We’ve seen an ever-expanding parade of inexpensive true wireless earphones, several of which have proven more capable than we’ve come to expect from their low prices (and a few even equipped with active noise cancellation). The $69.99 Tribit FlyBuds C1 don’t have any fancy features, or even an app for customizing EQ, but they still deliver strong, bass-forward sound along with some of the best battery life we’ve seen in this price range. If you’re looking for a deep bass experience that will last a long time between charges, and you don’t want to spend a lot of money, the FlyBuds C1 are well worth a listen.
Simple Stem Style
Available in black with red accents, the FlyBuds C1’s stem-style earpieces ship with six pairs of differently sized silicone eartips to ensure a secure fit. They’ll stay in place well enough for light exercise, but they don’t have earfins or any other design elements that would aid stability. They do have an IPX5 rating, however, so they can handle light splashes and sweat (but can’t be submerged or subject to real water pressure).
Each earpiece has a single button located on the stem. One press on either earpiece controls playback and call management, double presses control track navigation (left is backward, right is forward) and reject incoming calls, triple presses summon your device’s voice assistant, and long presses adjust volume (left is down, right is up). Pressing and holding either button for two seconds turns the earphones on when they’re off, and when they’re on a six-second press powers them down.
The FlyBuds C1 are compatible with Bluetooth 5.2, and support AAC, AptX, and SBC Bluetooth codecs. No app is offered with the earphones, so there’s no adjustable EQ. It would have been a strong inclusion, but it’s a rarity in this price range.
Tribit estimates the FlyBuds C1’s battery life to be roughly 12 hours, with 48 extra hours in the case. That’s more or less unheard of for true wireless earphones, especially when the case is this small. Your results will definitely vary with your volume levels, but even if these estimates are off by 25 percent, you’re still looking at far better battery life than other earphones in this price range.
Sculpted Sound With Some Thump
The four-mic array mic delivers above-average intelligibility. Using the Voice Memos app on an iPhone 8, we could easily understand every word recorded. Bluetooth audio distortion is kept to a minimum and the mic’s signal is strong. It’s better mic performance than plenty of models we’ve tested that are twice as expensive or more.
On tracks with intense sub-bass content, like The Knife’s “Silent Shout,” the FlyBuds C1 deliver powerful low frequency response. At top, unwise listening levels, the lows are delivered with no distortion. At more moderate volume levels, the bass is full and robust, and relatively well-matched with highs.
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Bill Callahan’s “Drover,” a track with far less deep bass in the mix, gives us a better sense of the FlyBuds C1’s general sound signature. The drums on this track get a pleasing deep bass presence—they sound big and full, but stop short of unnaturally thunderous territory. Callahan’s baritone vocals have a plenty of low-mid richness, but manage to avoid sounding muddy thanks to some boosting and sculpting in the high-mids and highs. The acoustic strums and higher register percussion don’t sound as crisp or bright as they do on many of the pairs we tested, but the highs still get plenty of definition. This a bass-forward sound signature that manages to retain a sense of balance.
On Jay-Z and Kanye West’s “No Church in the Wild,” the kick drum loop receives enough high-mid presence for its attack to retain most of its punchiness, but it’s the vinyl hiss and crackle that really seem to take a step forward in the mix. The loop’s sustain gets some extra thump, too, and the sub-bass synth hits are also delivered with plenty of depth without veering into subwoofer-like territory. The vocals on this track are delivered clearly, with the occasional hint of added sibilance.
Orchestral tracks, like the opening scene from John Adams’ The Gospel According to the Other Mary, get some added bass presence in the lower register instrumentation without sounding over-the-top, and the higher register brass, strings, and vocals sound bright and crisp. This may not be the flat signature purists are in search of, but the full, robust, and well-defined performance that will appeal to fans of rich bass.
Best For Budget Bass Fans
The Tribit FlyBuds C1 are a barebones offering, but that’s understandable in this price range. Their sculpted sound signature that will appeal to bass fans without sacrificing overall balance between lows and highs, and their battery life is tough to beat. The FlyBuds C1 have some surprisingly stiff competition in the below-$100 true wireless realm, though; the $80 Anker Soundcore Life P3 offers solid noise cancellation, while the exercise-friendly Tribit FlyBuds 3 cost half as much as the FlyBuds C1. If you’re willing to spend more, the $130 Anker Soundcore Liberty Air 2 Pro offer both very strong audio and surprisingly good noise cancellation.
