iFi GO pod + Meteor IEMs... Reviewed!

iFi's new Bluetooth DAC/amp, the iFi GO pod, promises to deliver the best-sounding true wireless in-ear headphones in the world. But can it really live up to that claim? Let's take a closer look.

Comfort: Comfort-wise, the connector (the 0.78 mm 2 pin) that connects the DAC/amps & the IEMs... isn't the most pleasant feeling on my ears when it comes to long-term use. My tolerance runs thin in under 2 hours... which is unfortunate. They try to deliver a fit that allows the IEMs to fit the ear to sit the correct way and still maintain form for the DAC/amps to rest behind the ear without shifting. It isn't necessarily felt near the top back area where sunglasses would rest, I feel applied pressure in the front of my ear and the mid back where the DAC/amps rest.

If you aren't familiar with previous reviews of the past, I don't have much tolerance in regard to applied pressure on my ears... so mine may be a bit more sensitive than some of you. By the way, don't wrestle around with comfort in terms of the ear tips, I recommend finding the size that fits you best... right out of the box.

Build Quality: When it comes to the build quality of these headphones, I can certainly see the effort put into making the GO pods a next-level experience... starting with the GO pod case. The case is nice and sturdy, and as seen in the unboxing... they've added a nice touch with the lights in the ceiling of the case to shine down on the product. (Look at iFi getting all fancy on us.) The lights that you see off to the left of the case showcase the remaining battery, which is charged via USB-C. 

This isn't exactly a case that you're going to carry around... despite the name, because it will completely stuff a pocket and become a pain in the... thigh. You're better off maintaining the quality and extending the life of this case by either leaving it in the area you frequent the most to wear headphones or... grab a bag for transport.

In terms of the GO pods, you get a textured finish that almost resembles leather to a degree, and the touch control area has a metal plate along with the upper area where the Bluetooth LED is located. The DAC/amps also feel like they can take a licking also when it comes to durability. While children can wear these GO pods, I wouldn't recommend having them connect the MMCX, the 0.78 mm 2 pin, or... the Pentaconn Ear (unless they're good with intricate things). The pins that connect these to the GO pods even concern me because I didn't want them to bend when connecting the proper ones. Connecting to the GO pods was the biggest challenge, even if it has the area for you to get the connector in... the pins have to go in properly. Outside of that, once it's in... it's in the GO pods, and... you can breathe easy when it comes to the actual Meteor IEMs because you can slide the pins right in.

Speaking of the Meteor IEMs, they aren't stuck on Bluetooth or a wired connection... you can connect these to the GO pods or use the 4.4BAL wired connection as seen in the unboxing. There are no issues connecting either, so you can swap bath and forth with no worries. The body of the Meteor IEMs is a nice durable design with no buttons, you have the pins for connecting, along with the ear tips... and that's it.

Oh yeah... there's no way I can mention Symphonium Meteor IEMs without mentioning the cases that these things came in. It's not just the packaging around the beautiful exterior case with the soft internal material (seen in red above), you also have a freaking... hard case inside that with a hard snap lid, along with soft padding outlining the interior + a burlap bag to put that in (this almost feels like an Xzibit meme). This is no joke... and I loved every minute of this. That's how you protect your product and help customers maintain the life of the product.

By the way, the GO pods are IPX5 water resistant, so you can take direct spray from any direction if (let's say) you went for a jog and someone's sprinklers caught you off guard because it's spraying towards the sidewalk. I won't say any names.

Audio Quality: When it comes to the audio, I can't argue it and how crazy clean it is, but... I wish I had more control over the volume. I had to crank up the volume on my phone + PC + TV in order to get a more suitable experience. 60% was low, while 80% came in at a more neutral level that I'm adjusted to hearing. If I put the volume down to 28%... it may as well be at 2 to 3% (I can't hear it), and I highly suggest that iFi get a designated app in place on both phone & PC for these. The goal is to enjoy the product... and I think an app would truly help, especially if the GO pods are the base for these various IEMs to connect to. I didn't run into this issue with the wired connection, which points to the GO pods.

