Movebuds H1 Tribit Wireless Earbuds 2022 REVIEW

Tribit Wireless Earbuds help users power through their adventures with comfortable, extra long battery life earbuds

The MoveBuds H1 Tribit Wireless Earbuds arrived in classic Tribit style.  The outer packaging measured 4 1/8 inches wide by 4 13/16 inches tall by 1 3/4 inches thick and was composed of an upper white-colored lid and a lower emergency cone orange segment.  The company name/logo was displayed atop the main panel, set within the negative space of an orange rectangle. 

I liked the splash of color and the visual contrast of the orange-on-white palette.  Other than an SKU sticker on the front panel, and a large white sticker (BTH95 Model, SKU/IC/FCC ID, support@tribit.com address, generic compatibility logo, Made In China, Black Color, USsEU/JP/UK addresses, Qualcomm aptX logo, and product manufacturing labels) on the bottom panel, the remaining surfaces provided no additional information.

I removed the thin outer plastic layer, lifted the lid, and was greeted by an attractive multilingual instruction manual.  The cover provided an ink outline of the Tribit wireless earbuds, a bright white Tribit name, the product name in white/orange, and the model number in the lower right corner.  I liked the allure of the black background and the nautilus-like nature of the ink design. 

Beneath the instruction manual, Tribit included a quick start guide: 1. Remove the thin film over the charging port, replace them with the case to charge, and then place them around your ears to enjoy music, movies, etc.  Beneath the quick-start guide, you will find two plastic cutouts.  The upper cutout contained the 2.2-ounce, 3 1/2 inches long by 2 1/2 inches wide by 1 3/8 inches thick black MoveBuds H1 Tribit Wireless Earbuds Charging Case.  The lower rectangular cutout contained a 2 13/16 inches long by 1 3/8 inches tall by 9/16 inches thick accessory box with 22 1/4 inches long USB-A to USB-C cable and five sets of extra ear tips.

I lifted the charging case lid, removed each of the Tribit wireless earbuds, pulled the thin plastic cover away from each of the charging posts, replaced them into the case, and closed the lid.  I removed the USB-A to USB-C cable, plugged it into a 5V/1.5A charging block and the port on the back of the charging case.  I turned to the English section of the multi-lingual instruction manual (English, German, French, Spanish, Italian, Japanese, Korean, and Chinese) and perused the six pages. 

The first panel recommended downloading the Tribit App (review to follow), listed the packaging contents, and demonstrated the on/off function when opening/closing the lid.  The second panel relayed the Bluetooth pairing process and a how-to-wear segment.  The third panel demonstrated how to use/change the ear tips, and covered the button functionality.  I liked the layout of this panel and the breakdown by click for each of the Tribit wireless earbuds. 

A single press of either earbud will allow you to play/pause music or answer a call.  A double click of the left earbud will end a call or move to the previous track.  The right earbud will proceed to the next track or end a call.  A triple-click of the left earbud will activate Siri, while the right earbud will activate the ambient mode.  Holding the left earbud will decrease the volume or reject a call, while the right earbud will increase the volume or reject a call.  If you hold either of the Tribit wireless earbuds for six seconds, it will deactivate the single side earbud.  If you hold either of the Tribit wireless earbuds for more than 10 seconds, both earbuds will turn off.  

After about an hour, all of the LEDs along the front of the case illuminated.  I lifted the lid, navigated to Settings on my iPhone 13 Pro Max, then to Bluetooth, and when I selected MoveBuds H1 from the list, a female voice announced “Pairing,” “Connected.” I quickly ran through the above button combinations and found the touch panel to be quite sensitive. 

Each earbud had an “L” or “R” etched onto the inner surface of the loop, just between the two charging posts.  The ear hook expanded toward the main body of the 3/4 inches wide by 1 1/4 inches thick body segment.  The outer ribbed surface had a scaled-like appearance and provided a refreshing touch-feel.  I liked that the included medium-sized ear tips created a comfortable, secure fit within the opening of my ear canal. 

