If you’ve taken one look at the list of earbuds you can buy these days, you know your choices are endless. Not only has every major tech and smartphone company thrown their hats into the ring — Samsung, Amazon, Google, OnePlus, and more — but the third-party offerings are enough to make your head spin. I’m here to tell you that, out of the countless pairs of earbuds I’ve tried over the last few years, not one set has been as comfortable or reliable as my trusty Jabra Elite 75ts, now marked down to just $80 for Black Friday.
Despite being over two years old now — and two generations behind — Jabra still manufactures and sells its 75ts, and with good reason: they absolutely rule. “Jack of all trades” is usually slapped on a product that tries to do everything without succeeding at anything, but with this specific pair, it should be worn as a badge of honor. Sure, you’re bound to find earbuds with better sound quality, improved ANC, and longer battery life. But the Elite 75ts offer great sound, five to seven hours of battery life, and even gained ANC support in a firmware update last year.
There are plenty of things to love about Jabra’s 2019 flagship earbuds. The case is small and portable, with magnets strong enough to keep the buds from falling all over the place once it’s opened. They charge via USB-C — a given these days, but a nice factor to have when considering slightly-older earbuds. The Jabra app makes it easy to tune your EQ settings, with a handful of presets available alongside a standard equalizer. You can even play white noise or nature sounds without additional apps to help block out your annoying neighbors — believe me, I know from experience.
Of course, the real reason to buy a pair of these is the fit. Without any wingtips, loops, or other annoying methods of keeping buds in your ear, the Elite 75ts have never fallen out once — even while out on a jog or lifting weights at the gym. Obviously, fit and comfort won’t be the same for everyone, but the shape and size of Jabra’s earbuds are perfect for me — small enough not to be painful, big enough to lock into place.
There are a couple of drawbacks to buying earbuds that are, as of a couple of months ago, two generations old. For one, you can use only the right bud independently of the other. The left earbud can’t operate on its own, and for some, that might be a dealbreaker. Jabra finally managed to fix this with its newest generation, but at a significant price hike over this specific pair. Second, you’ll be losing out on a couple of premium features, including wireless charging. Jabra did release an optional case with wireless charging built-in, but good luck finding it for sale anywhere online.
In my eyes, all of this comes second to comfort and sound quality, and that’s where the Elite 75ts excel. I was even ready to upgrade to Jabra’s Elite 7 Pro this year, but when AP’s editor-in-chief Daniel Bader criticized the new fit from the eartips, I backed off.
For just $80 on Black Friday, it’s hard to go wrong with the Elite 75ts. They get all of the basics just so, so right, I don’t know why you’d consider anything else in this price range. I’m sure I’ll be persuaded someday to jump ship and grab a fancy new pair of buds, but for now, I’ll be sticking with my 75ts for at least another year.
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