1MORE True Wireless ANC In-Ear Headphones
$179.99
What We Dig
- Audiophile Level Sound
- Nice Comfort and Fit
- Fast Charging
What To Think About
- Nothing at this price
These Affordable True Wireless Earbuds Have A Lot to Offer!
The True Wireless Earbud game is super crowded, with tons of new models coming out of the woodwork daily. It takes a lot to break through, and every company is looking for ways to differentiate their earphones from the others.
The earbuds we’re looking at today, the $179 1MORE True Wireless ANC In-Ear Headphones, set themselves apart in lots of ways, starting with their look. First of all, they have a quite aggressive, sporty look, with lots of curves, reminiscent of a Ferrari. The glossy carbon-fiber pattern on the side of each earpiece along with the red microphone grilles is super snazzy.
They’re quite large for wireless earphones, but they have sizable rubber ear loops or o-hooks (1MORE calls them “Ear Grips”) that hold them securely in your ear. The use of Ear Grips also allows the 1MORE buds to have a stable fit without having to push them deep in your ear canal, so they’re comfortable to boot. Along with three sizes of Ear Grips, you also get 6 different sizes of standard silicone ear tips, so finding the proper fit shouldn’t be an issue.
Another thing that sets the True Wireless ANC apart is their dual-driver setup. Each earpiece has two drivers: Balanced Armature for high-end sounds and a Dynamic Driver for the low end. Along with the dual-drivers, these earphones use DSP and aptX/AAC Bluetooth codecs to enhance sound quality.
Speaking of Bluetooth, these in-ear headphones use the now-standard 5.0 variety, which allows for better battery life and longer range than the older versions. It also allows for quick and stable connections. I found this to be true for the most part, but I did have one issue with their connectivity. Really it was an issue with disconnecting.
The buds remained connected to my phone several times after I put them back in the charging case, which was a little annoying and a minor battery issue. When it happened, I usually just disconnected them from the phone and was done with it, but I couldn’t figure out why they did that in the first place.
1MORE is big on THX Certification for its headphones, and they have billed this model as the first TWS headphone to have it. This certification is said to ensure low distortion, noise isolation, and just overall quality audio performance. I’m not one to put a whole lot of weight on things like this, but these earphones do seem to play with low distortion on quality recordings.
Remarkable Active Noise Cancelling
Of course, a big part of any product called True Wireless ANC is the ANC or Active Noise Cancelling. I have to say, the Noise Cancelling on these earbuds is outstanding. There are three different modes of ANC.
First, Level 1 is good for walking the streets or working at your desk. Then there’s Level 2, which is stronger and nice for plane rides. That’s followed by pass-through mode, which is good for when you quickly need to hear what’s going on around you. All three work amazingly well.
I used the True Wireless ANC on a recent plane trip, and Level 1 was great when walking through the airport, killing background noise instantly. Level 2 was good during the plane ride, canceling out engine noise better than any earphone I’ve ever heard. Most True Wireless earbuds with ANC are good for train rides or walking down the street but almost useless on a plane.
The pass-through mode was excellent for hearing announcements on the plane or at the airport. It amplified outside sounds very well, another thing many True Wireless models are not good at.
Controls, Charging, and Phone Calls
Control of the earbuds is slightly different from most TWS earphones as they use both physical buttons and touch controls. Usually, you get one or the other. Like volume, track selection, and phone calls, most functions are handled by small buttons on the top of each earpiece. But the ANC is controlled by touch. A double-tap on the side of each earpiece cycles through the ANC modes.
I actually like this hybrid system. The touch control works nicely for the ANC, and it’s good to have push-buttons for the main controls. As I’ve said many times before, I prefer physical buttons to touch controls because they work better in most cases. There’s no tapping over and over to change a song.
These earphones also have a cool auto-pause feature where they stop playback when you pull one earbud out of your ear. I actually thought this feature was supposed to restart playback automatically when you put it back in your ear, but this didn’t work on my phone. I had to restart the music manually.
The True Wireless ANC’s metal charging case is lovely. The top opens and shuts easily and snaps closed with a satisfying “clack” sound. Like the earpieces, it’s a little bigger than most cases, but it will still fit in your jeans pocket. On the front, there’s a single led light that shines different colors to signify battery level and charging status.
Since the case uses USB-C, charging is fast. It’s 15 minutes charging time for 2 hours use or 1 hour of charging time for 6 to 4 hours of playback (depending on ANC use). The case takes 2 hours to charge. It can be charged via the included USB-C cable or wirelessly using a Qi charger (not included).
I took a few phone calls, and I found the 1MORE earphones to be good in volume but a little bit fuzzy overall. On one call, I had no problem hearing my wife, and she had no problem hearing me, but she sounded like she was on an old transistor radio. But usually, if I can hear the person and they can hear me without straining, that’s good enough.
Listening To The 1MORE True Wireless ANC In-Ear Headphones
It’s funny, at one time, all headphones were tuned to sound like a pair of Dr. Dre’s Beats. Bass was highly exaggerated, and it was all about the boom. But lately, I’ve heard a lot more balance and nuance in TWS earphones, even the cheapest models.
The 1MORE True Wireless ANC is another In-Ear headphone with an overall balanced sound signature. The bass and highs are slightly lifted, which sets the mids back a bit. The “u-shaped” tuning is noticeable on some tracks more than others, but it’s rarely ever distracting. It actually gives these earphones a wide, airy sound, which I like.
The sound’s sculpting is a little more prominent with ANC turned on, which makes sense since DSP is used to bring the tuning back in line. I found that vocals receded into the presentation a little more, while the bass/highs became a little more prominent.
I felt the sound was more natural and resolving with ANC off, but with ANC on, the 1MORE buds were softer and more forgiving of poor recordings. With ANC on, you may say there was a little more excitement since the bass was more upfront. Either way, they sounded great, just a little different.
Listening to “Baker Street” from Chesky Records’ “The World’s Greatest Vocal Recordings Vol. 2” made me think maybe there’s something to this THX stuff. The sound was very reminiscent of the THX-Certified HELM Audio DB12 AAAMP I just reviewed.
The background was very black, very clean sounding. The soundstage was wide, imaging was decent, especially for a pair of wireless earbuds.
I loved hearing the percussionist right off to the left of the vocalist, and the harmonica solo rang out directly to the right of him. The True Wireless ANC sounds really rich–in a good way.
The Wrap-Up
The 1MORE True Wireless ANC In-Ear Headphones have the best noise-canceling I have heard from a pair of wireless earbuds. Comfort is excellent, and they have true audiophile sound quality. Throw in fast charging times plus a wireless charging option, and you have a premium TWS product that comes at a price much lower than many other premium earphones.
If you want True Wireless Earbuds with top of the line features without a top of the line price, you should check these out.
Buy Here: [AMAZON; $179] (As of this writing, there is a $20 off product page coupon)
I’m an audio writer who started as a young audio salesman/consumer electronics professional back in the late 90s. That’s where I discovered the magic of 2-Channel sound. My thirst for great sound has led me on a delightful music quest that continues today.
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