The ear hook wrapped comfortably around the helix of my ear and created one of the most secure fits that I have experienced thus far.  Although this is a far step away from the sleek look of some of the trendy brands, I had no issue with the fit of the device.  I removed the ear tips, tried the size above and below the included medium tips, and returned to the preinstalled medium-sized tips.  With five different pairs of ear tips for the Tribit wireless earbuds, you should have no problem finding the Goldilocks fit.

Once paired, I moved to the audiocheck.net website and tested the Tribit wireless earbuds with the Low-Frequency Response and Subwoofer Audio Test (10-200 Hz).  Starting at 10 Hz, a male announcer will vocalize each 10Hz increase in sound.  With the typical range for human hearing at ~20Hz-20kHz, a good pair of earbuds should present sound starting at 20Hz.  The MoveBuds H1 Tribit wireless earbuds produced bass at 20Hz but did not provide a full rumbling sound/feel until closer to 30Hz. 

I tried the ambient mode, the non-ambient mode, repeated the test at 50% volume and 75% volume, and found there was only a marginal difference in sound output.  After trying several ear tips, and repositioning the Tribit wireless earbuds within my canal, I never felt that “wow” bass factor with this test. Next, I turned to the High-Frequency Response and Hearing Audio Test (22-8 kHz) and like the above test, the announcer called out each value starting at 20 kHz. 

I was able to hear the high-pitched whirring sound at 15kHz, which is on par with my hearing.  I have had formalized hearing testing and found that my hearing is above average for my age.  Listening to sounds >85dB, working in noisy environments, shooting firearms, mowing yards, etc., can lead to earlier than normal hearing loss.  Protect your hearing because when it is gone, it is gone!

With the bass/high-frequency testing completed, I navigated to the Left/Right/Center test to evaluate the programming.  I was pleased to find that each of the channels was appropriately labeled.  Lastly, I utilized the “Real Thing” Stereo Perception and Sound Localization Test for spacing/staging features. 

If you have not used a spacing feature before, this test may catch you a bit off guard due to the binaural recording (microphones placed at ears for recording directly what your ears should hear. Based on this technology, the sound seems to move around your head and you can imagine the location, direction, and position of the sounds. 

I repeated the tests on the Tribit wireless earbuds in ambient mode as well as the ambient-off mode and again found minimal difference in quality.  Grab a pair of headphones and listen to the above test.  This is one of my favorite tests.  In fact, my children regularly request to turn the lights to have a little scare. 

With the above testing complete, I turned to the streaming services on my iPhone 13 Pro Max.  Starting with Amazon Music Unlimited, I listened to clashing/building sounds of The Dark Knight Joker Theme “Why So Serious.”  My favorite segment of this song occurs between the ~3:30-4:00 mark with a build-up of sounds, then a drop-off, and then a call-response bass sound between the two Tribit wireless earbuds. 

When the bass is fully supported, this will provide a feeling of a helicopter rotor wash.  Unfortunately, I would give the bass feel a 8/10 for the above tests.  I truly love the heavy bass call/response in that section, but I missed the climactic build, and then the crash to bass.  I next turned to the somber/bass-centric ballad “Far Over The Misty Mountains Cold” from The Hobbit. 

Again, I felt that the bass lacked the tactile feel that I have experienced with other devices like the AirPods Pro.  I turned to Apple Music, repeated the above songs, and then tried out the jazzy feel of “Train song” from Holly Cole.  I liked the bass line, felt the sound was okay but missed the feel of the heavy bass.  When listening to the last f# growl in “Ring of Fire” by Homefree, I experienced the same lack of depth.  

Even though the bass left me wanting more from the Tribit wireless earbuds, I felt that the mids and upper sounds were well blended and crisp/clear without sounding tinny or harsh.  Using Amazon/Apple/Spotify, I listened to several instrumental pieces (Holst Suite in Eb, Jupiter, Pevensey Castle, Palovetsian Dances, Lincolnshire Posey). 

I then listened to the Braveheart, Robin Hood Prince of Thieves, and Far and Away Soundtracks.  I liked the blend, the fullness of these sounds and felt that Tribit did a great job with these frequencies.  Like the above tests, I tried Ambient mode and felt it neither added to, nor detracted from the experience.  To further test the sound placement, I listened to “Bubbles” by Yosi Horikawa and Enya’s“Caribbean Blue” from Enya.

