Recently, I spent a week trying out the Tribit QuietPlus 81. These headphones — which come equipped with active noise cancelling — are some of the cheapest over-ears I’ve ever tested. They have a list price below $50 / £50 and, according to Tribit, deliver “excellent bass,” as well as a “comfortable fit” and “crystal clear calls”.
How accurate is this exactly? Well, I’ll get to that. But this all got me thinking: is it really possible to get good quality headphones at such a low price?
In a world where costs are high and flagship cans from the major players — Apple, Bose, Sony, Sennheiser — come in excess of $400 / £400, headphones that supposedly offer so much for so little are more tempting than ever. But can you really get good sound quality, ergonomics and features for less than $50 / £50? Here’s what I think after testing the Tribit QuietPlus 81.
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You get what you give
The Tribit QuietPlus 81 get a fair few things right. For instance, they’re not using a ton of fancy tech or processing power, and in turn, come with a very healthy battery life indeed.
Remarkably, these headphones can supply up to 110 hours of playtime. Yes, you read that correctly. Sure, it’s just 70 hours with ANC on, which is a fair jump down, but that’s still 3.5x longer than you can expect from the new Apple Airpods Max 2, for instance. And that 110 hours maximum is better than a lot of budget rivals — or at least in-line with competitors like the Earfun Tune Pro.
The QuietPlus 81 are also foldable, making them convenient for on-the-go use — just throw them in your bag and you’re ready to go. In addition, they have a fairly extensive set of EQ options, and have a game mode for lower-latency audio. Pretty neat stuff, right?
But unfortunately, that’s where the good times stop rolling. Let me be clear: these headphones do not sound good. Not only was I disappointed by their muddy and lethargic bass, but they simply lacked the clarity and attention to detail that some budget rivals offer.
Even with a custom EQ set up, Electronic tracks sounded bloated and half-hearted, treble lacked vibrancy and control in House tunes, and vocals lacked detail and clarity with more acoustic genres.
Another thing worth noting is that although ANC features within the QuietPlus 81’s feature set, it’s not that effective. If I was working in the office, it was still pretty easy to hear conversations around me, even with music volume set to 70%. On walks, the sound of passing traffic was still prominent as well. These cans will dampen surrounding sounds for sure, but I’ve experienced better ANC from budget competitors.
I wasn’t expecting anything miraculous from a pair of $50 / £50 headphones. However, these were underwhelming even within the budget space in some key areas — chiefly audio performance and ANC quality. Pair this with underwhelming call clarity, a fairly uncomfortable fit, plus a messy companion app, and the Tribit QuietPlus 81 don’t feel as if they’re worth the expenditure — no matter how humble.
Just a little more…
So, can you get great headphones for less than $50 / £50? Well, oftentimes the answer is no. But fear not…I have some good news.
Yes, if you’re willing to spend ever-so-slightly more, you can still get a fantastic set of cans without breaking the bank. Allow me to introduce you to the 1More Sonoflow Pro HQ51.
These headphones initially released at $89 / £99, but you can grab them for even less in 2026. A quick search through Amazon, and I’m seeing these go for around $70 / £80. And even though they’re slightly pricier than the Tribit alternative, they actually offer way more bang for your buck.
First of all, we consider the Sonoflow Pro to be the best noise cancelling headphones in the budget category. For such a small price, their noise-crushing capabilities are hard to believe — we’d even place them in a similar bracket to the far pricier Sony WH-1000XM4 and Cambridge Audio P100 SE.
But there’s more. The 1More Sonoflow Pro also provide spectacular sound quality, with full-sounding, rich mids, impactful and hard-hitting bass, and expressive treble. You can use them wired or wirelessly, and can even activate higher-res Bluetooth listening with the LDAC codec, resulting in surprisingly detailed audio.
Pile on a pleasant over-ear feel, a sleek design, and similarly strong battery life (up to 100 hours with ANC off, and 65 hours with it on), and you’re looking at a spectacular pair of budget headphones.
Ultimately, this just goes to show that, in many cases, spending just a little bit more can make a genuinely huge difference. And even if a sub-$50 pair of cans may not give you everything you need, that doesn’t mean you have to sacrifice your life savings for serious quality.
The best noise cancelling headphones for all budgets
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harry.padoan@futurenet.com (Harry Padoan)
