Jabra Elite 7 Active True Wireless— Bluetooth Sports Earbuds Shake Grip for Secure in-Ear Fit — Ultimate Workout Earbuds,

As a long-distance runner I listen to music and audiobooks for hours at a time. For years I’ve resisted bluetooth headphones until my most recent mobile phone upgrade finally took away my headphone plug; time to go wireless. Initially I tried using my AirPods Pro but was worried about securing them in my ears – I’d come across an AirPod lying in the road crushed and didn’t want to risk the same. I tried some add-on silicone “wings” that gave a bit more security, but they didn’t always work well and the AirPods had a tendency to revert to some sort of odd out-of-phase stereo imaging half way through a log run as the wings covered up sensors.Last month I noticed that Jabra had a “deal” on their site, offering the Elite 75t Active for $60 off. As those were a top pick by a popular web site, I thought I’d give them a try. Of course they were immediately going to be compared to my AirPods for better or worse. For security and stability while running, the 75ts were much better than the AirPods; I never felt a need to fiddle with them during a long run where the AirPods constantly needed to be re-seated. But two nagging issues kept me from keeping the 75ts. First, the sound was much “brighter” and “livelier” than the AirPods – listening to audiobooks was noticeably “crisper” and even a bit clearer, but I found them tiring after listening for over an hour. Tone can be adjusted and, if this were the only issue, I would probably have kept the 75ts. However, the other issue was that they lost connectivity too often. When I run long distances (e.g., 10-15 miles) I usually carry my mobile phone in a small fanny pack rather than on my arm. What I found with the 75t was that whenever I turned my head left to look for cross-traffic, audio would momentarily cut out; it was entirely predictable and a deal-breaker for me.On the day I set to return the Elite 75t Active earbuds to Jabra, a Prime Day sale had the newer Elite 7 Active for roughly the same discounted price so I decided to give them a try. Though some online reviews still prefer the 75t to the 7, the 7’s addressed the issues I had with the 75t and I plan to keep the Elite 7 Active. My sense of the two is that:75t have a more solid “build” feel – the Elite 7 Active case feels flimsy and the earbuds themselves feel less substantial; however, they’re also noticeably lighter than the 75t which is a good thing for my use.Elite 7 Active have more robust bluetooth; the bump to v5.2 addressed my disconnection issues.Elite 7 Active have a less “lively” sound – this is a personal taste and many may prefer the 75t’s sound, but I don’t find the Elite 7 Active sound as tiring as the 75t. The Elite 7 Active sound more akin to my AirPods, though neither of the Jabra models comes close to the ANC of the AirPods.Elite 7 Active case adds wireless charging – not a big deal to me, but nice to have. That said, the case feels flimsy and is quite slick such that I added a couple pieces of grip-tape to the sides and front to make it easier to grip and open – take note Jabra, a little texture would be a good thing.The only other thing I’d like to see in earbuds such as these is some sort of thin screen over the opening to keep ear debris out. I appreciate my AirPods’ earpieces as they’re easy to remove and clean. If I don’t remember to clean my ears before my run I risk stuffing up the Jabra earbuds with hard-to-remove gunk.