Little buds, big immersive sound

Jabra has always been among my top five wireless earbud brands. Over the years, the Danish company has consistently released stylish and comfortable earbuds with powerful audio and some cool features to set them apart. While they are, sadly, stepping away from the market, the Jabra Elite 10 Gen 2 earbuds continue the trend with their premium good looks, great audio and call quality, and powerful ANC. Feature-wise, the company is brought improved spatial audio, which is great, but the standout feature lies in the charging case, which, when plugged into a compatible device, can deliver spatial audio.

It’s a cool trick that can really enhance your listening experience and, combined with everything else the Elite 10 have to offer, is worth your hard-earned dollars.

Price, availability, and specs

You can snag a pair of the Jabra Elite 10 Gen 2 for $280 on Amazon, Best Buy, or Jabra’s website. That’s a little cheaper than the $298 Sony WF-1000XM5, the Sennheiser Momentum True Wireless 4, and the Bose QuietComfort Ultra earbuds.

If you purchase the earbuds directly from Jabra, you can choose from five colors (Titanium Black, Denim, Cocoa, Soft White, and Glossy Black). At the same time, Amazon offers three (Denim, Glossy Black, and Soft White) and Best Buy offers four (Soft White, Glossy Black, Denim, Titanium Black). Another benefit of ordering the earbuds from Jabra? The company provides free engraving on the case, which is a nice touch.

What’s good about the Jabra Elite 10 Gen 2 earbuds?

So much win in a tiny pair of earbuds

One thing’s for sure, Jabra knows how to make a good-looking pair of earbuds. The company sent me the Soft White version of the earbuds. The top of each earbud has a silvery metal cap with Jabra stamped in the middle. Depending on the bud you’re looking at, you’ll see either an “R” or “L” along with a pair of gold-colored charging points and a sensor on the back.

As for the rest of the earbuds, the housing is made of ivory-colored plastic. Like most Jabra earbuds, there is a measure of durability. The Elite 10 are rated IP57 for limited dust protection and water immersion up to 1 meter (3.2 feet).

The earbuds comfortably fit in my ear canal without any pressure on my concha and surrounding areas; I wore the earbuds for hours without any pinching or pressure. I was a little worried about the tap controls since I had to press on the ear caps, which could jam the earbuds into my ear just to pause a song or skip a track. Thankfully, the buds stayed in place no matter how many times I tapped. In addition to the default ear gels, Jabra ships three extra pairs to ensure you get a proper fit.

Jabra’s done a little housekeeping with its latest premium earbuds, boasting improved active noise cancellation and enhanced EQ tuning. The ambient mode has also undergone some tweaks. Dubbed Natural HearThrough, the company claims it’s twice as effective as its predecessor. With Natural HearThough enabled, I heard my boyfriend doing his best Travis Bickle impersonation despite David Banner’s “Play” bumping in my ear.

However, his voice almost faded to nothing once I switched over to ANC. While I prefer to mute NYC as much as possible in favor of my personal soundtrack, I gained a new appreciation for the feature when a delivery man on an electric scooter came barreling out of nowhere as I crossed the street.

Utilizing its improved algorithms, Jabra says that its ANC is twice as powerful as the previous generation and is focused on significantly silencing the din from outside noise as well as noise transportation such as the subway and airplane. I put the Jabras to the test, first standing under an elevated subway line and then going underground. In both instances, the noise from the train was reduced, but not completely shut out without any music playing. However, at 50% volume, the subway and all its rattling faded into the music. Still, it’s not as good as the Sony WF-1000XM5, but it will satisfy most quiet seekers.

The Elite 10’s free companion app, Sound +, is bursting with features. You set custom tap controls, find wayward buds, and enable ANC and Natural HearThrough, and also tweak the EQ, select from six audio presets, set up Spotify Tap, quick access to the music app, and set up the Dolby Spatial Sound feature (more on that shortly). And that’s just the tip of the iceberg of what the app can do.

As always, I switched over to the Hi-Res tracks on Tidal for my music testing. I set the earbuds’ audio preset to Neutral to get as close to a flat sound as possible. Ella Fitzgerald’s “Like Someone In Love” felt like I was wrapped in a warm hug with its lilting flutes, lush French horn, and rich bass. Fitzgerald’s sweet soprano was at the forefront with details so crisp I could hear the singer’s plosives. I found the bass on Kendrick Lamar’s “Alright” was a bit boomy, and the background vocals toed the line of harshness. However, Lamar sounded great, as did the trumpet and percussion.

But Jabra has another trick up its sleeve, and it’s a pretty cool one. The Elite 10 Gen 2 are the first earbuds to feature the company’s first-ever LE Audio smart case. Utilizing a new proprietary chip, the case can offer audio from TVs, in-flight entertainment systems, and even gym equipment, provided you plug the case into an available 3.5mm audio jack or USB-C port.

And if that isn’t enough, you can also get spatial audio. It was a cool feature I utilized during my recent round on my mortal enemy, my Bowflex elliptical machine. The spooky sounds and atmosphere of “Archive 81” helped distract me from the effort of my exertions.

Speaking of spatial audio, it’s better than ever, thanks to the improved EQ tuning. The onboard Dolby Atmos technology is even better. Listening to Prince’s “When Doves Cry” and hearing the music change direction according to where my head was positioned, thanks to the head tracking, is a fun, immersive experience.

Last but not least, let’s talk about the call quality. It’s excellent, making the Jabras some of the best earbuds for calls. I made several calls and sat through a couple of video conferences, and no matter what, both sides of the call were crystal clear.

What’s bad about the Jabra Elite 10 Gen 2 earbuds?

Battery life could be better

Jabra didn’t give me much to complain about with the Elite 10, but there are some points of contention. The charging case is rather large, especially compared to the likes of the Sony WF-1000XM5 and the Sennheiser Momentum True Wireless 4. It’s even bigger than the Bose QuietComfort Ultra, which is big in its own right.

Battery life is my other complaint. The earbuds only last six hours with ANC enabled and 21 additional hours with the charging case. Compare that to eight hours from the Sony WF-1000XM5 and 7.5 hours from the Sennheiser Momentum. But like most earbuds nowadays, the Elite 10 has quick charge, restoring an hour of charge after five minutes in their case.

Should you buy them?

Music lovers looking to see just how good spatial audio is and how far it can go should invest in the Jabra Elite 10 Gen 2 earbuds. So should those seeking a comfortable, durable pair of earbuds with powerful traditional audio quality, impressive ANC, and a host of other features. I highly recommend plugging the charging case into your TV or record player to add another dimension to your listening experience. And at $280, they’re slightly cheaper than some of the top earbuds on the market.

There are a couple of flaws, namely the shorter battery life and the chunky case. And there are definitely earbuds out there that outdo Jabra in both categories, namely the Sony WF-1000XM5, which has earned top marks across the board and has some impressive spatial audio to boot. But if you’re looking for great audio, spatial or otherwise with a touch of innovation, the Jabra Elite 10 Gen 2 earbuds are for you.