Active Noise Cancelling headphones have started to become a standard feature in premium wireless headphones. Its ability to enable users to completely zone out and fully enjoy their music has made ANC headphones an essential tool for traveling and commuting.
However, there is a catch. The technology used for good and effective ANC is not cheap, which is why only premium wireless headphones have it. Budget options have tried replicating this feature, but the results vary and are often not as good as the high-end options.
I have pretty much given up in my search for the best budget ANC headphones until Tribit approached us with the QuetPlus. Tribit already impressed me with their budget XFree GO. You can check out my full review of the XFree GO if you haven’t, as I will be drawing most of my comparisons from it. The gist of it is that Tribit can pull off some impressive feats despite their lower price tag.
However, the QuetPlus has an even bigger task this time around since it is now competing against higher-end units. Will it impress me just like the XFree GO? Keep on scrolling to learn more.
Disclaimer
The review unit featured in this article was provided by Tribit. We thank them for their support and for making this review possible. However, this does not affect our review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
Contents
Packaging and Accessories
– USB Type-C charging cable
– 3.5mm to 3.5mm cable
– Instruction booklet
– Warranty card
– Hard Case
The QuietPlus has very similar packaging to the XFree GO. The outer box is well designed, but the unboxing experience is pretty straightforward. The headphones, accessories, and paperwork are all found inside the hard case.
Design and Build Quality
The Tribit QuietPlus does not feature the same design found on the XFree GO. Instead, they went with a more Beats style design, which is similar to a lot of its competitors. I personally prefer this over the XFree GO’s design since it feels a lot more durable and comfortable.
The build is mostly made of plastic, but it feels significantly better than the entry-level XFree GO. The plastic is on par with more expensive headphones, and the whole build does not feel like it will fall apart on your hands. Tribit has also managed to make the QuietPlus feel heavier and more substantial without negatively impacting comfort.
The ear cups look similar to the rest of the headphones, but upon touching them, you will notice that they feel cold, which indicates that they are made of metal. The rest of the critical points, such as the joints for the folding mechanism and the headband adjustment, are also made of metal.
One thing that I appreciate with the QuietPlus’ design is the large L and R markings on the earpads. This allows me to immediately know the proper orientation of the headphones before I even pick them up. This also makes the hinges look cleaner since they are now free from the traditional “L and R” markings.
In terms of the aesthetics, Tribit has gone for a more stealthy look for the QuietPlus. Aside from the subtle logos on the ear cups, there is barely any branding on the QuietPlus. This is great since you won’t stick out in public while wearing these. I highly appreciate this new design aesthetic, and I hope Tribit will go for a similar design in future releases.
The QuietPlus has also ditched the rotating ear cups found on the XFree GO. I feel like this is a good move since this eliminates the moving parts that can potentially snap. QuietPlus still folds into a compact design, which makes it easy to carry around.
The buttons are also well placed and take a decent amount of force to actuate. The button presses were accurate, and I did not encounter any accidental presses.
Overall the build feels solid. I feel like it can take a beating and can keep up with my daily tasks. However, I would still highly recommend using the included carrying case just to make sure that it does not encounter any issues.
The QuietPlus has thankfully ditched the micro USB charging port in favor of USB Type-C. The majority of people, including myself, only carry one type of charger so this move from Tribit is highly appreciated.
Fit and Comfort
Just like the XFree GO, the QuietPlus already had adequate clamping force out of the box. It did not require a break-in period unlike most over the ear headphones. It was stable enough on my head without squeezing my ears.
The ear cups are large enough, and my ears do not touch the drivers. This is a significant improvement over the XFree GO, which started hurting my ears during extended listening sessions. The QuietPlus, on the other hand, did not give me any problems, no matter how long I wore it.
The quality of the ear pads is also a big upgrade from the XFree GO. They feel better and more premium since they have more cushioning. They are also replaceable in case they get damaged or get worn out.
The headband has also been significantly improved. There is more padding, which prevents the buildup of pressure on the headband area. Overall, the comfort is a big step up from the entry-level model.