* I used a QR code for the set-up video to make sure I wasn't doing anything wrong, but "The playlist does not exist"... yet.

The iFi GO pods are a decent size with what's on deck, and they can be used with a variety of IEMs (like the Meteor). They feature a Qualcomm aptX HD codec and support up to 24-bit/96kHz audio. The iFi GO pod also has a built-in battery that provides up to 10 hours of use.

You can also find Qualcomm Snapdragon Sound on board the GO pods. This technology is described as an optimized chain of audio technologies and software to enable seamless, immersive audio across mobile devices and wireless audio accessories. aptX HD & aptX Adaptive Bluetooth codecs capped off at 24-bit/48kHz prior to QSS... which serves up 24-bit/96kHz (studio recorded quality).

I can say that the sounds didn't mesh... you have noticeable clarity. I was able to enjoy individual sounds a lot more than with some headphones that can't exactly unpack everything. The lows were beautiful... as long as I didn't have the volume down, they were clear, and highs were also marching to the drum of my enjoyment (i.e. a character breathing in the background, the wind of a helicopter flying, clanking sounds from cups, etc). I didn't get a chance to play games with these just yet, but what I did experience got a thumbs up, especially with the bass bringing it alive. I think one of my favorite things was listening to the bass from the helicopter being so close in a particular Ghost in the Shell scene.

I had the pleasure of going through my library and grabbing a few things for my listening pleasure:

Ghost in the Shell - The New Movie

Ghost in the Shell 2 - Innocence

Silk - Tonight (Album)

Lori Williams - I Can't Help It

Keybeaux - On Point

Keybeaux - Automatic

Gerald Albright - What you see is what you get

Gerald Albright - G Wiggle

Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania

As far as calls go, no issues with clarity, thumbs... up! I was able to be heard, and vice versa... which was crispy clear.

In the iFi GO pod box:

iFi GO pod L+R

Charging case

Ear Loops (L+R) - 0.78mm

MMCX, Pentaconn Ear

USB Charging Cable

Instruction card

Quick Start Guide

In the Symphonium Meteor box:

Meteor IEMs

4.4BAL audio cable

3 sets of ear tips (red and black S, M, L)

*Maybe it was for the review, but there was an additional ear tip case with 6 sets of ear tips inside.

Storage case (red and black)

Snap lid storage case (orange) for the Meteor IEMs to rest in

Price: Price-wise you can get the GO pod + Symphonium Meteors for $799. The GO pods are $399 and... the Symphonium Meteors are going to run you a similar price. That's a bit on the high end for the average person, but dedicated audiophiles may find interest in these. My only request to iFi is that they release an app to ensure that we're able to enjoy the product without the need to... pump up the volume.

Comfort 2 (this is based on my personal tolerance level)

Build Quality 5

Audio Quality 4 (Point taken due to the volume issue)

Price 4

3.75 out of 5 Cool Points

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1More Aero Wireless Earbuds... Reviewed!

 Shout out to the 1More team for sending these over as quick as they did.

When it comes to the 1More Aero headphones, all I had to see was spatial sound, and I was like... oh heck yeah. So what's the verdict, do they deliver when it comes to that feature? What about the sound quality? I'm glad you asked... or at least I'd envision you asking these things, so... let's find out right now!

Quality + Comfort: In terms of quality, the 1More Aero earbuds have a slender plastic body that widens towards the ear tips... while the lower end runs down just in front of the earlobe. The earbuds are light but sturdy, and the plus about them being light is the lack of additional weight that may cause them to slip out of your ear easier.

I used the smallest ear tips to make sure that I could wear them comfortably during the review, and just like other earbuds... I had to sleep with these on for some ASMR action. The earbuds passed my sleep test, I didn't have to remove them at any point, but... these won't last a full 8 hours. More on this later.

The case of these headphones is also plastic and is a river rock shape that allows you to easily slip it into your pocket. The rechargeable... charging case has a hood-like lid for easy access. Despite it being a lighter case... it's not flimsy, you will have to hold the case with one hand to open the lid with the other. I say that to say you don't have to worry about the earbuds falling out once they're in this case being shoved into your pocket to get cozy with your wallet. By the way, taking these headphones out is a smooth process. 

