I’m a giant fan of 1More in-ear headphones (IEHs). The firm’s Stylish True Wireless is my go-to IEH for the fitness center and walks across the neighborhood, and I gave the Triple Driver IEH a ranking of 5—the one such ranking I’ve given up to now—in my review of three wired models from 1More.
So, it ought to come as no shock that I used to be excited to evaluate 1More’s newest providing, the Dual Driver ANC Pro wi-fi IEH. Its type issue is just like a number of of the corporate’s fashions however totally different than the opposite wi-fi IEHs I’ve tried. I actually like the shape issue, however sound high quality is most essential, and the Dual Driver ANC Pro is one thing of a break up character in that regard.
This evaluate is a part of TechHive’s protection of the best headphones, the place you’ll discover opinions of competing merchandise, plus a purchaser’s information to the options it is best to contemplate when purchasing.
Features
The Dual Driver ANC Pro consists of a versatile, silicone-covered neckband with skinny wires rising from each ends that hook up with the earpieces. The again of the earpieces are magnetic, so that they clasp collectively to type a necklace for handy, secure storage when not in use. This is significantly better than placing tiny earpieces in your pocket or twiddling with a carrying case, particularly in the event you use massive eartips as I do.
The 1More Dual Driver ANC Pro Wireless’ ear suggestions are tethered to a silicone neckband.
I like this kind issue rather a lot. It permits the controls to be positioned on the neckband, the place they are often bigger, extra separated, and extra intuitive than controls on true wi-fi IEHs. Also, the Dual Driver ANC Pro carries an IPX5 ranking for water resistance, so you possibly can work up an actual sweat with out worrying about any harm that may trigger.
As its title implies, this IEH makes use of two drivers in every earpiece: a 13.6 mm dynamic driver with titanium-composite diaphragm for the low and mid frequencies and a balanced armature for the highs. The ensuing frequency response extends from 20Hz to 40kHz (no tolerance given), which implies it could actually render high-res audio.
Also within the title is the time period ANC, which stands for energetic noise cancellation. This IEH gives what 1More calls “hybrid noise cancellation” with two microphones in every earpiece. One known as a feedforward mic, which picks up environmental noise, and the opposite known as a suggestions mic, which fantastic tunes the ANC changes from the feedforward mic, forming a processing loop. In addition, you possibly can choose between two ranges of ANC; Level 1 gives as much as 35dB of attenuation, whereas Level 2 gives 20- to 25dB. Of course, you can even flip off ANC completely.
Another facet of the ANC characteristic is wind noise discount, which you’ll be able to allow individually when ANC is on. According to the webpage for this product, it “suppresses the microphonics caused by wind when ANC is on.”
Each earpiece consists of many elements, together with a dynamic driver, balanced-armature driver, and two microphones.
A separate mic within the neckband picks up your voice throughout cellphone calls. The firm calls this mic ENC (environmental noise cancelling), which, mixed with a DNN (deep neural community) algorithm, is alleged to filter out ambient noise for clear cellphone calls, even in loud settings.
The Dual Driver ANC Pro implements Bluetooth 5, which gives quicker transmission over longer distances in contrast with Bluetooth 4.2. It helps Sony’s LDAC codec for Android and AAC (Advanced Audio Coding) for Apple merchandise. Both are lossy however greater high quality than most Bluetooth codecs; specifically, LDAC boasts a knowledge price of 990Kbps in contrast with 328Kbps for SBC, which can be supported. On the opposite hand, this IEH doesn’t assist aptX.
In addition to Bluetooth, you possibly can join the Dual Driver ANC Pro to a USB supply machine, resembling a pc, utilizing the USB-C port on the finish of the left aspect of the neckband and take heed to lossless audio. Interestingly, the product web page consists of this caveat: “Headphone must have charge in order to be listened via a wired connection.” Okay, however the identical USB-C port is used to cost the battery, so until the USB supply machine doesn’t present energy, making this connection will cost the battery, fulfilling that situation by default.
Speaking of the battery, it’s a 160mAh lithium-ion kind that’s good for as much as 20 hours of music (AAC format, ANC off, 50 % quantity) on a full cost, which takes about one hour to finish from an empty state. Even higher, a fast 10-minute cost gives as much as three hours of play time. Interestingly, recordsdata within the LDAC format gobble battery energy far more shortly, lasting solely about eight hours at 50 % quantity with ANC off. Turning ANC on cuts three to 4 hours from the entire play time—apart from LDAC, which solely loses about half an hour.