Controls
The control layout is very similar to the XFree GO. They consist of three buttons and are located behind the right earcup. Their functions are similar but feature some tweaks from the XFree GO.
The center button still controls the power on/off and play/pause. The other two buttons control volume up and down. However, what’s different here is that the center button now also controls track skipping.
Double pressing the center button skips the track forward while triple pressing repeats the track/goes to the previous track. This is similar to the implementation of a lot of TWS earbuds, so this should be familiar for most people.
I personally preferred the old control scheme where the volume controls also handled track skipping. However, others have told me that they preferred having buttons that are solely made for volume controls.
They do not want to accidentally skip tracks while quickly changing the volume, which is a fair point. There is, unfortunately, no application that allows the remapping of the controls, so you should just get used to it.
An additional Noise-cancelling switch is located below the track controls. I initially thought the placement was odd since you have to flick the switch upwards instead of downwards. However, I quickly got used to it, so no complaints here.
Wireless Performance
The QuietPlus has exceptional wireless performance, which is to be expected given my experience with the XFree GO’s excellent wireless implementation. It features Bluetooth 5.0 and APTX Wireless Codec for minimal latency. I find that highly impressive given that APTX is more commonly found on higher-end models.
The connection process was instantaneous on the QuietPlus. Once paired with my preferred device, the “connected” voice prompt immediately came up. The pairing process was also easy and worked every time I tried pairing it with a different device.
The connection was always solid, regardless of what device it was connected to. Even when there are thick walls and other obstructions, the QuietPlus never encountered any dropouts.
Just like the XFree GO, one feature that is not heavily advertised is the QuietPlus’ ability to simultaneously connect to two different devices. The pairing process is straightforward. Just pair the headphones to device A and device B, and you are good to go. I tested this with my laptop and my smartphone, and I did not experience any connectivity issues. Just take note that you have to pause the audio from your primary source to access the audio from your secondary source.
Finally, the APTX codec was the icing on the cake. It eliminates the latency that most wireless headphones face, which makes the QuietPlus a great pair for gaming. I tried playing Call of Duty Mobile on my Huawei Mate 20 Pro, and I did not encounter any issues.
Active Noise Cancelling
All of the previous categories are expected to be good, given Tribit’s excellent track record. However, the ANC is where Tribit has to prove themselves. Realistically, I wasn’t expecting any miracles here.
Tribit has not advertised any special kinds of advanced ANC tech in the QuietPlus, so I was a bit skeptical about these headphones. However, the results were quite impressive, considering the limitations of the product.
The QuietPlus’ ANC was able to cut out or reduce constant noises such as construction equipment, air conditioning units, and vehicle engines. It does not entirely block out more complex noises, but it does manage to make them sound thinner.
An example of this would be rainfall and the varying noises found in busy environments such as malls. The ANC is able to cut off the low frequencies, which can make low volume music listening better.
Tribit calls their implementation “Hybrid Noise Cancelling Technology,” which aims to combine both passive and active noise canceling features. So when both the excellent passive noise cancellation and the ANC are combined, the result is a fairly enjoyable listening experience.
One positive thing about the QuietPlus’ ANC is that it does not exhibit a strong pressure sensation that is commonly associated with ANC headphones. The ANC takes around one to two seconds before it kicks in, making the effect more obvious.
You can also use the ANC even when the QuietPlus is turned off. I found this useful when I wanted to block noises such as the construction equipment near my house but not necessarily listen to music.
One thing that I did notice was that the sound slightly changed when ANC was on. The bass took a hit and made the overall sound thinner. The fidelity of the mids and highs were mostly kept intact, and I found this signature to be slightly cleaner. However, I still preferred the sound quality when the ANC was off.
Again, no smartphone app allows you to control the ANC. It would have been nice to choose between different ANC levels, which might lessen the effects on the sound quality. However, I do understand the limitations of the QuietPlus, given its more budget-oriented price.