Love the 1More Evo earbuds, but... taking them out of the case isn't always the easiest for me. I learned to make sure my fingers were extra dry and to push them to the side before lifting. There is no issue with the 1More Aero, you just grab and go.

Sound: When it comes to sound, these earbuds deliver in a balanced way... out of the box. The lows and highs grab my attention the most based on what I'm indulging in. I can't hate on the mids because the voices in shows and movies were nothing to frown at, and calls didn't leave me squinting my eyes while trying to hear what someone was saying on the line.

The subtle sounds hold their own quite well (i.e. I heard the heels of a guy's dress shoes as he approached the stand during an argument in a courtroom scene), which I give a green light in terms of these earbuds serving up a nice ASMR experience (preferably with ANC on). The bass is deep enough to be appreciated and gives a nice punchy thump + boom when the oomph is right.

The 1More Aero earbuds feature 1 ANC level and a passthrough feature as well. When ANC is activated it significantly cuts down on the outside noise unless someone is just talking that loud, but these earbuds are adaptive enough for your needs at this price point. 

If you need to get the scoop on what someone is saying (i.e. the Teens out there rocking earbuds and their parents require their listening ears), you can literally take one of these earbuds out and the other one that's still in your ear will fade away the active noise cancellation (and turns up the passthrough).

This worked great when I was in a studio and needed to hear what someone was saying about a pending event. I didn't look at the features before jumping in (for the most part), because I wanted to get a true first impression... and I love this feature. Once you get done, just put the other earbud back in your ear, and it will smoothly fade right back into ANC mode.

The big feature of these earbuds is the spatial audio, and I couldn't wait to jump in (you have no idea).

Spatial audio is a type of technology that serves up head-related transform function technology (HRTF) via your headphones, and basically gives you 360 degrees of sound.

To be more specific about the spatial audio capabilities of the 1More Aero, they have a built-in gyroscope, dynamic head tracking (think VR), and 3D audio technology. The sound won't change direction while using this feature, so when you turn your head to your left while listening to a voice or sound coming from the front of you, you will now hear the voice or sound more so in your right ear. 

I accessed the spatial audio feature through the 1More app while the earbuds were connected to my phone, and when I switched up and connected them to the office telly, I made sure the DTS TruSurround of the TV was activated. While spatial audio isn't a must for every single audio experience, it's a nice plus for those experiences that take advantage of it.

My audio experience included:

Gerald Albright - What you see is what you get | No spacial audio. I keep going back to this track because the instruments are just... so damn clean and it sounds great.

Rick Ross - Maybach Music 3 | Spatial audio & No spatial audio. I listened to this track with the feature on and off, it features Dolby Atmos, but... I couldn't tell the difference to be honest (at least with these earbuds).

Guns N Roses - Welcome to the Jungle | No spatial audio. By the way... Carrie Underwood did a cover of this in concert, which made me curious of what her performance was like. I won't say that I was surprised, I know she's a singer, but she held her own with the song and it didn't sound like you'd expect a concert experience to sound for the most part. There were parts where she didn't lay in fully the way Axl Rose did in the track but... she did a damn good job (and again, this was in concert where some people are unable to pull off similar results). You can tell that it was authentic too because you could tell that she was reloading (breathing in) to hit you with more when she pulled the mic away, etc. 

Thor: Love and Thunder | Spatial audio.

She-Hulk: Attorney At Law | Spatial audio. She-Hulk didn't present a great deal of spatial audio from
beginning to end that I noticed, but you heard sounds coming from various directions that were a subtle plus (like the guy's shoes I heard as he approached the stand in the courtroom came from the right).

You might scratch your head wondering why I'd turn off the spatial audio for certain experiences, but keep in mind that every bit of audio wasn't created with spatial audio in mind. So when it comes to the music, if you want to hear it the way it was intended to be heard, turn off spatial sound or you will hear it from a certain direction unless they recorded it with some sort of omnidirectional mic that puts you in the center of it all.

