1MORE PistonBuds Pro Q30

The plastic earbuds, which are available in black or white, have changed significantly in terms of design compared to their predecessors. The”wings” protrude downwards and are typical of many earbud designs, and these have microphones at the ends. However, these earpieces are a mixture of earbuds and true in-ears – and so they are a fundamentally different shape from their predecessors. Here, the tip is fitted with a silicone mould, which ensures a seal in your ear and, therefore, achieves a better fit and seal. Three sizes are included for an optimised fit in your ears.

The design is lightweight at 4.6 grams per earbud, and they are also protected against splashing water and sweat in accordance with IPX5. The case with USB-C charging port and status LED is not particularly small but provides a safe place to keep the headphones and offers additional charging capacity. However, there is no option for inductive charging.

In terms of technology, the PistonBuds Pro Q30 are equipped with Bluetooth 5.3, support for the SBC and AAC audio codecs and configurable noise cancelling. The manufacturer specifies a battery life of up to 30 hours from the charging case, up to 7.5 hours per charge and a quick-charging option. There is also an app that provides further functionality and configurability. Compared to the PistonBuds Pro, these earbuds have been developed somewhat further: In addition to Bluetooth 5.3 with LE Audio (Low Energy) which, according to the manufacturer, works faster and more reliably, the noise cancelling now has an adaptive mode. Spatial Audio mode and memory locations for the EQ have also been added.

The 1MORE PistonBuds Pro Q30 in practice

I used the PistonBuds Pro Q30 in everyday life for several weeks. In line with their category, the headphones I tested sit a little looser in my ears than true in-ear designs, but they were distinctly superior to regular earbuds, especially as they were comfortable to wear and free from pressure.

The battery life of up to five hours (43 mAh) with noise cancelling switched on was quite practical, especially as the case provided four times the capacity. That was enough for long walks and the occasional train journey.

The touch control was initially a little confusing for me due to the design and the lack of a clearly recognisable touch-sensitive area. However, in practice, you simply tap on the outside of the bud. It is possible to configure double and triple clicks to control the functions of music playback, phone calls and calling up your smartphone’s voice assistant. It was also possible to switch between the noise-cancelling operating modes with a prolonged touch. This option explains why some of the devices we tested started up in transparency mode after being removed from the ears (as this involves a prolonged touch), even though noise cancelling was previously switched on.

Finally, there is the tried-and-tested free app for Android and iOS. It offers further setting options for noise cancelling, the aforementioned configuration of the touch functions and a ten-band graphic equaliser with twelve pre-set settings and editable user settings. It is also possible to use the app to adjust the functions for automatically pausing and resuming music playback when taking the headphones off and on. Of course, you can also use one headphone at a time if required.

Finally, the PistonBuds Pro Q30 offer a gaming mode, which reduces the latency to 90 ms and brings the sound and image elements of games and videos closer together.

Noise cancelling

When it comes to noise cancelling, you can choose between two different intensities, an adaptive variant and a mode that was quite reliable at getting annoying wind noise under control – this was my choice for outdoor use. There is also a transparency mode that makes it easier to communicate with the outside world. In view of the favourable price, I consider the performance offered by these headphones to be convincing, as isolation from the outside world definitely gives added value for everyday use. Your enjoyment of music is undoubtedly intensified.

A small piece of criticism: In two cases, the otherwise stable wireless connection stuttered; this was resolved by returning the headphones to the case and then removing them again.

Sound

Despite the low price and the in-ear design, the PistonBuds Pro Q30 surprised me with their appealing sound quality. The dynamic 100 mm DLC (Diamond Like Carbon) drivers provided a rich and appealing sound experience, especially when noise cancelling was activated; this changed the sound reproduction like a loudness button. You shouldn’t expect maximum neutrality and audiophile resolution from this design and price range, but you should expect a powerful reproduction that was a lot of fun to listen to. If required, you can adjust the EQ to suit your taste, and you can even switch on a circuit for extended spatiality (spatial audio).

These headphones delivered a pleasing sound quality, especially with Active Noise Cancelling activated, and they fulfilled their function perfectly for mobile use or during fitness workouts. The headphones delivered appealingly powerful results, particularly for listening to pop, rock and EDM. The sound was coherent and well-resolved, not biting, and reached deep into the bass without getting out of step. If you want more subtle dynamics and have high demands when it comes to spatiality, you will have to dig deeper into your pocket.

Having said all that, I would deduct some points for the call quality, which was rated as below average and too clipped in the frequency response by several people I spoke to on the phone. Three built-in microphones and an AI algorithm to suppress background noise were not enough to improve this.

Conclusion

With the lightweight PistonBuds Pro Q30, 1MORE delivers a hybrid of earbuds and in-ears, which offer balanced sound, good noise cancelling and good wearing comfort and are available at a recommended retail price of 55.99 euros. Indeed, the actual retail price of the PistonBuds Pro Q30 is significantly lower at the moment in some outlets. However, the manufacturer still needs to work on the sound quality of phone calls.