Each earpiece consists of many elements, together with a dynamic driver, balanced-armature driver, and two microphones.
User Interface
As I discussed earlier, the controls are situated on the neckband—particularly, on the left aspect. On the highest, there are three buttons: energy on/off, wind noise discount on/off, and ANC 1/2/off.
On the within floor are the quantity up and down buttons on both finish of a rocker change in addition to the play/pause button, which additionally skips to the subsequent or earlier observe by urgent it twice or thrice respectively. This button additionally helps you to reply, cling up, and decline a cellphone name, and you may activate your machine’s voice management (resembling Siri and Google Assistant) by holding the button, however solely when there is no such thing as a music taking part in or a cellphone name in progress.
Changing the ability, ANC, and wind noise-reduction settings gives an audible cue that signifies when they’re switched on or off and which ANC mode is chosen. The cues are quick, distinctive sound results, which is okay, although I would like voice prompts stating the present situation and battery degree as some headphones, together with many 1More fashions, present.
The firm additionally gives a free app known as 1More Music for iOS and Android units. The app is easy and simple, permitting you to allow or disable ANC and wind noise discount. It additionally gives a fast information to the product and a battery-level indicator.
The 1More Music app gives full management for the Dual Driver ANC Pro (in addition to different 1More fashions), together with ANC modes, wind noise discount, and firmware updates. Also on the house display (left) is a battery-level indicator and a hyperlink to a fast information. The secondary display (middle) gives entry to a number of the similar controls in addition to additional information and the Smart Burn-In characteristic, which performs noise alerts over a complete of 12 hours (proper).
Another characteristic within the app known as Smart Burn-In, which performs noise alerts for a complete of 12 hours to interrupt within the drivers. I don’t place a lot inventory within the notion that breaking in drivers makes a giant distinction in sound high quality, so I didn’t do it on this case. But it’s there in the event you really feel in a different way.
In addition, the app reveals the firmware model and allows you to replace it if essential. My evaluate pattern had model 1.01.05, whereas the present model is 1.02.01, so I up to date it.
Performance
For the most effective efficiency from any IEH, it’s crucial to pick the proper eartips in your specific ears. The eartips ought to utterly seal your ear canals; in the event that they’re too small, environmental sounds get via, the general sound high quality is skinny and fizzy, and the bass is anemic.
The Dual Driver ANC Pro comes with 4 pairs of silicone eartips: 11mm, 13mm, 14.2mm (pre-installed), and 15.5mm. All have an oval cross part, which is meant to assist them obtain a very good seal within the oval opening to the ear canal. The nozzles on which the eartips are put in are additionally oval, assuring that the information are within the right orientation. It’s a good match and a bit difficult to vary out the eartips. I usually use 1More’s round 14.5mm silicone eartips on all IEHs, however I attempted the 14.2mm suggestions that include the Dual Driver ANC Pro, they usually labored fantastic for me.
The controls on the left neckband embrace energy on/off, wind noise discount on/off, and ANC 1/2/off on the highest and quantity up/down and play/pause/reply/cling up cellphone calls on the aspect.
As regular, I turned to Tidal’s Master library from my iPhone XS because the supply for check tracks. First up was “Flame Twin” from Norah Jones’ new album Pick Me Up Off the Floor. With ANC off, the sound was clear and properly balanced with clear and current vocals. Turning ANC on—which begins on the stronger setting—the extent elevated considerably, and the sound grew to become a lot richer with elevated bass that was a bit overbalanced. The milder ANC setting sounded about the identical.
I had by no means heard the electronica of Apparat earlier than, however “Hosea” from Soundtraks: Dämonen is an excellent kaleidoscope of timbres swirling across the stereo soundfield. With ANC off, the sound was clear however a tad skinny and anemic. I most well-liked the richer, deeper sound with ANC on on this case. Again, there wasn’t a lot distinction between ANC Level 1 and a couple of.
Another new discovery—this time in jazz—was bassist and composer Misha Mullov-Abbado. I listened to “Seven Colours” from his album Dream Circus, which incorporates piano, acoustic bass, and drums together with trumpet, alto sax, and tenor sax taking part in some superbly ingenious melodic and harmonic concepts. With ANC off, the sound was clear, lean, and tight; turning it on prompted the sound to change into a lot richer and fuller, and the bass was a bit overbalanced and vague.
The USB-C port on the finish of the left neckband connects to a charger, and it may also be related to a USB port on a pc to play audio with out Bluetooth.