In the box + Features: 

In the box, you get the wireless charging case

1More Aero Earbuds

USB Charging cable

4 Pairs of silicone ear tips (S / M / L / XL)

Features include:

IPX5 Waterproof Protection - Saves your earbuds from low-pressure of water.

Bluetooth 5.2

42dB QuietMax Active Noice Canceling with 40Hz-4000Hz range

450 mAh Case battery (Case & earbuds fully charged give 28 hours of playback)

40 mAh battery gives you 7 hours of playback (which can get you through most of a shift before a recharge

Earbud recharge time 1 hour

Case recharge time 2 hours

By the way, you get a speaker impedance of 32, 10mm dynamic driver, and 12 Studio-grade EQs for your listening pleasure. These earbuds were also tuned by multi-Grammy award winner Luca Bignard.

The Preset EQs include:

Default (balanced)

Bass reducer

Base booster

Acoustic

Classical

Podcast

Deep

Electronic

Hip-Hop

Lounge

Pop

Vocal booster

Play around with these to find your preferred preset, or go with a more custom sound, but another option is just one selection away when needed.

Price:  Pricewise, you can get the 1More Aero earbuds for $109.99, which are $89.99 at the time of this review... which includes a 10W Qi Wireless Charging Pad for free until 11/30/2022 (so you save $30).

Overall, I think these are some solid earbuds that deliver for those who want earbuds to enjoy music and movies without disturbing others around you.

Quality + Comfort 5

Sound 5

In the box + Features 5

Price 5

5 out of 5 Cool Points

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1More True Wireless ANC In-Ear Headphones... Reviewed!

It's that time again! Shout out to 1More for supplying a review unit of the 1More True Wireless ANC In-Ear Headphones. That said, let's... unbox!

So these are the 1More True Wireless ANC In-Ear Headphones (the package is a keeper, it's solid and would be good for resale value down the road... if you wish to upgrade when that time comes). Right off the bat, these headphones seem twice the size of the 1More Stylish Bluetooth headphones... which will be mentioned here and there for the sake of comparisons to highlight why the ANC BT headphones have a higher price tag.

This won't be a review that craps on the 1More Stylish BT Headphones at all because they're solid and deliver great audio... but expect to see some differences.

Quality + Comfort: These headphones have a sturdy plastic body (doesn't feel cheap), so you will be okay if they happen to fall and hit the floor. 

The ANC BT headphone case has a premium feel and comes in a metal material instead of a plastic body like... the Stylish BT headphones. The case isn't as wide as the Stylish one, but it does have a bit of a height difference to compensate... this makes it easier to slip inside the pocket.

Despite being bigger than the Stylish BT Headphones... they're comfy (for the most part) and remain in the ear well with the O-hook ear grips. They actually maintain a similar shape, they both have a button on the top back area of the headphones and the connection points for charging are in the same areas.

I have no problem with the shape of the headphones... but when you consider the fact that they stick out a bit, you can't exactly lay on your side without there being a little discomfort from the headphones (duh of the day). I wouldn't mind experiencing a design where it's flatter and more flush with the ear, but... I'm sure we'll see that sooner or later. I chalk the current design up to being the needed space to house the oomph under the hood.

I can feel the ANC BT Headphones in my ear a bit more than I do the Stylish BT Headphones (which I forget that those are even in my ears), but my tolerance is still high for the ANCs and... I've been able to sleep with them in.

I have to mention the carrying pouch again because it's the first time i've received a quality carrying pouch from 1More at this size. The others at a lower price point (gotta highlight that) don't come in this material... which is a nice plus and i'm glad they went the extra mile. I don't like the cheaper case because i'm usually concerned that they won't hold up with use, so for the most part I place the ear tips inside and place them on a desk or in the product box.

