts were also crisp and clear, if you prefer those or an audiobook during your long runs.
Jabra has also improved ANC and HearThrough. The Jabra Elite 7 Active’s ANC was a bit unreliable and let background noise leak through. And while the updated settings still don’t offer the room-like experience of some earbuds, we found it was more effective than its predecessor. The HearThrough was also better at letting traffic noise in particular reach our ears. But if you want true transparency, the best bone conduction headphones should still be your first stop.
Verdict
The Jabra Elite 8 Active Gen 2 are the best true wireless in-ear sports headphones for running that we have tested.
The fit is impeccably comfortable and the earbuds didn’t move around during sprints, intervals, long runs and all the other fitness activities we wore them for. The button controls are simple and effective, pairing never took more than a few seconds and the improved sound quality made for a really enjoyable listening experience across all genres as well as podcasts and audiobooks.
Finally, the Jabra Elite 8 Active Gen 2 retain the ruggedness that made their predecessors the “world’s toughest earbuds.” Thanks to an IP68 rating, we never had to worry about dust, sand, grit, rain, or splashes.
That’s why we always wear these earphones during every workout.
Alternatives
Shokz is the most well-known name in bone conduction headphones, and the Shokz Open Run is one of the best they’ve ever made. These headphones allow you to listen to music on the go without plugging your ears. Instead, speakers are placed on the bones at the top of your jaw and send the sound to your ears via vibrations. This is useful if you run in busy areas and want to be aware of your surroundings, or if you regularly attend races and want to listen to music while enjoying the attention of spectators on race day.
We know $200+ is a lot of money to spend on headphones, so we wanted to offer the Mifo O5 Plus Gen 2 Earbuds as an alternative – you can get a pair for under $100. The sound quality is solid, they’re comfortable to wear, and we were big fans of the metallic design. They also offer brilliant battery life, allowing for more than 100 hours of listening pleasure when you factor in charges from the charging case.
