Jabra Elite 45h Headphones Reviewed.

Music is pretty much the bread and butter of how we get through the day most of the time. Without it, most of us would lose out minds as we try to maintain our sanity by dealing with everything that goes around us. However, when Sal mentioned that we had received the newest Jabra Elite 45h from Jabra to review, I was on the fence.

Don’t get me wrong I was excited; however, I’m not the biggest fan of headphones in general. My preference has always been of earphones due to its convenience. Despite that, I am determined to find out if these bad boys are worth it.

So, let’s dive right in and find out!

What is the Jabra Elite 45h?

Jabra Elite 45h is the latest addition of wireless on-ear headphones from, Jabra.

Determined to be the best in its category, Jabra has gone above and beyond to provide a headphone that rivals other manufacturers. From its fast charging capabilities to its large 40mm speakers, there’s something for everyone to appreciate in this compact device.

These headphones are also capable of tweaking your music experience to suit your very own hearing through Jabra’s latest technology, MySound. Thus, users will be able to enjoy every piece of music in their distinct preference.

The Jabra Elite 45h headphones have a price point of S$138, which is remarkably affordable.

Here are the headphones’ full specifications.

Audio

• Passive noise-cancellation: Yes
• Noise reduction on outgoing voice signal: Yes, 2-microphone call technology
• Wind noise protection: Yes
• MySound; music tailored to your hearing: Yes
• Speaker size: 40 mm
• Speaker bandwidth music mode: 20 Hz to 20 kHz
• Speaker bandwidth speak mode: 100 Hz to 8,000 Hz
• Number of microphones: 2 x MEMS

Fit & comfort

• Form factor: On-ear headphone
• Ear cushions surface material: PU leather
• Ear cushions padding material: Memory foam

Battery

• Music and talk-time: Up to 50 hours
• Fast charge: Up to 10 hours after charging the headphone for 15 minutes
• Sleep modeYes
• Standby time: >1 year (auto power off after 24 hours)
• Charging time: 1 hour and 30 minutes (with dedicated 500 mA USB wall charger)
• Charging plug: USB-c

Connectivity

• Bluetooth compliance: Bluetooth 5.0
• Supported Bluetooth profiles: HSP v1.2, HFP v1.7, A2DP v1.3, AVRCP v1.6, PBAP v1.1, SPP v1.2
• Operating range: Up to 10m
• Paired devices: Up to 8
• Multi-connect: Two devices can be connected at the same time

Design.

When I first received the Jabra Elite 45h headphones and opened it up, it was smaller than I had imagined it would be. I’ve only seen pictures of it, but to see it in person is a different story. Jabra had promoted that the device would be compact and a lightweight, which they delivered perfectly.

The overall design of the headphone is remarkably sleek and stylish. It has nothing fancy to it, but its pure simplicity works quite well in its favour to capture its compactness. I especially enjoy designs that are not overly excessive, and thus its average form works well in my favour.

The device also has an added feature that further emphasizes its spartan design.

The headphones’ ear cups are capable of being turned inwards, thus allowing them to lie on any flat surface with ease. Due to the overall compact outlook of the device, it enables the user to store the device practically anywhere.

Most headphones tend to be bulky, to cater for the size of speakers in it. It tends to lead to extra weight being added to the overall product and makes it uncomfortable during usage over a long period.

However, due its a simplistic and efficient design, the Jabra Elite 45h headphones is notably light. And when I say light, I mean it. The headphones weigh as much as a standard phone does and I don’t even feel it on my neck when I remove it and leave it to rest.

The issue that I had was the lack of grip surrounding the headphones to specific head types. Simply put, there’s no way to adjust the headstrap for a better fit, so potential buyers beware. You might want to test the headphones out to ensure a good fit.

As my head was smaller on the top, whenever I tilted my head backwards or forward, the headphones would start to slip off. It may come off as a hindrance if you’re constantly required to be on the move.

Comfort.

Despite being compact, the Jabra Elite 45h headphone does not compromise on the need of providing its users with a comfortable experience. The headphone achieved this through two portions: ear cups and headband.

Jabra designed the headphones’ ear cups out of memory foam padding and covered it with leathery material. It makes the ear cups incredibly soft and smooth to feel. I agree wholly, as I’ve thoroughly enjoyed the quality of the ear cups against my ears.

I didn’t feel any discomfort or pressure of it closing tightly against my ears, despite using it for hours. At times it felt like nothing was resting on my ears despite music flowing directly into my ear canals. The ear cups are also capable of swirling to an extent, to ensure a more flexible experience depending on an individuals’ preference.

The underside of headphones’ headband takes away the pressure of the headphone resting on your head with a spongy rubbery material. Due to the surface being smooth and the interior cushion filling of the material, you hardly sense it even after using for an extended time.

However, as with most soft leather, the material starts to shows signs of crack lines throughout my usage. I believe with constant use of wear over a long period of months; the headphones ear cups might may require a replacement.

Fast Charging and Battery Life.

One of the unique components of the Jabra Elite 45h is its battery capabilities. 

The Jabra Elite 45h has an absurd amount of battery life! After a full charge, I’ve been using the headphone for about two days straight during office hours. I tend to also blast my music between 50% to 75% volume range depending on my mood. 

Despite all that, the headphone hadn’t even crossed over into the 60% battery life threshold. It was showing 71% battery life on the device, which astounded me! And let’s not forget about its fast charging function, which also exceeded my expectations. It only took around 20 mins for it to reach 100% from the 70% threshold.

The Music.

My Sound is the latest technology designed and implemented by Jabra in the headphones. The purpose of this is to provide users with their very own personalized hearing experience by adjusting it to an individual’s hearing capability.

The process of it is reasonably simple, by downloading the ‘Jabara Sound +’ app then pairing the headphones; the user can follow through a simple test. The test configures each side of the headphone by letting the user indicate if he/ she can hear specific pitch sounds according to their age and gender. 

As the process completes, the headphones become tailored to suit the user’s hearing type, which is pretty unique and makes your audio experience all that more personal. It’s one of the features that I considerably enjoyed myself.

Let’s not also forget that the on-ear headphone comes with 40mm large speakers! The device does not come with active noise cancelling, but with the speakers’ volume set to 100%, it might as well be since the person next to you will be able to hear it too. You might be deaf but you’ll be sure not to hear anything,

You’ll experience that you’re able to block out any background noises at that level, but I recommend not using it for too long especially if you’re planning to blast some heavy metal. With the speakers’ volume set to 75%, you’ll still hear background sounds, but it won’t be as noticeable.

As for the sound quality, I’m no audiophile, so my standard for my music is pretty simple. As long the sound is clean, stable, and consistent, then it’s a win in my books. The overall audio experience of the Jabra Elite 45h headphone is noticeable decent and handles the bass rather well even with adjustments made with the music equalizer by the Sound app. Despite being an on-ear headphone, the audio gives you a sense ‘fullness’ with clarity while in use.

The Bottom Line.

Now we have come to the end of the review, and it’s time to answer if the Jabra Elite 45h headphone is something you should consider?

My answer is yes.

If you’re looking for a new headphone that’s cost-efficient and still gets the job done, that this is what you want. The fact that it comes with a 40mm speaker at this price range is truly fascinating. 

Yes, it has its fair share of issues, such as the ear cup material quality that’s capable of being worn out quickly and the lack of grip for different kinds of head type but based for the asking price point, these issues seem minuscule.

TLDR: 

Cost-efficient headphones that will get the job done but may not be for everyone.