Sound: These headphones are THX Certified (making them the world's first THX Certified true wireless headphones) so that you're hearing what the sound engineer intended you to hear. I wanted to lead with that because, in terms of third party certifications, they're completely unnecessary... but they're sought after because it gives a stamp of approval by a reputable brand (so that you aren't merely relying on the 1st party's word).

By the way, these headphones were tuned by Grammy award-winning sound engineer, Luca Bignardi.

As far as sound goes when it comes to phone calls, I didn't make a ton of phone calls using the headphones... and most of the calls were on video chat. I was able to communicate and hear the person I was listening to, I just couldn't identify if the calls were better or worse because the people I usually talk to have a lot of action going on in the background (but we were able to communicate). This was before ANC was utilized.

One thing I was able to do on my end was turn on the active noise cancellation during phone calls... which worked as far as quieting my background noise. I did get some white noise while using the ANC... but not bad at all (really increased my ability to hear the caller) although there was a slight muffle when it came to calls (wasn't bad but you could tell that it was there). The white noise decreased when ANC Level 2 was activated. There is also a passthrough mode, but I preferred having the function off. It was cool... but I preferred to use something like that at a park versus in the office if I felt that it was absolutely necessary.

Now when it comes to the actual sound when listening to audio... (dude) it gave me that cinema-quality feel at a comfy volume. You don't have to crank the headphones up just to get those thumps, tings, clanks + whistles to stand out. These headphones rolled with the punches of every test and it effortlessly produced some damn good audio.

I watched and enjoyed a number of videos + music and played several games:

Stargirl (Season 1)
Elektra (2005)... yes I watched this, and I actually have a mint condition comic that I got during the DVD's release.
Mission Impossible 4
Living Colour - Cult of Personality
Anderson .Paak feat. Rick Ross - Cut Em In

Steely Dan - Black Cow
Michael Jackson - Off the Wall (most of the album)... I couldn't play just one track, I was in the zone.
WRC9
The Surge 2
Just Cause 4

Features: The first thing that actually stood out to me with these headphones was the infrared sensor. What it does is pauses your music, movies, and even podcasts... when you take one or both of the earpieces out so that you don't lose your place. I appreciate that because you have those times when you need to talk to someone or you ran into a friend that you haven't seen in a while... and you want to catch up.

By the way, you don't have to put both headphones in to continue listening to your music, just press play (the other headphone will give a light beep sound once it's inserted again). You may be wondering if the other earpiece will continue playing, but... it actually goes on standby until its reinserted in your ear. If it isn't reinserted within a certain amount of time... it will power off, this allows you to preserve battery.

The headphones are obviously able to be charged wirelessly, but... so is the Qi Compatible case.

Additional specs are as follows:

Dual ANC mics

Touch Control is used to activate the ANC features

Optimized Qualcomm Chip

Dedicated Hi-Res DSP

aptX / AAC Compatible

Dynamic Driver + Balanced Armature

15 Minutes Fast Charge for 2 Hours of use 

1 Hour for fully charged headphones

Headphones have a max playback time of 6 hours

2 Hours for fully charged case

22 Hours of playback time when using juice from the fully charged case

Bluetooth 5.0 (10m range)

Impedance 32

The one drawback I have here is a lack of an IP rating. If the headphones have some sort of resistance, it should be presented (in my opinion), but... if there isn't... it should be updated to at least be sweat resistance. IPX4 would've made these the headphones to beat at this price point (at least an IPX4).

I have no problem using these headphones for anything other than workouts and stuff like that, but they would be limited to that (just to play it safe) because I don't know what would affect them as far as moisture goes.

Price: Pricewise... the 1More True Wireless ANC In-Ear Headphones lead the 1More pack at a justified price of $179.99, but not by much (i.e. the wired Quad-Driver THX-certified headphones are only $10 less). The price is solid, especially when they're nearly $100 or so... less than some of the more well-known brands with similar specs.

Overall, these are some awesome headphones that won't break the bank... and you don't have to crank the volume to get the depth to emerge and greet your ears with a satisfying audio experience.

Quality + Comfort 5

Sound 5

Features 4 (due to the lack of an IP rating)

Price 5

5 out of 5 Cool Points

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