Why We Love the 1More Piston Fit BT Earbuds

One of the most fun parts of panel testing for earbuds comes at the very end of the process. After our experts have spent time listening, comparing, and giving me their initial feedback, I occasionally like to do a gut check: “What do you think these cost?”

The answers can be illuminating. Mostly our experts are spot-on. (After all, they are experts!) Sometimes testers guess that expensive headphones cost far less, based on their performance. But on rare occasions, a truly excellent pair outshines its price range.

The 1More Piston Fit BT is one of these audio white stags—an under-$50 pair of wireless earbuds that sound great and work well. When asked, one panelist guessed they cost $80. Another said $100. Their jaws dropped when, like the host of Price Is Right, I revealed the $30 sticker price.

The Piston Fit BT earbuds sound more expensive than they are, and they come with a nice assortment of features for such a low price.

This pair isn’t designed in the trendy true wireless style––there are cables connecting the earbuds to each other, unlike true wireless earbuds, which have no cords at all. But the 1More Piston Fit BT makes up for this by being excellent in nearly every other regard. The neckband-style design is lightweight, comfortable, and flexible. The entire device easily coils to fit in your pocket. Folks who take their earbuds in and out repeatedly during the day will appreciate the magnets in the earbuds that allow you to securely connect and wear the Piston Fit BT like a necklace.

Whereas most earbuds in this price range are fashioned entirely of plastic, the Piston Fit BT earbuds have an aluminum housing that makes them feel more substantial and comes with four sizes of eartips—so those with small to extra-large ears will find the perfect fit. The spaghettini-sized cables are coated with a satiny, silicone-like material, so they transfer less noise if they brush against clothing or hair. If you get caught in a drizzle, no worries. The Piston Fit BT earbuds are IPX4-rated for water resistance. And the one-year warranty protects you, should anything go wrong.

The 1More Piston Fit BT wireless earbuds are comfortable and solidly built, and they sound far better than they should for the money.

Over calls, the microphone sounds clear—especially compared with the mics on junk earbuds from a gas station. And the stable Bluetooth connection has very low latency, so you don’t need to worry about your earbuds causing audio delays during Zoom meetings. The physical control buttons handle all of the standard commands and are compatible with most devices.

1More claims the Piston Fit’s battery life is about eight hours, which will get you through the day if you listen nonstop. Of course, depending on your volume levels and the number of calls you take, your results may vary. In our tests, playing music at 70% volume nonstop, our set lasted a bit longer than nine hours. A full charge takes about an hour with the included USB cable.

Sound quality is where the Piston Fit BT really impressed our experts. Every kind of music is clear and balanced. We didn’t experience the blurry, over-pumped bass that makes it hard to understand male vocals, as often happens with the competition in this price range. Neither did we hear harsh, cheap-sounding highs that make a Bösendorfer piano sound like a child’s toy. Higher-frequency sounds like strings lack a delicate, sparkling quality, and the bass notes lack some of the punch we’d want to hear from $200 in-ear headphones. But I’d also like to point out that the fact we’re having this discussion about $30 earbuds is positively bananapants.

I come back to this pair on a regular basis to compare them to newer earbuds. I’m still impressed at how they hold their own against expensive earbuds—even devices that use hearing-test-based tuning or fancy EQ.

The Piston Fit pair serves to recalibrate my mindset as to what’s possible in affordable wireless earbuds, making me less likely to accept competitors’ excuses.

Over the past seven years, our audio experts have tested more than 200 different under-$50 pairs of earbuds. We think the 1More Piston Fit BT pair is the best overall value for the dollar. This is why we love these earbuds:

Read more in our guide to the best earbuds under $50

The Piston Fit BT earbuds typically go on sale around the winter holidays and Black Friday—and we still see regular lightning deals down to $20. Try to hold out on buying these until they’re discounted.

Street price: $28

Best price we’ve ever seen: $18

This pair has an IPX4 water-resistance rating, but it’s not as much protection as you get with some of our workout picks. So we don’t recommend using these for regular gym sessions.

To make sure that they don’t short out, close the charge-port door completely before using, and dry the earbuds fully before plugging the Piston Fit BT in to charge. If you get ear wax or dust in the earbuds, hold them with the sound port facing the floor, and use a soft-bristle brush to loosen and sweep away debris. Never jab them with a sharp object. You can read more about the best way to clean your earbuds here (hint—it’s not by sucking on them with your mouth).

This article was edited by Connor Grossman and Annemarie Conte.

Lauren Dragan

Lauren Dragan is a senior staff writer and has tested over 1,000 headphones for Wirecutter. She has a BA from Ithaca College in music performance and audio production. She’s been featured in Good Morning America, NBC Nightly News, The New York Times, and more. Additionally, she’s a voice actor whose work includes projects for Disney and Mattel.

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