The Jabra Elite 5 are lightweight and comfortable earphones that have a lot to offer at a starting price of around 150 euros. These include effective active noise cancellation, good sound and a comprehensive app. The strongest competition comes from within the company.
The Danish manufacturer Jabra has already released some strong Bluetooth earphones in recent years, which have always impressed with a good overall package. This also applies to the new Elite 5, which, on top of that, comes onto the market quite cheaply at around 150 euros.
The earphones definitely don’t make a cheap impression. The compact charging case is very solid and offers the option of charging the battery inductively. The earphones themselves are protected against dust and water according to IP55, and even heavy downpours don’t bother them.
In addition, the Jabra Elite 5 are extremely comfortable to wear with only five grams and a successful ergonomic shape and do not press uncomfortably in the ear even after several hours. Nevertheless, they sit securely enough to take part in sporting activities. The prerequisite, however, is that one of the three different-sized pairs of silicone attachments fits.
If the plugs are in the right place, the Elite 5 deliver a good sound with broad and well-defined mids and clear highs. The basses are dosed a bit cautiously in the basic settings, but can go quite deep when they are required. Overall, the sound is pleasantly balanced and the stage is also quite wide and airy for small earphones. If you are not satisfied with this, you will find an extensive equalizer with several presets and the option to make and save your own adjustments in the associated app.
For good sound, the Elite 5 support the higher-resolution Bluetooth codec aptX. Even without a special mode, there is hardly any noticeable delay between image and sound in videos. The radio connection is stable even over longer distances and it is possible to pair two devices at the same time.
Despite the low price, the new Jabra earbuds have hybrid active noise cancellation (ANC). That is, microphones analyze sounds inside and outside the ear. On top of that, you can adjust the ANC to your own hearing with a test in a noisy environment.
The result is very effective noise suppression that not only largely hides even disturbances such as traffic noise or humming refrigerator motors. The ANC also significantly dampens voices and clattering keyboards in the office. The Elite 5 only reach their limits in strong winds.
If it is important to hear the outside noise, you can activate the transparency mode. In contrast to many other earphones, the new Jabras appear almost as natural, with the exception of a slight hiss, as if you weren’t wearing any earphones at all. The Elite 5 also make a strong impression in terms of sound during telephone calls, in which the carrier and the person being spoken to are easy to understand in quiet and loud environments.
The controls are pleasantly uncomplicated, since the outer surfaces of the earphones are real physical buttons and not touch surfaces. They are adjusted so lightly that the plugs do not press into the ear or slip out of place during operation. It’s just a pity that you can adjust the controls in the app, but no volume control via the buttons is possible.
The mileage of up to seven hours with activated ANC is remarkable and has largely been confirmed in the test. The charging case offers reserves for another 21 hours of music enjoyment and if the earphones’ battery should run out, ten minutes in the box is enough for about an hour of playback.
All in all, the Jabra Elite 5 offer a very attractive price-performance ratio with their good sound, effective ANC, great endurance and high wearing comfort for just under 150 euros. For the same money you can currently get the slightly better equipped Elite 7 Pro, which was launched last fall for 200 euros. Interested parties may wait a few more weeks until the new Jabras are a little cheaper, or they can go straight to the predecessors.