Turning to nation, I checked out “Maggie” from Sarah Jarosz’ album World on the Ground. She has an beautiful voice, and the recording high quality is phenomenal. With ANC off, the sound was clear and well-balanced. Turning ANC on, the observe grew to become louder and richer with extra bass—maybe a bit an excessive amount of.
Moving into extra acquainted territory, I listened to the primary motion of Beethoven’s Piano Sonata No. 8, Op. 13 “Pathétique” as carried out by Wilhelm Backhaus on the aptly named album Beethoven Sonatas. This time, with ANC off, the piano sounded skinny and even a bit strident. Turning ANC on, the observe was louder and fuller, which I strongly most well-liked.
For just a few extra devices, I cued up the primary motion of Wind Quintet, Op. 79 by August Klughardt as carried out by Les Vents Français on their album Romantique. With ANC off, the sound was clear and a bit skinny, and every instrument was clearly delineated. Turning ANC on, the observe grew to become louder and richer, and I may nonetheless make out every instrument fairly simply.
For some large weapons, I listened to the third motion of John Adams’ Must the Devil Have All the Good Tunes? as carried out by the Los Angeles Philharmonic below Gustavo Dudamel with Yuja Wang taking part in the featured piano half. Once once more, with ANC off, the sound was clear and clear with considerably lean bass and glorious delineation of particular person devices and sections. The observe acquired louder and fuller with ANC on, and the bass grew to become a bit overbalanced.
To check the phone-headset efficiency, I had my spouse name me. It labored higher on this respect than some other IEH I’ve tried; her voice sounded heat and clear, and she or he reported that my voice sounded glorious as properly.
Finally, I took the Dual Driver ANC Pro out to the storage and ran the garments dryer to check its noise cancellation. The stronger Level 1 setting definitely lowered the low-frequency rumble, however it was much less efficient than different ANC headphones I’ve tried. The milder Level 2 setting let a bit extra noise via, however the distinction wasn’t pronounced.
The 1More Dual Driver ANC Pro Wireless are among the many best-performing smartphone companions we’ve examined.
Comparison to 1More Stylish, Sony WH-1000XM3
The solely different true wi-fi IEH I had readily available throughout this evaluate was the 1More Stylish, which I reviewed here, so I listened to every observe with them in addition to the Dual Driver ANC Pro. In each case, the Stylish sounded very like the Dual Driver ANC Pro with its ANC off—clear, clear, and well-balanced more often than not. Overall, the Stylish had barely much less depth, although in some instances, resembling “Seven Colours” and “Maggie,” the bass was a bit extra current.
My spouse and I in contrast the sound of the Stylish and Dual Driver ANC Pro on a cellphone name and located that the Stylish sounded a lot worse—skinny and digital at each ends. By distinction, the brand new mannequin sounded clear and pure.
During my noise-cancellation check, I in contrast the Dual Driver ANC Pro with the Sony WH-1000XM3, reviewed here, which is the most effective ANC headphone I’ve tried. The Sony offered way more noise discount, which is to be anticipated with an over-ear headphone. Even with a very good seal within the ear canal, it’s extraordinarily troublesome for an IEH to dam as a lot sound.
Bottom line
The 1More Dual Driver ANC Pro has a break up character. With ANC off, its sound is clear and lean—even a bit skinny on some tracks—however if you flip ANC on, the sound turns into wealthy and luxurious with bass that’s typically overbalanced. Either approach, the sound shouldn’t be dangerous by any means—no distortion, no congestion, no veiling. I’m going to imagine that most individuals will need to use this IEM with ANC on, so in the event you’re a basshead, you’ll like it in that mode.
But in the event you favor a leaner, much less bass-heavy steadiness, you would possibly discover it a bit a lot. In that case, you possibly can flip ANC off, which isn’t all that efficient anyway. It does cut back ambient noise considerably, however not almost as a lot as some over-ear headphones I’ve tried. On the plus aspect, its sound as a cellphone headset is superb, and I actually just like the neckband type issue with its well-spaced controls and connected earpieces that may’t get misplaced.
Is the 1More Dual Driver ANC Pro Wireless value $150? If you don’t care about ANC, the reply is sure—you possibly can flip ANC off for a leaner sound or on for a richer, bass-heavy sound in line with your choice. On the opposite hand, if you would like ANC with a clear and lean sound or no ANC with numerous bass, then no. It’s completely as much as you.