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We compare products from their published specs and features; the verdicts below are our independent editorial opinions.
Updated: 2026-10-01 · 7 min read · Independent comparison
• Riwbox TX8 — biggest strength: over-ear comfort with 40 mm dynamic drivers, touch controls, Bluetooth 5.3 and a 40-hour battery that also works wired over 3.5 mm.
• Riwbox TX8 — biggest trade-off: the noise control field is listed as "None." There is no ANC and no transparency mode. This is a passive-seal headphone only.
• Xmenha Active Noise Cancelling — biggest strength: a genuinely different category of product — in-ear buds with active noise cancelling, a transparency mode, and a touchscreen charging case that handles volume, EQ modes, battery levels, the clock and alarms without your phone.
• Xmenha Active Noise Cancelling — biggest trade-off: listed play time is far shorter than the Riwbox, the fit depends on silicone tips sealing properly in your ear canal, and there is no wired fallback.
• Pick Riwbox TX8 if you want long listening sessions, over-ear comfort and a cable option, and you don't need noise cancelling.
• Pick Xmenha Active Noise Cancelling if you want small in-ear buds, real ANC plus transparency, and you're fine charging more often.
The TX8 is built around two ideas: comfort over long sessions, and control without pulling out your phone. The 40 mm dynamic drivers, the over-ear (circumaural) fit, and the high-protein foam ear cups all point the same direction — a headphone you put on and forget about. The metal bearing connection on the folding joint and the retractable, foldable frame suggest a design meant to survive being tossed into a bag rather than babied on a desk.
The control scheme is touch-based: tap once to play or pause, and to answer or hang up calls. That's it — no app, no menu diving. The spec sheet lists the noise control field as "None," so what you get is passive isolation from the ear cups pressing around your ears, not electronic cancelling. If you've used open-feeling on-ears before, this is a different experience: the foam cups seal around the ear, which dulls steady background noise like a plane cabin or a fan, but won't erase a busy office or a train announcement.
Battery is the headline number here: a 400 mAh cell rated for 40 hours, with a 2-hour charge time over USB-C. The brand frames that as "over 400 songs or the soundtrack to multiple long-haul flights," and the math holds up — 40 hours is a genuinely long stretch for a wireless headphone. Bluetooth 5.3 covers the wireless side with a 10-meter range, and there's a TF card slot plus a tangle-free 3.5 mm nylon cable in the box, so you can keep listening when the battery is flat or when you want to plug into a TV, a game controller or an in-flight entertainment jack.
Who should buy it: travelers, gym-goers and desk workers who want one headphone for music, TV, calls and gaming, and who value battery life and a wired option over active noise cancelling. It ships in pink with a rubber-finished enclosure, and the brand backs it with a 12-month warranty.
Who should skip it: anyone whose main reason for buying is blocking out engine drone, traffic or chatter. With no ANC and no transparency mode, the TX8 is the wrong tool for that job — the Xmenha is the one built for it. It's also a 300 g over-ear, so if you want something that disappears into a pocket, this isn't it.
This is a fundamentally different product. The Xmenha is a pair of in-ear true wireless buds with a charging case that has an actual touchscreen on it. That screen is the most distinctive thing here: from the case you can change sound-effect modes, adjust volume, check the battery level of both buds and the case, see the time and set alarms — all without taking your phone out. For a gym session or a run where your phone is zipped into a pocket, that's a real convenience rather than a gimmick.
The feature set is what the name promises. There's active noise cancelling, and there's a transparency mode that lets outside sound reach your ear so you stay aware of traffic, announcements or someone talking to you. If you ride a bike, run near roads, or work somewhere you need to hear what's happening around you, that mode is the reason to pick these over the Riwbox. The sheets also mention noise isolation and call noise suppression, so voices should come through more clearly in a noisy environment.
Fit is designed around small ears. The buds use soft silicone tips with an ergonomic, streamlined shape meant to sit comfortably in the canal, and the listed weight is tiny — 3.2 ounces for the whole package. The enclosure is plastic, the color is black, and the design is aimed at stability: running, jumping and outdoor movement. The buds are also described as waterproof and sweatproof, with a fully enclosed sound cavity to keep sweat and light rain out.
The trade-off is battery and charging rhythm. The buds are rated for 5 hours of playback, and the 400 mAh case battery is shared with that touchscreen — the description mentions roughly 30 hours of total play time, but the per-charge figure shoppers will feel day to day is the 5-hour number. Charging is USB-C, and there's no 3.5 mm jack and no wired mode, so when they're empty, they're empty until you charge them. Connectivity is Bluetooth 5.3 with a 10-meter range.
Who should skip them: anyone who wants marathon battery life, an over-ear fit, or a cable backup. If you listen for six or eight hours straight, the Riwbox's 40-hour rating is the more sensible match.
Side-by-Side: Which Should You Choose?
• Best for battery life → Riwbox TX8. A 40-hour rating versus 5 hours per charge is not close.
• Best for noise cancelling and awareness → Xmenha Active Noise Cancelling. It's the only one of the two with ANC and a transparency mode.
• Best for long flights and TV watching → Riwbox TX8. Over-ear cups plus a 3.5 mm cable for in-flight systems and controllers.
• Best for running, gym and workouts → Xmenha Active Noise Cancelling. Sweatproof, waterproof and built for a stable in-ear fit.
• Best for small ears → Xmenha Active Noise Cancelling. Silicone tips and a streamlined in-ear shape are made for smaller canals; a 300 g over-ear is not.
• Best for phone-free control → Xmenha Active Noise Cancelling. The touchscreen case handles volume, modes, battery and alarms.
• Best for a wired fallback → Riwbox TX8. TF card slot and a 3.5 mm cable in the box; the Xmenha has neither.
• Best if you hate things in your ears → Riwbox TX8. Circumaural foam cups instead of tips pressing into the canal.
In my opinion, these two don't really compete — they solve different problems. If you want one pair for long listening sessions, travel, TV and gaming, with a battery that lasts days and a cable when you need it, I'd buy the Riwbox TX8. If your priority is blocking out the world and then letting it back in with a tap, or you want buds that stay put while you run, I'd buy the Xmenha Active Noise Cancelling. The transparency mode is the deciding factor for me: if you need it, the Riwbox can't give it to you at any setting.
FAQ
what headphones have transparency mode
Transparency mode is a feature of headphones and earbuds that have active noise cancelling, because it uses the same microphones and processing to pipe outside sound in. Of the two here, only the Xmenha Active Noise Cancelling lists transparency mode. The Riwbox TX8 lists its noise control as "None," so it has neither ANC nor transparency.
which airpods have transparency mode
do all airpods have transparency mode
No. Transparency mode is tied to models with active noise cancelling, not to the AirPods name itself. The practical takeaway for this comparison is the same: check for ANC first. The Xmenha lists active noise cancelling and transparency; the Riwbox lists no noise control at all.
how to turn airpods to transparency mode
On AirPods it's usually done by pressing and holding the stem force sensor to cycle between ANC and transparency, or by switching modes in the Bluetooth settings on your phone. On the Xmenha, the sheets describe mode switching handled through the touchscreen charging case and the earbuds' touch controls rather than a stem. Either way, the mode only exists on hardware that supports it.
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