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.
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
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
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
