Tribit Starlet01 Kids Review
Volume-limited kids headphones with a cute and classic design
Verdict
The Tribit Starlet01 Kids (TR-KH01) are an easy choice if you’re in need of a pair of cute and comfy volume-limited headphones that sound fantastic for your child. Just don’t let them know where to find the volume limit switch.
Pros
- Cute and comfortable design
- Volume-limited to protect ears
- Great sound quality for their price
Cons
- No volume up/down button on the cable
- Call quality suffers with volume-limiting on
- Kids can turn off volume-limiting easily
Availability
- UKRRP: £19.99
- USARRP: $24.99
Key Features
- Monochromatic plastic finishAvailable in pink, blue and green
- 85dB volume-limitedTo protect against noise-induced hearing loss
- Wired designPlugs into 3.5mm headphone jack
- Second headphone portFor sharing audio via Tribit SharePair
Introduction
The Tribit Starlet01 Kids (TR-KH01) are a small pair of over-ear headphones designed with children’s ears in mind.
These wired headphones are cute, comfortable and have volume-limiting technology built in to protect small ears from the hearing damage that can be caused by long-term exposure to noise. They’re also incredibly affordable.
But, how do they perform and should you pick up a pair for your kids? Here are my thoughts.
Design
- Have a cute design without appearing overly childish
- Lightweight and comfortable
- Wired headphones with no Bluetooth support
The Tribit Starlet01 Kids have a bright single-colour design from the headband to the ear cups and even the cable. This gives the headphones a cute but cohesive look without lacking in personality.
The design is also more mature than that on some of our favourite volume-limited kids headphones, the Planet Buddies Volume Limited Headphones. Where the Planet Buddies are clearly marketed at toddlers and primary school-age children, the Tribit’s could easily be worn all the way up into a child’s tweens (provided they still fit on their head, that is).
While I do believe there’s a strong market for the animal ear-toting Planet Buddies, the Tribits will take longer for most to age out of as the design is much more subtle. I went out to the supermarket with them on and didn’t receive a second glance.
When it comes to fit, the Tribit Starlet01 Kids felt very comfortable even on my adult ears, which is something that couldn’t be said about the Planet Buddies. The band is lightweight and adjustable and the ear cups are soft and padded.
The headphones fold up to slip into a school bag but don’t come with any form of a protective case to guard them against everyday wear and tear.
Of course, it’s important to mention that these headphones are wired, with a 3.5mm jack built into the left ear cup.
This shouldn’t be a problem for most smartphones and laptops as long as you don’t mind picking up a USB-C adapter where needed, but it is something to consider if you’d prefer a wireless connection for your kids’ devices. Both Tribit and Planet Buddies make volume-limited kids’ headphones with Bluetooth support built-in.
Features
- The headphones have two volume levels: 85dB and 94dB
- There’s a switch and playback controls on the cable
- SharePair allows kids to listen with friends
The headline feature on the Tribit Starlet01 Kids is the volume-limiting technology. This is a feature that has become popular on kids’ headphones like the Tribits and Planet Buddies, as well as on adult pairs such as the PuroPro Hybrid ANC headphones.
The idea behind the volume limit is to prevent audio from rising above 85 decibels, therefore reducing the chance of developing noise-induced hearing loss. This is the limit recommended by the World Health Organisation for people aged three and above that wear headphones for up to eight hours a day.
There’s a switch on the cable that controls the volume limit, though it does seem a bit counterproductive to have the switch at all – especially where a child can reach it.
While music sounds great with the 85dB volume-limiting on, it sounds even better with the limit increased to 94dB. Unless your child understands the importance of a volume limit, they’re probably going to turn the volume up the moment they find it. Of course, 94 decibels is still more restricted than a standard pair of headphones, but it’s still above the WHO’s recommended listening level for small ears.
Aside from the 85dB/94dB switch, there’s a series of playback controls packed into a single button on the cable. This includes play, pause, skip track, previous track, call controls and a shortcut to your device’s smart assistant.
I would have preferred if Tribit had done away with the voice assistant and call controls on the cable and offered regular volume controls so that I could make minute adjustments to the volume without pulling out my phone or reaching for my laptop’s volume controls. However, this is a minor issue.
I was also told that I sounded a bit too quiet in phone calls when using the 85dB limit, so I would definitely recommend switching to 94dB when chatting with friends and family.
The final feature on the Tribit Starlet01 Kids is SharePair, which allows kids to listen to music and movies with up to two other friends at a time using a second 3.5mm headphone port on the right ear cup.
Sound Quality
- Fantastic audio for the price
- Music is clean, balanced and spacious
- Everything sounds slightly better at 94dB compared to 85dB
The audio quality of the Tribit Starlet01 Kids took me by surprise. For a pair of headphones that have dipped as low as £11 in Amazon’s sales, the sound is impressively detailed and balanced.
With the volume limited to 94dB, audio is clean with a satisfying amount of detail and a wide and spacious soundstage. The vocals in Tomorrow X Together’s Tinnitus (Wanna be a rock) are crisp and defined and the bass is warm and rhythmic. The tonal balance is excellent too, with nothing sticking out or getting lost in the track.
There’s also no distortion at higher volumes, though that is somewhat to be expected with a volume limit in place.
Lower the volume limit to 85dB and audio still sounds crisp and detailed, but with a noticeably suppressed quality. It sounds perfectly good at this level in a quiet room, but I wouldn’t recommend stepping out of the house without pushing the limit up to 94dB if you don’t want your listening to be interrupted by the sounds of traffic and people talking on the street.
The same applies to Miley Cyrus’ Flowers. The track sounds clean and balanced at 85dB but packs more of a punch at 94dB, which could tempt your child to tweak the volume limit a bit higher if they spot the switch.
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Should you buy it?
You want a great pair of kids’ headphones: The Starlet01 Kids headphones combine fantastic value audio, a comfortable fit and volume-limiting technology to protect kids’ ears as they listen to music, watch movies and play games.
You want the freedom of wireless headphones: The Tribit Starlet01 Kids require a wired connection, meaning your child will need a device with a 3.5mm port or either a USB-C or Lightning adapter to use these headphones.
Final Thoughts
The Tribit Starlet01 Kids (TR-KH01) are a brilliant pair of kids’ headphones that offer the same volume-limiting feature as the Planet Buddies headphones in a more subtle (but no less adorable) package.
For younger kids, the Planet Buddies Volume Limited Headphones pack a bit more personality and don’t allow for the volume limit to be increased like the Tribit. However, I found the Tribit Starlet01 Kids to be more comfortable on larger heads and the audio to be much more balanced and defined than that on the Planet Buddies.
If your kids’ devices lack a physical port you might be tempted to search for a wireless pair. Planet Buddies offers a pair of wireless kids’ headphones that we’ve tested and Tribit has its own wireless alternative to the Starlet01 in the Starlet02.
How we test
We test every headphones we review thoroughly over an extended period of time. We use industry standard tests to compare features properly. We’ll always tell you what we find. We never, ever, accept money to review a product.
Find out more about how we test in our ethics policy.
Used the headphones for several weeks
Streamed content from Spotify and Apple Music
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FAQs
These headphones are available in pink, green and blue.
No, you will need to use the 3.5mm headphone jack or an adapter to listen to music.
You have the option to limit the volume to 85dB using a switch on the cable. Without this, the limit is 94dB.
Full specs
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Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
