Jabra’s Elite headset line comes in a variety of different form factors and has given us many successes in the past. The Elite 85h is the pricier pair, but the good news is that it delivers on all fronts, from effective noise cancellation to a powerful audio experience. Add a well-designed app that features user-adjustable EQ and ANC settings and you have a compelling product that may not offer better ANC than the Bose QuietComfort 35 II, but can deliver a more powerful and dynamic audio experience.
What is it like to use the Jabra Elite 85h?
These headphones are extremely comfortable, even with glasses. The plush ear cushions leave plenty of wiggle room for even the most outward-facing ears. While the ear cups are quite bulky (a necessity for 40 mm drivers), they fold flat and swivel upward toward the headband. Plus, you can keep everything in the included carrying case. Sure, it’s not as travel-friendly as a pair of wireless earbuds, but it makes a big difference.
Jabra’s intelligent noise cancellation uses four of the Elite 85h’s eight microphones to filter out ambient sound. When these microphones record unwanted noise, they automatically turn on ANC. what is distracting noise can be customized via the Jabra Sound+ app. Conversely, HearThru settings can also be managed. HearThru amplifies your surroundings, which is helpful when you’re out and about or riding the subway and need to hear upcoming stops. the Jabra Sound+ app is free on iOS and Android and lets you easily create “moments “This is a different EQ preset that you can switch to depending on your listening environment. This lets you tune in to the sound that suits your musical tastes, wherever you are.
Does the Jabra Elite 85h stay connected?
The Elite 85h uses Bluetooth 5.0 and stays connected at a wireless range of 10 meters. Anyone running firmware version 1.4.1 or higher can benefit from AAC’s support for high quality to provide reliable streaming on iOS devices. android users can still use this codec, but its performance is inconsistent. Unfortunately, the headset does not support aptX, so the only other wireless option you have besides AAC is the SBC Bluetooth codec. If you want the best audio quality, wired is the way to go. However, this limited support for high-quality codecs can be the Achilles heel of other great products.
How does the Jabra Elite 85h sound?
Despite the lack of high-quality codec support, the Jabra Elite 85h has a pleasant frequency response. Although the bass head may need to amplify the bass response in the application’s equalizer, the slightly emphasized bass notes can be easily heard on vocals and important instrument notes.
Bass, Midrange and Treble
In Sigrid’s song Raw, the 0:33 bass drop sounded too strong with the wrong headphones, but the Elite 85h’s quiet bass response ensured that mids and highs could still be heard. On the other hand, listening to the same part of Raw with the Anker Soundcore Life Q35 makes it a little difficult to hear Sigrid singing the words, “I just want to be ……”
The verdict
Offering top-notch battery life, great style and plenty of personalization in terms of sound configuration, the Elite 85h is easy to recommend. That said, purists will bemoan the lack of support for high-end codecs and the availability of more powerful headsets in the market at this price point. When you consider Jabra’s Elite 85h headset to be the company’s first attempt at a premium wireless ANC headset, the results are very commendable. We can’t wait to see what the company’s next generation of advanced ANC headsets will accomplish.