Once I had completed my testing tracks, I turned to Audible and listened to “He Who Fights With Monsters” for several hours.  I rested supine and on my ear upon my pillow.  The design successfully allowed for prolonged listening without fatigue/pain.  When I tired of audible, I turned back to Amazon Prime Unlimited to listen to a variety of A Capella songs from Pentatonix, Peter Hollens, and to the Pitch Perfect Soundtrack. 

Additionally, I turned to several of my favorite comfort tracks: Alabama, Star is born Soundtrack, Bella Ciao from Money Heist, Bohemian Rhapsody Soundtrack, Rocketman Soundtrack, “Seven Spanish Angels” with Willie Nelson and Ray Charles, and Prince’s Purple Rain.  I liked the feel for the pop, R+B, and country/folk styles, but wanted more bass support.  

I searched for the iOS App Store Tribit App and downloaded the two-star application.  The main screen displayed the Tribit name along the top of an orange panel.  For the first use, you will need to select “Sign Up” along the bottom of the page. 

The second panel requested that I input the region, email, then selected “Receive Security Code,” and entered the password (letters and numbers only).  I selected the “+” icon along the top right of the panel and found that the Stormbox and XSound devices were the only two listed. 

I selected “Device not listed?” at the bottom of the panel and received an apology note that other devices will be supported in the future. However, when I looked closer, there were speaker and earbud icons along the top of the panel. I tapped the earbud icon, “MoveBuds”, then Tribit MoveBuds H1, and followed the panels.  

The main panel recommended upgrading the firmware to v0.3.6.  I removed the Tribit wireless earbuds from the case and allowed the update to occur over about a five-minute period.  The App showed the left/right earbud and their remaining power.  I tapped the equalizer along the bottom fright and found eight equalizer settings: Default EQ Sound, Customized, Bass, Rock, Popular, Jazz, Rap, Classical. 

I repeated the above music tests with each of the presets and did not appreciate much difference between the settings.  If you double-tap the options, you will see the sound settings and increased/decreased db settings.  Again, I do not feel that the App added much to the utility of the device. 

When I was done listening to music, I turned to Netflix to watch an episode of Lost in Space and Vikings, then to Paramount+ to watch Halo, and Picard.  I then watched an episode of Vox Machine on Amazon Prime Video, before watching Spiderman No Way Home on Movies Anywhere. 

I liked the hanging style of the headphones, the comfortable low fatigue design, and the lack of sound leak.  The IPX8 design meant that I could use the devices while running, jogging, jumping rope, as well as showering.  It was unfortunate that I did not have access to a pool over the last weekend, as I would have tested the devices while swimming a few laps. 

I liked the button sensitivity, and felt that phone calls were rather crisp indoors and outdoors.  I did not like the hold-button volume control, as this was rather insensitive compared to devices that assign volume control to a single button press.  

To summarize the overall experience, I would give the headphones an 8.5/10 for comfort, 8/10 for sound, 10/10 for battery life, 8.5/10 for accessories, and 8/10 for packaging.  If I had input on the version 2.0, I would include a USB-C to USB-C cable instead of USB-A to USB-C, a drawstring carry bag, and with the $75-$100 range, would add noise-canceling mode. 

I liked the IPX8 waterproof features, the robust/secure Bluetooth 5.2 connection, the passthrough ambient sound mode, and the AAC/SBC/aptX codecs.  The 14+ hour battery life plus >48 hours in the charging case may be one of the best on the market.  In fact, I was quite surprised with the battery life, with the ability to charge the earbuds in ~90 minutes, and the charging case in ~120 minutes. 

The Tribit wireless earbuds were comfortable, fit well into the ear canal, and the included ear tips will provide comfort for various ear canal sizes.  Similar devices on the market have provided Game modes, Active Noise Cancelling mode, Ambient mode, changes in latency, Voice assistant activity, plus Bluetooth 5+, and all within the price point range.

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