We compare products from their published specs and features; the verdicts below are our independent editorial opinions.
Updated: 2026-09-30 · 7 min read · Independent comparison
If you want over-ear headphones with a huge 40-hour battery, touch controls and a wired backup option, choose Riwbox TX8; if you need compact in-ear buds with genuine active noise cancellation and a transparency mode, choose Cubitt Tracking Technologies Power Buds.
Riwbox TX8 vs Cubitt Tracking Technologies Power Buds at a Glance
• Riwbox TX8 — biggest strength: a 40-hour battery life from a 400mAh cell, plus 40mm dynamic drivers in a foldable over-ear frame. That's a lot of listening between charges.
• Riwbox TX8 — biggest trade-off: no noise control at all. The spec sheet lists noise control as "None," so there's no ANC and no transparency mode. It's a passive, isolation-only design.
• Cubitt Power Buds — biggest strength: hybrid active noise cancellation with three modes, including Transparency, so you can let the outside world back in without pulling a bud out.
• Who the Riwbox TX8 is for: someone who wants one pair of over-ear headphones for travel, TV, the gym and the office, and doesn't care about noise cancellation.
• Who the Cubitt Power Buds are for: someone who wants small, secure in-ear buds with ANC and a transparency mode for commutes, workouts and calls.
The TX8 is a full-size over-ear headphone built around one idea: keep it simple and keep it running. The 40mm dynamic drivers cover the standard 20 Hz–20,000 Hz range, which is the same frequency range the Cubitt buds claim — so on paper neither has a frequency-range advantage. What the TX8 adds is physical size. Bigger drivers in a circumaural shell generally mean more air moved and a fuller low end, and Riwbox is explicit that the 40mm speaker is there for "superb bass output" and clear highs. I'd treat that as a design intention rather than a guarantee, but the driver size is real and it's the reason the TX8 is the more "big sound" option of the two.
The battery is the headline. A 400mAh cell rated for about 40 hours, with a 2-hour charge time via USB-C. Riwbox frames that as "over 400 songs or the soundtrack to multiple long-haul flights on a single charge." Practically, that means you can leave the charger at home for a week of commuting. There's also a 3.5mm jack and a bundled nylon tangle-free cable, so when the battery does die you keep listening wired — something the Cubitt buds simply can't do, since they have no jack at all.
Controls are touch-based: tap once to play/pause or answer and end calls. There's a built-in mic for hands-free calling, Bluetooth 5.3 for the wireless link with a 10-meter range, and a TF card slot for local playback if you'd rather not use a phone. The frame folds, the ear cups use high-protein foam, and the metal bearing connection is there to survive being shoved in a bag. Weight is 300g, which is normal for over-ear but noticeably more on your head than a bud.
Cubitt Tracking Technologies Power Buds: Who It's For
The Power Buds are a different animal entirely: small in-ear buds in a stainless-steel-enclosed, Snow White charging case, aimed at people who want their audio to disappear into a pocket. The audio side uses 10mm dynamic drivers covering the same 20 Hz–20,000 Hz range, tuned for "clear audio and strong bass." Cubitt markets them for ages 12+ and for daily use, workouts and travel.
The reason to pick these over the TX8 is the noise control. Cubitt lists hybrid active noise cancellation with three modes: ANC On, ANC Off, and Transparency. That's the feature the TX8 completely lacks. ANC On for a noisy commute or a shared office; ANC Off when you want to save battery; Transparency when you need to hear a train announcement, a colleague, or traffic while you're running. That last mode is the whole point of this comparison — if transparency mode is on your must-have list, the Power Buds are the only one of these two that has it.
Battery is the compromise. Up to 5 hours on a single charge, extended to 26 hours total with the 500mAh charging case. For a workout, a commute and a workday, that's plenty. For a transatlantic flight with ANC running the whole way, you'll be reaching for the case. Charging happens through the case, so the buds top up whenever you put them away.
Fit is ergonomic and in-ear, which is the shape that stays put during movement but also the shape that some people find fussy. Connectivity is Bluetooth 5.3, the same version the TX8 uses, and Cubitt states universal pairing with iPhone, Android, tablets and laptops. Touch controls handle playback. There's no headphone jack and no wired option.
Buy it if you want ANC plus a real transparency mode in something small enough to forget about. Skip it if you need marathon battery life, over-ear comfort, or a wired backup.
• Best for transparency mode → Cubitt Power Buds. It's the only one of the two with a Transparency setting; the TX8 has no noise control at all.
• Best for active noise cancellation → Cubitt Power Buds. Hybrid ANC with On/Off/Transparency modes versus nothing on the TX8.
• Best for battery life → Riwbox TX8. About 40 hours on one charge beats 5 hours per charge / 26 hours with the case.
• Best for long flights and TV sessions → Riwbox TX8. Over-ear cups, 40mm drivers and enough charge to cover multiple long-haul trips.
• Best for workouts and commutes → Cubitt Power Buds. Secure in-ear fit, small case, ANC for the noisy parts.
• Best for wired listening → Riwbox TX8. A 3.5mm jack plus a bundled cable; the Power Buds have no jack.
• Best for portability → Cubitt Power Buds. Buds in a compact case disappear into a pocket; the TX8 is a 300g foldable over-ear.
• Best for people who hate things in their ears → Riwbox TX8. Circumaural foam cups instead of in-ear tips.
• Best for hands-free calls on the move → Cubitt Power Buds. In-ear placement with touch controls suits walking and talking better than a 300g headband.
In my opinion, most people comparing these two should buy the Cubitt Tracking Technologies Power Buds — because the feature that actually separates them is noise control, and only the Power Buds have ANC and a transparency mode. If you ride transit, work in a shared space, or want to hear the world without removing a bud, that single capability outweighs everything else on this page. I'd only steer you to the Riwbox TX8 if battery life and over-ear comfort matter more to you than noise cancellation — in which case its 40-hour runtime and wired fallback make it the smarter pick. Decide which of those two things you can't live without, and the choice makes itself. Either way, check the current price on Amazon before you commit, since that's the one variable I can't speak to here.
FAQ
what headphones have transparency mode
do all airpods have transparency mode
No. Transparency mode arrived with the AirPods Pro and later ANC-equipped models, not with every AirPods generation. The same logic applies to any brand: if a product doesn't have active noise cancellation, it generally doesn't have transparency mode either. That's exactly why the TX8, which has no ANC, can't offer it.
how to turn airpods to transparency mode
On ANC-equipped AirPods you switch modes from the connected device's control center or by pressing and holding the stem. The concept carries over to the Cubitt Power Buds, which cycle between ANC On, ANC Off and Transparency using touch controls. The Riwbox TX8 has no equivalent mode to switch to.
The Riwbox TX8, clearly. It's rated for about 40 hours on a single charge from a 400mAh battery, with a 2-hour charge time. The Cubitt Power Buds give up to 5 hours per charge and up to 26 hours total with the 500mAh case. If runtime is your priority, the TX8 wins.
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