Bose Sport Earbuds vs. Jabra Elite Active 75t

Comparison between Bose Sport Earbuds vs. Jabra Elite Active 75t

We are looking at 2 true wireless earbuds for sports that fall in a similar price bracket under $200. Both the Bose Sport Earbuds and Jabra Elite Active 75t came out this year, which should make for a fair fight.

Feature-wise, Jabra’s earbuds deliver more with a great mobile app and a wide array of commands via button controls. Bose’s app seems stripped down as it doesn’t even have the same features it offers with other Bose headphones. It’s likely they’ll add these in the future.

Jabras are also better in terms of durability with full IP57 waterproof housing. And, they’re dustproof too, so can use them for rock climbing. Bose Sport Earbuds only come with IPX4 sweatproof protection.

Nonetheless, Bose offers better comfort and fit. Jabra’s are decent as well, but Bose clearely has an edge.

Find more differences in the comparison below.

Quick Comparison

Both models:

• Comfortable listening experience
• Punchy bass
• Support the same SBC and AAC Bluetooth codecs
• Can connect with more than one device (multipoint)
• Fast-charging
• Come with a mobile app

Bose Sport Earbuds

Comfortable with better stability

Shallow seal provides average isolation

Newer, more stable Bluetooth 5.1

5h / charge + 10h in case

Slightly faster quick charging

IPX4 – sweatproof

Touch controls with basic controls

Basic app for updating firmware

Not as deep, yet more controlled bass

Smoother frequency response

Bose Sport Earbuds review

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Jabra Elite Active 75t

Comfortable with good stability

Deeper seal ensures better isolation

Support for Bluetooth 5.0

7.5h / charge + 20h in case

Overall better battery life

IP57 – waterproof

Useful and intuitive physical controls

Feature-packed app with EQ

Deeper bass response

More energetic, bassy sound

Jabra Elite Active 75t review

Buy on Amazon

Specifications

What’s in the Box?

Bose Sport Earbuds

Jabra Elite Active 75t

With packaging you’re getting:

• True wireless earbuds
• Charging case
• USB-C cable
• Jabra: 3 pairs of silicone eartips (S, M, L); Bose: 3 ear gels (ear tips/ear fin combo)
• User manual

Comfort & Fit

In terms of comfort, the 2 earbuds are quite similar thanks to their ergonomic design. But in the end, Bose Sport Earbuds provide overall better stability due to ear fins.

Ensuring stability is vital for true wireless earbuds. Both offer a high level of security, even during intense workouts. But in general, Bose Earbuds are better at it.

They come with ear fins that stick inside your earlobe and prevent earbuds from falling out. You get 3 different sizes of fins to ensure a proper fit.

Ear tips are too big to fit into your ear canal, which is why they rest in front of it. Because of that, you can expect excellent comfort since you don’t have to push them deep into your ears.

Jabra Elite Active 75t rely on their ergonomic design to keep them inside. Insertion is deeper than with Bose Sport Earbuds. Nevertheless, they’re still comfortable to wear for many hours.

As mentioned, the fit on Jabra’s is slightly worse. The only problem is that when you start smiling or make any other exaggerated facial expression, the fit starts to loosen up. Thankfully, you only need to readjust them, and you’re good to go.

Noise Isolation

If the shallow fit of the Bose Sport Earbuds helps with comfort, it most certainly blocks less outside noise. That is why Jabra Elite Active 75t takes the crown in this category.

You can expect much better passive isolation from Jabra Elite Active 75t. The reason is that you have to push them deeper into your ears. Bose tips only hang in front of the ear canal.

The difference is quite noticeable. Bose Sport Earbuds block only a small fraction of the noise, whereas you need to put Jabra out if you want to talk to someone.

That problem is solved by using the HearThrough feature on Elite Active, which amplifies your surroundings. Although it does pick up some wind noise, it’s still something that Sport Earbuds don’t have.

Sadly, none of the two offer active noise cancellation. But maybe that’s for the better since you need awareness when working out outside.

Bluetooth

Both earbuds offer great range and stability, an equal number of Bluetooth audio codecs, and have multipoint support. However, Jabra’s are a bit worse when it comes to video delay.

Jabra Elite Active 75t come with Bluetooth version 5.0, while Bose Sport Earbuds have version 5.1. As of right now, there are no noticeable differences between the two. However, in the future, Bose’s earbuds could offer better connection stability and lower power consumption.

As with many Bluetooth 5.0 headphones, these can also surpass 1 brick wall with no problem. Only when you put the second wall between them and a transmitting device, interruptions become worse.

Both can connect with multiple devices. That way, you can quickly jump between your phone and tablet. It’s a small thing but very useful if you use more than one gadget at home.

You’re also getting SBC and AAC with both, but they could include some of the high-quality codecs like aptX.

Bose Sport Earbuds are doing a great job when it comes to video lag. If there is any, it’s hardly noticeable, which is not something you can say about Jabra Elite Active 75t. It’s not terrible, but you can see it.

Battery

You can expect much longer battery life on Jabra Elite Active 75t with 7.5 hours per charge and an additional 20 hours inside the case. Bose Sport Earbuds can offer around 5 hours of playtime with only 10 extra hours in their case.

Bose Earbuds are quite bulky with a big charging case. Yet their battery still lags behind Jabra 75t, which are smaller overall.

