Noise cancelling is not necessarily a matter of course with true-wireless headphones below the 200 Euros price threshold. 1more starts off with good equipment and workmanship. For example, the top dog Apple charges almost 70 Euros more for their AirPods Pro, but only use a single dynamic driver. Nevertheless, the sound of this system fell slightly short of my expectations. With their price of 199 Euros, 1more have strong competition, for example in the form of Sony’s WF-1000XM3.
The True-Wireless counterpart of the 1more Dual Driver ANC Pro is called “True Wireless ANC”. These headphones are supplied in a carrying case that is not lightweight but pleasantly robust with a non-slip base. This case has magnetic positioning and can be used for safe storage but it also functions as a charging station and additional battery.
The earpieces themselves are not necessarily small, but they are pleasantly light and of high quality, with a carbon-look finish. Each earpiece has a small mechanical switch on the top as well as an outer side with a touch-sensitive area.
A stable wireless link is ensured by their Qualcomm chip with Bluetooth-5 support. In addition to SBC, AAC and aptX codecs are also offered.
The hybrid driver design is notable, as it uses a dynamic driver for low frequencies and a balanced-armature driver for higher frequencies.
In addition, the manufacturer provides a free app, the “1more Assistant” for iOS and Android, but it offers no further functions apart from the ability to install firmware updates and a “burn-in” feature for the headphones.
In practice
The fit is good and secure thanks to several silicone fitting pieces. Nevertheless, I often felt that these headphones could have sat deeper in my ears. Thanks to a sensor system, the removal and insertion of the earpieces is registered and playback is automatically stopped. However, contrary to the operating instructions, playback is not automatically resumed, at least not when using iOS. Nevertheless, if necessary, you can use only one of the two headphones, for example for telephone calls. Calls can be made with a speech quality that is easy to understand, but it is not free from background noise.
The pairing button is located in the transport case. Once paired, the connection to your Smartphone is established quickly and easily. The wireless link is stable and extends over several rooms.
The headphones themselves offer a playing time of about 5 hours with activated noise cancelling, but only at reduced volume. As with the competition, this playing time can be increased to around 20 hours using the battery in the case, including the quick-charging function. As an option, the headphones can also be recharged in the case using Qi-compatible, inductive chargers.
Regarding functionality: The mechanical function buttons are used to switch the True Wireless ANC on and off. At the same time the volume can be increased and decreased step by step on the left and right. According to the manual, the double-click function is supposed to enable track skipping, but in practice it starts and stops music playback when using iOS. These buttons can still be used to control calls and they call up your Smartphone’s voice assistant with a triple click. Operating the small buttons takes some getting used to, especially as they always affect the position of the headphones. Accurate use of the touch sensors also takes practise. Both sides are equally responsible for noise cancelling…
Noise Cancelling
The following modes are available: Noise Cancelling off, Pass-Thru with amplification of ambient noise for improved communication and actual Noise Cancelling, which can be switched on in two stages (-35 and -20 dB reduction). Switching between these is done by double tapping on the outside of the earpiece, which causes a slight disturbance in your ear canal.
The background noise suppression is quite effective, but works rather modestly. It creates an improved signal-to-noise ratio in noisy environments and makes for more intensive listening pleasure in conditions that are already quiet. Travel noises, for example when on public transport, remain clearly audible at both levels. I myself prefer a more intensive degree of isolation and would have liked to see greater efficiency at least in the higher level. This is all the more true because 1more advertises that their hybrid technology uses microphones both inside and outside the ears.
The pass-through mode is quite useful in everyday life. But it bothered me that you have to go through several modes to get back to the original setting. It would have made more sense if this mode could be activated with a simple touch.
Sound
The dual drivers and compatibility with aptX and AAC create good conditions for solid sound quality. If the earpiece fit well, the sound is rich and wide, although not necessarily very high level. The bass range is powerful and provides listening pleasure right down to the really low bass. At the same time, the low frequency range is also somewhat forward and therefore overemphasised. The basic tuning is correspondingly more voluminous rather than emphatically dry and tight. Also the midrange spectrum is rather full, but open and articulated enough to clearly define voices, acoustic and electric instruments. However, with heavy rock tracks the reproduction is actually a bit too “thick” for my taste.
Finally I found a certain amount of warmth in the highs. I found they were a little too subtle, especially with the fine details. This is, of course, also a consequence of the prominent bass foundation.
The stereo panorama was illuminated broadly and in detail. Panning effects are easy to comprehend, although not particularly prominent. The spatial reproduction was satisfactory: As with most closed systems, the spatiality of acoustic recordings is rather moderate, while the reverberation effects of good recordings were quite noticeable.
For dynamic orchestral works, they offer an ok performance, but the low background noise of the noise cancelling circuit is audible. Nevertheless: in quiet surroundings you can definitely immerse yourself in the music. In summary, the True Wireless ANC still delivers a good performance, but overall it does not come close to the sound of the Dual Driver ANC Pro.
Technical specifications
- Ear couplingIn-ear
- Typeclosed
- Transducer principledynamic + balanced-armature drivers
- Impedance32 ohms
- Weight without cableeach 7.9 g, case 63.2 g
What's in the box
- 6 pairs of silicone ear tips
- 3 pairs of over-ear mounts
- USB-C charging cable
- Charging case
- Carrying pouch
Special features
- BT codecs: SBC, AAC, aptX
- BT version: 5
- BT profiles: A2DP, AVRCP, HFP