Sound Quality
The Tribit QuietPlus takes a bit of a different approach in terms of the sound signature. The XFree GO were bass-heavy headphones that were great for most music genres but were noticeably not as good with more mellow tracks and vocal-centric music. The QuietPlus, on the other hand, features a more balanced sound signature and an overall more mature sound.
The bass has been significantly toned down. It is no longer as boomy as the XFree GO, but the tradeoff is that it has more clarity and definition. Bass notes are cleaner, more precise, and are more distinguishable.
The vocals are the QuietPlus’ strongest suit. Vocals are often highlighted and are easily distinguished over other frequencies, such as the bass. Vocals had more definition and were overall more enjoyable to listen to.
The highs were also present but were well controlled. I could hear elements such as cymbals, but they do not bother me at all. Listeners who are sensitive to treble do not need to worry as the QuietPlus is a warm sounding headphone.
There are, however, some downsides with this new tuning. One of them is that the mids can sound a bit too forward on certain genres. The QuietPlus was highlighting too much guitars and too little low end on some of my more guitar-focused test songs.
The XFree GO’s tuning worked better in these types of music. Luckily, Tribit seems to make an alternate version of the QuietPlus called the QuietPlus 72 that is more similar to the XFree GO. However, I cannot fully comment on this model as I have not yet tested it.
But, when it comes to the genres where the XFree GO performs well, such as pop, electronic, and other bass-heavy genres, I find the QuetPlus to be the more detailed and the more enjoyable pair.
Overall, I enjoyed the sound quality of the QuietPlus. It is the more versatile sounding and technically capable pair that outperforms the XFree GO in nearly all genres.
Battery Life
The XFree GO had a ridiculous battery life. Its 24-hour rated battery lasted during my entire review process. The QuietPlus takes this a step further by bumping up the battery life to 30 hours.
It is unclear if the rated 30-hour battery life is referring to having ANC on or off. I could not confirm this because of the ridiculously long battery life. I had trouble depleting the battery during my testing period despite using it on different devices such as my main desktop set up and on my smartphone.
The Tribit QuetPlus requires three hours to fully charge the battery. There are no fast charging features advertised, so the overall charging is a bit slow. However, I think this is still acceptable, given the extremely long battery life that you get.
If you somehow run out of battery, you can always use the QuietPlus in wired mode. I rarely used this feature since I never ran out of juice.
The QuietPlus should last you several days or weeks of use when used for commutes or gym sessions. It will last for a few days when used with a desktop setup.
Microphone Quality
The microphone quality is comparable to the XFree GO’s microphone. I tried multiple calls in different kinds of noise environments, and the listener on the other end of the call could still clearly hear and understand me.
Verdict
Overall, the QuietPlus is another outstanding product from Tribit. It combines features, build quality, sound quality, and ANC all into one complete package. The ANC may not necessarily be as good as the higher-end models, but it works well and is good enough for the price.
I highly recommend the QuietPlus for anyone looking for their next daily driver wireless headphones. And if you are looking to upgrade from Tribit’s entry-level XFree GO, the QuietPlus is an excellent choice.
Check price of Tribit XFree GO at Amazon | Check on Tribit’s Official Website
Specifications
Style: Over the Ear
Bluetooth: Bluetooth 5.0
Qualcomm aptX HD Codec
Qualcomm cVc noise cancellation technology
Battery Life: 30-hour battery life
Charging Port: USB Type-C charging
Drivers: 40 mm drivers
Distance: Up to 33 feet
Weight: 505 g
Dimensions (H x W x D): 178 x 80 x 180 mm
Stephen is a musician, cinematographer, and headphone enthusiast who is passionate about reviewing audio equipment. He has been playing guitar for at least a decade, which introduced him to professional recording equipment such as headphones and in-ear monitors. With the help of reviews and online content, he was able to learn the ins and outs of the hobby. His goal is to give back to the community by providing quality content to help others enjoy the beautiful (and expensive) world of audio.
Favorite Headphones: Sennheiser HD660s