You get 7.5 hours with Jabra’s, whereas Bose only offers around 5 hours. Strangely, Bose didn’t bump up the specs, especially since we are talking about a relatively new product.

The same goes for their charging case. Jabra will get you another 20 hours of juice, while Bose can only add 10.

At least Bose Sport Earbuds can charge their buds faster, giving you roughly 2 hours of battery life within 15 minutes. Jabra can only add another hour worth of playtime in the same amount of time.

Neither supports wireless charging. If you’d like to know how much battery is still inside each earbud, you have to use the mobile app (both earbuds have it).

Durability

Compared to Sport Earbuds, Jabra Elite Active are built like a tank. Although they’re both made from hard plastic, Jabra’s have an IP57 rating, making them completely waterproof and dustproof.

The “Active” in Jabra Elite Active 75t stands for the added durability features such as IP rating. In this case, you get a generous IP57, which means you’re safe from dust and water.

That’s the level of protection of the best waterproof Bluetooth headphones.

That comes in handy when you soak your earbuds in sweat, and they need a proper wash. You can just put them under running water, and that’s it.

On Bose’s side, you still get an IPX4 rating, which mostly prevents sweat damage. Earbuds can survive light sprays of water, but anything more than that can cause damage.

Looking at construction materials, both earbuds are made of hard plastic. Jabra Elite have a small rubber ring around the earbud so that it feels softer on the skin.

Also, Jabra’s charging case is smaller and feels better in the pocket, with a sturdy lid. Bose Earbuds come in a bigger, slightly elongated case that has a more secure locking mechanism. Consequently, to open the lid, you have to press a button.

Features

With Jabra Elite Active 75t, you get a feature-rich app where you can customize controls and change the sound inside the audio equalizer. You can pair Bose Sport Earbuds with their app, but it’s somewhat empty.

Sport Earbuds come with a Bose Music app. At least in our case, the pairing process takes some time. We had to go through many error messages before we finally succeed.

Once paired, you can decide if you want to disable the proximity sensor (automatic pause/play feature) and if you wish to add a double-tap to skip songs. Of course, you can also perform firmware updates, but that is pretty much it.

Touch controls are limited to only pause/play, answer calls, and summoning the smart assistant. There is no way to add volume control or even an option to rewind a song. Hopefully, they add more options with future updates (this was reviewed in Oct 2020).

In contrast, Jabra Elite Active 75t’s app offers many more customizations. For starters, you get a wide array of possible actions. By simply pressing the physical button, you can perform more than 10 different commands.

There is also a very useful EQ built in the app, which helps you tweak the sound just a little bit. You can choose between EQ presets or fiddle with the equalizer yourself. All of that is impossible with Bose Sport Earbuds.

You’re also getting the “Find My Jabra” feature inside the app, which plays a loud noise from the buds, making them easier to find. That is also not present in Bose’s app, even though Sport Earbuds have Bluetooth 5.1, which is excellent at precise localization.

Sound

Both earbuds share similar sound quality and signature, providing you with deep, punchy bass and a sibilance-free treble. Though, you can further tweak the sound on Elite Active 75t’s.

If you seek deep bass, you can’t go wrong with either of these. It’s slightly more pronounced on Jabra’s since they have better passive isolation. Because of that, the sub-bass extension is a tad deeper, which creates a good rumble.

Similarly, Sport Earbuds can also reach very low, but not to the same extend. However, their bass is very detailed and controlled. It can handle even the most bassy tracks. Just like best bass earbuds.

That thick low-end does colorize the overall sound, and in some ways, mutes the midrange. Thankfully, the upper midrange is very much present on the Bose Earbuds, while you need to bring it out with EQ on the 75t’s.

Treble is nicely detailed on both, yet smooth enough to mask potential sibilance. The overall signature is perfect for more popular genres like pop, mumble rap, and electronic music. But if you listen to metal, these can become slightly too dark and bloated with bass.

When it comes to the soundstage, Bose Sport Earbuds have an advantage over Jabra. The latter are relatively narrow in presentation, whereas Bose can portray a decently sized room around you.

Should You Buy Bose Sport Earbuds vs. Jabra Elite Active 75t?

If sound is an essential factor, you can pick either of these and be satisfied with what you’re getting. Bose might have more controlled bass, but you can further tweak the Jabra’s sound inside the app.

However, if you’re also concerned about durability and want extra features, Jabra Elite Active 75t are simply a better value. You get an IP57 rating, a HearThrough feature that amplifies your surroundings, and an equalizer (EQ).

We also need to mention more effective isolation and battery life, which is in both ways higher than the one on Bose Sport Earbuds.

Price-wise, Jabra’s are currently at $200, which is $20 more than what Bose asks for their model. However, the value point is still on the Elite Active’s side.

Bose Sport Earbuds review

Jabra Elite Active 75t review

That’s it for the Bose Sport Earbuds vs. Jabra Elite Active 75t comparison. Leave your comments below.

Peter Susic

From a childhood fascination with sound, Peter’s passion has evolved into a relentless pursuit of the finest headphones. He’s an audio expert with over 5 years of experience in testing both audiophile and consumer-grade headphones. Quote: “After many years, I can confidently tell which headphones are good and which are terrible.” Find his honest opinion in his reviews.